Quarterback Jared Curtis ran for two touchdowns and passed for another as Vanderbilt overcame a three-point halftime deficit to defeat Delaware 35-26 on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.
Curtis, who shared the QB duties with senior Blaze Berlowitz in the first half, completed 14 of 22 passes for 210 yards.
Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci was injured and left the game in the second quarter, but returned in the second half. Minicucci completed 11 of 27 passes for 182 yards with one TD and two interceptions. Blue Hens running back Jo Silver rushed for 109 yards on 16 carries.
Vanderbilt (2-0) took a 14-0 lead by scoring twice late in the first quarter. Curtis scored on a 1-yard run with 1:19 remaining in the quarter. Then, after Martel Hight intercepted a Minicucci pass, Sedrick Alexander scored on a 9-yard run as time expired in the quarter.
Delaware (1-1) trimmed its deficit to 14-3 on Tucker Smack’s 37-yard field goal with 12:51 left in the half.
It was 14-10 after Viron Ellison Jr. capped a 10-play, 82-yard drive with a 1-yard run on fourth, and the Blue Hens took a 17-14 lead when Bryson Graves blocked a Vanderbilt punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown with 17 seconds remaining in the half.
Curtis restored the lead for Vanderbilt by scoring from a yard away on the opening drive of the second half, and the Commodores extended that lead to 28-17 when Austin Howard blocked a punt and fell on the ball for a TD with 9:30 remaining in the third.
Curtis tossed a 19-yard pass to Walter Taylor on the third quarter’s final play to help Vanderbilt stretch its advantage to 35-17 before Smack made a 40-yard field goal that cut the lead to 35-20 with 11:55 to play.
Minicucci connected with Da’Wain Lofton for a 43-yard TD pass with 6:37 left, but the pass for the two-point conversion fell incomplete and left Vanderbilt with a 35-26 lead.
