Coastal Athletic Association (CAA Sports)

CAA FOOTBALL RECAP - OCT. 27

10/27/2007 4:00:00 AM

Below is a recap for each CAA Football game played this weekend. Please scroll down to find the CAA Football team and game you are interested in. This page will be updated as games go final so be sure to logon to CAASports.com throughout the day.

No. 9 Delaware 59, Navy 52
Boxscore

The University of Delaware's vaunted passing attack took on Navy's dominant running game in a wild shootout Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium.

When the smoke cleared, it was the No. 9 ranked Blue Hens, behind the passing of Joe Flacco and the running of Omar Cuff, who survived as Delaware scored on seven straight possessions at one point and piled up 581 total yards on the way to a 59-52 upset victory over the Midshipmen in a non-league football game that saw the teams combine for 111 points and 1,087 total yards.

The Blue Hens (7-1), who won their second straight game and defeated the NCAA I-A Midshipmen for the second time in the last three meetings, took the lead for good with 17 unanswered points in the second half and put the game away when Cuff scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a
37-yard jaunt up the middle with 2:02 left to play.

The 59 points was the most scored by a Delaware team since the 2000 season and is believed to be the highest point total ever scored by an I-AA team over a I-A foe.

Navy ( 4-4), which has advanced to a bowl game each of the last four seasons, lost its second straight game, following a three-game winning streak, despite 342 yards rushing on the day. However, two Midshipmen miscues loomed large

Cuff ran 28 times for 141 yards and scored four touchdowns for the Hens while Flacco hit on 30 of 41 passes for a career-high 434 yards and four touchdowns. Kervin Michaud caught a career-high eight passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns while tight end Robbie Agnone grabbed seven passes for 133 yards. Cuff also posted his 16th career 100-yard rushing game.

"What a great effort by our guys today," said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, whose team downed Navy 21-17 in 2003 as part of the Blue Hens' national championship season. "It was a great win and our guys did an amazing job. Our offense is so special with two of the best players in the country in Joe Flacco and Omar Cuff and our defense kept playing and never panicked."

It was a day of milestones for the Blue Hens, and not only in the victory column. Cuff, a Walter Payton Award candidate as the top player in the country at the NCAA FCS level, went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season at 1,004 and his four touchdowns gave him 28 for the season, breaking the UD single season mark of 24 by Gardy Kahoe in 1971. Cuff also tied Kahoe's single season record for rushing touchdowns in a season of 24 while also snaring his 100th career reception.

Flacco went over the 2,000-yard passing mark for the season while also surpassing 5,000 yards for his two-year career as a Blue Hen. His 434 yards passing, his 13th straight 200-yard effort and eighth 300+ game of his career, was a career-high, besting his 419 yards vs. New Hampshire back on Oct. 6, and his four touchdown passes equalled his career-high set vs. Towson last season.

Defensively for the Hens, junior linebacker Erik Johnson recorded a career-high 20 tackles, the most by a UD player since Ralph D'Angelo posted 22 vs. Navy in 1995, and Anthony Bratton had 12 tackles, recorded a fumble, and forced another Midshipmen turnover.

Navy, which entered the game as the No. 1 ranked rushing team in NCAA I-A with an average of 343 yards per game, gained 346 yards on the ground, the most against a Delaware team since the Mids gained 346 in 2004. Adam Ballard ran for 94 yards, including a 55-yard touchdowns, Eric Kettani had 92 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada added 72 yards and scored twice before giving way to backup Jarod Bryant. The Mids scored on 8 of their 12 possessions but lost two fumbles, one that led to a Blue Hen touchdown.

"There is no margin for us," said Navy head coach Paul Johnson. "We can't turn the ball over twice and win. We can't miss a turn with the ball. Defensively, we tried about everything we know of. We have to get better at what we have. We were beat physically, but there were other mistakes too. "

"If they don't turn the ball over, your not going to beat those guys," echoed Keeler. "They have a great offense and that's why they have been to a bowl game the last four years." The game was a track meet from the outset. Delaware scored on the first possession of the game as Cuff capped a 73-yard drive with a one-yard dive just three minutes into the game, upping his season touchdown total to 25 to set a new UD record.

But Navy came back to take the lead as Kaheaku-Enhada scored on a two quarterback sneaks, from two and one-yard out, to give the Mids a 14-7 lead. The first score was set up when Navy punter Joey Bullen faked and hit a wide-open Greg Sudderth down the right side to the Delaware two-yard line. The pass was the only one attempted by Navy the entire first half.

The team traded five touchdowns during the wild second quarter, knotting the game at 28-28 entering intermission. Bratton recovered a fumble by Kaheaku-Enhada at the Navy 24-yard line to set up a one-yard Cuff scoring run that tied the score at 14-14. Navy sandwiched scoring runs of 55 yards by Ballard and two yards by Kettani around a 23-yard scoring pass from Flacco to Duncan to go up 28-21. But Delaware tied things up just before halftime as they drove 65 yards in just 56 seconds with Flacco hitting Michaud across the middle on a 11-yard strike with just three seconds left in the half.

Navy took its final lead of the game at 35-28 when Kettani scored on a one-yard run just 1:12 into the second half. The Hens then scored 17 straight points to take a 45-35 advantage early in the final stanza as Flacco hit Michaud on a 13-yard scoring pass and Aaron Love on a 34-yard bomb and Jon Striefsky converted a 36-yard field goal, his school record 10th straight of the season.

But Delaware stayed on top the rest of the way thanks to Cuff, who countered two Navy touchdown runs by Reggie Campbell and Bryant b scoring from one-yard out on a fourth down play with 5:51 left and icing the win on a 37-yard burst up the middle with just 2:02 left.

"Every time that we step on that field, it's important that we go down and score a touchdown," said Cuff. "It was especially important today because we know how good Navy's offense is. But our offensive line did a great job today and on that final touchdown, I saw a hole open like the Red Sea and the next thing I knew no one was around me. That really put them away."

No. 14 Richmond 17, No. 6 James Madison 16
Boxscore

Stephen Howell picked off a Rodney Landers' pass with 58 seconds remaining in the game to seal a thrilling win for No. 14 Richmond over sixth-ranked James Madison, 17-16, Saturday afternoon in a CAA South showdown at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The Spiders jumped out to a 17-0 lead and the defense held on, moving the team to 6-2 overall, 4-1 in the CAA and into a three-way tie for first in the South Division with JMU (6-2, 4-2) and Delaware.

Walter Payton candidate Tim Hightower rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Eric Ward was 11-of-22 passing for 74 yards and another first-half score. With 29 rushing TDs, Hightower ties Uly Scott for Richmond's career record.

But led by Howell, the Spiders' defense was the story for the third consecutive week. The senior safety was in on a team-leading nine tackles, recovered a JMU fumble and made the acrobatic interception in the game's final minute. Eric McBride, who forced a fumble, and Collin McConaghy were also in on nine tackles each.

The Spiders' opportunistic defense came up big on James Madison's first four possessions of the game, forcing the Dukes into a pair of three-and-outs and two lost fumbles.

Following the first series which saw JMU move the ball just eight yards, the Spiders embarked on a clock-eating 17-play, 71-yard drive that consumed 8:01 off the clock and resulted in a 21-yard field goal from Andrew Howard.

Richmond widened its advantage to 10-0 at the 8:28 mark of the second quarter when Ward hit Riddell for a 10-yard TD pass, a play following Howell's fumble. Hightower gave Richmond a 17-0 when he plunged in from four yards out with 40 seconds remaining in the half.

But James Madison, which had not completed a first-half pass and gained just 45 yards, would not go to the locker room quietly. Landers hooked up with Bosco Williams on a 61-yard bomb with 16 seconds remaining on the clock and put the Dukes on the board and momentum in their favor.

The sold-out crowd of 14,009, still buzzing after the Williams' catch before halftime, was whipped into a frenzy after Richmond turned the ball over on its first two possessions of the second half. Hightower fumbled for the first time this season on Richmond's opening drive, then a Ward pass was picked by Marcus Haywood on its next possession.

But the Dukes could muster only two Dave Stennard field goals as a result, making the score 17-13 with 7:11 remaining in the third quarter. The score would remain the same until Stennard kicked his third field goal, a 36-yarder, with six minutes remaining in the game.

Richmond owned a commanding 16:34 lead in time of possession, gained four more first downs, but trailed 256-245 yards in total offense. But the Spiders rushed for 208 yards to the Dukes 134. Landers, who was just 8-of-22 passing for 129 yards, rushed 16 times for a team-leading 79 yards.

The win is Richmond's third-consecutive, while James Madison's six-game win streak was halted on its Homecoming. The Dukes' lone loss before Saturday was to North Carolina in the season-opener.

Richmond's 6-2 start ensures the team's third-consecutive winning season for the first time in 52 years. It also marks the third time since 1998 that Richmond has started 6-2. Both previous years (1998 and 2000) ended in Atlantic 10 Championships.

Villanova 35, No. 15 Hofstra 31Boxscore

The Wildcats scored 14 points in the first 1:44 of the second half to open a 35-21 lead and staved off a late Hofstra rally as Villanova handed the Pride its second straight loss with a 35-31 CAA decision at Villanova Stadium Saturday night. The Pride fall to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play while the Wildcats improve to 5-3 on the year and 3-2 in the CAA.

The Pride, who outgained the Wildcats, 357-201, in the contest, were led by senior running back Kareem Huggins, who gained 95 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries before leaving the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter. Senior receiver Charles Sullivan had five catches for 68 yards and freshman receiver Anthony Nelson had four receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. Junior quarterbacker Bryan Savage completed 16 of 36 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown but was picked off three times. Senior Linebacker Gian Villante led the Pride defensive charge with 11 tackles while defensive backs Kyle Arrington and David Darby added seven stopsThe Wildcats, who picked up 21 points without their offense on the field, were led by running back Matt Dicken with 55 yards on 18 carries and freshman quarterback Chris Whitney, who completed eight of 16 passes for 56 yards. Tight end Matthew Sherry had three catches for 26 yards. Linebacker Osayi Osunde posted 11 tackles while free safety Martel Moody had two interceptions, two pass deflections and two tackles.

The Wildcats scored on their first possession after a Hofstra punt gave Villanova the ball on their own 44-yard line. Three plays later, thanks in large part to Matthew Seczur’s 40-yard run to the Pride 2-yard line, Matt Dicken rushed two yards for the touchdown. Joe Marcoux’s extra-point gave the Wildcats a 7-0 lead just 2:28 into the contest. After the Pride was forced to punt on their next possession, Villanova took over on the Pride 36. Quarterback Chris Whitney engineered a six-play drive with Phil Atkinson rushing into the end zone from 10 yards out. Marcoux’s extra-point made it 14-0 with 7:58 to play in the period.

But the Pride closed the gap on its next possession as Savage directed a 10-play, 74-yard drive, hitting freshman receiver Anthony Nelson for a 24-yard touchdown. Savage was 5-for-5 for 57 yards and rushed twice for nine yards in the drive. Shaun McQueary’s extra-point cut the Hofstra deficit to 14-7 with 2:50 to play in the quarter.

After the Pride stopped Villanova on its next possession, Hofstra got the ball back. On the first play after a penalty, Savage was picked off by Martel Moody, who returned the ball 43 yards for a Wildcats touchdown. Marcoux’s point-after made it 21-7 with 48 seconds to play in the quarter. Hofstra closed the gap once again on its next possession marching 80 yards on five plays with Huggins breaking away up the middle for a 55-yard touchdown run. McQueary’s point-after closed the deficit to 21-14 just 1:58 into the second quarter.

The Pride stopped Villanova the rest of the quarter and tied the game late in the period following a Wildcat punt. Taking over at their 31-yard line, Savage went 3-for-5 for 60 yards and called his own number on the draw and went airborn for a 14-yard touchdown run. McQueary’s extra-point tied the game at 21 with one minute to play in the half. The Pride posted 228 yards in the first half while holding Villanova to just 119.

The second half was another flurry of activity. On the opening kickoff, Villanova sophomore Angelo Babbaro scampered 95 yards to give the Wildcats a 28-21 lead just 13 seconds into the third quarter. On Hofstra’s next possession, Savage was sacked by Wildcats defensive end Greg Miller and fumbled at the Pride 16-yard line. Villanova sophomore defensive end scooped up the ball and rambled 16 yards for the touchdown. Marcoux’s extra point boosted the Wildcats’ lead to 35-21.

But Hofstra came roaring back once again. After David Darby scooped up a Matt Dicken fumble and the Pride moved the ball to the Villanova 22, senior kicker Rob Zarrilli booted a 44-yard field goal with 5:41 to play in the third quarter. On Villanova’s possession Whitney was picked off by Pride linebacker Stanley Gutierrez at the Wildcats 17-yard line. It was Gutierrez’s fourth interception of the season. Five plays later red-shirt freshman Everette Benjamin rushed into the end zone from two yards out with 3:05 to play in the period. Rob Zarrilli’s extra-point closed the gap to 35-31.

The Pride defense was able to hold the Wildcats to just 24 yards in the fourth quarter giving the offense a late chance to win the game. Starting the drive with 7:05 to play in the fourth quarter, Hofstra marched 60 yards down to the Villanova 13-yard line. Savage had two big plays in what would end up being a 16-play drive. On a third-and-eight play from the Pride 41, Savage broke away for a 21-yard gain. Shortly after, he rushed five yards to the Villanova 26 on a fourth and three play. But on the final series from the Villanova 13, the Pride couldn’t complete a pass under the Villanova pressure, throwing four incomplete passes, as the Wildcats took over with 1:04 to play and ran out the clock.

No. 4 Massachusetts 48, William and Mary 34
Boxscore

A game filled with miscues on both ends saw No. 4 UMass extend its regular-season win streak against FCS teams to 17 games, including a 13-0 mark against conference teams over the last two seasons, with a 48-34 win at William & Mary, spoiling the Tribe's homecoming. The Minutemen rallied from a 24-13 deficit in the third quarter, scoring the game's final 14 points, taking advantage of two fumbles by the Tribe and four missed field goals. UMass had plenty of mistakes of its own with a pair of interceptions, two bad snaps on a kick and punt, setting up the Tribe.

UMass moved to 7-1 overall, 5-0 in the CAA, remaining the only undefeated team in league play as James Madison lost to a conference foe for the first time on Saturday (Richmond beat them, 17-16). The Minutemen are now 20-1 against FCS opponents over the last two seasons.

Senior Matt Lawrence scored the final two touchdowns including the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard plunge with 3:46 left in regulation. He added a 7-yard scoring run with 35 seconds left in regulation for the icing on the cake. He finished with a career-high 186 rushing yards on a career-best 34 carries and three scores. It was his sixth 100-yard game of the season.

In the win, junior quarterback Liam Coen became UMass' career passing touchdown leader with 54. That included the first two scoring strikes to Rasheed Rancher. The game started out very promising for UMass as Coen connected with Rancher on a 60-yard score on the first play from scrimmage, 16 seconds into the game. Coen broke Todd Bankhead's former record of 51 set in 1998-99.

Coen finished with 218 yards on 17-of-27. Rancher's two catches were both scores, totaling 67 yards. J.J. Moore had five catches for 79 yards, making him the fourth player in UMass history with more than 2,000 career receiving yards. Lawrence redeemed himself after a fumble, scoring the game's final two touchdowns. Lawrence gained 75 yards in the fourth quarter along with the two touchdowns. In fact, all three of his touchdowns came in the final 16:35 of the game.

The teams traded pairs of fumbles in the second half. William & Mary's Josh Rutter forced Lawrence to fumble at the UMass 24-yard line, picked up the ball and returned it to the 2-yard line. Brian Pate, who had missed four field goals in a row, kicked a 20-yard field goal with 7:31 left in the fourth. UMass' defense was stout keeping the Tribe from a touchdown with just two yards to gain after the turnover. The score tied the game at 34-34. On that defensive stand, Michael Hanson, David Burris and Jeromy Miles were huge. Burris and Miles each finished with a team-high nine tackles.

William & Mary scored on a 42-yard fumble return by Michael Pigram with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter making it 34-31. Pigram picked up the ball on a bad pitch by Coen to Tony Nelson and dashed down the field for the score.

A pair of Tribe fumbles bridging the third and fourth quarters aided the Minutemen's comeback. Ian Jorgensen hauled in an 8-yard pass from Coen early in the fourth quarter to make it 34-24 UMass. That play was set up by a fumble of a kickoff, which was recovered by Anthony Rouzier after Chris Zardas forced Thomas Schonder to lose control of the ball.

UMass took advantage of William & Mary's first turnover as Brian Ellis recovered a fumble by Drew Atchison, forced by Josh Jennings which set up the go-ahead score for the Minutemen. After Matt Lawrence's 25-yard rush brought UMass to the 13-yard line, Tony Nelson finished the drive with his first touchdown of the season, making the scored 27-24. The drive took just 18 seconds, the Minutemen's third scoring drive of the day, which took less than a minute.

Lawrence brought the Minutemen to within, 24-20 with 1:35 left in the third on an 11-yard touchdown rush up the middle. He finished off a 75-yard drive, which took just 50 seconds following William & Mary's fourth missed field goal on the afternoon.

William and Mary took advantage of a miscue by the Minutemen early in the third quarter. Coen's second interception went into the books on a fluke play. The Tribe forced Rancher to lose control of a 15-yard catch as Robert Livingston popped the ball from which was caught by Michael Pigram, who returned it 17 yards to the UMass 22-yard line. From there, the Tribe scored on a fourth-down attempt as Jake Phillips plunged over the left side of his line to make the score 24-13 following the extra point with 6:36 left in the third.

William & Mary missed field goals on successive drives, prior to halftime and on the first drive of the second half. Brian Pate missed a 48-yarder at the end of the first half and missed another from 38 yards early into the third quarter.

William & Mary's Drew Atchison hauled in a 5-yard pass from Jake Phillips and reached around the right pylon to give the Tribe the lead back, 17-13, with 3:10 left in the first half.

UMass took the lead, 13-10, as Rancher and Coen connected on a 7-yard pass play. He Minutemen converted a fourth-down play on a quick 4-yard sideline pass to Tony Nelson setting up the go-ahead score.

The Tribe took a 10-6 lead at the end of the first as they took advantage of another UMass miscue on special teams. The snap on a fourth-down punt play went over the head of Brett Arnold and was downed all the way down at the UMass 8-yard line, for a 43-yard loss on the play. Three plays later Tony Viola ran on from 1-yard out to give William & Mary the lead.

William and Mary answered UMass' opening bomb with a season-long 45-yard field goal by Pate with 10:36 left in the first quarter.

No. 8 New Hampshire 49, Rhode Island 36
Boxscore

Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass.) threw for five touchdowns and ran for another TD to lead the eighth-ranked University of New Hampshire football team to Saturday afternoon’s 49-36 CAA victory against the University of Rhode Island at Cowell Stadium.

UNH won its fourth consecutive game and remained undefeated at home this season (4-0) to improve to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the CAA. URI dropped its third straight game to fall to 1-7, 0-5. The teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense as the Rams recorded a slight edge of 537-529.

Santos went 24 of 30 for 419 yards to ascend to No. 6 on the NCAA FCS career passing leaderboard with 12,189 yards. Santos now has 116 career TD passes, which ranks directly behind Steve McNair (119) at No. 4 overall. He also finished the game with 41 yards on eight carries.

Mike Boyle (Plymouth, N.H.) and Keith LeVan (Waltham,Mass.) were Santos’ top targets as both receivers had seven catches and a touchdown. Boyle had a game-high 116 receiving yards and LeVan compiled 93. Scott Sicko (Stillwater, N.Y.) had a 7-yard TD reception that opened the game scoring at 11:53 of the first quarter and a 10-yard TD reception at 1:21 of the second quarter as part of his four receptions for 56 yards. Chad Kackert (Simi Valley, Calif.) had a 52-yard TD pass reception and 52 rushing yards on 12 carries.

UNH’s defensive effort was led by Husain Karim (Burlington, Vt.), who led five Wildcats in double digit tackles with 21. Marvin Wright (Roxbury, Mass.) and Hugo Souza (Marshfield, Mass.) each tallied 16 tackles, followed by Jeff Pammer (Northampton, Pa.; 14) and Matt Parent (Long Beach, Calif.; 13). With the 14 tackles, Pammer ascended to No. 4 on UNH’s career tackles leaderboard with 305.

Rhode Island, which amassed 267 first-half rushing yards to build a 24-21 halftime lead, was led by Jimmy Hughes’ 168 rushing yards on 20 carries. His second-quarter 3-yard TD scamper gave URI a 10-7 lead and then he scored rushing touchdowns of 21 and 2 yards in the fourth quarter. Joe Casey also topped 100 yards on the ground with 105 yards on 23 carries. The visitors finished with 77 rushes for 430 yards.

With URI leading 10-7, both teams scored a pair of touchdowns in the last six minutes of the second quarter. Following a UNH turnover, a Jerrell Jones’ eight-yard TD run gave the Rams a 17-7 advantage at 5:45. Kackert then turned Santos’ pass in the left flat into a 52-yard scoring play down the left sideline at 4:07, which lifted the ?Cats within 17-14. Rhode Island scored four plays later on a 37-yard run by Derek Cassidy at 2:58, then New Hampshire closed the first-half scoring with a seven-play, 78-yard drive that culminated in Sicko’s second TD of the half.

The Wildcats took a lead they would not relinquish, 28-24, on a 57-yard pass play from Santos to LeVan at 3:40. A two-yard run by Robert Simpson (Brockton, Mass.) extended UNH’s advantage to 35-24 with 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Another UNH turnover led to Hughes’ 21-yard scoring play that lifted the Rams within 35-30 at 13:11 of the fourth quarter. On the ensuing two-point conversion, backup quarterback D.J. Stefkovich rolled to the right but could not connect with Shawn Leonard (four catches, 57 yards) along the right side of the end zone.

Santos’ 1-yard scamper capped a six-play, 44-yard Wildlcats’ drive that made the score 42-30 with 11:04 to play. Santos then connected with Boyle on a 38-yard pass play that extended UNH’s lead to 49-30 at 5:00. Only 36 seconds remained on Hughes’ third score of the game.

Maine 20, Northeastern 14Boxscore

Jhamal Fluellen rushed for 126 yards, including the game-winning 23-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, to lead Maine to a 20-14 win over Northeastern on Saturday.

With Northeastern (1-7, 0-5 Colonial) trailing 17-14 and attempting to drive for a go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter, Maine's Jonathan Calderon intercepted a pass from Anthony Orio with 6:34 left at the Black Bears' 46.

Fluellen went to work from there, carrying the ball eight times on a 12-play drive that consumed 5:47 and led to Bobby Donnelly's 31-yard field goal with 47 seconds remaining.

Maine's Landis Williams had seven catches for 105 yards and a touchdown in the first half, including a 36-yard catch that set up a 31-yard field goal by Donnelly and a 36-yard touchdown reception as the Black Bears (2-6, 1-4) took a 10-7 halftime lead. He finished with eight catches for 107 yards.

Maurice Murray rushed for 127 yards and tied the Northeastern career rushing touchdown record with his 36th on a 4-yard run that gave the Huskies a 14-10 lead with 4:10 to play in the third quarter.

Maine came back with Fluellen's 23-yard run with 2:32 left in the third.

Tony Lott scored on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Orio in the first half for Northeastern.