CAA Football Rewind - Nov. 24
Rob Washburn
James Madison 20, Delaware 6
Box Score
James Madison used a dominant performance from its defense to defeat conference foe Delaware, 20-6, and advance to the second round of the FCS playoffs. The Dukes (9-3) limited the Blue Hens to 185 yards and a pair of field goals while also registering five sacks, 10 tackles for loss and two interceptions. With JMU leading 3-0 early in the second quarter, John Daka sacked UD quarterback Pat Kehoe for a safety. The Dukes increased their advantage to 12-0 on Marcus Marshall's 4-yard TD run with 1:58 left in the second period. Delaware (7-5) battled back as Jake Roth drilled a 48-yard field goal and Frank Raggo added a 36-yard field goal to bring the Hens within 12-6 with 9:10 remaining in the third quarter. However, the Dukes responded with a 75-yard scoring drive capped by an 8-yard TD pass from Ben DiNucci to Jake Brown and JMU's defense took over from there.
For JMU, DiNucci was 23-of-31 passing for 222 yards and a TD. Jimmy Moreland made 10 tackles and 2.5 TFL to pace the defense. Delaware got 16 tackles from linebacker Troy Reeder. JMU travels to 8th-seeded Colgate next Saturday.
Wofford 19, Elon 7
Box Score
Elon took a one-point lead into halftime, but suffered a 19-7 setback at Southern Conference champ Wofford in the first round ot the FCS playoffs. After falling behind 3-0,, the Phoenix (6-5) put together a 16-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a Brelynd Cyphers 1-yard TD run early in the second quarter. Elon led 7-6 at the half, but Wofford got a 4-yard TD run from Nathan Walker on the opening drive of the third quarter to take the lead for good. The Terriers would tack on a pair of field goals. Elon quarterback Daniel Thompson was 20-of-32 passing for 209 yards and Cole Taylor made nine receptions for 83 yards. Cole Coleman led the Phoenix defense with 11 tackles.
Southeast Missouri 28, Stony Brook 14
Box Score
Stony Brook (7-5) jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead, but three second-half turnovers proved costly in a 28-14 loss at Southeast Missouri in the first round of the FCS playoffs. The Seawolves scored twice in the final seven minutes of the second quarter. Donald Liotine ran in from two yards out to give SBU a 7-0 advantage with 6:37 left in the period and Joe Carbone connected on a 36-yard scoring strike to Julius Wingate with 1:54 to go before intermission. The tables turned in the third quarter as Stony Brook threw two interceptions and fumbled a punt which paved the way for four Southeast Missouri touchdowns. Carbone finished with 211 yards passing, while Jordan Gowns led the running game with 73 yards on 16 carries. Wingate had a huge game with eight catches for 143 yards.
Duquesne 31, Towson 10
Box Score
Towson (7-5) took a 10-0 advantage but saw Northeast Conference champ Duquesne respond with 31 unanswered points in a 31-10 win at rainy Unitas Stadium in the first round of the FCS playoffs. The Tigers took a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest on a 34-yard TD pass from Tom Flacco to Jabari Allen and added a 26-yard field goal from Aidan O'Neill midway through the second quarter. Duquesne cut the gap with a field goal and then tied the game on the opening drive of the third quarter on a 48-yard run by Daquan Worley, A 71-yard TD pass to running back A.J. Hines midway through the third period put the Dukes on top for good. Flacco was limited to 121 yards passing in the difficult conditions. Shane Simpson picked up 96 yards on the ground and Kobe Young added 92.