NEWARK, DE -- Quarterback Joe Flacco (at right) threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, Omar Cuff returned to action and led the ground game with 93 yards, and the Delaware defense had its best effort in several weeks as the Blue Hens downed William & Mary 28-14 in an Atlantic 10 Football game Saturday afternoon at Delaware Stadium.

The Blue Hens (5-5, 3-4 A-10) snapped a two-game losing streak and moved a step closer to clinching their fifth straight .500 or better season and their 18th in the last 19 seasons. Delaware will close out the season next Saturday at home vs. rival Villanova. William & Mary (3-7, 1-6 A-10) lost for the third time in the last four weeks and lost in league play for the 10th time in the last 11 games since last season. Delaware downed the Tribe for the fourth straight time in regular season action.

After William & Mary opened the scoring early in the second quarter, Delaware reeled off 21 straight points to take control and move on for the victory. Flacco overcame two early interceptions and completed 28 of 39 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns, surpassing the 200-yard mark for the fourth straight week.

Cuff, an All-American in 2005 who had missed four of the last five games with an ankle injury, returned to action and picked up 93 yards on 17 carries and scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Hens a 14-7 halftime advantage. Also for the Hens, wide receiver Aaron Love caught eight passes for 106 yards and became the first UD receiver since 2000 to surpass the 100-yard mark in four straight games.

“It feels good just to win again,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, who improved to 28-6 all-time at Delaware Stadium in his five years as head coach. “I think we have been embarrassed as coaches and players the last few weeks with our play on defense. It was refreshing today to see the defense step up and make plays. That was the key to the ballgame. You have to make a few big plays to get your confidence back and that’s what we did today. It was also nice to get Omar back. He was still only playing at maybe 85 percent but he’s better than most players when they are at 100 percent. He’s one of the best players in the country and we need him.”

The much maligned Delaware defense also came to life, intercepting William & Mary quarterback Mike Potts three times and limiting the Tribe to 324 total yards. Delaware entered the game ranked last in the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense, rushing defense, and total defense and had allowed over 40 points and 500 yards in consecutive setbacks of 49-35 to Towson and 44-24 to No. 4 James Madison. Linebacker Erik Johnson spearheaded the effort with a career-high 15 tackles, three for loss, and intercepting a pass.

Potts, a native of Middletown, DE, returned to his home state and completed 19 of 36 passes for 207 yards but was intercepted three times, including one by Kyle Campbell with 1:29 left to seal the victory. Elijah Brooks, ranked No. 3 in the Atlantic 10 in rushing at 95.3 yards per game, was held to just 54 yards on 14 carries. The Tribe entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 in turnover margin with a mark of +9.

After a scoreless first quarter that saw both teams stop drives with interceptions, William & Mary struck first and went up 7-0 when Potts hit Joe Nicholas on a 16-yard touchdown pass just six seconds into the second stanza to cap a 15-play, 71-yard drive. The drive was set up by an interception by David Caldwell.

But Delaware came right back to tie the game just four minutes later when Flacco drove the Hens 71 yards and capped the series with an eight-yard scoring strike to tight end Robbie Agnone. Johnson intercepted Potts on the Delaware 32-yard line on the next drive, setting up a 68-yard drive that was capped by Cuff’s one-yard run with just 34 seconds left in the half. The Hens took a 14-7 lead into halftime as William & Mary’s Jason Pritchard was well short on a 54-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the stanza.

After a scoreless third quarter, Delaware took control in the final stanza, going up 21-7 when Flacco hit a wide-open Ben Patrick for a nine-yard touchdown with 13:14 left to play. The Tribe moved closer, scoring on their next drive when Potts hit fullback Matt Otey on a two-yard scoring pass with 7:47 left to cut the lead to 21-14. The touchdown was Otey’s fourth scoring reception on five career catches.

Delaware then put the game away as Flacco capped a 60-yard drive by scoring on a three-yard run with 3:19 remaining. William & Mary got the ball back but had the drive end when Campbell intercepted Potts deep in Delaware territory in the final minutes.

“We played well in spurts, but we haven’t put it all together all season,” said William & Mary head coach Jimmye Laycock. “We were out of sync at times today. I was happy with our effort, but you have to come to play and we just didn’t put it all together today.”

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