CAA Football Rewind - Oct. 26
Rob Washburn
Stony Brook 36, Villanova 35
Box Score
Highlights
Nick Courtney booted a game-winning 22-yard field goal as Stony Brook (5-3, 2-2 CAA) rallied past Villanova, 36-35. The Seawolves trailed 35-20 midway through the fourth quarter, but trimmed the deficit to eight on a 10-yard TD pass from Tyquell Fields to Shawn Harris with 4:45 to play. Stony Brook then drove 75 yards in only five plays and made it 35-33 on a Fields 1-yard run, but was unable to convert the two-point conversion. After getting a 3-and-out, the Seawolves took over on their own 36-yard line with 21 seconds remaining and drove into scoring position following a 40-yard pass from Fields to Nick Anderson. That set the stage for Courtney's field goal as time expired. Fields passed for 320 yards in the game with Anderson making eight catches for 137 yards. Freshman Ty Son Lawton ran for 121 yards and a TD on 25 carries. Villanova (6-2, 3-2 CAA) opened up 28-10 halftime lead after quarterback Daniel Smith fired second-quarter TD passes to Jaaron Hayek (21 yards) and Changa Hodge (24 yards). Smith threw for 249 yards and a TD, while freshman DeeWil Barlee ran for 131 yards and a TD on 22 carries.
James Madison 27, Towson 10
Box Score
Highlights
James Madison (8-1, 5-0 CAA) got a strong performance from its defense and a pair of touchdown passes from Ben DiNucci to defeat Towson, 27-10. The Dukes' defense recorded seven sacks, held the Tigers to 270 total yards and pitched a shutout over the final 39 minutes. DiNucci completed 14-of-25 passes for 201 yards, including second-quarter TD passes to Riley Stapleton (9 yards) and Brandon Polk (60 yards) that allowed JMU to overcome an early deficit. The Dukes also got 111 yards and a TD on the ground from Percy Agyei-Obese, while Polk finished with eight receptions for 121 yards. Towson (4-4, 1-3 CAA) took a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter as Tom Flacco tossed a 15-yard TD pass to Jason Epps. Flacco finished 18-of-32 passing for 210 yards. Defensively for JMU, Dimitri Holloway recorded a team-high 13 tackles while John Daka added seven tackles, 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. S.J. Brown made a team-high 11 stops for the Tigers.
Richmond 35, Delaware 25
Box Score
Highlights
Quarterback Joe Mancuso accounted for 375 yards of total offense and three touchdowns and Aaron Dykes tied a CAA record by returning two kickoffs for TD's to lead Richmond (4-4, 3-1 CAA) to a 35-25 road victory at Delaware. Mancuso rushed for a team-high 95 yards on 15 carries and gave the Spiders a 14-0 lead with a pair of first-quarter scoring runs. He also completed 21-of-29 passes for 280 yards, highlighted by a 63-yard TD pass to Keyston Fuller late in the third quarter after the Blue Hens had pulled within three. Dykes returned kickoffs of 100 and 88 yards for TD's and finished the game with 260 all-purpose yards. Delaware (4-4, 2-2 CAA) was led offensively by running back Will Knight, who rushed for a team-high 101 yards and a TD on 13 carries and also caught three passes for 45 yards. Blue Hens' quarterback Pat Kehoe passed for 164 yards, including a 14-yard TD strike to Bryce De Maille that brought UD within 28-25 with 3:03 left in the third quarter. Defensively, UR's Billy Caughell had 10 tackles, 1.5 TFL and a sack, while UD's Kedrick Whitehead contributed 12 stops and an interception.
Elon 38, Rhode Island 13
Box Score
Highlights
Elon's defense forced five turnovers, including three interceptions by Greg Liggs, Jr., and picked up a 38-13 triumph at Rhode Island. The Phoenix (4-4, 3-2 CAA) trailed 13-10 midway through the third quarter before scoring 28 unanswered points on four consecutive possessions. DeSean McNair's 1-yard TD run put Elon on top 17-13 and Liggs' third interception of the day on the ensuing possession set up a 3-yard TD run by Elon quarterback Joey Baughman just over a minute later. Baughman followed with a 67-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter to put the Phoenix in control. McNair finished with a team-high 85 yards rushing on 17 carries, while Baughman added 68 on only four attempts. Liggs picked off three passes for the second time in the past three games and leads the CAA with seven for the season. Rhode Island (1-7, 0-5 CAA) got 211 yards passing from Vito Priore and 72 yards rushing on just nine carries from Naim Jones. Branyan Javier-Castillo had 11 tackles and 2.5 TFL for the Rams' defense.
Maine 34, William & Mary 25
Box Score
Highlights
Freshman quarterback Joe Fagnano passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns as Maine (3-5, 1-3 CAA) held off William & Mary, 34-25, to end a three-game losing streak. Fagnano connected with Earnest Edwards on a 67-yard TD pass in the second quarter that put the Black Bears on top 14-12 and hit Jaquan Blair with a 64-yard scoring strike on the opening drive of the second half to extend Maine's advantage to 28-12. Blair, who finished with 115 yards receiving, also caught a 19-yard TD pass from Edwards. William & Mary (2-6, 0-4) was led offensively by freshman quarterback Hollis Mathis, who ran for 52 yards and three touchdowns. He had scoring runs of 16 and 7 yards in the fourth quarter as the Tribe trimmed a 19-point deficit to six with 6:59 to play. The Tribe's Will Kiely contributed eight tackles and 4.0 TFL's, while Maine's defense was paced by Kayon Whitaker with 11 tackles, 4.0 TFL's, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.