Boxscore

Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware turned the ball over five times in the second half and the University of Maine capitalized on three of them on the way to defeating the No. 24 ranked Blue Hens 27-10 in Colonial Athletic Association football action Saturday night at Delaware Stadium.

The Blue Hens (2-4, 0-2 CAA), who lost their second straight game and had a three-game home winning streak snapped, threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles and managed just 14 yards rushing on the night in falling to the Black Bears. The 14 yards was the fourth lowest total in Delaware history and the least since gaining zero yards vs. Northeastern in 2001.

Maine (3-3, 1-2 CAA), which was visiting Delaware Stadium for the first time since 2004, scored 17 fourth-quarter points led by the big defensive effort and backup quarterback Michael Brusko to snap a two-game losing streak.

“You have the highest of times and you have the lowest of times and this is one of those lower times,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler following the game. “This is a team that has worked so hard the last three weeks and I’ve been proud of their effort in practice, but we just aren’t having success on gameday, which is very frustrating. We need to get this offense fixed. The number of turnovers is just unacceptable. I thought we moved the ball well at times tonight, but our turnovers gave Maine such a huge momentum shift and we had a tough time fighting back from that. I think this can be a good football team, but we certainly have some issues right now.”

Delaware quarterback Robby Schoenhoft completed 29 of 48 passes for a career-high 344 yards and a touchdown but threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. Wide receiver Mark Duncan (at right) caught a career-high 10 passes for 84 yards and Aaron Love hauled in seven receptions for 83 yards but the UD offense managed just 14 yards on 26 carries and had just one run over 10 yards the entire night.

Despite the lack of offense, the Blue Hens did tie a school record for consecutive games scoring a point at 154, equalling the mark set in in 1983-96. Love upped his career reception total to 180 to move into second place on the all-time UD list, just 12 shy of the school record.

Maine, which entered the game last in the CAA in total offense and scoring offense, managed just 258 total yards on the night, but got the big lift from its defense. Pre-season CAA Defensive Player of the Year Jovan Belcher posted seven tackles, had two sacks, and forced two fumbles while Sean Wasson, Lionel Nixon Jr., and Jerron McMillian each intercepted passes and Jordan Stevens returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown.

Maine broke a 10-10 tie with 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to close out the game. Belcher caused Delaware wide receiver Martwain Johnston to fumble after a reception and Mark Masterson recovered at the Delaware 28-yard line. Two plays later, Brusko faked an option and cruised into the end zone from five yards out to put the Black Bears up for good at 17-10 with 11:35 left to play. Brusko, who rushed for 40 yards and completed 5 of 7 passes for 65 yards, had taken over for starter Adam Farkes who injured a shoulder in the second quarter.

Schoenhoft was intercepted by McMillian on Delaware’s next possession, setting up Brian Harvey’s second field goal of the game - a 31-yarder - with 3:42 left to play for a 20-10 Maine lead. After the teams traded turnovers, Maine capped the scoring when Belcher forced a fumble by Schoenhoft on a sack and Stevens scooped up the ball and ran 35 yards for a touchdown with 1:29 remaining.

The teams played to a 10-10 tie at halftime as Striefsky converted a 31-yard field goal for Delaware just five minutes into the game and Harvey countered with a 29-yard field goal of his own less than four minutes into the second stanza.

The Hens, who lost at home for just the second time in their last 10 games at Delaware Stadium, then took their only lead of the night when Schoenhoft eluded a Maine tackler and hit Tommy Crosby in stride across the middle.

The sophomore then scampered 33 yards untouched into the end zone to put Delaware up 10-3 with 8:00 left on the first half clock. But Maine came back to knot the score at 10-10 as the Black Bears needed to go just 39 yards after a Delaware punt and capped the drive on a four-yard burst by Jared Turcotte with 26 seconds left.

The Hens marched down the field on their first drive of the second half as four Schoenhoft completions and a pass interference call put the ball at the Maine seven-yard line. But Schoenhoft’s pass across the middle intended for Duncan in the end zone was picked off by Wasson and the linebacker raced 37 yards to end the threat.

That turnover didn’t lead to a score, but it set the tone for the rest of the half and sent the Black Bears to the victory.

Delaware will look to end its two-game skid next Saturday when the Hens host William & Mary for Homecoming while Maine will host Hofstra in Orono, Maine.

Among the crowd of 21,302 fans Saturday night was avid Blue Hen football supporter and United States Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden, who entered the stands to rousing applause in the second quarter and stayed until the final minutes of play. Biden, the senior Senator from Delaware, once played freshman football at Delaware and earned his degree from UD in 1965.