Photo: Ben Hershey on Unsplash
The University of Delaware’s football team earned its first FBS bowl victory in program history on Wednesday when it defeated the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 20-13 in the 68 Ventures Bowl. The Hens join Jacksonville State as the only two teams to win a bowl game in their first year in the FBS.
Senior running back Jo Silver a lightning rod for the Hens as he rushed for 116 yards on 14 carries with one touchdown. Silver was named MVP of the game.
Junior quarterback Nick Minicucci made plays when the Blue Hens needed them, as he went 19 for 30 with 176 yards and threw one touchdown.
Sophomore wide receiver Sean Wilson was a favorite target for Minicucci, hauling in eight catches for 81 yards for one touchdown.
The most notable statistic of this game was that Delaware had zero turnovers, while Louisiana had three turnovers.
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The Blue Hens lead by seven at the end of the first quarter.
The game started with Louisiana taking the ball first at its own 25-yard line. The Ragin’ Cajuns would drive 53 yards all the way to UD’s 22-yard line before stalling and missing a 39-yard field goal.
Delaware’s first offensive possession in this bowl game didn’t last long, as they went backwards in three plays, compiling a negative seven yards.
Louisiana’s offense continued to have no problem driving down the field on the Hens’ defense, as they went 48 yards in 12 plays that took them to the Blue Hens’ yard line. It looked like the Cajuns were about to score the first points of the game, but UD’s senior cornerback Nate Evans had other plans as he intercepted quarterback Lunch Winfield in the endzone for a touchback. It was a redemption play for Evans, who was called for pass interference five plays before that, which gave Louisiana a first down and put them at the Hens’ 14-yard line.
Delaware did not waste that turnover, as the offense finally found the jolt they needed when running back Jo Silver busted out on a 61-yard run on the fifth play of the drive to give his team a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
UD ends the first half with a seven-point lead.
The Ragin’ Cajuns responded in the early minutes of the second quarter by continuing to drive down the field on the Hens’ defense by plowing 70 yards until they stalled out at Delaware’s five-yard line. Louisiana would nail a 22-yard field goal to cut the score 10-3 with 7:05 left in the first half.
UD’s offense didn’t do much in the next two possessions, as they had a combined 10 yards in seven plays.
The Hens’ offense found some steam on their next drive at its own 35-yard line with 3:53 left in the second quarter. Delaware drove 49 yards in 12 plays to end with a 33-yard field goal made by senior kicker Nate Reed to give his team a 10-3 edge at the end of the first half.
Delaware leads by 14 at the end of the third quarter.
The Blue Hens received the ball first in the second half, starting at their own 30-yard line. UD flew down the field by going 70 yards in six plays to end with quarterback Nick Minicucci finding wide receiver Sean Wilson for a 35-yard touchdown completion to give their team a 17-3 advantage with 14:55 left in the third.
Minicucci completed five of his six passes for 70 yards and the touchdown on the drive.
Two possessions later, the Hens would score again when the team went 62 yards in ten plays to end with Nate Reed booting a 27-yard field goal to push his team’s lead to 20-3 with 6:59 remaining in the third quarter.
Louisiana would score its first points of the second quarter near the end of the third when they hit a 39-yard field goal to put the score at 20-6.
The Hens take home a 20-13 victory!
Delaware’s next possession ended on a bad note that gave the Ragin’ Cajuns hope to get back in this game.
The Hens drove 40 yards in nine plays and ended with a 52-yard field goal with 12:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. The field goal try was blocked, and it was finally recovered at UD’s 46-yard line.
Louisiana rode that momentum their defense gave them and cruised 46 yards in ten plays to end with quarterback Lunch Winfield finding his wideout Shelton Sampson Jr. for an 8-yard touchdown to slice the deficit to seven points (20-13) with 7:49 left in the game.
Two possessions later, the Ragin’ Cajuns had the ball, looking to tie the game, but on the fourth play, their quarterback Winfield would fumble the ball when he tried to rush at their own 43-yard line. The Hens’ senior linebacker Marje Mulumba was right there to recover it and set his team up at the Cajuns’ 47-yard line.
That wasn’t the end for Louisiana, as they put up a fight until the end. With 1:50 left on the clock, they drove 86 yards in 12 plays to end with the Hens’ defense making a goal-line stand with seconds left in the game.
Two crucial plays got the Ragin’ Cajuns down to the goal, as on the eighth play, Lunch Winfield found his wideout Charles Robinson for a 32-yard catch that set them up at UD’s 23-yard line. Then two plays later, the Blue Hens were called for pass interference, which put the Cajuns at the Blue Hens’ yard line.
Team Stats
| Team Stats |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 20 | 16 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 6-17 | 6-14 |
| 4th down efficiency | 3-5 | 0-2 |
| Total Yards | 335 | 334 |
| Passing | 231 | 176 |
| Comp/Att | 21/38 | 19/30 |
| Yards per pass | 6.1 | 5.9 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 0 |
| Rushing | 104 | 158 |
| Rushing Attempts | 39 | 30 |
| Yards per rush | 2.7 | 5.3 |
| Penalties | 1-5 | 2-29 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 0 |
| Possession | 33:55 | 26:05 |
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