Sept. 15, 2007

Box Score

NEWARK, Del. - Joe Flacco threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 10 University of Delaware to a 38-9 win over the University of Rhode Island in Colonial Athletic Association football action Saturday afternoon at Delaware Stadium.

Wide receiver Aaron Love hauled in 10 passes for 137 yards and a score as the Blue Hens remained perfect on the season at 3-0 (2-0 CAA). Junior Joe Casey (Syracuse, N.Y.) finished with 97 yards on 18 carries for the Rams, who fell to 0-3 (0-2 CAA) on the season.

The Blue Hens jumped out to a 7-0 lead at 9:49 of the first quarter when Anthony Walters recovered a URI fumble in the end zone. Junior quarterback Derek Cassidy (Winter Haven, Fla.) was hit at the 13 by Walters, who jarred the ball loose and recovered for the score.

Just over five minutes later, the URI defense threw some points on the board to cut the deficit to 7-2. With the Hens backed up near their own goal line, the Ram defense pressured Flacco into throwing the ball away. He was called for intentional grounding - an automatic safety.

The two schools played a tight second quarter before the Blue Hens scored two touchdowns in the final 5:56 of the stanza. Running back Omar Cuff - the nation's leading scorer entering this weekend - capped a seven-play, 16-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 14-2. The Hens struck again right before the half on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Love at 1:53, making it a 21-2 game at the half.

Mark Duncan opened the scoring in the second half for the Hens with a 13-yard touchdown reception at 10:41 that made the lead 28-2 in favor of Delaware. Later in the quarter, Mark Mackey caught a two-yard pass from Flacco for another touchdown at 3:14 to stretch the lead to 35-2.

Jon Striefsky capped the scoring for Delaware with a 22-yard field goal early in the fourth. The Rams lone touchdown on the afternoon came on an eight-yard run by junior Joe Bellini (Glendale, RI) with 49 seconds remaining. The score capped off a 10-play, 44-yard drive that took 3:46 off the clock.

The Blue Hens posted 434 yards of total offense, but the Rams defense held Cuff to 56 yards on 14 carries while rushing for 187 yards as a team. Cassidy finished the afternoon 4-13 for 40 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by sophomore D.J. Stefkovich (Westport, CT). He finished 4-11 for 39 yards.

The Rams return home next weekend when they host CAA rival Hofstra University next Saturday at 1 p.m.