CAA Football Recap - November 5
Rob Washburn
There is a three-way tie atop the CAA standings with two weeks to play after Richmond held off previously unbeaten New Hampshire and William & Mary rallied past Hampton. Delaware, Elon and Rhode Island are also within a game of first place after wins on Saturday, while Towson and Stony Brook got victories at home.
No. 14 Richmond 40, No. 17 New Hampshire 34
Box Score
In a Top 25 battle, No. 14 Richmond (7-2, 5-1 CAA) held off No. 17 New Hampshire (6-3, 5-1 CAA), 40-34, after a wild second half that saw 43 points scored.
UR quarterback Reece Udinski threw scoring passes of 4 yards to Leroy Henley and 13 yards to Nick DeGennaro to give the Spiders a 24-0 second-quarter lead. However, UNH cut the gap to 24-7 as Max Brosmer connected on a 46-yard Hail Mary pass to Heron Maurisseau on the final play of the first half. The two teams traded touchdowns on five consecutive possessions in the third quarter. UNH freshman Joey Corcoran caught a 32-yard scoring pass and Dylan Laube contributed a 100-yard kickoff return and a 4-yard TD run, while the Spiders maintained their lead thanks to a 1-yard Fonnae Webb scoring run and a 39-yard TD catch by Henley. The Wildcats pulled within 37-34 on a 1-yard pass from Brosmer to Maurisseau with 11:06 left, but UR added a career-long 45-yard field goal from Andrew Lopez. UNH drove to the UR 35-yard line in the final seconds, but another Hail Mary attempt was batted away as time expired.
Udinski was 30-of-43 passing for 287 yards and 3 TD’s, with Henley making seven grabs for 106 yards and 2 TD’s. Brosmer was 23-of-36 for 277 yards and 3 TD’s through the air, with Corcoran tallying five catches for 77 yards.
No. 18 Delaware 49, Monmouth 17
Box Score
Quarterback Nolan Henderson threw for 323 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another score as No. 18 Delaware (7-2, 4-2 CAA) topped Monmouth (4-6, 2-5 CAA), 49-17.
The Hawks sprinted out to a 7-0 lead on a 69-yard scoring run by Jaden Shirden, who topped the 200-yark mark (202) for the fourth time this season. However, Henderson fired a 13-yard TD pass Thyrick Pitts, a 49-yarder to Jourdan Townsend and an 8-yarder to Chandler Harvin to move on top 21-10 at the end of the first quarter. Delaware took control of the game by scoring three times in the final 5:34 of the second quarter. The Hens got a 2-yard TD run from Henderson, a 34-yard run by Kyron Cumby and an 18-yard TD pass to take a commanding 42-10 halftime advantage.
Henderson was 22-of-28 through the air for 323 yards and tied a UD record with the 5 TD passes. Linebacker Johnny Buchanan had 10 tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery for a Hens’ defense that held Monmouth to 22 points below its average. Davis Smith had a team-best nine tackles for the Hawks.
No. 8 William & Mary 20, Hampton 14
Box Score
William & Mary (8-1, 5-1 CAA) used its powerful rushing attack to rally past Hampton (4-5, 1-5 CAA), 20-14. The Tribe ran for 309 yards in the game, which was its third straight contest with more than 300 yards.
A 9-yard TD run by Bronson Yoder on the opening drive of the game put W&M on top, but Hampton drew even early in the second quarter on Elijah Burris’ 18-yard scoring burst. An Ethan Chang field goal gave the Tribe a 3-point edge at half, but the Pirates moved on top, 14-10, late in the third quarter as Darran Butts broke loose for a 23-yard TD run. However W&M needed just 30 seconds to regain the lead as Malachi Imoh galloped 49-yards for a TD. Another 35-yard field goal by Chang added to the advantage as W&M’s defense kept the Pirates off the board over the final quarter.
Yoder finished with a team-best 115 yards on 16 carries and Imoh added 93 rushing yards on 10 attempts. For Hampton, reserve quarterback Christopher Zellous passed for 86 yards and ran for 68, while Jadakis Bonds caught four passes for 92 yards. The Pirates’ defense was led by Qwahsin Townsel with 12 tackles and Ryan Poole had seven stops for W&M.
No. 23 Rhode Island 26, Maine 22
Box Score
Quarterback Kasim Hill accounted for 285 yards and three touchdowns as No. 23 Rhode Island (6-3, 4-2 CAA) edged Maine (2-7, 2-4 CAA), 26-22, ending a 14-game losing streak in the series.
The Black Bears went up 10-0 early in the second quarter on Elijah Barnwell’s 2-yard TD run, but the Rams got on the board late in the period on a 63-yard scoring strike from Hill to Ed Lee. Rhode Island took a 14-13 advantage on the opening drive of the second half on Hill’s 7-yard run, however Maine answered with an 18-yard scoring pass from Joe Fagnano to Rohan Jones that made it 19-14. A Hill 9-yard TD run late in the third quarter put the Rams back ahead, 20-19, before a 39-yard field goal by Maine’s Cody Williams gave the Black Bears a two-point edge. Rhode Island then drove 75 yards and scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard by Marques DeShields with 7:17 remaining.
Hill passed for 244 yards, with Lee making eight catches for a career-high 190 yards. DeShields added 110 yards on the ground. For Maine, Fagnano threw for 126 yards and Barnwell rushed for a team-best 98 yards. Jake Fire made 13 stops for URI and Brian Lee, Jr. topped Maine with seven tackles and a TFL.
No. 19 Elon 27, UAlbany 3
Box Score
Elon’s defense recorded 10 sacks, matching the most by any FCS team this season, and posted a 27-3 win over UAlbany (2-7, 1-5 CAA) for its sixth straight home victory. The Phoenix (7-3, 5-2 CAA) limited the Great Danes to 210 total yards, including 49 on the ground.
A 16-yard touchdown run by Jalen Hampton gave Elon an early lead, but UAlbany trimmed the deficit to four on a 26-yard John Opalko field goal on the final play of the first quarter. The Phoenix pulled away in the second quarter on a 36-yard scoring burst from Malik Griffin and a 5-yard TD run from Hampton that made it 21-3. Elon’s defense took over from there as eight different players recorded a sack and the Phoenix forced three turnovers. Skyler Davis tacked on a pair of field goals, including a 52-yarder that was his fifth over 50 yards this season.
Hampton finished with 81 yards on the ground. Matthew McKay passed for 132 yards, with Jackson Parham making seven receptions for 82 yards. For UAlbany, Reese Poffenbarger had 161 yards through the air and Todd Sibley ran for 111 yards on 20 attempts. Marcus Hillman had eight tackles, 4.0 TFL’s, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble for the Elon defense.
Towson 27, Villanova 3
Box Score
Towson (4-5, 2-4) used a dominant performance from its defense to down Villanova (5-4, 3-3 CAA), 27-3, and earn its second straight victory.
The Tigers held the Wildcats to 153 total yards and their lowest point total since 2018. VU took a 3-0 first-quarter lead on Matthew Mercurio’s 25-yard field goal, but Towson reeled off 27 unanswered points. A 26-yard TD pass from Tyrrell Pigrome to Isaiah Perkins on the first play of the second quarter put Towson on top to stay. After field goals of 22 and 42 yards from Keegan Vaughan, Pigrome and Perkins hooked up again on a 10-yard scoring toss with 11:22 remaining that made it 20-3. The Tigers put the game away when D’Ago Hunter returned a punt 77 yards for a TD with 9:23 left.
Pigrome passed for 125 yards and two TD’s and added 73 yards on the ground, while Joachm Bangda rushed for a career-high 107 yards on 17 carries. Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins threw for only 68 yards and TD Ayo-Durojaiye ran for 49. Makye Smith and Mason Woods each made six tackles for the TU defense, while VU’s Brendan Bell had a game-high 10 stops.
Stony Brook 24, Morgan State 22
Box Score
Angelo Guglielmello booted a game-winning 37-yard field goal as time expired to lift Stony Brook (2-7, 1-5 CAA) past Morgan State, 24-22.
Trailing 10-7 at the half, the Seawolves’ Ross Tallarico, who rushed for a career-high 151 yards, scored his second touchdown of the day on a 2-yard run to put SBU on top. A 4-yard scoring pass from Daron Bryden to Tyler Devera increased the lead to 11 late in the third period. Morgan State rallied for a pair of fourth-quarter TD’s, including a 57-yard pass that gave the Bears a 22-21 lead with 1:37 to go. However, Bryden guided SBU on a 56-yard drive to set up Guglielmello’s winning field goal.
Bryden came off the bench to complete 11-of-19 passes for 124 yards. The Seawolves’ defense recorded 12 tackles for loss and six sacks while holding MSU to 231 total yards. De’Aundre Cruz had eight tackles, 2.0 TFL’s and a forced fumble.