Delaware, Cuff Run Past Tribe, 49-31, in Opener

Jake Phillips Sets School Record with 433 Passing Yards in Defeat

08/30/07 11:45PM

Williamsburg - Delaware running back Omar Cuff tied a NCAA FCS record with seven touchdowns, including six rushing, to lead the 19th-ranked Blue Hens past William and Mary, 49-31, Thursday night in the inaugural CAA Football game at Zable Stadium.

Despite a school-record 433 passing yards from Tribe quarterback Jake Phillips (Warm Springs, Va.), the Blue Hens stole the show with a powerful offensive attack. Cuff ran for a career-high 244 yards and school-record six touchdowns on 30 attempts and also set a school record with seven total touchdowns, which included a 19-yard scoring catch from Joe Flacco.

Flacco completed 19 of 23 attempts for 202 yards with the one scoring pass to Cuff.

Cuff's six rushing touchdowns, and seven overall, were both conference records as well.

Phillips connected on 26 of 41 attempts with two touchdowns, surpassing the previous school record of 426 passing yards set by David Corley, Jr. against Northeastern in 2000.

Phillips’ primary targets were wide out D.J. McAulay (New Haven, Conn.), who finished with seven receptions for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and tight Drew Atchison (Charlottesville, Va.), who finished with six catches for a career-best 139 yards and a score.

DeBrian Holmes (Ft. Eustis, Va.) rushed for 53 yards, and Phillips added 29 yards rushing and a touchdown. W&M finished with 542 total yards of offense.

The Tribe took a 3-0 first-quarter lead on Brian Pate’s (Fredericksburg, Va.) first career field goal, capping an impressive 20-play, 80-yard drive.

Cuff took over in the second though, scoring three of six rushing touchdowns in the period to give the Blue Hens a 21-3 edge at the break. Cuff scored on runs of 1-yard, 38-yards and 1-yard in the second.

W&M found the end zone for the first time in 2007 on the opening drive of the second half, as Phillips hooked up with Atchison on a 50-yard scoring play. Cuff once again had the answer though, carrying seven times on the ensuing drive for 29 yards and his fourth rushing score, a 2-yard run that put the Blue Hens up 28-10.

Delaware turned away the Tribe’s next offensive possession with a fourth-and-goal stop, and Cuff extended the advantage to 35-10 on the initial play of the fourth quarter with a 20-yard scoring run.

Cuff would score on the 19-yard reception and a 10-yard run in the fourth to match the NCAA record also held by Archier Amerson of Northern Arizona and Jessie Burton of McNeese State.

Terrell Wells (Louisa, Va.) scored on a 28-yard fumble return for the Tribe in the fourth.

Phillips completed passes to seven different receivers to reach the milestone. R.J. Archer (Charlottesville, Va.) had five catches for 58 yards, and Elliott Mack (Irvington, N.J.) recorded four receptions for 53 yards.

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