CAA Football Recap - Sept. 3-5
Rob Washburn
Monmouth 31, Sacred Heart 24
Box Score
Kenny Smith Jr. caught a 7-yard touchdown pass with 2:54 remaining, lifting Monmouth to a 31-24 comeback win over Sacred Heart in the conference opener for both programs. Neither team led by more than seven points in a back-and-forth contest.
Smith Jr.’s 7-yard scoring run on the Hawks’ opening drive made it 7-0, but Sacred Heart responded with consecutive touchdown passes from Poochie Snyder, hitting Jason Palmeri with a six-yarder and Dean Hangey from nine yards. Monmouth tied the game at 14-14 at the half following a 19-yard TD pass from Frankie Weaver to Gavin Nelson. Weaver connected on a 10-yard scoring toss to Elijah Jennings to open the second half, but the Pioneers tied the game at 21-21 later in the quarter on Hangey’s 52-yard TD catch. After both teams traded short field goals early in the fourth period, Smith’s TD catch ended a 68-yard drive. SHU drove to the MU 39-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs.
Weaver finished 26-of-37 passing for 237 yards and 3 TD’s, with Nelson and Tra Neal each making eight receptions. Jaeden Jones made 12 tackles for the Hawks’ defense. For Sacred Heart, Snyder threw for 191 yards and 3 TD’s and added 67 yards on the ground, while Hangey made five catches for 110 yards and 2 TD’s. Myles Hamilton and Ryan Palmieri recorded nine stops each for the Pioneers.
Elon 38, Davidson 0
Box Score
Elon is off a 2-0 start for the first time since 2009 following a 38-0 shutout victory at Davidson. The Phoenix defense held the Wildcats to 251 total yards.
A 39-yard Luke Barnes field goal got Elon on the board and a 29-yard TD run from Kamerin McDowell-Moore extended the margin to 10 early in the second quarter. A blocked punt by Codey Larkins set up a 3-yard TD run by Jimmyll Williams and Williams later added a 1-yard plunge to make it 24-0 at the half. The Phoenix tacked on two more TD’s in the second half as Jaedon Alford caught a 36-yard strike from TJ Crews IV and McDowell-Moore (15 att.,88 yds) scored his second of the night from a yard out. Tony Hart III made a team-high five stops as Elon posted its first shutout since 2022.
Temple 38, Rhode Island 14
Box Score
All-America wide receiver Marquis Buchanan was outstanding with 10 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown, but Rhode Island was beaten 38-14 at Temple.
Temple went up 7-0 on its opening drive, but Rhode Island answered quickly as Buchanan caught a 35-scoring strike from Tyler Budge. The Owls pushed their advantage to 10 in the second quarter, but the Rams put together a 14-play, 75-yard drive finished by a 1-yard Budge run that made it 17-14. However, Temple added a TD just before halftime and two more in the second half to pick up the victory. Budge threw for 195 yards and ran for 38 in the game. Andre DePina-Gray tallied seven tackles and Case Mankins had two sacks and a forced fumble.
Navy 42, Towson 15
Box Score
Andrew Indorf passed for 208 yards and two touchdowns as Towson dropped a 42-15 decision at Navy.
The Tigers fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, but Indorf found Aaron Enterline with a 48-yard TD pass early in the second period to pull Towson with 14-6. Following another Midshipmen score, Towson responded again as Indorf connected with Jacob Zollar on a 30-yard strike to make it 21-12. Navy went ahead 28-12 at the half and limited the Tigers to a 40-yard Zaydaan Faridi field goal in the second half. Ben Kumpon tallied 11 tackles for Towson.
Appalachian State 55, Maine 3
Box Score
Appalachian State generated 647 yards of offense in a 55-3 triumph over Maine. Black Bears’ quarterback Eddie Buehler threw for 198 yards and the Maine defense got a game-high 14 tackles from Sam Oppenheimer.
The Black Bears’ defense came up with a big play early as Kye Pressley’s strip sack was recovered by Jeremiah McGill to end an ASU drive. However, the Mountaineers were able to build a commanding 31-0 halftime lead. Maine got on the board late in the third quarter on a 40-yard Samuel Tremblay field goal.
Maryland 62, Hampton 0
Box Score
Maryland broke a 94-yard TD run in the opening quarter and added a 10-yard scoring pass in the final seconds of the second quarter to build a commanding 34-point halftime lead on the way to a 62-0 win over Hampton. The Terps finished with 646 total yards.
Hampton quarterback Jalen Woods threw for 56 yards with Chaz Portis making a pair of catches for 40 yards. Qwae Willis recorded nine tackles for the Pirates defense and Cam Sturdifen added seven stops.
Army 59, Bryant 3
Box Score
Army rolled up 569 yards on the ground to power past Bryant, 59-3. Quarterback Brennan Myer completed 9-of-18 passes for 88 yards to lead the Bulldogs’ offense while Drake Lusk made a team-high seven tackles defensively.
The Black Knights went ahead 28-0 in the second quarter before Bryant put together a 12-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a 28-yard field goal by Nicholas Stoyanovich. That would be the lone score of the game for Bryant as Army tacked on four second-half touchdowns.
Syracuse 66, New Hampshire 3
Box Score
Syracuse tallied 513 yards of total offense and forced three New Hampshire turnovers as the Orange topped the Wildcats, 66-3. Linebacker Trevor Barry had a big game for the UNH defense with 11 tackles and Jackson Stone added a career-best eight stops. Running back Myles Thomason made seven catches for 53 yards and Joquez Smith rushed for 60 yards on eight carries.
The Orange built a commanding 41-0 advantage at the half. UNH put together a 70-yard drive late in the third quarter and got a 46-yard field goal from Lucas Glassburn with 14:50 remaining in the contest.
FRIDAY
Georgia State 59, North Carolina A&T 10
Box Score
Quarterback Kevin White passed for 122 yards and a TD and added 27 yards on the ground as North Carolina A&T fell 59-10 at Georgia State.
A&T trailed 21-0 midway through the second quarter but got on the board when White found tight end Anthony Rucker wide open down the seam for a 61-yard touchdown pass with 5:12 left until halftime. However, GSU responded with a pair of scores in the final three minutes to take a commanding 35-7 advantage into halftime. The Aggies added a 39-yard field goal from Asher Holland in the fourth quarter.
THURSDAY
Stony Brook 36, Lindenwood 32
Box Score
Quinn Boyd’s 8-yard touchdown run with 7:39 remaining capped a 36-32 comeback victory for Stony Brook over Lindenwood in the Seawolves’ home opener. SBU battled back from a 15-point halftime deficit to even its record at 1-1.
Stony Brook trailed 22-7 at the break but got a 29-yard TD pass from Boyd to Seth Sweitzer midway through the third quarter. After the teams traded field goals, SBU’s CJ Hester broke loose for a 52-yard scoring run that pulled the Seawolves within 25-23 early in the fourth period. Lindenwood scored to go back up by nine, but SBU responded with a 5-yard run by Hester that was set up by a 55-yard Sweitzer reception. Midway through the final period, Boyd converted a 29-yard fourth down pass to Rayden Aphayvong before giving SBU its first lead of the game on the 8-yard run. Boyd finished 27-of-35 passing for 298 yards and 2 TD’s with Sweitzer making 12 catches for 157 yards. Hester added 95 yards and 2 TD’s on the ground. Jojo Garcia made a team-high 13 tackles and 2.5 TFL’s defensively.
Buffalo 21, UAlbany 17
Box Score
UAlbany (1-1) took FBS member Buffalo to the wire before dropping a 21-17 decision. The Great Danes drove to the UB 1-yard line with just over a minute to go but were unable to punch in the winning score.
In a game delayed nearly three hours due to weather, UAlbany took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 14-yard TD pass from Kai Colon to Tavhari Groves. The Bulls found the end zone twice in the second quarter before a 46-yard RJ Kocan field goal pulled the Great Danes within 14-10 at the half. Colon hit Justus Murray, Jr. with a 14-yard TD toss late in the third quarter to put UA ahead 17-14, but Buffalo was able to move back on top with 4:53 to play. Colon finished 16-of-36 passing for 191 yards and 2 TD’s with BJ Norman making six receptions for 67 yards. Victor Holt recorded a team-high nine tackles and two pass breakups for the Great Danes’ defense.