Stony Brook's Jordan Gowins
CAA Football Rewind - Sept. 15
Rob Washburn
Click the play button on the photo above for highlights from Saturday's games.
Towson 45, Villanova 35
Box Score
In a game that featured 80 points and more than 1,000 yards of total offense, Towson earned a 45-35 victory at No. 10 Villanova in the conference opener for both teams. The Tigers (2-1, 1-0 CAA) fell behind 14-0 just five minutes into the contest, but responded by scoring 35 unanswered points and never trailed after that. It was Towson's first win in a CAA opener since 2013 and it was also the Tigers' first victory over a Top 10 foe since 2013.
Towson quarterback Tom Flacco completed 27-of-37 passes for 320 yards and three TD's and also ran for 66 yards on 18 carries. Running back Shane Simpson tallied 201 all-purpose yards, including a team-high 100 yards and a TD rushing and an 8-yard TD reception. Wide receiver Shane Leatherbury had five receptions for 112 yards, highlighted by TD catches of 76 and 14 yards.
For Villanova (2-1, 0-1 CAA), quarterback Zach Bednarczyk had a big day, completing 26-of-35 passes for 389 yards and four touchdowns. Jarrett McClenton caught six passes for 114 yards and a TD and tight end Ryan Bell contributed a team-high eight receptions for 103 yards and two scores.
UConn 56, Rhode Island 49
Box Score
In a wild offensive battle, Rhode Island (2-1, 2-0 CAA) dropped a narrow 56-49 decision at UConn. Rams' senior quarterback JaJuan Lawson had a sensational afternoon, completing 23-of-34 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns and also adding a career-best 85 yards and 2 TD's rushing. Wide receivers Isaiah Coulter and Aaron Parker both went over 100 yards receiving for the second week in a row as Coulter had 10 catches for a career-high 156 yards and a TD and Parker made seven grabs for 128 yards and a score. Defensively, D.J. Stewart contributed 11 tackles, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.
In a game that had 15 touchdowns and 1,123 yards of offense, URI matched UConn score for score, including a 14-yard TD run by Naim Jones with 3:13 to go that tied the contest at 49-49. After falling behind 56-49 with 57 seconds left, the Rams drove to the UConn 16-yard line in the final seconds but were unable to get to the end zone.
Delaware 27, Cornell 10
Box Score
Delaware (2-1, 0-1 CAA) got strong performances both offensively and defensively in a 27-10 triumph over Cornell. Offensively, wide receiver Joe Walker set career-highs with six catches for 154 yards and a TD, while quarterback Pat Kehoe completed 14-of-29 passes for 254 yards and a score. Kehoe is the first quarterback in UD history to pass for over 200 yards in his first three career starts.
Kehoe had a 14-yard scoring pass to Walker and a 5-yard TD run of his own to put the Hens up 14-3 at the half. UD tacked on a 3-yard TD run by Kani Kane and a pair of Frank Raggo field goals (40 and 33 yards) in the second half. The Hens' defense held Cornell to 232 total yards and didn't allow a touchdown until the final minute of the game. Malcolm Brown made a team-best 11 tackles for UD.
Colorado 45, New Hampshire 14
Box Score
Safety Pop Lacey recorded a game-high 10 tackles and returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown, but it was not enough as New Hampshire (0-3, 0-1 CAA) fell 45-14 at Pac 12 member Colorado. The Buffs took a 35-0 advantage early in the third quarter before Lacey's interception got the Wildcats on the board. UNH added another touchdown later in the third quarter as Christian Lupoli hit All-America receiver Neil O'Connor with a 71-yard scoring strike.
Lupoli passed for 160 yards, while O'Connor made a team-best five receptions for 98 yards. Along with Lacey's performance, linebacker Quinlen Dean had three tackles for loss and Evan Horn intercepted a pass in the end zone.
Stony Brook 28, Fordham 6
Box Score
Stony Brook (2-1, 0-0 CAA) used a punishing ground game and a dominant defensive effort to defeat Fordham, 28-6, on the road. For the second week in a row, Seawolves' running backs Jordan Gowins and Donald Liotine both went over the 100-yard mark. Gowins tallied a team-high 160 yards and a TD on 20 carries, while Liotine added 106 yards, including a 75-yard TD gallop to open the second half. Nick Anderson made three catches for 68 yards, highlighted by a 26-yard TD reception from Joe Carbone in the second quarter.
Stony Brook's defense held Fordham to 238 total yards, including -7 yards rushing. The Seawolves forced four turnovers and took an early 7-0 lead when Jordan Scarbrough returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown. Augie Contressa made a team-high six tackles and Shayne Lawless had five stops, 2.0 tackles for loss and an interception.
UAlbany 30, Morgan State 27
Box Score
Freshman wide receiver Dev Holmes caught eight passes for a career-high 238 yards, including a game-winning 88-yard TD reception from Vince Testeverde with 6:54 to go, as UAlbany (1-2, 0-1 CAA) edged Morgan State, 30-27, in its home opener.
The Great Danes took a 17-7 lead in the second quarter when Donovan McDonald returned a punt 67 yards for a TD. MSU moved on top 20-17 in the third quarter, but Ethan Stark booted field goals of 32 and 51 yards to put UAlbany back in front, 23-20, with 12:16 remaining. The Bears regained the lead midway through the fourth quarter before Testeverde hit Holmes with the game-winner. Testeverde was picked off four times, but passed for 310 yards and two TD's. Danny Damico made a team-high 16 tackles for UAlbany defensively.