NEWARK, DE -- Quarterback Daniel Bocanegra threw for a touchdown and ran for another and the Albany defense collected four sacks, intercepted two passes, and held Delaware to just 270 total yards of offense as the Great Danes stunned the No. 11 ranked Blue Hens 17-10 Saturday evening in a non-league college football game at Delaware Stadium.

Albany (2-1), a member of the Northeast Conference, downed an Atlantic 10 team for the first time in eight tries all-time and defeated the highest ranked opponent in its history. Delaware (1-1), playing Albany for the first time, had won 13 straight non-league games at home since a 2000 playoff loss to Georgia Southern. The game was played before a crowd of 22,016, the 14th straight regular season sellout at Delaware Stadium.

“We made so many mistakes tonight,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, who lost a home game at Delaware Stadium for just the fifth time in 31 games in his five seasons at the helm of the Blue Hens. “We just were not ready to play and that is as much the coaching staff’s fault as the players. Our immaturity showed and we did some things that are not typical of Delaware football. Our psyche is bruised for sure. And things are going to get tougher as we head to the road next week to start conference play (at Rhode Island).”

Delaware could never get on track offensively the entire night as Albany held the Hens to just 270 total yards while sacking Joe Flacco four times and intercepting him twice, both times by Rashad Barksdale. Barksdale’s second interception sealed the win when he picked Flacco off in the end zone with 1:31 left to play.

The 270 yards was the lowest output by the Hens since gaining just 244 yards in a 20-19 win at Hofstra in 2004. Albany gained 326 yards, including 182 on the ground as Dan Beigel picked up a career-high 71 yards and Marcus Allen added 68 yards.

Flacco hit on 18 of 35 passes for 177 yards while junior All-American Omar Cuff (at right; photo by Bob Burleigh) rushed for 90 yards and one touchdown and caught six passes for 77 yards. He went over the 2,000-yard rushing mark for his career in the third quarter, becoming just the 15th UD player to reach the milestone.

Albany never trailed as the Great Danes got on the board on just their second possession of the game as Bocanegra hit a wide-open Josh Furnas on a flea-flicker down the middle and the flanker waltzed in for the easy touchdown from 38 yards out. Bocanegra hit on 11 of 16 passes for 121 yards for the night.

Delaware cut the lead to 7-3 with 1:17 left in the first quarter when Zach Hobby converted a 19-yard field goal, tying a UD record with his seventh straight successful kick. The score was set up when Roger Brown recovered a fumbled punt return by Barksdale at the Albany eight-yard line.

The Great Danes then took a 17-3 lead into halftime as Bocanegra sneaked in from one-yard out for a touchdown with five minutes left in the half and Barksdale’s first interception set up a 20-yard field goal by Jason Fralicker with 1:22 remaining.

Delaware managed to score its only touchdown in the third quarter when Cuff capped a 17-play, 87-yard drive with a one-yard dive with 4:15 left in the stanza. The Hens drove all the way down to the Albany 19-yard line in the final minutes as Flacco hooked up with Cuff three times for 48 yards, but the Great Danes ended the threat when Barksdale intercepted Flacco on the left side of the end zone to clinch the win.

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