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Delaware Turns the Tables, Rallies to Down Villanova 59-42 and Capture Atlantic 10 Title November 18, 2000   Matt Nagy Jamin Elliott NEWARK, DE -- History has proven that a Delaware-Villanova football game will always provide the unexpected. Saturday's game was further proof. Only this time, Delaware turned the tables. After losing each of the last three meetings vs. Villanova despite leading in the fourth quarter, the No. 2 ranked Blue Hens (10-1, 7-1 Atlantic 10) rallied from a 35-10 second quarter deficit and posted a 59-42 Atlantic 10 football victory over Villanova (5-6, 3-5) Saturday at Delaware Stadium. With the victory, Delaware clinched its fourth Atlantic 10 Conference title, its first since 1995, and earned a spot in the upcoming NCAA I-AA Tournament. "This means a lot more than maybe our kids realize," said Delaware head coach Tubby Raymond, whose team had lost four straight overall to Villanova but took the lead in the all-time series 17-16-1. "At halftime we said that if we'd play defense, we'd have a chance to win the ballgame. We started playing like we are capable of and we turned Matt (QB Matt Nagy) loose." The Blue Hens, who lost last year's meeting against Villanova by a 51-45 score in overtime after leading 45-24 with 8:38 left in regulation, outscored the Wildcats 49-7 after going down 35-10. The game was the second highest scoring non-overtime game in Atlantic 10 history with the Hens outgaining Villanova in total offense by just one yard, 583-582. Villanova had 416 yards of offense in the first half alone. Villanova took a 42-27 lead with 7:26 left in the third quarter when Brett Gordon hit Luke Stopper on a six-yard touchdown pass, but it was all Delaware after that. Nagy, who hit on 23 of 39 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns, hit Jamin Elliott on a 65-yard touchdown pass on a catch and run down the left sideline to cut the lead to 42-34 and Nagy added a one-yard sneak followed by Craig Cummings' two-point conversion run to tie the game at 42-42 with 2:22 left in the third. Cummings scored on a one-yard run with 11:07 left in the fourth quarter to put the Hens up for good at 49-42. The Hens sealed the win when Ricardo Walker returned an interception a school-record tying 100 yards for a touchdown with 34 seconds left to play. "They were a little too much for us in the second half," said Villanova head coach Andy Talley. "They (Delaware) came out early playing not to lose, but the second half they definitely came out playing to win." It looked like a runaway early for Villanova as the Wildcats completed three 80-yard drives to go up 35-10. Running back Brian Westbrook scored three times in the first quarter on two short runs and a 21-yard pass from Gordon. Gordon then hit Cameron Cross on a six-yard scoring pass and Brian White with a seven-yard scoring toss to take the seemingly safe 28-point lead. Elliott caught eight passes for 220 yards, the second highest total in UD history, while Nagy upped his season touchdown mark to 25, setting a new school single season record. Mike Furline had a team-high 10 tackles and intercepted two passes to lead the UD defense. Scott Collins also kicked a school-record tying three field goals in the win. Gordon hit on 36 of 48 passes for 424 yards and four touchdowns but was intercepted four times and Villanova fumbled another kickoff away. Westbrook ran for 73 yards, caught 10 passes for 116 yards, and returned nine kickoffs for 269 yards to set a new school and Atlantic 10 record with 458 all-purpose yards, nine shy of the all-time I-AA record. AGATE Villanova......21.....14.....7.....0.....42 Delaware......10......7....25....17.....59   SCORING 1st Quarter V- Westbrook 1 run (Birch kick), 10:21 remaining D- Cummings 14 pass from Nagy (Collins kick), 7:24 V- Westbrook 21 pass from Gordon (Birch kick), 5:17 D- FG Collins 35, 2:03 V- Westbrook 1 run (Birch kick), 0:27 2nd Quarter V- Cross 6 pass from Gordon (Birch kick), 11:29 V- White 7 pass from Gordon (Birch kick), 3:40 D- Pressey 4 run (Collins kick), 0:57 3rd Quarter D- FG Collins 24, 12:00 D- Veach 25 pass from Nagy (Collins kick), 11:05 V- Stopper 6 pass from Gordon (Birch kick), 7:26 D- Elliott 65 pass from Nagy (Collins kick), 7:04 D- Nagy 1 run(Cummings run), 2:22 4th Quarter D- Cummings 1 run (Collins kick), 11:07 D- FG Collins 19, 1:38 D- Walker 100 interception run (Collins kick). 0:40 Attendance: 22,020 TEAM STATS..........UD.................NOVA First Downs....................27.............................29 Rushes-yards............38-127.......................23-158 Passing yards................456............................424 Passes....................39-23-1......................48-36-4 Total Yards..................583............................582 Punts........................2-34.5.......................2-37.5 Fumbles-Lost.................1-1...........................1-1 Penalties-Yards.............6-37.........................9-79 Return yards.................276...........................318 Possession Time.........31:30.........................28:30 Third Downs...........7 of 16........................5 of 8 Sacks-Yards..................1-5..........................3-18 INDIVIDUAL STATS RUSHING: Villanova - Westbrook, 14-73, Cross 4-73, Ridley 3-15, White, 2-(-3). Delaware: Jenkins 12-56, O'Neal 6-33, Cummings 7-28, Pressey, 5-24, Patrick 2-5, Nagy 6-(-19). PASSING: Villanova: Gordon 48-36-4-424. Delaware: Nagy 39-23-1-456 RECEIVING: Villanova: Westbrook 10-116, Ward 10-100, White 9-126, Stopper 3-17, Cross 2-19, Ridley 1-36, Brown 1-10. Delaware: Elliott, 8-220, Veach 7-93, Cummings 5-84, Pressey 2-51, Jenkins 1-8.