Delaware Stadium

NEWARK, Del. - Anthony Walters can only shake his head in gratitude. The Delaware free safety has experienced the sort of unconditional love and guidance over the years that he'll never forget. Walters believes that support - more so than his tireless work ethic - has helped him become arguably the most versatile Blue Hen. He had his older brother, Will Walters, who never let him settle for giving anything less than 100 percent. He had his mother, Lisa Bloxom, who always kept a watchful eye on him and demanded that he'd become well-spoken and college educated.

Known for his offense for more than 30 years, Delaware's Tubby Raymond yesterday rode a great defensive effort to the 300th victory of his career. Delware beat Richmond, 10-6, in an Atlantic Ten Conference game at Delaware Stadium. Raymond, now in his 36th season as the Blue Hens' head man, became the ninth coach in college football history to win 300 games. He is the fourth to win that many at just one school. A crowd of 18,923 watched Raymond join Eddie Robinson, John Gagliardi, Joe Paterno, Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden, Pop Warner, Amos Alonzo Stagg and Roy Kidd with 300 wins.

Villanova will begin its 2000 football season with a road game against Rutgers on Sept. 2, the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Wildcats have opened with an NCAA Division I-A team, according to the team's schedule, which was released yesterday. It will be the Division I-AA Wildcats' first visit to Rutgers since 1996, when the Scarlet Knights posted a 38-28 victory. The Wildcats, who were 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the Atlantic Ten Football Conference last season, will play their other two nonconference games at home the following two weeks, against Millersville, a Division II team, and Norfolk State.

The sports calendar this weekend features women's tennis and college football, plus games involving the Eagles and Flyers. The $350,000 Virginia Slims of Philadelphia tournament, which boasts many of the best women players in the world, continues today through Sunday at the Philadelphia Civic Center. Quarterfinal play is scheduled today in two sessions beginning at noon and 7 p.m. The semifinals will be at 1 and 7 p.m. tomorrow and the finals at 12:45 p.m. Sunday. In college football, Villanova and Delaware, which are tied for the top spot in the Yankee Conference, will play their final conference games of the year.

Quarterback Keith Langan threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns to lead Delaware to a 48-10 Yankee Conference rout of Richmond yesterday, keeping the Blue Hens' hopes for an NCAA Division I-AA playoff berth alive. Fullback Daryl Brown rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns in 21 carries and went over 1,000 yards for the second straight season as the Blue Hens improved their record to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the conference. The Hens will need to defeat Northeastern next week in Boston to be considered for a playoff bid. The bids will be announced Nov. 21. Langan, a sophomore, hit 8 of 12 passes and also rushed for 58 yards as Delaware rolled up 522 yards of total offense at Delaware Stadium.

The sports scene this weekend features the Flyers and Penn and Delaware football games, along with several area runs. The Flyers play their home opener tonight against the New Jersey Devils at the Spectrum beginning at 7:30. Among the new faces on this year's team are centermen Eric Lindros and Viacheslav Butsayev, along with defensemen Dimitri Yushkevich and Ric Nattress, and winger Greg Paslawski. In area college football action on Saturday, Penn meets William and Mary in a 1 p.m. start at Franklin Field.

Arkansas State runs the wishbone, an offense Delaware has not faced since the 1982 season. Delaware runs the wing-T, which Arkansas State never sees. "I'm the only guy on the staff old enough to have ever seen it," said Larry Lacewell, Arkansas State's 49-year-old down-home coach. "I remember watching it in my younger days, when it was popular. " With each team's defense facing the unknown, Saturday's NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinal at Delaware Stadium might wind up 60-55, with defensive players begging for mercy.

The Villanova, Temple and Delaware football teams are all at home this weekend. The schedule begins tonight at 7 with Villanova meeting Richmond in a Yankee Conference matchup at Villanova Stadium. The Wildcats, 1-2 in the conference and 2-4 overall, will be trying to snap a two-game losing streak when they host the Spiders (1-3 and 1-5). Tomorrow, Temple (2-3) will host Virginia Tech, with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Veterans Stadium. The Hokies (3-3), who shut out Temple last year, 23-0, have a balanced attack led by the passing of junior quarterback Will Furrer.

Temple, Villanova, Delaware and Princeton all play their final regular- season football games at home on Saturday. The Temple Owls will try to end a nine-game losing streak when they host Rutgers at noon at Veterans Stadium. The Owls' only win this season was in their opening game with Boston University. Villanova takes on Maine in a 1:30 p.m. Yankee Conference game at Villanova Stadium. Princeton plays Dartmouth in an Ivy League contest at Palmer Stadium in Princeton, N.J. Delaware closes its regular season with a 1 p.m. non- conference battle with Towson State at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Del. The Sixers and Flyers also are in action this weekend.

Quarterback Andy Hall rushed for a career-high 157 yards and a touchdown as Delaware defeated New Hampshire, 21-9, in an Atlantic Ten game yesterday. Running back Keith Burnell added 117 yards on the ground as the Blue Hens earned their third win in the last four games and piled up a season-high 312 yards rushing. Delaware improved to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the A-10. Last-place New Hampshire (2-6, 1-5) lost its second straight. Hall, a junior from Cheraw, S.C., who is in his first year of eligibility after transferring from Georgia Tech, became the first Delaware quarterback since Bill Vergantino in 1991 to have consecutive 100-yard rushing games.

Gov. Christie decided not to travel to Frisco, Texas, to watch his cherished alma mater, the University of Delaware, compete Friday for a national football championship. "I'd want the kids to come, and they just got back to school," Christie said in an interview Thursday. But the whole family will be glued to ESPN2, he said. Eastern Washington is in for a "severe whipping" at the NCAA championship game, he predicted with his usual gusto this week. Christie, Class of 1984, is a die-hard Fightin' Blue Hens fan. He and some college friends share a block of 16 season tickets by the 10-yard line.

NEWARK, Del. - Delaware reached the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title game by following the most elementary of rules - winning the turnover battle. The Blue Hens caused five turnovers and committed none as they defeated visiting Georgia Southern, 27-10, in Saturday's FCS semifinal at Delaware Stadium. Delaware (12-2) will meet Eastern Washington for the championship on Jan. 7 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. Eastern Washington followed the same path to the final, forcing six turnovers in Friday's 41-31 semifinal win over Villanova.

NEWARK, Del. - Andrew Pierce shakes his head and offers a wan smile when the topic of The Fumble is raised. "I had the game in my hands," said the Delaware standout running back, a freshman from Cumberland Regional High School. "It stuck with me for a while because we really wanted to win that game. I really want that game back. " The fumble that sent Pierce into a funk came in the regular-season finale against rival Villanova. He was 2 yards from the goal line, 2 yards from a touchdown that would have continued a riveting overtime duel.

If he had his druthers, Pat Devlin would just as soon blend into the scenery at the University of Delaware. It's just that his talent doesn't afford the unassuming 6-foot, 4-inch, 220-pound quarterback a chance at anonymity. The Delaware Blue Hens are one win away from playing for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title, and no one else wearing the blue-and-gold winged helmet is more responsible than the 22-year-old from Downingtown East High School. "This whole process has been a great journey for me," Devlin said the other day, shortly before the Blue Hens (11-2)

NEWARK, Del. - With subfreezing temperatures, it was a tough night to get loose at Delaware Stadium. Early on in Friday's NCAA Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals, the Blue Hens' superb quarterback, Pat Devlin, appeared to be Exhibit A. On the first three Delaware possessions, the senior from Downingtown East was tackled at the line of scrimmage, nearly picked off, underthrew an open receiver, and was sacked. But once Devlin's juices got flowing, he methodically picked apart New Hampshire's defense, and his two touchdown passes were enough to send No. 3 seed Delaware (11-2)

NEWARK, Del. - After Villanova's recent two-game skid, the popular belief was the Delaware Blue Hens would defeat their archrival. That led to the belief that Villanova, the defending Football Championship Subdivision champion, wouldn't advance to the playoffs. Oh, really? The 15th-ranked Wildcats destroyed a few beliefs here in Saturday's regular-season finale at Delaware Stadium. Villanova safety Martel Moody forced and recovered a fumble at the Wildcats' 2-yard line in overtime to cap Villanova's 28-21 victory over the top-ranked Blue Hens.

Unattractive, yet effective. That's perhaps the best way to describe Chris Whitney's career at Villanova. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder looks more like a fullback than a quarterback. Routinely barreling into would-be tacklers, the senior also possesses a fullback's mentality. And before this season, Whitney used to always lock onto one receiver when he passed the ball. But that hasn't come close to hurting the 15th-ranked Wildcats. The 22-year-old takes a 31-9 record as a starter into Saturday's regular-season finale at No. 1 Delaware.

No pressure, no worries. At least, that's what Villanova is saying. The 15th-ranked Wildcats have talked all week about relaxing and having fun in what will be their biggest game of the season so far. A victory over Delaware Saturday at Delaware Stadium will secure a playoff berth for the defending Football Championship Subdivision champions. A loss in the regular-season finale would mark the first time Villanova failed to make the playoffs since 2007. If the Wildcats are a little uptight, they sure aren't showing it. "Throughout the year, there really hasn't been a team that has beaten us," Wildcats quarterback Chris Whitney said.

NEWARK, Del. - On a humid August morning, two Cleveland Browns scouts made the trek to Delaware Stadium. Like the countless other NFL personnel who have come before, they followed Pat Devlin's every move during Delaware's intrasquad scrimmage. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback didn't disappoint, firing crisp and precise passes in the Blue Hens' spread offense. Perhaps seeing enough, the scouts quietly exited the stadium after one of Devlin's on-the-money throws midway through the scrimmage.

NEWARK, Del. - Anthony Walters can only shake his head in gratitude. The Delaware free safety has experienced the sort of unconditional love and guidance over the years that he'll never forget. Walters believes that support - more so than his tireless work ethic - has helped him become arguably the most versatile Blue Hen. He had his older brother, Will Walters, who never let him settle for giving anything less than 100 percent. He had his mother, Lisa Bloxom, who always kept a watchful eye on him and demanded that he'd become well-spoken and college educated.