Boxscore

Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. -- Coming off a disappointing setback a week earlier and with the memory of an upset lost to Albany two seasons ago still fresh in their minds, the University of Delaware football team made sure of the outcome this time.

Backed by a defense that allowed just 150 total yards, a solid effort from quarterback Robby Schoenhoft, and two more touchdowns on the ground from Johnathon Smith, the No. 17 ranked Blue Hens dominated the second half and cruised to a 38-7 non-league football victory over Albany before a sellout crowd Saturday night at Delaware Stadium.

Schoenhoft hit on 10 of 16 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, Kervin Michaud (bottom right) and Smith combined for 124 yards on the ground, and sophomore Tyrone Grant (top right) returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown as the Hens (2-2) bounced back from last week's lackluster 23-21 loss on the road at No. 24 Furman.

“In the first half, Albany was everything we thought they were going to be,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler. “They were physical up front and we didn’t run the ball like we need to. But I guess my second half speech is better than my pre-game because we played some pretty good football in second half. I liked how physical we were and how our running backs performed. I felt we played a dominating style on defense in the second half and things really came together. We just came out and played like nothing else mattered.”

Albany (1-3), the defending Northeast Conference champion, has played all four of its games this season on the road at Colonial Athletic Association opponents. The Great Danes were trying to match their 17-10 upset over the Hens in 2006 in a game considered the biggest win in school history. It didn't happen this time as the Hens broke away from a 14-7 halftime lead and held Albany to just 22 yards in the second half.

Albany, which held second half leads in each of its first three games, two against Top 10 opponents, managed just 57 yards on the ground for the game as star running back David McCarty was held to just 47 yards on 22 carries and had a streak of nine straight 100-yard rushing performances snapped.

Leading receiver Tim Bush caught just three passes for 17 yards and the Blue Hen defense, missing four starters due to injuries, sacked Great Dane quarterback Vinny Esposito three times.

Delaware’s offense showed its balance once again as the Hens piled up 407 total yards, including 226 on the ground and 181 through the air. The Hens, who had five turnovers and nine penalties in the loss to Albany, committed just one penalty for five yards and turned the ball over just once.

Michaud, a senior wide receiver who saw extensive action at running back for the first time since the 2006 season, rushed 10 times for 65 yards and caught three passes before leaving the game in the second half with a possible broken clavicle. Smith, the team’s leading rusher and the nation’s No. 2 leading scorer, gained 59 yards on 17 carries and scored twice. Wide receiver Aaron Love led the passing attack with four catches for 98 yards.

Smith opened the scoring on a one-yard dive with 7:06 left in the opening quarter, but Albany came right back to tie things at 7-7 early in the second quarter as McCarty capped a 73-yard drive that consumed 7:38 with a one-yard burst. The rest of the game belonged to the Blue Hens.

The Hens took the lead into halftime as Grant, a sophomore making just his second career start due to injuries in the UD secondary, stepped in front of an Esposito pass and sprinted 60 yards down the right sideline for his first career touchdown with 8:42 left in the half.

Delaware could do little wrong in the second half as the Hens held Albany to just 22 total yards, including minus two yards in the third quarter, while gaining 276 yards itself and scoring on its first four drives of the half. The Great Danes had just 17 plays on offense - none longer than seven yards - and held possession for 7:36 the entire second half.

Schoenhoft hit sophomore Martwain Johnston on a 20-yard scoring strike to the right corner of the end zone less than five minutes into the second half to up the score to 21-7 and All-American junior kicker Jon Striefsky nailed a season-long 43-yard field goal five minutes later for a 24-7 cushion. Johnston’s touchdown was only the second reception of his career.

Smith added his second touchdown of the game - and eighth of the season - with a three-yard burst on the first place of the final quarter and backup running back Jerry Butler capped the scoring with a four-yard run of his own with 8:19 left to finish off a 71-yard drive.

Delaware junior defensive end John Higginson, who got his first start of the season in place of All-American Matt Marcorelle who missed the game with a hamstring injury, posted six tackles, collected a sack, and blocked a first half field goal attempt by Albany. Erik Johnson added eight tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup for the Blue Hens.

GAME NOTES....In addition to Marcorelle, the Hen defense also played without injured starters in safeties Anthony Bratton (out for season with knee injury) and Cody Cipalla (concussion) and linebacker Walter Blair (ankle)...Michaud (clavicle) and backup LB Brian Void (knee) both left the game in the second half...Michaud extended his streak of catching at least one pass to 27 games, the third longest streak in school history...the crowd of 22,196 marked the second straight sellout at Delaware Stadium and the 36th straight regular season home game with a crowd in excess of 20,000....Mark Duncan extended his pass-catching streak to 17 games....Striefsky is now 6 for 8 in his career on field goal attempts longer than 40 yards...four different Delaware players rushed for 30 or more yards with first-year Notre Dame transfer Junior Jabbie gaining 38 yards in his Delaware debut and backup QB Lou Ritacco picking up 31 yards, including a 31-yard run on his first career carry....the Delaware defense did not allow a play longer than 20 yards or a run longer than seven yards the entire game....the Blue Hens are allowing just 106.8 yards rushing per game this season....Hens have now scored a point in 152 straight games since 1996, just two shy of the school record of 154 set in 1983-96....Love finished just two yards shy of his ninth career 100-yard receiving effort.