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Massachusetts 26, Delaware 19
October 23, 1999 • Delaware Stadium


NEWARK, DE -- Massachusetts senior tailback Marcel Shipp rushed a stadium record 44 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns and the Minutemen overcame a 19-7 second quarter deficit to post a 26-19 Atlantic 10 football victory over host University of Delaware Saturday at Delaware Stadium.

No. 24 ranked UMass, the defending national I-AA champion, won its third straight game to improve to 4-3 (4-1) with just its second victory in 12 games at Delaware Stadium. Delaware, ranked No. 18, dropped its second straight game to fall to 4-3 (2-2). The back-to- back losses are the first for Delaware since 1994 and mark the first time the Hens have lost consecutive games at home since 1989.

Shipp, the nation's fourth leading rusher with 920 yards this season, went over the 100-yard mark for the 19th straight time. The UMass defense, led by Kole Ayi who had 10 tackles and an interception, held Delaware to a season-low 247 yards and took advantage of three turnovers.

"This was an emotional game, both teams played their tails off," said Massachusetts head coach Mark Whipple. "We could have self- destructed in the first half but our offense stepped up. We could have crumbled but we didn't."

After UMass opened the scoring on a one-yard Todd Bankhead dive with 7:53 left in the opening quarter, Delaware reeled off 19 straight points. Jamin Elliott scored on a nine-yard end around, fullback Steve Ricco scored on an 11-yard run up the middle, and Butter Pressey scored on a 20-yard run with 6:19 left before halftime. The first two touchdowns were set up by interceptions from linebackers Dan Mulhern and Brian McKenna (17 tackles).

But it was all UMass after that. Shipp capped an 86-yard drive with a one-yard dive and Doug White hit a 34-yard field goal as the first half expired to cut the lead to 19-17.

Massachusetts, which held the Hens to just 80 second half yards, went up for a good at 20-19 on a 21-yard field goal by Matt Cherry on the first play of the fourth quarter and added some insurance when Shipp scored on a 23-yard run around the left end on his 36th carry of the day with 8:02 left. The Hens never got closer than their own 32-yard line the rest of the way.

"We had our chances to win but just made too many mistakes," said Delaware head coach Tubby Raymond, whose team had two touchdowns called back due to penalties. "I don't know why we weren't productive in the second half. I thought we had things squared away. It's no shame in what Shipp did today. We were hoping to hold him under 100 yards but he's the best we've seen this year."

 

AGATE

 

MASSACHUSETTS.......7.....10.....0.....9.....26
DELAWARE...............7.....12.....0.....0.....19

First quarter
M - Bankhead 1 run (Cherry kick), 7:53 left
D - Elliott 9 run (Sizemore kick), 4:56

Second quarter
D - Ricco 11 run (kick failed), 10:24
D - Pressey 20 run (pass failed), 6:19
M - Shipp 1 run (White kick), 2:41
M - FG White 34, 0:00

Fourth quarter
M - FG Cherry 21, 14:53
M - Shipp 23 run (kick failed), 8:02

Attendance: 19,590

TEAM STATS...........UD.....UMASS
First Downs........................13.............22
Rushes - Yds.................38-107........53-165
Passing Yards....................140............191
Passes..........................21-7-2......34-20-3
Total Yards.......................247...........356
Punts - Avg...................8-30.4........7-33.6
Penalties - Yds..................8-77..........5-55
Fumbles - Lost...................4-1............0-0
Time of Poss..................26:48..........33:12
Sacks by - Yards..............2-18............6-33

INDIVIDUAL STATS: RUSHING: MASSACHUSETTS - Shipp 44-186, Zullo 1-9, Bankhead 8-minus; 20. DELAWARE - Pressey 10-50, Ricco 9-38, Cummings 6-36, Elliott 1-9, Downs 1-4, O'Neal 1-3, Nagy 5-minus 10, Ginn 5-minus 23; PASSING: MASSACHUSETTS - Bankhead 20-33-3-191, Bowman 0-1-0-0; DELAWARE - Nagy 6-18-2-122, Ginn 1-3-0-18; RECEIVING: MASSACHUSETTS - Zullo 7-83, Higgins 5-55, Shipp 4-27, Ley 2-20, Kozikowski 2-6; DELAWARE - Elliott 3-70, Veach 1-37, Pressey 1-18, Cummings 1-12, Ricco 1-3.

 

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