CAA FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE -- AUG. 31
CAA Football Players of the Week -- Sept. 1
CAA Football, which finished the opening weekend of 2008 undefeated against non-conference FCS foes (3-0), announced its Player of the Week honorees, Monday, Sept. 1. Five individuals earned honors after their performances during the first weekend of the season, including Richmond’s Eric Ward, Massachusetts’ Josh Jennings, Delaware’s Anthony Walters, James Madison’s Scotty McGee and Rhode Island’s Louis Feinstein.
Ward, the CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week, helped the fourth-ranked Spiders to a 28-10 win on the road over No. 15 Elon. Ward garnered a career-high 236 yards passing, going 17-for-22 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Ward opened the contest with an 80-yard scoring strike to sophomore Kevin Grayson, a play which ranked as the sixth-longest pass play in school history. The Atlanta, Ga., native completed two passes of 80 and 38 yards on the night, both of which were longer than any completions from Richmond’s 2007 season. The junior signal-caller also ran the ball 14 times for 59 yards in Richmond’s first win under first-year head coach Mike London.
Jennings grabbed a share of the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week honor after making a career-high 13 stops in the Minutemen’s 28-16 win over Albany in Amherst, Mass. The New Britain, Conn., native also snagged his first career interception in the win and returned it three yards. Jennings and UMass’ defense limited Albany to 353 yards of total offense, while picking off two passes and logging three sacks for 17 yards.
Walters, also a CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week, had an impressive day in Delaware’s 14-7 loss at Maryland. The sophomore made a team-high 13 tackles from his cornerback position, which also marked a career-best for the second-year player. The Philadelphia, Pa., native garnered an interception during the third quarter as the Terrapins were assembling a then-49 yard drive deep into Delaware territory. Walters and the Blue Hen defense held Maryland’s offense to just 14 points on the day, while forcing two turnovers (two interceptions) in the contest.
McGee, the CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week, recorded 157 yards in kickoff returns during the Dukes’ 31-7 loss at Duke Saturday evening. McGee, who has now earned two CAA Football weekly honors since last season, also garnered seven yards in punt returns. The Virginia Beach, Va., native returned a kickoff 60 yards to open the second-half before a JMU turnover led to a Duke touchdown.
Feinstein logged CAA Football Rookie of the Week honors after helping Rhode Island to a 27-24 win over Monmouth in head coach Darren Rizzi’s URI debut. The Irvine, Calif., native proved to be the difference in the game knocking through 2-of-3 field goal attempts on the day, including a 47-yarder in the second quarter. Later in the game, Feinstein, a true freshman, punched in a 27-yarder to extend the Rams’ lead to 10. The kicker ended the day totalling nine of Rhody’s 27 points, after proving successful on all three of his PAT tries.
Massachusetts Picked As League Favorite
Massachusetts, which returns 12 starters off last year’s CAA Football Championship team, is picked to capture the overall CAA Football Championship in 2008. Richmond, also a 2007 CAA Football Champion, edged out James Madison for the top spot in the South Division race according to a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches and selected media.
Massachusetts’ senior quarterback Liam Coen and Maine’s senior defensive lineman Jovan Belcher headlined the 2008 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference squad as both were selected as Preseason Players of the Year. Coen, who passed for 3,091 yards and had an effeciency rating of 156.3 in 2007, earned Offensive honors while Belcher, who led the league in sacks with 10 last season, picked up Defensive honors.
OVERALL CHAMPION -- Massachusetts
North Division (First Place votes)
1. Massachusetts (17)
2. New Hampshire (1)
3. Hofstra (1)
4. Maine
5. Northeastern
6. Rhode Island
South Division (First Place votes)
1. Richmond (11)
2. James Madison (7)
3. Delaware (1)
4. Villanova
5. William and Mary
6. Towson
CAA Football Launches Another Landmark TV Package
CAA Football will feature an even larger television package than the league debuted at the beginning of its Inaugural Season.
CAA Football Commissioner Tom Yeager announced a 38-game television schedule as part of the league’s Media Day Celebration at the ESPNZone in Baltimore, Md. The schedule, the largest conference television package among the nation’s Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), is highlighted by a conference-only package of 21 games on Comcast regional television networks CN8, The Comcast Network and Comcast SportsNet.
The 21-game conference-only package covered by the Comcast networks features the most competitive games airing on regional networks spanning the East Coast. CN8 will air 12 match-ups throughout its Maine to Virginia footprint. Comcast SportsNet networks including Comcast SportsNet New England and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will cover an additional nine games throughout the 13-week season, with additional distribution possible on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, CSS and SNY, schedule permitting.
The remaining 17 games on the 2008 CAA Football Television package will include two non-conference games on CN8, one on Comcast SportsNet, five broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks and one on the Big Ten Network. WABI-TV in Maine will provide coverage for five of the Black Bears’ six home games this season. Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) has plans to broadcast one contest, Towson will play a non-conference match-up on CSTV and WMUR-TV in New Hampshire will provide coverage of New Hampshire’s contest at Dartmouth.
Television listings for every game are listed throughout this release.
CAA Football In The Polls
For a complete rundown of both the Sports Network Top-25 and the FCS Coaches Poll visit page 18 of the weekly release. Below are highlights and notes about CAA Football in this week’s rankings.
The Sports Network Top-25
CAA Football’s six ranked squads in the Sports Network’s Top-25 mark the first time since 2005 the league has had as many teams ranked following the first week of the season.
Only the Missouri Valley equals the number of CAA Football teams (6) in the poll, but CAA Football’s four among the Top-10 is two more than both the Valley (2) and Big Sky (2) can boast. CAA Football teams among the 2008 Sports Network rankings continue a weekly string of at least three league squads ranked among the Top 25 since the poll’s inception.
CAA Football also extends its string of at least two teams in the Sports Network Top-10 to 42-straight weeks. The league can now boast having at least two teams in the Sports Network Top-10 in 68 of the last 72 weeks. The last time CAA Football placed six among the Top-25 in consecutive weeks was between Weeks 10-11 of 2007 which included Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Richmond.
FCS Coaches Top-25
Since the FCS Coaches Poll debuted prior to last season, CAA Football has had at least four squads ranked every week (16 weeks). The league’s total of six in this week’s poll mark the second consecutive edition with as many CAA Football squads listed, and the ninth week overall.
CAA Football’s four teams among the poll’s Top-10 marks the third-straight week, and the fourth week overall, the league has had four among the Top-10. This week’s CAA Football squads in the Top-10 include Richmond (No. 3), Massachusetts (No. 4), Delaware (No. 7) and James Madison (No. 8).
UMass’ Coen, Towson’s Schaefer Among 2008’s Best Signal Callers
Massachusetts’ Liam Coen and Towson’s Sean Schaefer enter this season at the top of the NCAA career records among ACTIVE FCS QUARTERBACKS.
Both make up the Top-2 in four major passing categories. Below is a breakdown of where each ranks in those four statistical groups:
Pass Attempts
1. Sean Schaefer, Towson - 1,209
2. Liam Coen, Massachusetts - 988
3. Dominic Randolph, Holy Cross - 781
Pass Completions
1. Sean Schaefer, Towson - 770
2. Liam Coen, Massachusetts - 634
3. Dominic Randolph, Holy Cross - 481
Passing Yards
1. Sean Schaefer, Towson - 8,688
2. Liam Coen, Massachusetts - 8,374
3. Dominic Randolph, Holy Cross - 5,841
Passing Touchdowns
1. Liam Coen, Massachusetts - 69
2. Sean Schaefer, Towson - 53
3. Dominic Randolph, Holy Cross - 49
Payton/Buchanan Watch
The Sports Network released its 2008 Preseason Watch lists for both the Walter Payton and Buck Buchanan awards. CAA Football had two on the Payton Watch List -- UMass’ Liam Coen and James Madison’s Rodney Landers -- and one on the Buck Buchanan Watch List -- Maine’s Jovan Belcher. The Walter Payton Award is given to the most outstanding offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision, while the Buck Buchanan Award is awarded to the most outstanding defensive player in FCS.
Several other league players may be added to the watch lists over the course of the season -- below are some of those names (including their to-date stats) along with those already on the lists.
Walter Payton Award
-- Liam Coen, QB (Massachusetts) - 10-20-0-92 pass yds, 50.0%, 3 TD, 92.0 pass yds/game, 20-92-112 total yds, 112.0 total yds/game
-- Rodney Landers, QB (James Madison) - 4-9-1-51 pass yds, 44.4%, 0 TD, 51.0 pass yds/game, 16-96 rush yds, 1 TD, 96.0 rush yds/game, 96-51-147 total yds, 147.0 total yds/game
-- Kevin Grayson, WR (Richmond) - 7-121 rec. yds, 1 TD, 121 rec. yds/game, 121.0 all-purpose yds/game
-- Eugene Holloman, RB (James Madison) - 13-55 rush yds, 0 TD, 55.0 rush yds/game
-- Sean Schaefer, QB (Towson) - 29-47-1-330 pass yds, 61.7%, 2 TD, 330.0 pass yds/game, 1-330-331 total yds, 331.0 total yds/game
-- Antwon Young, QB (Villanova) - 17-33-2-218 pass yds, 51.5%, 0 TD, 218.0 pass yds/game, 18-66 rush yds, 1 TD, 13.0 rush yds/game, 13-218-231 total yds, 231.0 total yds/game
Buck Buchanan Award
-- Jovan Belcher, DL (Maine) - 1 G, 4 solo, 5 assisted, 9 total, 1.0-3 TFL
-- Tim Kukucka, DL (Villanova) - 1 G, 0 solo, 2 assisted, 2 total
-- Matt Marcorelle, DL (Delaware) - 1 G, 2 solo, 2 assisted, 4 total, 0.5-0 TFL
-- Lawrence Sidbury, DL (Richmond) - 1 G, 2 solo, 2 assisted, 4 total, 1.5-3 TFL, 1 FR
-- Sean Smalls, DB (Massachusetts) - 1 G, 2 solo, 2 assisted, 4 total
Bring On The BCS/FBS
With New Hampshire’s 48-35 win at Marshall Sept. 15, 2007 and Delaware’s 59-52 win at bowl-bound Navy Oct. 27, 2007, CAA Football has now won 15 games versus BCS/FBS opponents in the last 11 years - including 2008 (11 different opponents).
The league also boasts two wins over the BCS/FBS level in five of the last seven seasons (including 2008).
CAA Football sports a 10-year record of 15-63 (.192) against BCS/FBS level opponents dating back to 1997.
All 12 CAA Football squads are slated to play an BCS/FBS foe in 2008, while Northeastern will face two this season including Ball State and Syracuse.
For a complete list of CAA Football’s wins over BCS/FBS opponents check out page 17 of the weekly release.
Richmond’s Ward Garners National Honors In Week One
Richmond’s Eric Ward garnered recognition as The Sports Network’s National Offensive Player of the Week, after logging the league’s Offensive Player of the Week honor. The Sports Network and College Sporting News, both publications which devote major coverage to the FCS level of college football, will select National Player of the Week honorees following each week of competition during the 2008 regular season.
CAA Football garnered recognition in nine of the 12 weeks in 2007, and boasted a total of 15 national winners. CAA Football’s total trailed only the Southern Conference’s 16 National Player of the Week honorees last season.
Check out page 16 of the weekly release for a complete rundown of CAA Football’s National Players of the Week.
CAA Football Partners With Circuit City
One of the nation’s largest consumer electronic retailers has teamed up with CAA Football to promote the nation’s best FCS Conference.
CAA Football, and some of its member schools, have given Circuit City the right to use past-player images in its weekly advertisements, in-store television ads, online promotions and nationally-aired television commercials over the course of the 2008 season.
Checkout all of the promotions which include CAA Football images online at circuitcity.com.
CAA In The NFL
NFL squads have now cut their rosters to the league maximum of 53. As of Sept. 2 a total of 20 CAA Football alumni and one head coach were listed on active NFL rosters while nine former league standouts were given specific NFL franchise tags. Below is a list of CAA Football alums and the teams they are part of. (the list includes head coaches, active rosters, practice squads and injured reserve/physically unable to perform)
Player, Alma Mater - NFL Franchise
- Mike Adams (Delaware) - Cleveland Browns
- Kyle Arrington (Hofstra) - Philadelphia Eagles (PS)
- Stephen Bowen (Hofstra) - Dallas Cowboys
- Willie Colon (Hofstra) - Pittsburgh Steelers
- Marques Colston (Hofstra) - New Orleans Saints
- Stephen Cooper (Maine) - San Diego Chargers
- Anthony Cotrone (Maine) - Jacksonville Jaguars (IR)
- Omar Cuff (Delaware) - Cleveland Browns (PS)
- Mike DeVito (Maine) - New York Jets
- Brian Finneran (Villanova) - Atlanta Falcons
- Joe Flacco (Delaware) - Baltimore Ravens
- Christian Gaddis (Villanova) - Cleveland Browns (PS)
- Corey Graham (New Hampshire) - Chicago Bears
- Tim Hightower (Richmond) - Arizona Cardinals
- Akeem Jordan (JMU) - Philadelphia Eagles
- Dan Kreider (New Hampshire) - St. Louis Rams
- Mike Leach (W&M) - Denver Broncos
- Shemiah LeGrande (Hofstra) - Detroit Lions (IR)
- Paris Lenon (Richmond) - Detroit Lions
- Brandon London (UMass) - Miami Dolphins
- Brandon McGowan (Maine) - Chicago Bears
- Kevin McMahan (Maine) - Kansas City Chiefs (PS)
- Matt Mulligan (Maine) - Miami Dolphins (PS)
- Ben Patrick (Delaware) - Arizona Cardinals
- Darren Sharper (W&M) - Minnesota Vikings
- Matt Sherry (Villanova) - Cincinnati Bengals (IR)
- Arman Shields (Richmond) - Oakland Raiders (IR)
- Mike Tomlin (W&M) - Pittsburgh Steelers (HC)
- Raymond Ventrone (?Nova) - New England Patriots
- Brian Westbrook (Villanova) - Philadelphia Eagles
HC - Head Coach, PS - Practice Squad, PUP - Physically Unable to Perform, IR - Injured Reserve
CAA Football Athletes in the 2008 NFL Draft
Rd (Pick) - Player, Pos. (School) - Drafted By
1 (18) - Joe Flacco, QB (UD) - Baltimore
4 (125) - Arman Shields, WR (UR) - Oakland
5 (149) - Tim Hightower, RB (UR) - Arizona
6 (207) - Matt Sherry, TE (VU) - Cincinnati
#6/7 DELAWARE (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: Bye Week
Next Week: hosts West Chester (0-1)
-- Anthony Walters earned CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week after an impressive day in Delaware’s 14-7 loss at Maryland. The sophomore made a team-high 13 tackles from his cornerback position, which also marked a career-best for the second-year player. The Philadelphia, Pa., native also garnered an interception during the third quarter.
-- The game at Maryland was played before a national ESPN audience and 49,119 fans, the biggest crowd Delaware has every played in front of. The previous highest crowd that Delaware played in front of was vs. Temple in 1974 when the Delaware-Temple game drew 37,265 fans to Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa.
-- Mark Duncan caught three passes against Maryland to reach 101 for his career, becoming just the 13th player in UD history to reach the mark.
-- Delaware true freshman Rob McDowell started at left guard, becoming the first true freshman offensive lineman to start the opener for Delaware since 1951.
HOFSTRA (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: Bye Week
Next Week: hosts Albany (0-1)
-- The Pride opened the season on an auspicious note as senior QB and tri-captain Bryan Savage was unable to play due to a lower back injury. That caused the reins to be passed to junior Cory Christopher just 15 minutes before game time.
-- Christopher, who practiced most of the UConn game-week as a wide receiver, was 17-of-28 passing for 130 yards and rushed 21 times for 25 yards to post 155 of Hofstra 170 yards of total offense.
-- The Pride is 64-49 (.569) in regular season play since the start of the 1998 season. Hofstra has posted a 96-59-1 (.623) record since becoming a member of FCS in 1994.
-- The Pride is off this week before returning on Saturday, September 13 against Albany at Shuart Stadium at 7 p.m.
#8/8 JAMES MADISON (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: hosts North Carolina Central (0-1)
Next Week: hosts #4/4 Massachusetts (1-0, 0-0)
-- James Madison was tied 7-7 against Duke until the final five seconds of the first half, when the Blue Devils scored to go ahead 14-7. CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week Scotty McGee returned the second-half kickoff 60 yards, but two plays later the Dukes threw an interception which led to another Duke TD. On the ensuing JMU possession, another turnover led to another Blue Devil touchdown -- making the score 28-7 early in the third quarter.
-- Duke finished last weekend’s game 9-of-18 on third-down conversions, but the telling stat was James Madison finishing 0-of-8 in the same category.
-- McGee garnered CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week after recording 157 yards in kickoff returns at Duke Saturday evening. McGee, who has now earned two CAA Football weekly honors since last season, also garnered seven yards in punt returns.
MAINE (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: at Monmouth (0-1)
Next Week: hosts Stony Brook (1-0)
-- Jhamal Fluellen rushed for 104 yards versus Iowa, marking the seventh 100-yard rushing game of his career.
-- Jovan Belcher led the Black Bears with nine tackles, including one for loss.
-- Maine’s string of four-straight games without throwing an interception was snapped with a first quarter pick.
-- The sellout crowd of 70,585 marked the second largest crowd to ever watch a Black Bear football team play.
-- The Black Bears faced an FBS opponent for the fifth-straight year and for the seventh time overall. Maine is now 1-6 all-time against FBS foes, including a 9-7 victory over SEC-foe Mississippi State in 2004. The Black Bears will open the 2009 season on the road against perennial ACC power Florida State.
#4/4 MASSACHUSETTS (1-0, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: at Holy Cross (0-0)
Next Week: at #8/8 James Madison (0-1, 0-0)
-- Linebacker Josh Jennings grabbed a share of the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week honor after making a career-high 13 stops in the Minutemen’s 28-16 win over Albany in Amherst, Mass. Jennings also snagged his first career interception in the win and returned it three yards.
-- Junior running back Tony Nelson logged 171 yards on the ground in UMass’ win over Albany. Nelson’s 100-yard rushing effort marked his second time reaching the plateau -- he previously had 104 against Maine (9/22/07).
-- Nelson tallied a 64-yard run in the Albany game, marking the longest run by a UMass player since R.J. Cobbs had an 84-yard rush against Delaware, Nov. 2, 2002.
-- Massachusetts outscored Albany 28-7 in the final three quarters of its win last Saturday after falling behind 9-0 with 6:48 left to play in the first quarter.
#15/15 NEW HAMPSHIRE (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: at Army (0-1)
Next Week: at Rhode Island (1-0, 0-0)
-- UNH has won its last three FBS games over the likes of Marshall, Northwestern and Rutgers and will be looking to make it No. 4 in a row when the team travels to take on Army on Sept. 6.
-- UNH football is looking to advance to the NCAA Championships for an unprecedented fifth straight year after playing in the first round in 2007.
-- UNH head coach Sean McDonnell, entering his 10th season as the head coach of UNH, has posted an amazing four-year record of 37-14. His overall mark is a winning 60-46.
-- The biggest question this season for UNH is who will fill the shoes of All-American QB Ricky Santos. The frontrunners for the job will be sophomore R.J. Toman, who saw limited time last season when Santos suffered a shoulder injury. In addition, redshirt freshman QB Kevin Decker has shown signs of being a good one with his strong arm.
NORTHEASTERN (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: Bye Week
Next Week: at #16/16 Georgia Southern (0-1)
-- The Huskies had 324 yards of total offense in their game against Ball State, the most by Northeastern in a game against an FBS team since putting up 455 yards against Connecticut in 2000.
-- Two Huskies picked up their first career touchdowns -- sophomore Greg Abelli had a 20-yard rushing TD while sophomore Conor Gilmartin-Donohue caught a 10-yard TD pass from senior John Sperrazza.
-- Senior quarterback Anthony Orio moved into fifth place all-time in NU history in passing yards, surpassing Chris Aylward (1972-74), who had 3,516 yards. Orio now stands at 3,631 yards.
-- Northeastern is off this week before returning to the road on Saturday, September 13 against Georgia Southern at 6 p.m.
RHODE ISLAND (1-0, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: at Fordham (0-0)
Next Week: hosts #15/15 New Hampshire (0-0, 0-0)
-- Rhode Island opened the 2008 season ? and the Darren Rizzi era ? with a 27-24 win over Monmouth.
-- URI improves to 48-54-7 all-time in season openers and 65-39-5 all-time in home openers. The Rams have won seven of its last eight home openers.
-- Switching from an option to a spread offense, senior quarterback Derek Cassidy threw for a career-high 257 yards on 18-of-31 passing. Cassidy’s previous career high came against James Madison (10/13/07) when he threw for 184 yards.
-- Cassidy became the first URI quarterback to throw for over 250 yards since Jayson Davis (267, 8/25/08 vs. Hofstra).
-- Senior All-American running back Joe Casey suffered a compound fracture to his left leg at the 6:07 mark of the first quarter and was transported to South County Hospital -- Casey will be lost for the remainder of the season.
#3/3 RICHMOND (1-0, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: at Virginia (0-1)
Next Week: hosts Towson (0-1, 0-0)
-- Since 1919, only four Richmond coaches have made their head-coaching debuts on the road and the previous three were winless -- Frank Dobson (1919), Frank Jones (1966), Dave Clawson (2004).
-- The 22 yards rushing by Elon was the fewest by a Spider opponent since William & Mary ran for 18 yards (21 attempts) in a 41-7 victory on Nov. 19, 2005.
-- Senior DE Sherman Logan’s sack (12-yard loss) was the 15th of his career, but his first since Oct. 7, 2006. It also pushed him into Richmond’s Top-10 all-time.
-- Junior QB Eric Ward set a new career high with his 236 yards passing, surpassing his previous best of 218 yards set last season versus Delaware.
-- Richmond improves to 41-24 when playing as a ranked team since 1993 (10-2 since the start of 2007)... 21-4 when scoring first since 2005... 27-2 when leading at the half since 2005 (12-0 since 2007).
TOWSON (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: hosts Morgan State (0-0)
Next Week: at #3/3 Richmond (1-0, 0-0)
-- In their season opener at Navy, the Tigers played before the largest crowd ever to see Towson play a football game ... The Towson-Navy game drew a crowd of 31,613 ... The previous record was 22,782 for a Towson-Delaware game at Delaware Stadium on September 11, 2004.
-- By throwing for 330 yards, senior quarterback Sean Schaefer moved into 8th place on the CAA’s all-time passing yardage list ... He now has 8,688 career passing yards.
-- When the Tigers host Morgan State in their home opener, they will be facing Morgan State for the 21st time ... Towson will have faced Morgan more than any other opponent ... The Tigers hold a 15-5 series lead against their local rivals ... The teams met for the first time in 1979 and Morgan won the first three games of the series ... Since then, the Tigers have won 15 of 17 games between the teams, including the last three in a row.
#23/20 VILLANOVA (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: Bye Week
Next Week: hosts Lehigh (0-0)
-- The sellout crowd of 60,566 at West Virginia was the largest road crowd that Villanova has ever played in front of. The previous record was 50,409 at Air Force on Sept. 4, 1999.
-- Despite having more total yards than the Mountaineers (211 to 193) and dominating the time of possession in the first half (20:32 to 9:28) Villanova trailed 24-7 at intermission.
-- Junior guard Brian Brannigan started his 23rd consecutive game on the offensive line for the Wildcats.
-- The loss to West Virginia drops the Wildcats to 13-11 in season openers under head coach Andy Talley. Of the 11 losses, eight have come against FBS opponents.
-- Wide receiver Brandyn Harvey tied a career-high with five receptions at WVU.
WILLIAM AND MARY (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: at NC State (0-0)
Next Week: hosts VMI (0-0)
-- Led by Jake Phillips, the Tribe’s offense averaged 396.2 yards and 29.0 points a contest in 2007. The production should continue this season as nine total starters return. These returnees accounted for 1,092 of the teams 1,299 rushing yards and 15 of the 19 rushing TDs from a season ago, while the receiving corps returns 2,531 of the 3,059 receiving yards produced in 2007.
-- The Tribe’s defense will also be heavy on experience this season, as only three seniors graduated from the unit. Nine of the starters will be back, including the healthy return of senior linebacker Josh Rutter. Rutter started 11 games in 2007 and was second on the team with 95 total tackles.
-- The Tribe football program officially moved its operations into the state-of-the-art Jimmye Laycock Football Center in mid-February. The 30,000-square foot, football-only structure gives the College’s program one of the nation’s premier training complexes.
MAINE AT MONMOUTH
Saturday, Sept. 6 - 1:00 pm
Kessler Field (4,600), West Long Branch, N.J.
Series: Maine leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 1, 2007, Maine 21-14 in Orono, Maine
Maine (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Jack Cosgrove (Maine, 1978)
Career: 80-91 (16 years)
School: 80-91 (16 years)
Offense
Rushing: Jhamal Fluellen (1 G, 21-104 yards, 0 TD)
Passing: Adam Farkes (1 G, 9-22-2-83 yards, 0 TD)
Receiving: Jhamal Fluellen (1 G, 3-10 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Jovan Belcher (1 G, 4 solo, 5 assisted, 9 total)
Sacks: Lionel Nixon Jr. (1 G, 1.0-2 yards)
Interceptions: Brandon McLaughlin (1 G, 1-0 yards)
Monmouth (0-1)
Coach: Kevin Callahan (Rochester, 1977)
Career: 89-63 (16 years)
School: 89-63 (16 years)
Offense
Rushing: David Sinisi (1 G, 21-138 yards, 1 TD)
Passing: Brett Burke (1 G, 18-26-2-180 yards, 2 TD)
Receiving: John Nalbone (1 G, 4-20 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Jose Gumbs (1 G, 4 solo, 3 assisted, 7 total)
Sacks: Joe Cella (1 G, 1.0-7 yards)
Interceptions: None
#4/4 MASSACHUSETTS AT HOLY CROSS
Saturday, Sept. 6 - 1:00 pm
Fitton Field (23,500), Worcester, Mass.
Series: Series Tied 21-21-5
Last Meeting: Sept. 1, 2007, Massachusetts 40-30 in Amherst, Mass.
Massachusetts (1-0, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Don Brown (Norwich, 1977)
Career: 89-40 (12 years)
School: 37-14 (5 years)
Offense
Rushing: Tony Nelson (1 G, 20-171 yards, 1 TD)
Passing: Liam Coen (1 G, 10-20-0-92 yards, 3 TD)
Receiving: Jeremy Horne (1 G, 4-37 yards, 1 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Josh Jennings (1 G, 1 solo, 12 assisted, 13 total)
Sacks: Courtney Robinson (1 G, 1.0-8 yards)
Interceptions: Josh Jennings (1 G, 1-3 yards)
Holy Cross (0-0)
Coach: Tom Gilmore (Penn, 1986)
Career: 23-21 (4 years)
School: 23-21 (4 years)
Offense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Rushing: Terrance Gass (11 G, 101-563 yards, 6 TD)
Passing: Dominic Randolph (11 G, 297-482-8-3604 yards, 30 TD)
Receiving: Brett McDermott (11 G, 56-727 yards, 5 TD)
Defense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Tackles: Marcus Rodriguez (9 G, 51 solo, 18 assisted, 69 total)
Sacks: Bryan Walwyn (11 G, 4.0-28 yards)
Interceptions: Kyle Mushaweh (11 G, 4-78 yards)
#15/15 NEW HAMPSHIRE AT ARMY
Saturday, Sept. 6 - 1:00 pm
Michie Stadium (40,000), West Point, N.Y.
Television: ESPN Classic - Eric Collins (pbp), Shaun King (analyst)
Series: Series Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Oct. 21, 1922, Army 33-0 in West Point, N.Y.
New Hampshire (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Sean McDonnell (New Hampshire, 1978)
Career: 60-47 (9 years)
School: 60-47 (9 years)
Offense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Rushing: Chad Kackert (9 G, 80-380 yards, 4 TD)
Passing: R.J. Toman (5 G, 25-34-0-310 yards, 4 TD)
Receiving: Scott Sicko (12 G, 51-619 yards, 6 TD)
Defense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Tackles: John Clements (12 G, 54 solo, 45 assisted, 99 total)
Sacks: Matt Parent (12 G, 3.0-26 yards)
Interceptions: Dino Vasso (12 G, 2-46 yards)
Army (0-1)
Coach: Stan Brock (Colorado State, 1980)
Career: 3-10 (2 years)
School: 3-10 (2 years)
Offense
Rushing: Collin Mooney (1 G, 26-81 yards, 0 TD)
Passing: Carson Williams (1 G, 6-14-1-74 yards, 0 TD)
Receiving: Jameson Carter (1 G, 3-32 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Josh McNary (1 G, 5 solo, 3 assisted, 8 total)
Sacks: Josh McNary (1 G, 1.0-1 yards)
Interceptions: Richard King (1 G, 1-2 yards)
#3/3 RICHMOND AT VIRGINIA
Saturday, Sept. 6 - 3:45 pm
Scott Stadium (61,500), Charlottesville, Va.
Television: ESPNU, ESPNUHD - Doug Bell (pbp), Charles Arbuckle (analyst), Todd Minhinnett (producer), Dan McVan (director)
Series: Virginia leads 24-2-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 1, 2001, Virginia 17-16 in Charlottesville, Va.
Richmond (1-0, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Mike London (Richmond, 1983)
Career: 1-0 (First year)
School: 1-0 (First year)
Offense
Rushing: Josh Vaughan (1 G, 17-119 yards, 2 TD)
Passing: Eric Ward (1 G, 17-22-0-236 yards, 2 TD)
Receiving: Kevin Grayson (1 G, 7-121 yards, 1 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Martin Parker (1 G, 1 solo, 7 assisted, 8 total)
Sacks: Pierre Turner (1 G, 2.0-22 yards)
Interceptions: Patrick Weldon (1 G, 1-16 yards)
Virginia (0-1)
Coach: Al Groh (Virginia, 1967)
Career: 77-78 (14 years)
School: 51-38 (8 year)
Offense
Rushing: Cedric Peerman (1 G, 8-32 yards, 0 TD)
Passing: Peter Lalich (1 G, 18-35-1-155 yards, 0 TD)
Receiving: John Phillips (1 G, 5-33 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Jon Copper (1 G, 5 solo, 6 assisted, 11 total)
Sacks: None
Interceptions: Antonio Appleby (1 G, 1-12 yards)
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL AT #8/8 JAMES MADISON
Saturday, Sept. 6 - 6:00 pm
Bridgeforth Stadium (15,500), Harrisonburg, Va.
Series: First Meeting
North Carolina Central (0-1)
Coach: Mose Rison (Central Michigan, 1978)
Career: 6-5 (2 years)
School: 6-5 (2 years)
Offense
Rushing: Tim Shankle (1 G, 10-41 yards, 0 TD)
Passing: Stadford Brown (1 G, 43-19-1-284 yards, 1 TD)
Receiving: Will Scott (1 G, 6-112 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Troy McConico (1 G, 2 solo, 6 assisted, 8 total)
Sacks: Donald Laster (1 G, 1.5-11 yards)
Interceptions: None
James Madison (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Mickey Matthews (West Texas State, 1976)
Career: 64-45 (10 years)
School: 64-45 (10 years)
Offense
Rushing: Rodney Landers (1 G, 16-96 yards, 1 TD)
Passing: Rodney Landers (1 G, 4-9-1-51 yards, 0 TD)
Receiving: Mike Caussin (1 G, 2-28 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Marcus Haywood (1 G, 8 solo, 4 assisted, 12 total)
Sacks: None
Interceptions: None
RHODE ISLAND AT FORDHAM
Saturday, Sept. 6 - 6:00 pm
Jack Coffey Field (7,000), Bronx, N.Y.
Series: Fordham leads 4-3
Last Meeting: Sept. 1, 2007, Fordham 27-23 in Kingston, R.I.
Rhode Island (1-0, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Darren Rizzi (Rhode Island, 1992)
Career: 16-14 (3 years)
School: 1-0 (First year)
Offense
Rushing: Jimmy Hughes (1 G, 15-46 yards, 0 TD)
Passing: Derek Cassidy (1 G, 18-31-0-257 yards, 2 TD)
Receiving: Shawn Leonard (1 G, 6-80 yards, 1 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Matt Hansen (1 G, 5 solo, 5 assisted, 10 total)
Sacks: Steven Weedon (1 G, 1.0-8 yards)
Interceptions: Matt Hanson (1 G, 1-20 yards)
Fordham (0-0)
Coach: Tom Masella (Wagner, 1981)
Career: 28-38 (6 years)
School: 11-12 (2 years)
Offense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Rushing: Xavier Martin (10 G, 127-635 yards, 8 TD)
Passing: John Skelton (12 G, 216-383-11-2650 yards, 22 TD)
Receiving: Richard Rayborn (11 G, 43-562 yards, 5 TD)
Defense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Tackles: Matt Loucks (11 G, 48 solo, 36 assisted, 84 total)
Sacks: Nicholas Magiera (12 G, 3.5-25 yards)
Interceptions: James Crockett (12 G, 3-43 yards)
MORGAN STATE AT TOWSON
Saturday, Sept. 6 - 6:00 pm
Johnny Unitas Stadium (11,198), Towson, Md.
Series: Towson leads 15-5
Last Meeting: Sept 8, 2007, Towson 28-21 in Baltimore, Md.
Morgan State (0-0)
Coach: Donald Hill-Eley (Virginia Union, 1991)
Career: 30-37 (7 years)
School: 30-37 (7 years)
Offense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Rushing: Devan James (11 G, 85-366 yards, 2 TD)
Passing: Mario Melton (10 G, 65-140-8-758 yards, 3 TD)
Receiving: Edwin Baptiste (11 G, 29-314 yards, 0 TD)
Defense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Tackles: Jarrell Guyton (9 G, 31 solo, 31 assisted, 62 total)
Sacks: Jarrell Guyton (9 G, 3.5-17 yards)
Interceptions: N/A
Towson (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Gordy Combs (Towson, 1972)
Career: 89-82 (17 years)
School: 89-82 (17 years)
Offense
Rushing: Matt Castor (1 G, 10-22 yards, 0 TD)
Passing: Sean Schaefer (1 G, 29-47-1-330 yards, 2 TD)
Receiving: David Newsom (1 G, 7-84 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Jordan Manning (1 G, 8 solo, 3 assisted, 11 total)
Sacks: None
Interceptions: None
WILLIAM AND MARY AT NC STATE
Saturday, Sept. 6 - 6:00 pm
Wayne Day Family Field (57,583), Raleigh, N.C.
Series: NC State leads 9-8
Last Meeting: Sept. 11, 1999, NC State 38-9 in Raleigh, N.C.
William and Mary (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Jimmye Laycock (William and Mary, 1970)
Career: 182-134-2 (28 years)
School: 182-134-2 (28 years)
Offense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Rushing: Courtland Marriner (9 G, 115-518 yards, 1 TD)
Passing: Jake Phillips (11 G, 190-336-7-2801 yards, 19 TD)
Receiving: Elliott Mack (11 G, 46-849 yards, 5 TD)
Defense (category leader who returns in 2008)
Tackles: David Caldwell (11 G, 61 solo, 46 assisted, 107 total)
Sacks: Adrian Tracy (11 G, 3.0-16 yards)
Interceptions: Derek Cox (11 G, 3-69 yards)
NC State (0-1)
Coach: Tom O’Brien (Navy, 1971)
Career: 80-53 (11 years)
School: 7-6 (2 years)
Offense
Rushing: Andree Brown (1 G, 21-101 yards, 0 TD)
Passing: Daniel Evans (1 G, 12-4-2-37 yards, 0 TD)
Receiving: Owen Spencer (1 G, 3-27 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Nate Irving (1 G, 9 solo, 1 assisted, 10 total)
Sacks: Willie Young (1 G, 1.5-9 yards)
Interceptions: DeAndre Morgan (1 G, 1-20 yards)