CAA Football Recap - Oct. 15
Rob Washburn
Defenses came up big as Rhode Island, Richmond and Maine earned conference victories, while Hampton rallied past UAlbany in overtime for its first CAA win. In non-conference action, New Hampshire blanked Dartmouth to capture the Granite Bowl.
No. 25 Rhode Island 17, No. 14 Elon 10
Box Score
A 16-yard pick six by Jarrett Martin with 8:37 remaining lifted No. 25 Rhode Island (4-2, 2-1 CAA) over No. 14 Elon (5-2, 3-1 CAA), 17-10, ending the Phoenix’s five-game winning streak.
The contest was tied 3-3 midway through the second quarter after field goals from EU’s Skyler Davis (33 yards) and URI’s Harrison Leonard (21 yards). Elon went on top 10-3 as Jalen Hampton’s 4-yard scoring run capped a 75-yard drive with 6:13 left in the first half. The Rams tied the game at 10-10 late in the third quarter on a 7-yard TD run by quarterback Kasim Hill. Both defenses took over from there until Martin was able to make his pick six to give the Rams their first lead of the game. URI’s defense got a fourth-down stop and then was able to run out the clock.
Hill passed for 201 yards and ran for 73, while URI also got 127 yards on 18 carries from Marques DeShields. Evan Stewart made a team-high seven tackles, broke up two passes and recovered a fumble for the Rams. Elon’s Matthew McKay threw for 130 yards and Hampton contributed 81 yards on the ground. Omar Rogers had seven tackles and a forced fumble for the Phoenix defense.
No. 21 Richmond 20, No. 17 Villanova 10
Box Score
Richmond’s defense recorded 7.0 TFL’s, 4.0 sacks and forced a pair of turnovers as the Spiders (4-2, 2-1 CAA) defeated No. 17 Villanova (3-3, 1-2 CAA), 20-10.
VU took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 13-yard run by quarterback Connor Watkins, but UR drew even on a 1-yard sneak by quarterback Reece Udinski early in the second period. A 24-yard Matthew Mercurio field goal put the Wildcats back on top, but Udinski gave the Spiders a 14-10 halftime edge after hitting Connor Deveney with a 6-yard TD toss. Both defenses dominated in the second half, but reserve kicker Andrew Lopez made the first two field goals of his career to give Richmond the victory, hitting from 31 yards out with 6:04 remaining and from 37 yards with 1:12 to go.
Philip O’Connor made a team-high 10 tackles and recovered a fumble for a UR defense that limited Villanova to 275 total yards. Zander Barnett recorded two sacks for the Spiders. Aaron Dykes ran for 89 yards on 23 carries as the Spiders rushed for 227 yards. For Villanova, Watkins passed for 146 yards and TD Ayo-Durojaiye ran for a game-high 106 yards on only 11 carries. Defensively, Shane Hartzell tallied 15 tackles and 2.0 TFL’s.
Maine 38, Monmouth 28
Box Score
Maine’s defense recorded a season-high five sacks and forced three turnovers that it turned into 21 points as the Black Bears (2-4, 2-1 CAA) topped Monmouth (4-3, 2-2 CAA), 38-28.
The Hawks took a quick 7-0 lead on a 17-yard TD pass from Tony Muskett to Dre Tucker, but the Black Bears responded with 21 unanswered points. A Shakur Smalls fumble recovery set up a 9-yard scoring pass from Joe Fagnano to Shawn Bowman. UM took the lead on Freddie Brock’s 33-yard run, and Buggs Brown’s 40-yard pick six put the Black Bears up 21-7. A 31-yard Dymere Miller touchdown catch pulled Monmouth within seven at the half. Maine took control with two touchdowns in the first 2:33 of the third quarter. A 77-yard pass from Fagnano to Kobay White set up a 1-yard TD run by Elijah Barnwell. After a MU fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Fagnano connected with Montigo Moss for a 14-yard score to put Maine ahead 35-14. The Black Bears maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Fagnano was 14-of-23 passing for 181 yards and 2 TD’s, with White making six catches for 115 yards. The Black Bears’ defense was by Khairi Manns with 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble, while Jamehl Wiley added seven stops and 2.5 sacks. For Monmouth, Muskett was 22-of-31 passing for 292 yards and 3 TD’s. Assanti Kearney had six receptions for 100 yards and a TD.
Hampton 38, UAlbany 37 (ot)
Box Score
Malcolm Mays passed for 208 yards and four touchdowns as Hampton (4-2, 1-2 CAA) rallied past UAlbany (1-5, 0-3 CAA), 38-37 in overtime to earn its first-ever CAA victory.
UAlbany built a 24-10 halftime advantage after scoring twice in the final 1:13 of the second quarter on a 36-yard TD pass from Reese Poffenbarger to Roy Alexander and a 40-yard Hail Mary to tight end Thomas Greaney on the last play of the half. A 12-yard pass from Mays to Jadakis Bonds pulled the Pirates within seven in the third quarter, but Todd Sibley’s 5-yard run put UA ahead 31-17 with 14:56 left in regulation. Hampton battled back behind Mays, as he threw a 43-yard TD pass to Tyler Thompson and a 5-yard toss to Kymari Gray that tied the game at 31-31 with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter. After missing a field goal in the final seconds of regulation, Mays threw a 7-yard TD pass to Bonds in overtime to give the Pirates a 38-31 lead. UAlbany answered with a 15-yard scoring pass from Poffenbarger to Quinn Zinobile, but Hampton stopped the Great Danes’ two-point attempt.
Bonds finished with seven catches for 92 yards and 2 TD’s and Darran Butts rushed for 124 yards and a TD on 16 carries for the Pirates offense. KeShaun Moore had four tackles, 3.0 TFL’s and 2.0 sacks. For UAlbany, Poffenbarger was 26-of-35 passing for 337 yards and 4 TD’s, with Greaney making six receptions for 110 yards and 2 TD’s. Jackson Ambush had nine tackles and an interception for the Great Danes.
New Hampshire 14, Dartmouth 0
Box Score
New Hampshire’s defense recorded its first shutout since 2018 as the Wildcats (5-2, 4-0 CAA) blanked Dartmouth, 14-0, to claim the Granite Bowl.
UNH quarterback Max Brosmer was involved in both touchdowns, throwing a 2-yard scoring pass to Brian Espanet on the opening drive of the game and then running into the end zone from 8 yards out with 29 seconds left until halftime. That was all the Wildcats’ defense would need as they held Dartmouth to 198 total yards, including 58 on the ground.
Brosmer finished 20-of-29 passing for 217 yards and a TD. Isaac Seide rushed for a career-high 127 yards on 26 carries and Joey Corcoran had six receptions for 89 yards. Defensively, Pop Bush had five tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery.
Fordham 45, Stony Brook 14
Box Score
Freshman quarterback Charlie McKee passed for a career-high 239 yards and two touchdowns, but Stony Brook (0-6, 0-4 CAA) dropped a 45-14 decision at nationally ranked Fordham.
The Seawolves trailed just 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, but saw Fordham break the game open with 24 second-quarter points. McKee threw both of his TD passes in the fourth quarter, hitting Tedy Afful with a 30-yard strike and Khalil Newton with a 4-yard toss. Reidgee Dimanche made 10 tackles for the Stony Brook defense.