CAA Football Rewind - Nov. 15-16
Rob Washburn
James Madison 48, Richmond 6
Box Score
Highlights
James Madison (10-1, 7-0 CAA) clinched its fourth CAA championship in the past five years and the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs after a convincing 48-6 triumph over Richmond. The Dukes' balanced offense piled up 423 total yards while their defense held the Spiders to 265 yards and forced four turnovers. JMU quarterback Ben DiNucci completed 11-of-13 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns and added 39 yards and a TD on the ground. He hit Brandon Polk with an 80-yard strike in the first quarter that put the Dukes ahead 7-0 and followed with scoring passes of 11 and 3 yards to Riley Stapleton. JMU also had 235 yards on the ground, led by Jawon Hamilton with 80 yards on 10 carries. Richmond (5-6, 4-3 CAA) was led offensively by quarterback Joe Mancuso, who passed for 204 yards and ran for a team-best 60 yards. Charlie Fessler made six receptions for 92 yards. Defensively, JMU linebacker Dimitri Holloway had 15 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Richmond's Kobie Turner recorded 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
UAlbany 24, New Hampshire 17
Box Score
Highlights
Jeff Undercuffler hit Tyler Oedekoven on a 32-yard touchdown pass with 8:01 remaining as UAlbany (7-4, 5-2 CAA) defeated New Hampshire, 24-17, to claim sole possession of second place in the CAA. The Great Danes' defense secured the victory as Hayden Specht intercepted a pass at the UA 3-yard line with 3:50 left and Anthony Lang recorded a sack to end UNH's final drive with 1:33 to go. The two teams traded the lead all afternoon, with neither squad ever leading by more than seven. UA's Karl Mofor rushed for 107 yards, highlighted by a 6-yard TD run in the first quarter that opened the scoring and a 16-yard TD in the second quarter that tied the game at 14-14. New Hampshire (5-5, 4-3 CAA) was led offensively by quarterback Max Brosmer, who passed for142 yards and ran for a team-high 47, including a 14-yard TD run in the second quarter that gave the Wildcats a 14-7 advantage. Each team had a field goal in the second half before Undercuffler threw his league-leading 32nd TD pass of the season. Defensively, UNH safety Evan Horn recovered two fumbles, while UA's Levi Metheny recorded a game-high 12 tackles.
Towson 31, William & Mary 10
Box Score
Highlights
Towson (7-4, 4-3 CAA) used a balanced attack offensively and a strong effort from its defense to pick up a 31-10 victory at William & Mary that extended its winning streak to three. Quarterback Tom Flacco completed 20-of-29 passes for 191 yards, including a pair of TD strikes to Shane Leatherbury, while Yeedee Thaenrat rushed for a career-high 158 yards and a TD on 24 carries. The Tigers never trailed in the contest after driving 85 yards on the opening possession of the game, capped by a 3-yard Thaenrat TD run. Towson added a 1-yard scoring run by Adrian Feliz-Platt late in the first quarter and TD passes of 6 and 9 yards from Flacco to build a 31-3 advantage in the third quarter. Towson's defense, led by Robert Heyward with 9 tackles and 2.5 TFL's, limited the Tribe to 276 total yards and forced two turnovers. William & Mary (4-7, 2-5 CAA), which had its two-game winning streak snapped, got a fourth-quarter touchdown on Tyler Crist's 15-yard fumble return. Wide receiver Kane Everson caught six passes for 109 yards.
Maine 34, Rhode Island 30
Box Score
Highlights
Maine (6-5, 4-3 CAA) overcame a 14-point deficit in the final nine minutes to defeat Rhode Island, 34-30, for its fourth win in a row. Rhode Island (2-9, 0-7 CAA) led 27-13 after C.J. Carrick's 38-yard field goal with 9:52 to play. The Black Bears answered with a 12-yard TD run by Emmanuel Reed and a 3-yard scoring run by Joe Fitzpatrick that tied the game at 27-27 with 3:16 remaining. The Rams went back on top, 30-27, on Carrick's 29-yard field goal with 1:49 to play, but Maine drove 81 yards in five plays and got the game-winning TD on an 11-yard pass from Joe Fagnano to Earnest Edwards with 34 seconds left. Fagnano finished 20-of-29 passing for 216 yards and 2 TD's, while Edwards made four catches for 67 yards and also rushed for a team-best 73 yards. For URI, Naim Jones ran for a career-best 167 yards and 2 TD's on 31 carries, while Aaron Parker made five receptions for 113 yards. Taji Lowe recorded 15 tackles for the Maine defense.
Delaware 17, Stony Brook 10
Box Score
Highlights
Will Knight's 21-yard touchdown run with 10:18 remaining lifted Delaware (5-6, 3-4 CAA) past Stony Brook, 17-10. Knight finished with a team-high 108 yards on 17 carries and his TD accounted for the only points in the second half for either team. The Blue Hens' defense had a big day, forcing three turnovers and pitching a shutout in the second half. UD's Johnny Buchanan returned an interception 33 yards for a score just 1:22 into the contest to give the Hens a quick 7-0 lead. Stony Brook (5-6, 2-5 CAA) responded with a 24-yard Nick Courtney field goal and a 41-yard TD run by Jadon Turner that put the Seawolves ahead 10-7 with 5:43 to go in the second quarter. A 23-yard field goal by UD's Jake Roth evened the score at 10-10 at halftime. The Seawolves drove to the UD 11-yard line in the third quarter, but the Hens' Noah Plack came up with a key interception. Stony Brook finished with 296 yards rushing as Isaiah White tallied a career-high 188 yards on 26 carries and Turner added 101 yards on 13 attempts.
Villanova 35, Long Island 7
Box Score
Highlights
Quarterback Daniel Smith passed for 201 yards and four touchdowns and added a fifth TD on the ground as Villanova (8-3) rolled over Long Island, 35-7, on Friday night. Smith threw scoring passes to Simon Bingelis (17 yards) and Jaaron Hayek (7 yards) in the first quarter to give the Wildcats a 14-0 advantage. He then connected on TD passes of 6 and 30 yards to Changa Hodge in the second quarter that put Villanova ahead 28-7 at the half. Smith completed his night with a 5-yard TD run in the third period. Hodge finished with seven receptions for 103 yards. Villanova's defense held LIU to 183 total yards. Forrest Rhyne tallied a team-high 10 tackles for VU.