CAA Football Recap - November 12
Rob Washburn
It was the most thrilling Saturday of the season in CAA Football as four of the six games were decided in the final seconds.
No. 12 Richmond 21, No. 17 Delaware 13
Box Score
Jake Larson booted a 39-yard field goal with four seconds to play as Richmond (8-2, 6-1 CAA) rallied past Delaware (7-3, 4-3 CAA).
In a game dominated by the defenses, the Blue Hens took their first lead of the game, 13-12, on a 36-yard scoring run by Marcus Yarns with 9:24 to play. After stopping Delaware on a 4
th-and-1 play at the UR 7-yard line with 1:23 to go, the Spiders went on a 71-yard drive that was highlighted by a 45-yard pass from Reece Udinski to Jerry Garcia, Jr. on fourth down. After Larson’s game-winning kick, which was Richmond’s fifth field goal of the day and Larson’s third, the Spiders tacked on a touchdown with no time on the clock as Gio Seigler recovered a fumble in the end zone on the ensuing kickoff.
Udinski finished 28-of-42 passing for 301 yards, while Delaware’s Nolan Henderson threw for 196 yards and had a 2-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter. Phil O’Connor recorded a team-best 12 tackles for UR, while Nic Ware had nine stops and a sack for UD.
No. 21 New Hampshire 31, No. 22 Rhode Island 28
Box Score
Freshman D.J. Linkins caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Max Brosmer with 17 seconds left as No. 21 New Hampshire (7-3, 6-1 CAA) battled past No. 22 Rhode Island (6-4, 4-3 CAA), 31-28.
Trailing 28-24 with 2:21 on the clock, the Wildcats put together an 89-yard drive, capped by Linkins’ TD grab on 4
th-and-9. Rhode Island was able to get the ball to the UNH 38 in the waning seconds, but couldn’t convert a Hail Mary pass. A 19-yard Marques DeShields scoring run put URI ahead 14-3 late in the second quarter, but Brosmer threw a 4-yard TD pass to Caleb Burke to trim the deficit to four at half. The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter and UNH went on top, 24-21, on a Nick Mazzie field goal early in the fourth period. A 15-yard TD pass from Kasim Hill to Ed Lee with 7:07 remaining gave the Rams a 28-24 lead.
Brosmer was 31-of-43 for 316 yards and 2 TD’s, while Hill was 17-of-33 for 222 yards and 2 TD’s. Lee had nine catches for 116 yards, while UNH tight end Kyle Lepkowski had seven receptions for 81 yards.
No. 8 William & Mary 45, Villanova 12
Box Score
Quarterback Darius Wilson contributed 311 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as William & Mary (9-1, 6-1 CAA) defeated Villanova (5-5, 3-4 CAA) for its sixth straight victory.
Wilson was 12-of-15 passing for 211 yards and 3 TD’s and ran for 95 yards and a score as the Tribe piled up 582 yards of offense, including 371 on the ground. W&M went up 7-0 on Bronson Yoder’s 6-yard scoring run before Wilson went to work with an 11-yard TD pass to Lachlan Pitts, a 55-yard scoring run and an 87-yard strike to Tyler Rose that made it 28-3. He added a 19-yard toss to DreSean Kendrick in the fourth quarter. Villanova scored its lone touchdown on a 38-yard pass from Connor Watkins to Daniel Lopes.
Yoder rushed for a team-best 133 yards on 14 carries and Donavyn Lester ran for 68 yards and a TD. Watkins passed for 206 yards and ran for a team-high 62, while Dez Boykin had six receptions for 110 yards.
No. 18 Elon 38, Hampton 24
Box Score
Jalen Hampton rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns as Elon (8-3, 6-2 CAA) closed the regular season with a 38-24 triumph at Hampton (4-6, 1-6 CAA).
Elon took a 21-10 advantage as Hampton ran for a pair of scores and Matthew McKay hit Johncarlos Miller with a 3-yard scoring pass. However, the Pirates pulled within four late in the second quarter on a 35-yard scoring pass from Christopher Zellous to Jadakis Bonds. A pair of interceptions by Elon’s Omar Rogers helped the Phoenix expand their lead to 31-17 going into the fourth quarter as McKay threw a 9-yard scoring pass to Jackson Parham. Hampton pulled back within one score on a 14-yard TD catch by Evan King, but Elon put the game away on a 8-yard TD run from Hampton.
UAlbany 23, Maine 21
Box Score
Reese Poffenbarger connected with Julian Hicks on a 1-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game to lift UAlbany (3-7, 2-5 CAA) over Maine (2-8, 2-5 CAA), 23-21.
Maine trailed by three midway through the fourth quarter, but drove 75 yards and took a 21-17 lead on quarterback Joe Fagnano’s 6-yard run with 1:50 remaining. However, the Great Danes were able to answer with a 76-yard drive of their own and recorded the game-winning TD on an untimed down after a penalty. The Black Bears took an early 7-0 advantage on a 10-yard Montigo Moss TD catch, but UAlbany reeled off 17 unanswered points, which included a 20-yard scoring strike from Poffenbager to Thomas Greaney and a 2-yard TD run by Todd Sibley. Maine closed to within 17-14 on Zavier Scott’s 2-yard run late in the third period.
Poffenbarger was 19-of-37 passing for 274 yards and 2 TD’s, with Greaney making seven receptions for 126 yards. Sibley ran for 165 yards on 19 carries before an injury late in the game. For Maine, Fagnano threw for 164 yards and a TD and ran for 46 yards and a score. Scott rushed for a team-best 78 yards and caught six passes for 58 yards. Defensively, UAlbany’s Dylan Kelly had nine tackles and an interception and Maine’s Adrian Otero made eight stops and picked off a pass.
Towson 21, Stony Brook 17
Box Score
Devin Matthews scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left as Towson (5-5, 3-4 CAA) held off Stony Brook (2-8, 1-6 CAA), 21-17, for its third consecutive victory.
A 19-yard scoring pass from Tyrrell Pigrome to Isaiah Perkins put the Tigers on top 7-0, but the Seawolves answered with a 70-yard scoring pass from Daron Bryden to Shawn Harris, Jr. and a 30-yard strike from Bryden to Khalil Newton that made it 14-7 midway through the third quarter. Towson pulled even on a 36-yard TD catch by Darian Street, but SBU went back on top by three after a 26-yard Angelo Guglielmello field goal with 2:39 to play. Matthews’ game-winning run capped an 87-yard Towson drive and put the Tigers ahead by four. Stony Brook was able to drive to the Tigers’ 13-yard line, but a pass into the end zone was broken up by Robert Javier as time expired.
Pigrome passed for 255 yards and 2 TD’s and ran for 54 to lead the Tigers offensively. Bryden threw for a career-high 273 yards and 2 TD’s, with Harris making six grabs for 135 yards and a TD. Aidan Kaler tallied 12 tackles and 2.0 TFL’s for the SBU defense, while Ubayd Steed had nine stops for TU.