Kaheaku-Enhada benched as Navy falls to lowly Hens

ANNAPOLIS, Md. » Every time one team scored, the other countered. For Delaware and Navy, it was that kind of game.

Joe Flacco threw four touchdown passes, Omar Cuff rushed for four scores and Delaware upset Navy 59-52 yesterday.

The Blue Hens (7-1), one of the top teams in the Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), rolled up 581 total yards against the Midshipmen (4-4), who play in the top tier of Division I football.

"We just beat a team that went to four straight bowl games and is probably going to a fifth straight bowl," said Delaware coach K.C. Keeler. "We had two weeks to prepare for them -- we needed it."

The 59 points is the most scored by the Blue Hens since a 59-42 win over Villanova on Nov. 18, 2000. It was also the most points Navy has allowed since a 65-19 loss to N.C. State in 2002.

Navy has allowed 40 points or more to three straight opponents and has surrendered 305 points through eight games.

Delaware scored on nine of its 11 possessions.

Cuff rushed for 141 yards and set a single-season touchdown record for the Hens as he scored on three 1-yard runs and iced the win with a 37-yard score with 2:02 to play.

Navy rushed for 342 yards and had 506 yards total offense.

Navy's starting quarterback -- Kapolei graduate Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada -- rushed for 72 yards and scored on a pair of short runs in the first quarter to give Navy a 14-7 lead. He was replaced in the third quarter after Delaware scored two straight touchdowns to take a 42-35 lead.

Jarod Bryant, Kaheaku-Enhada's backup, ran for 25 yards and completed eight of 11 passes for 126 yards. His 51-yard pass to Zerb Singleton set up Navy's last touchdown, which made it 52-49 with 4:25 left.

"Kaipo was a little stiff, looked a little tentative out there. We have confidence in Jarod," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "We needed to run the ball inside ... we thought making a change might not be a bad thing."