UAlbany celebrates the Golden Apple
CAA Football Rewind - Nov. 23
Rob Washburn
James Madison 55, Rhode Island 21
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James Madison (11-1, 8-0 CAA) completed its third unbeaten season in CAA play in the past four years with a 55-21 triumph at Rhode Island. The Dukes piled up 519 yards of offense, including 390 on the ground. Jawon Hamilton ran for a team-best 143 yards and a TD on only nine carries, while Percy Agyei-Obese added 105 yards and 2 TD's. Quarterback Ben DiNucci fired a pair of TD passes as he completed 8-of-9 for 129 yards. The Dukes sprinted out to a 31-0 halftime advantage on a DiNucci scoring toss to Riley Stapleton, TD runs from Hamilton and Agyei-Obese, and an 85-yard punt return by D'Angelo Amos, who set a CAA mark with his fifth career TD on a punt return. JMU's defense limited URI to 202 total yards, including -6 rushing, and forced four turnovers. Ron'Dell Carter tallied seven tackles, 3.0 TFL's and 2.0 sacks. Rhode Island (2-10, 0-8 CAA) got two TD passes from Vito Priore and an 89-yard kickoff return for a TD by Ahmere Dorsey, who finished with 205 kickoff return yards.
William & Mary 21, Richmond 15 (ot)
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Hollis Mathis hit Zach Burdick with a game-winning 23-yard TD pass in overtime to lift William & Mary (5-7, 3-5 CAA) past Richmond, 21-15, to claim the Capital Cup. The Tribe rallied to tie the game at 15-15 midway through the fourth quarter when Darius Fullwood recovered a fumble and returned it three yards for a TD following a strip sack by Isaiah Jones. Richmond (5-7, 4-4 in CAA) got the ball first in overtime, but a 32-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Bill Murray, who finished the game with six tackles, 3.0 TFL and a forced fumble. Mathis led the Tribe offense with 120 yards and a TD passing as well as a team-high 47 yards rushing. Jones, who was voted as the Capital Cup MVP, had nine tackles, 4.0 TFL's, 2.0 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as W&M forced five turnovers in the contest. Richmond took a 10-8 lead on a 17-yard TD pass from Joe Mancuso to Charlie Fessler just before halftime. The Spiders added a safety and a 45-yard Jake Larson field goal to expand their lead to 15-8 early in the fourth quarter. Tyler Dressler recorded 10 tackles, 4.0 TFL's and 2.0 sacks for the UR defense.
Villanova 55, Delaware 33
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Behind big offensive performances from quarterback Daniel Smith and wide receiver Changa Hodge, Villanova (9-3, 5-3 CAA) topped Delaware in a 55-33 shootout in the Battle of the Blue. Smith completed 17-of-24 passes for 378 yards and 5 TD's and also ran for a score, while Hodge made eight receptions for a career-best 236 yards and 4 TD's as the Wildcats rolled up 589 yards of offense. Smith and Hodge connected on scoring passes of 16 and 82 yards in the first half as VU took a 34-17 lead into halftime and followed with TD strikes of 43 and 37 yards in the third quarter to push the advantage to 48-17. DeeWil Barlee added 73 yards and a TD on the ground for the Wildcats. Delaware (5-7, 3-5 CAA) also had a big day offensively, accumulating 525 yards. Quarterback Pat Kehoe threw for 336 yards and 2 TD's, while running back Will Knight rushed for 89 yards and two scores. Gene Coleman made 8 receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown.
New Hampshire 28, Maine 10
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New Hampshire (6-5, 5-3 CAA) used a strong defensive effort to defeat Maine, 28-10, and reclaim the Brice-Cowell musket. The Wildcats limited the Black Bears to 313 yards and its lowest point total of the season as Evan Horn tallied 11 tackles, 2.0 TFL's and a forced fumble. Maine (6-6, 4-4 CAA), which had its four-game winning streak snapped, closed to within 14-10 on a 45-yard Kenny Doak field goal with 7:55 remaining. UNH responded with a 92-yard drive, capped by a 4-yard TD pass from Max Brosmer to Gunner Gibson with 1:48 to go. The Wildcats sealed the win when Prince Smith returned a fumble 30 yards for a TD 12 seconds later. Brosmer finished 24-of-34 passing for 241 yards and 2 TD's, while Malik Love made 11 receptions for 115 yards. For Maine, Joe Fagnano was 18-of-31 passing for 185 yards, including a 16-yard TD pass to Earnest Edwards in the first quarter. Edwards became Maine's all-time leader in receiving yards with 2,625. Jaquan Blair recorded eight catches for 91 yards for the Black Bears.
Elon 25, Towson 23
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Elon (5-6, 3-5 CAA) rallied from a 15-point, third-quarter deficit to knock off Towson, 25-23. Skyler Davis hit a game-winning 35-yard field goal, his third of the day, with 41 seconds left. The Phoenix trailed 20-5 midway through the third quarter, but got a 5-yard TD pass from Joey Baughman to Kortez Weeks and a 39-yard scoring toss from Davis Cheek to DeSean McNail to close within 20-19 heading into the final period. The teams traded field goals before Elon drove 56 yards to set up Davis' game-winning kick. Greg Liggs, Jr. sealed the victory by making his FCS-best 8th interception with 21 seconds remaining. Cheek finished with 209 yards and a TD passing. Towson (7-5, 4-4 CAA) jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter as Tom Flacco hit Shane Leatherbury with a 6-yard TD pass and Darian Street with a 20-yard scoring strike. Flacco finished 15-of-27 for 214 yards. Yeedee Thaenrat rushed for a team-high 103 yards on just 11 carries. Defensively, Elon's Marcus Willoughby had six tackles, 3.5 TFL's, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble.
UAlbany 31, Stony Brook 26
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Karl Mofor rushed for a career-high 176 yards and three touchdowns to lead UAlbany (8-4, 6-2 CAA) to a 31-26 victory over Stony Brook to capture the Golden Apple. Mofor had scoring runs of 2 and 3 yards in the first quarter and Jeff Undercuffler hit Juwan Green with a 6-yard TD pass as the Great Danes jumped out to a 24-0 lead. Stony Brook (5-7, 2-6 CAA) battled back within 24-20 early in the fourth quarter as Tyquell Fields fired TD passes to Brandon Benson (23 yards) and Nick Anderson (5 yards) and Gavin Heslop returned a fumble 9 yards for a score. However, UAlbany answered with a 13-play, 67-yard drive capped by Mofor's 3-yard run that upped the Great Danes' lead to 31-20 with 5:36 left. Fields hit Andrew Trent with a 7-yard pass to cut the gap to five with four seconds left, but UA recovered the ensuing onside kick. Undercuffler finished with 183 yards and a TD passing, while Fields was 19-of-27 for 223 yards and 3 TD's. Danny Damico topped the UA defense with 13 tackles, while Syceir Malone had 10 tackles, 2.0 TFL's and an interception for SBU.