The No. 23 University of Maine Black Bears improved to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in conference play Saturday by blowing out the No. 24 University of Delaware Blue Hens 62-28 Saturday afternoon. The Blue Hens fall to 4-2 on the season and 1-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play.
The Black Bears were led by the rushing attack of sophomore running back Nigel Jones, who ran for 107 yards on the day with two touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass. It was his second straight game with at least 100 yards rushing and three total touchdowns.
UMaine gained 602 of total offense on Saturday to pace the Black Bears to their third-highest scoring total in school history.
Senior quarterback Marcus Wasilewski was 18-27 for 265 yards and three touchdowns through the air and added 20 yards on the ground.
UMaine scored four touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of play to establish control of the game early. Junior wide receiver Damarr Aultman caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Wasilewski and Jones ran for a 7-yard score to put UMaine up by 14 in the opening stages.
The floodgates were opened just seconds later when Delaware junior wide receiver Michael Johnson fumbled on his own 20-yard line. It was recovered by sophomore defensive back Sherrod Baltimore and returned for UMaine’s third touchdown, giving them a 20-0 lead.
The point-after was blocked by the Blue Hens, but was quickly recovered by UMaine junior Jordan Thomas who ran it into the end zone for two points, the first time that has happened in UMaine football history.
Shortly after the bizarre return, senior defensive back Michael Mangiarelli picked off a pass and took it up the sideline 43 yards for a touchdown. Delaware responded at the end of the quarter junior wideout Michael Johnson’s touchdown reception.
The second quarter was far less eventful. Nigel Jones caught a 33-yard pass for a touchdown, his second of the season. The Blue Hens answered back just before the end of the half when junior quarterback Trent Hurley took it up the middle for a four-yard touchdown run.
The scoring in the third period belonged solely to UMaine, starting with a touchdown run from Nigel Jones and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Wasilewski to sophomore running back Isiah Jones. Up by a score of 41-15, the Black Bears pulled Wasilewski in favor of versatile senior John Ebeling, who already had 50 receiving yards on the day.
While Ebeling didn’t throw a pass, he facilitated the offense through a strong ground game. Ebeling scored on 29- and 7 runs at the end of the third, putting the home team up 62-15.
Delaware scored twice in the fourth quarter, but it was only enough to put a dent into the final score. Freshman running back Jalen Randolph scored on a 1-yard touchdown run that had its extra point attempt blocked, while fellow freshman Wes Hill took one home from 3 yards out. The final score stood at 62-28.
UMaine’s victory Saturday was the most points Delaware had allowed since 2007, and the most lopsided defeat between these two teams ever.
A difficult day for the Blue Hens was highlighted by senior Andrew Pierce’s 62 yards rushing, putting him over 4,000 yards for his collegiate career. Freshman Jack Randolph led Delaware with 137 yards, averaging a staggering 9.1 yards per carry.
Hurley had a rough day under center for the Blue Hens, going 11-23 for 120 yards and a touchdown while getting sacked four times. He also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
The game was dominated on the defensive side of the ball by UMaine, whose defensive line put pressure on Hurley all day. They only allowed 120 yards through the air, including a defensive touchdown.
“The whole defense came out and played great, run defense and pass defense really came together today,” said sophomore Trevor Bates. He led the defense with 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks, while freshman Chris Mulumba made eight stops himself.
Wasilewski spoke highly of his team, saying, “We were focused in at the beginning of the game and everybody executed very well and it showed. It was nice to see the team come together today.”
Delaware head coach Dave Brock was humble in defeat, taking much of the responsibility for the lopsided result on himself.
“The reality is they were the better team and the better-coached team tonight. It’s a disappointing loss for us,” he said.
“We asked our guys to take another step this week in terms of finding more about ourselves and what we can do on the field and they definitely did that,” said UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove.
UMaine has a bye week next weekend. They host the College of William and Mary Oct. 19 at 12:30 p.m. during homecoming weekend, while Delaware returns home to take on the University of Albany Oct. 12.