Football Drops Heartbreaker At Delaware, 33-30

NEWARK, Del. – With just 3:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, Omar Osbourne's third rushing touchdown of the game gave the University at Albany football team a 30-22 lead in Saturday afternoon's nationally televised CAA clash at Delaware Stadium. However, the hosting Delaware University Blue Hens rallied in the closing minutes to score a game-tying touchdown with 1:42 left, and a game-winning 42-yard field goal with two ticks on the clock to steal a 33-30 victory over the Great Danes.

With the loss, UAlbany falls to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in the CAA, while Delaware improves to 5-2 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.

Omar Osbourne led the Great Danes with three touchdowns and 142 rushing yards on 34 carries. Junior quarterback Will Fiacchi threw for 212 yards and one touchdown, completing 17-of-26 passes.

Fiacchi connected with Nic Ketter, marking the redshirt freshman's first touchdown catch of his career and his only reception of the game. Cole King led the receivers with four catches and 60 yards, followed by Kevin Chillis' three grabs for a total of 69 yards. Jameel Gay and tight end Brian Parker also made three receptions, garnering 30 and 37 yards, respectively.

Defensively, Christian Dorsey led the squad with 12 tackles, including seven solo, followed by freshman Michael Nicastro's 10 tackles and a sack for a loss of three yards. Marcel Ngachie and Randall Exantus each brought down nine.

The Great Danes broke onto the board first, following a suffocating defensive effort. Forcing the Blue Hens to punt after three plays in the opening drive, UAlbany took over on their 49-yard line. The Great Danes converted twice on third-down and once on fourth-down in the 14-play scoring drive, leading to Tom O'Riordan's 33-yard field goal. Sailing through the uprights with 7:43 on the clock, UAlbany took the initial lead for the second time this season.

The score remained stagnant through the rest of the opening quarter, but Delaware worked quickly at the start of the second stanza. On their first drive, the Blue Hens used four plays to cover 65-yards, and capped the drive with Andrew Pierce's six-yard touchdown run with 13:50 on the board.  

Catching the hosts off guard, the Great Danes faked a punt on 4^th-and-7 on their 45, snapping the ball to Meek who scampered for a 34-yard gain. A 23-yard pass to Cole King and Osbourne's 1-yard rush across the goal line gave UAlbany a three-point lead, 10-7, with 11:10 on the clock.

However, Delaware answered with a 68-yard drive resulting in a 23-yard field goal, tying the ballgame 10-10 with 7:17 remaining in the second.

The Delaware defense forced a three-and-out and took advantage of their next drive, using 12 plays to cover 58 yards in 3:54. Pierce recorded his second rushing touchdown of the game on a 4-yard run with 1:35 left in the half. The Great Danes blocked the extra point, holding the Blue Hens' lead to six, 16-10.

The closing two minutes of the opening half foreshadowed the rollercoaster ride that the final minutes of the game would bring. The Great Danes punted away as a result of a three-and-out, but stepped up the defensive pressure. With 3^rd-and-17, UAlbany's Michael Smith stripped the ball from Delaware's quarterback, Trent Hurley, and Rayshan Clark recovered on the Delaware-47 with 24 seconds left before the break.

However, with 15 ticks to go, Fiacchi's pass was picked off by Travis Hawkins and returned 66-yard to the UAlbany-3, as Osbourne made the touchdown-saving tackle with just one second on the clock.

Rather than attempt a field goal, the Blue Hens went for the score. However, the Great Dane defense stifled the attempt, sending the squads into the locker rooms with a 16-10 score still on the board.

Out of the halftime break, UAlbany held Delaware to a field goal attempt in their first drive, but the ball sailed wide right.

The Great Danes then responded a with an 11-play, 77-yard touchdown drive. Facing 4^th-and-3 on UAlbany's 23, Fiacchi found Jameel Gay for a 15-yard 1^st-down reception. Handing off to Osbourne twice, the junior running back found the end zone, giving UAlbany a 17-16 lead with 5:00 minutes left in the third quarter.

Delaware quickly answered, scoring on their next drive with 3:48 on the clock, as Rob Jones scampered 71-yards into the end zone for a 22-17 lead. The Blue Hens attempted a two-point conversion, but fumbled.

The lead continued to seesaw in the fourth quarter, as the Great Danes regained the advantage, 23-22, driving 88-yards down the gridiron with eight plays. After two handoffs to Osbourne, gaining six yards apiece, Fiacchi completed a 49-yard pass to Chillis, moving the chains to the Delaware-26. With 2^nd-and-10 at the 12, Fiacchi threw to the back right corner of the end zone, finding Ketter, who hauled in the touchdown pass. Going for two, a false start penalty set the Great Danes back five yards, and the conversion attempt failed.

UAlbany stretched the margin to eight, 30-22, with Osbourne's 21-yard touchdown run with 3:18 left in the game and O'Riordan's successful point-after kick. The 10-play, 73-yard drive featured eight carries by the Syracuse native, including his drive-capping scamper on 4^th-and-1. UAlbany finished the day 4-for-4 on fourth down attempts.

With 3:02 remaining at the start of their drive, the Blue Hens worked quickly, covering 57-yards with five plays in 1:20. Hurley connected with Jones for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Hurley also found Michael Johnson on the two-point conversion attempt, tying the game, 30-30, with 1:42 to go.

The Delaware defense forced UAlbany to punt after three plays and took over on the Delaware-37, starting their drive with 52 second left. A 22-yard pass to Johnson and a 9-yard rush by Pierce set up Sean Baner's 42-yard field goal attempt with two seconds on the clock. Despite two icing timeouts, Baner's kick sailed high and through the uprights, giving the Blue Hens a 33-30 victory.

Hurley finished with 240 passing yards, completing 20-of-34 attempts. Pierce led the Delaware ground game with 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Up next, the Great Danes return to Bob Ford Field to host Towson for Homecoming, October 19^th.

Scoring Summary (Final)
2013 University of Delaware Football
Albany vs Delaware (Oct 12, 2013 at Newark, Del.)

Albany (1-6,0-3) vs. Delaware (5-2,2-1)

Date: Oct 12, 2013 • Site: Newark, Del.  • Stadium: Delaware Stadium  •  Attendance: 17363

Team Statistics (Final)
2013 University of Delaware Football
Albany vs Delaware (Oct 12, 2013 at Newark, Del.)

Individual Statistics (Final)
2013 University of Delaware Football
Albany vs Delaware (Oct 12, 2013 at Newark, Del.)

Drive Chart (Final)
2013 University of Delaware Football
Albany vs Delaware (Oct 12, 2013 at Newark, Del.)

Drive Chart (By Quarter)

Defensive Statistics (Final)
2013 University of Delaware Football
Albany vs Delaware (Oct 12, 2013 at Newark, Del.)