Delaware Defeats Navy To Highlight An Impressive Week 1 In CAA Football
Rob Washburn
CAA Football capped an outstanding opening weekend as Delaware knocked off Navy, giving the CAA multiple victories over FBS opponents in the same season for the fifth time since 2016. Hampton also picked up a win in its first game as a CAA member and Towson got past Bucknell in overtime.
Delaware 14, Navy 7
Box Score
It was a memorable debut for Ryan Carty as head coach of his alma mater as 19
th-ranked Delaware turned in a dominant defensive performance and knocked off Navy, 14-7. It was the first victory over a FBS foe for the Blue Hens since 2007 and the fewest points allowed by a CAA team in a win over a FBS opponent since 2006.
Linebacker Johnny Buchanan recorded 23 tackles and forced a fumble, Noah Plack tallied 17 stops and Liam Trainer had 14 tackles and a fumble recovery to lead a Delaware defense that held the Midshipmen to 319 total yards and forced three turnovers. Quarterback Nolan Henderson was 20-of-32 passing for 189 yards and 2 TD’s to spur the Hens’ offense.
UD got off to fast start as linebacker Drew Nickles recovered a Navy fumble on the opening play of the game. The Hens’ offense quickly took advantage as Henderson hit tight end Bryce DeMaille with a six-yard TD pass to make it 7-0 just 27 seconds into the contest.
The score would remain the same until a scrambling Henderson found Chandler Harvin open down the sideline for a 51-yard touchdown that increased the lead to 14-0 with 4:30 left in the third quarter. Navy cut the deficit to seven later in the third period. However, the Blue Hens’ defense came up with a pair of big fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.
Virginia 34, Richmond 17
Box Score
Junior Savon Smith rushed for a career-high 88 yards and two touchdowns, but Richmond dropped a 34-17 decision at Virginia.
The Spiders took an early 7-0 lead when Smith ran in from eight yards out to cap an 80-yard drive. Trailing 28-10 at the half, UR forced a Cavaliers’ turnover on their opening second-half possession and Smith finished a short drive with a 5-yard TD reception from Reece Udinski to close within 11. The Spiders had two other good scoring opportunities in the third quarter, but missed a field goal and came up short on a 4
th-and-1 play.
Udinski passed for 160 yards with Jasiah Williams making nine catches for 67 yards. All-America linebacker Tristan Wheeler led the defense with a career-high 19 tackles.
Towson 14, Bucknell 13 (ot)
Box Score
Devin Matthews rushed for a career-high 112 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning 3-yard scoring run in overtime, as Towson edged Bucknell, 14-13.
Both defenses dominated most of the night, with the game remaining scoreless for nearly three quarters. The Tigers struck first as Matthews found the end zone from five yards out to put Towson up 7-0 with 2:07 left in the third quarter. Bucknell pulled even early in the fourth period and the teams would go to overtime.
In the extra session, Towson was able to convert a 4
th-and-8 from the 23 on a 15-yards pass from Tyrrell Pigrome to Isaiah Perkins. Matthews scored what proved to be the game-winning TD two plays later. Pigrome threw for 195 yards and ran for 31 in his Towson debut. Ubayd Steed recorded a team-high seven tackles for a Towson defense that held Bucknell to 307 total yards.
Hampton 31, Howard 28
Box Score
Hampton earned its first victory as a member of the CAA, holding off rival Howard, 31-28. The Pirates took a 7-6 advantage on an 11-yard run by Christopher Zellous and extended the lead to 14-6 just before halftime on a 30-yard scoring pass from Malcolm Mays to Jadakis Bonds.
A 15-yard TD catch Romon Copeland midway through the third quarter put Hampton up 21-6. The Pirates pushed the margin further in the fourth quarter as Darran Butts broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown run and Axel Perez later added a 20-yard field goal that made it 31-13 with 5:12 left. Howard scored twice to pull within three, but the Pirates were able to make a defensive stop in the final seconds.
Mays passed for 190 yards and two touchdowns with Copeland making seven catches for 92 yards. Qwashin Townsel led the Pirates’ defense with 14 tackles and 2.5 TFL’s.
Vanderbilt 42, Elon 31
Box Score
Elon outscored SEC foe Vanderbilt in the second half, but saw a late comeback fall short in a 42-31 loss.
Transfer quarterback Matthew McKay had a strong Phoenix debut, completing 19-of-32 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns and adding a team-high 52 yards on the ground. Elon also had two receivers top the century mark as Jackson Parham made eight receptions for 139 yards and a TD and Chandler Brayboy had four grabs for 105 yards and a TD.
Elon fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter, but started to battle back after a 75-yard scoring pass from McKay to Brayboy. Down 35-10 midway through the third period, McKay found the end zone on a run from five yards out and then closed the period by hitting Parham with a 22-yard scoring strike to bring the Phoenix within 35-24. Another 5-yard TD run by McKay with 5:21 left and a recovery of an onside kick continued the Elon surge, but saw a late drive end at the VU 1-yard line in the final seconds.
Baylor 69, UAlbany 10
Box Score
Defending Big 12 champion Baylor scored 21 points in the first 9:23 of the game and went on to a 69-10 triumph over UAlbany.
The Great Danes closed to within 21-7 on the final play of the first quarter as transfer quarterback Reece Poffenbarger hit Julian Hicks on a 17-yard touchdown pass following a fourth-down stop by the UAlbany defense. However, the Bears answered with three straight scores to pull away. John Opalko added a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Poffenbarger passed for 150 yards and added a team-best 45 yards on the ground. Linebacker Dylan Kelly made a team-best 12 tackles for the Great Danes.
New Mexico 41, Maine 0
Box Score
Maine was held to 118 yards of total offense and suffered a 41-0 setback at New Mexico. After a scoreless opening period, the Lobos broke loose for 21 second-quarter points and added 13 more in the third quarter.
Quarterback Joe Fagnano was 12-of-27 passing for 96 yards, with tight end Shawn Bowman making three catches for 40 yards. Linebacker Brian Lee, Jr. topped the Black Bears with eight tackles and 1.5 TFL.