Boxscore
Photos by Mark Campbell

TOWSON, Md. -- Senior Jerry Butler stepped up in a big way, rushing for 82 yards in a backup role and returning a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, freshman running back Leon Jackson scored three touchdowns, and Pat Devlin and Mark Duncan (top right) connected on two touchdowns for the second straight week as the University of Delaware continued to roll with a dominating 49-21 Colonial Athletic Association football victory over Towson at rainy Johnny Unitas Stadium Saturday afternoon.

The No. 23 ranked Blue Hens (5-2, 3-2 CAA) stormed out to a 35-0 lead at the half and upped that lead to 49-0 after three quarters before the Tigers (2-4, 1-2 CAA) scored three fourth quarter touchdowns that came much too late.

The win, Delaware’s third straight, including a 43-27 win over then No. 12 Massachusetts last week, was the team’s largest CAA victory since downing Rhode Island by a 38-9 score on Sept. 15, 2007. It was also the Hens largest margin of victory in a CAA road game since romping over former league member Connecticut 59-17 back on Nov. 7, 1998. The Hens’ three straight wins and two straight CAA road wins are the longest streaks since the 2007 season when the Hens advanced to the NCAA championship game.

“The whole thing came together for us today,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, who notched his 149th career victory, one shy of becoming the 11th active NCAA Division FCS coach to hit the 150-win mark. “We played so well against a team that we have a lot of respect for. To put up 49 points in a CAA game is really unusual. We came out today and executed exactly the way we wanted. We came out with great focus and energy, just like we did last week against Massachusetts.”

Butler (middle right), a third-year transfer from the University of Wisconsin who has been saddled with injuries and has played sparingly in the backfield, stepped in for hobbling starter David Hayes, who played only the first series due to an existing ankle injury, and responded with 82 yards rushing on 13 carries to lead a ground attack that piled up a season-high 204 yards.

Also one of the nation’s top kick returners, he broke loose on an 89-yard return to open the second half, speeding past a slew of Towson defenders to help extend the Delaware lead to 42-0. The return was his third for a touchdown in his career, breaking the school record of two he previously held with Bill Hopkins (1962-64). Butler also returned one for a score against Towson in last year’s 31-21 triumph over the Tigers.

“We saw the real Jerry Butler today,” said Keeler, whose team will be off next week and will return to action Oct. 31 at home against James Madison. “He is the guy we saw three years ago and were so high on. He really stepped up for us. We know he can do a lot of great things.”

“It always feels great to play and contribute,” said Butler, who ran for a career-high 92 yards in a win over West Chester in 2008 but had gained just 19 yards on six carries this season. “I don’t always get a chance to contribute on the field, but it felt good to help the team tonight. Coach Keeler came up to me before the game and told me to be ready. As a senior, I’m always prepared and I was happy for the opportunity.”

Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin, who earlier this week was named a candidate for the Walter Payton Award as the national offensive player of the year in FCS, had another impressive outing as he completed 9 of 15 passes for 127 yards and rushed for 49 more on just four carries. The CAA leader in passing yardage and total offense, he hooked up with Duncan on two scores in the first half, hitting the speedy senior on a 26-yard pass early in the second quarter and on a 43-yard bomb just before halftime.

Duncan, who has now caught five touchdown passes in the last three games after recording just six for his career, caught six passes for a game-high 99 yards, falling a yard short of his third straight 100-yard effort. Jackson finished with 52 yards rushing and his three touchdowns was a career high.

Delaware also got the job defensively as the Hens held Towson scoreless for the first three quarters and limited the offense to just 322 total yards. The Hens registered a season-high four sacks on four different Towson signal-callers and All-American Charles Graves (bottom left) enjoyed an outstanding day, posting five tackles, including a sack, and returning an interception 90 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half.

The return was his fourth of the season and tied for the ninth longest in school history. Linebacker Paul Worrilow and Benard Makumbi each led the Hens with eight tackles and Anthony Bratton added an interception deep inside Delaware territory in the first half.

Towson backup quarterback Tommy Chroniger led the Tiger attack with 97 yards rushing, including a five-yard scoring run with 5:15 left to play. The Tigers did not get on the board until the 10:30 mark of the final quarter when Dominique Booker scored on a one-yard burst to put the score at 49-7. Towson then added Chroniger’s touchdown and a five-yard scoring run by Tremayne Dameron with 2:33 remaining.

The Hens, who have now outscored its last two opponents by a score of 86-6 through the first three quarters, put this game away early. Delaware marched 80 yards on 11 plays on its first drive of the day and capped the drive with a two-yard score by Jackson with 6:59 left in the opening stanza.

The floodgates opened in the second quarter as the Hens put up 28 points and headed into halftime with 35-0 lead, their biggest halftime lead since going into intermission up 42-0 against Monmouth during the 2007 campaign. Devlin hit Duncan in stride in the end zone from 26 yards out with Duncan making a great over-the-shoulder catch to push the lead to 14-0.

Jackson capped another long drive with a two-yard burst with 7:11 remaining for a 21-0 advantage and Devlin and Duncan hooked up again on a 43-yard score with 42 seconds left for a 28-0 lead.

Towson, looking to get on the board late in the half, instead gave up another score late as Brian Potts long pass was intercepted by Graves at the 10-yard line. The Buck Buchanan Award candidate raced down the field past a slew of Tiger defenders, eluded Potts at the 30-yard line, and outraced Towson lineman Derek Cardaci into the end zone as time expired.

The Hens then made it two touchdowns on two straight plays to open the second half as Butler took the kickoff at the 11-yard line and stormed past the Towson defense for an 89-yard kickoff return for a score, the third of his career, including one for 98 yards for a touchdown against Towson last season at Delaware Stadium. Delaware then capped its busy day of scoring with a 13-play, 66-yard drive that consumed 8:24 and culminated with Jackson’s third touchdown of the day, a one-yard dive with 1:43 left in the third quarter that upped the lead to 49-0.