The Delaware football team won its third consecutive game on Saturday as it handed Old Dominion its first defeat of the season, 27-17.

Quarterback Tim Donnelly led the way for the Blue Hens with 304 passing yards and two touchdowns.

When wide receiver Nihja White converted a two-point conversion on a pass from Donnelly, Delaware took command of the game with a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

The game looked to be going the Monarchs’ way early in the contest when Chris Lovitt returned a fumble off of a bad snap by Delaware for an 18-yard score midway through the first quarter.

The Blue Hens countered with a couple of field goals by their kicker Sean Baner and a 7-yard touchdown pass from Donnelly to White to grab a 13-7 lead going into the half.

In a quiet third quarter, Old Dominion kicker Jarod Brown chipped in a 20-yard field goal to cut the Blue Hens’ lead down to just three.

After the two-point conversion by White, the Blue Hens held the Monarchs to no points in the quarter. Baner tied a school record for Delaware with four field goals in a game when he sealed the victory on a 43-yard boot with 42 seconds remaining.

The Blue Hens seek their fourth-straight win next week when they face off against Maine on the road.

JMU pulls upset

With a startling 271 rushing yards, James Madison won its conference opener against then-No. 6 William & Mary on Saturday night.

Sophomore running back Dae’Quan Scott ran for 120 yards in the Dukes’ victory, marking his third-straight game topping the century mark.

James Madison also held the Tribe’s rushing attack to only 37 yards on 34 carries. The Dukes opened up the scoring with a 52-yard pass from quarterback Justin Thorpe to wide receiver Kerby Long to begin the second quarter.

Tribe quarterback Michael Graham was the only bright spot for the team with 215 passing yards and two touchdowns. Down 10-0, Graham drove his team down the field and threw a 38-yard strike to his No. 1 target, receiver D.J. Mangas.

Despite being only down a field goal early in the fourth quarter, William & Mary had no answer for the ground game of the Dukes as Scott scored on a 3-yard run to give JMU a 17-7 lead.

With just over four minutes left in the game, kicker Cameron Starke hit his second field goal of the game with a 34-yard kick to solidify the victory for the Dukes.

JMU looks to continue its success in the conference when they head to Richmond to take on the Spiders at Bridgeforth Stadium on Saturday.

Tigers remain unbeaten

Running back Terrance West rushed for three touchdowns on Saturday to lead Towson to its third win of the season. The victory was the Tigers’ first against Colgate in 10 attempts.

After West’s two-yard run in the second quarter, Towson never looked back with a 42-17 win. The Tigers had a total of six touchdowns on the day and the Colgate defense could not stop the Tigers’ attack, which ranks at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Towson controlled the third quarter of the game with three touchdowns, taking a 35-3 lead. Colgate had trouble holding on to the football and the possession time was 33 minutes, 42 seconds to 26 minutes, 18 seconds in Towson’s favor as a result.

Raiders quarterback Gavin McCarney had a lackluster game with 113 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

The undefeated Tigers travel across town to Maryland as they look to continue their winning streak at Byrd Stadium this Saturday.

Christopher Corso can be reached at [email protected].