Henderson, Paoletti help Delaware beat Sacred Heart 19-10

NEWARK, Del. (AP) — Nolan Henderson passed for a touchdown, Anthony Paoletti ran for a score and Delaware beat Sacred Heart 19-10 on Saturday night in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

No. 5 Delaware will play fourth-seeded and No. 8 Jacksonville State in the quarterfinals.

On the opening drive, Delaware's Kedrick Whitehead intercepted a pass and returned it 22 yards to the Pioneers 14 before a personal foul gave the Blue Hens possession at the 7. Three plays later Henderson hit Braden Brose for a 5-yard touchdown.

Julius Chestnut scored on a 7-yard run to make it 7-7 late in the first quarter but Sacred Heart (3-2) was forced to punt from deep in its own territory and the muffed snap rolled out the back of the end zone to give the Blue Hens a 9-7 lead with 32 seconds left in the first half.

Noah Gettman made a 35-yard field goal to trim Sacred Heart's deficit to 12-10 early in the fourth quarter but Delaware answered with an 11-play, 65-yard drive that chewed up more than 6 minutes and culminated with Anthony Paoletti scoring on a 3-yard run with 6:13 to play.

Chestnut, who led the FCS in rushing yards per game (179.2) finished with 138 yards rushing on 31 carries.

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