Blue Hens would trail by 14 at the end of the first quarter.
The game started with Lafayette winning the coin toss and deferring to get the ball first in the second half.
Delaware’s offense would open up the playoff match by not doing much, as the team drove 33 yards in six plays. The Hens failed to covert a fourth and two on Lafayette’s 42-yard line and gave the ball back to the opposition in a favorable spot for them.
The Leopards would not waste the great field advantage that was given to them, as they marched 58 yards in six plays to end with their quarterback Dean DeNobile finding running back Jamar Curtis for the 16-yard touchdown pass to give their team a 7-0 lead with 9:28 left in the first quarter.
On the kickoff after the score, Hens wide receiver Jourdan Townsend would put his offense in a great spot, as he took the ball 88 yards to the Lafayette two-yard line.
The University of Delaware didn’t take long to punch the ball in for the first score on this drive, as the team went two yards in two plays to end, with running back Marcus Yarns dashing for a one-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven.
Two possessions later, the momentum would shift back to the Leopards, as the Blue Hens would end a four-play, 16-yard drive with quarterback Nick Minicucci’s pass getting intercepted by Lafayette’s Taylor Smallwood at his own team’s 25-yard line.
The Leopards’ offense would turn the Hens’ turnover into points, as the team rattled off 75 yards in six plays to end, with running back Jamar Curtis bursting off a 19-yard touchdown run to push his team’s advantage to 14-7 with 2:43 left in the opening quarter.
UD would continue to have bad luck on their side, as the team would a four-play, 23-yard drive with running back Marcus Yarns fumbling the ball on a first and ten and getting scooped up by Lafayette’s Darien Riley at his own 47-yard line.
The Leopards would continue to roll, as they only took nine seconds to score on their next drive, with their quarterback Dean DeNobile finding wide receiver Elijah Steward for the 53-yard touchdown reception on the very first play to extend their team’s edge to 21-7 with 27 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
It would continue to get worse for Delaware, as on their first play of the next drive, quarterback Nick Minicucci’s pass would get intercepted by Lafayette’s Neriyan Brown, who took for it for 23 yards to the Hens 21-yard line with 12 seconds left in the first quarter.
Delaware trails by 15 at the end of the first half.
The Leopards would take the turnover their defense gave them and go 21 yards in three plays to end, with running back Jamar Curtis scampering for a two-yard score to push the lead to 21 points (28-7) with 14:34 remaining in the second quarter.
New quarter, the same result would happen for the Hens, as on their first drive of the second period ended with Nick Minicucci throwing his third interception of the day when Saiku White picked off his pass and took it 37 yards to UD’s 33-yard line with 13:01 left in the first half.
Only this time, Lafayette would not convert the turnover into any points on their next offensive possession.
Fast forward to the 2:18 minute mark in the second quarter, where the University of Delaware would start their next scoring drive at their own 20-yard line.
The Hens would fly 80 yards in eight plays to end, with quarterback Nick Minicucci finding wide receiver Joshua Youngblood for a 36-yard touchdown completion to slice the deficit to 15 points (28-13) at the end of the first half. UD would miss the extra point on the scoring drive.
Minicucci showed off his legs on this scoring drive as he rushed for 27 yards.
UD would be down nine points at the end of the third quarter.
The Blue Hens turned the ball over a lot in the opening half of this game, but in the second half, it would become a theme for the Leopards.
On the very first drive of the third quarter, Lafayette would have a three-play drive that went negative two yards, which ended with their quarterback, Dean DeNobile, getting sacked and stripped of the ball. The Hens linebacker Dillon Trainer would recover the ball at the Leopards’ 23-yard line with 14:18 remaining in the third.
Three drives later, Delaware would start their first scoring drive in the second half at their own 27-yard line with 7:26 left in the third quarter.
The University of Delaware would march 73 yards in six plays to end, with running back Quincy Watson rushing for the six-yard touchdown to cut the score to nine points (28-19) at the end of the first half.
Other than the touchdown, another highlight on the scoring drive came on a second and ten on their own 27-yard line, where running back Jo’Nathan Silver rushed for 41 yards to set up his team at LAF’s 32-yard line.
The Blue Hens take home a 36-34 playoff victory!!
UD’s fortunes would continue to be good in fourth, as the team would drive 61 yards in seven plays to end, with quarterback Nick Minicucci hitting tight end Braden Brose for the seven-yard touchdown pass to slice the deficit to 28-26 with 14:55 left in the game.
Lafayette’s next drive would end after the team went negative 13 yards in three plays with their quarterback Ryan Schuster fumbling the ball and it getting scooped up by the Blue Hens’ linebacker Jackson Taylor at the Leopards 12 12-yard line.
The Hens’ offense would take advantage of the great starting position their defense gave them, as they rattled off 12 yards in two plays to end with Braden Brose catching his second touchdown of the day to give UD their first lead of the game with a score 33-28 with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter.
After the University of Delaware touchdown, the Leopards would punch right back, as they went 75 yards in nine plays to end, with running back Jamar Curtis running for a one-yard touchdown to grab a 34-33 advantage with 7:25 remaining in the game. Lafayette would fail to convert a two-point try on the scoring drive.
Delaware’s next drive would be lengthy, as it would take up five minutes and 48 seconds, with the team marching 75 yards in 13 plays to end, with kicker Alex Schmoke booting a 23-yard field goal through to put UD up by two points (36-34) with 1:37 left in the game.
The Hens’ defense would seal the 36-33 victory when linebacker Jackson Taylor forced the Leopards running back Jamar Curtis to fumble the ball, and it was scooped up by Hens defensive back Christian Pierce at Lafayette’s 48-yard line.
UD’s defense really turned it around in the second half, as they only gave up 85 yards and one touchdown and forced three fumbles in six drives. In the first half, the defensive unit gave up 243 yards and four touchdowns.
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