CAA Football Recap - Nov. 2
Rob Washburn
Rhode Island 37, Monmouth 28
Box Score
Rhode Island (8-1, 5-0 CAA) rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit and defeated Monmouth (4-5, 2-3 CAA), 37-28, for its seventh straight win. It was the Rams’ fifth victory this season after trailing in the fourth quarter.
Monmouth took a 28-17 lead early in the third quarter on an 11-yard TD pass from Derek Robertson to Tra Neal. Rhode Island trimmed the deficit to four on a 16-yard Malik Grant scoring run late in the third period, and took their first lead of the game, 31-28, when Marquis Buchanan caught a 24-yard TD pass from Devin Farrell with 1:17 remaining. The Rams added their final points when Fredrick Mallay returned a fumble seven yards on the final play of the game. Farrell finished 20-of-25 passing for 265 yards and 3 TD’s, while Buchanan had 12 catches for 171 yards and 2 TD’s. Grant added 126 yards rushing. For the Hawks, Robertson threw for 266 yards and 2 TD’s, with Josh Derry making six receptions for 100 yards.
Stony Brook 31, Bryant 30 (ot)
Box Score
Stony Brook (7-2, 4-1 CAA) took a lead in overtime on a 2-yard Roland Dempster TD run and then came up with a stop on a 2-point conversion try to edge Bryant (2-7, 0-5 CAA), 31-30.
The Seawolves went ahead 24-10 midway through the third quarter on a 40-yard TD grab by Jayce Freeman, but the Bulldogs responded quickly with a 75-yard scoring run by Markiel Cockrell. Bryant tied the contest at 24-24 as freshman quarterback Brennan Myer connected with Tristen Riley on a 19-yard TD pass, setting the stage for the overtime drama. Dempster finished with 107 yards and 2 TD’s on the ground for SBU. Tyler Knoop passed for 285 yards and a TD, with Jasiah Williams making 10 catches for 96 yards. Myer had a sensational day for Bryant, completing 28-of-39 passes for 338 yards and 3 TD’s. Landon Ruggieri made six catches for 98 yards and 2 TD’s, including a one-handed grab in overtime, and Dylan Kedzior had nine receptions for 100 yards.
Villanova 20, Hampton 14
Box Score
Linebacker Brendan Bell’s 4-yard touchdown run while playing the first offensive snaps of his career proved to be the difference in Villanova’s (7-2, 4-1 CAA) 20-14 victory at Hampton (5-4, 2-3 CAA).
Hampton opened the game with a 75-yard drive capped by a 6-yard TD pass from Chris Zellous to Kymari Gray for a 7-0 lead. Villanova responded with field goals of 29 and 40 yards from Ethan Gettman and a 1-yard scoring run from David Avit to move on top, 13-7, early in the third quarter. After a 72-yard catch by Jaylen Sanchez, Bell’s scoring run pushed the lead to 13. The Pirates pulled within 20-13 on a 1-yard Zellous run late in the third period, but were unable to convert a 4
th-down at the VU 45-yard line with 3:53 to go. Sanchez finished with five catches for 103 yards. Hampton’s JaQuan Snipes rushed for 85 yards.
New Hampshire 31, UAlbany 14
Box Score
Seth Morgan passed for 208 yards and three touchdowns as UNH (5-4, 3-2 CAA) picked up a 31-14 road victory at UAlbany (3-6, 1-4 CAA). Wande Owens added a team-high 10 tackles and a 50-yard pick six for the Wildcats.
UNH never trailed and built a 24-0 advantage at the half. Morgan hit Caleb Burke with an 86-yard TD strike on the Wildcats’ opening drive of the game and Owens added his pick six later in the period. A 12-yard TD catch by Logan Tomlinson and a 40-yard Nick Mazzie field goal provided the halftime edge. Morgan hit Coley Ramshaw with a 3-yard pass for his final TD. UAlbany scored twice in the fourth quarter as Trey Lindsay had a 1-yard scoring run and a 7-yard TD pass to Faysal Aden. Lindsay passed for 117 yards and ran for 58.
William & Mary 45, North Carolina A&T 7
Box Score
William & Mary (6-3, 3-2 CAA) scored on seven of its first eight drives, including six touchdowns, and rolled to a 45-7 win at North Carolina A&T (1-8, 0-5 CAA). Darius Wilson threw for 217 yards and 2 TD’s and ran for 74 yards and a score, while Malachi Imoh contributed three touchdowns.
The Tribe sprinted out to a 21-0 lead as Wilson scored on a 10-yard run before connecting with Sean McElwain on a 58-yard TD pass. Imoh took over from there, reaching the end zone on runs of 21 and 12 yards and on a 9-yard reception to make it 35-0 early in the third period. Hollis Mathis and McElwain finished with 96 receiving yards for W&M, while Alex Washington had eight tackes for a defense that held A&T to 246 yards. For the Aggies, Shamique Blizzard rushed for 132 yards, including a 4-yard TD in the third quarter. Kade Moledor tallied a team-best 13 tackles.
Richmond 35, Towson 24
Box Score
Richmond’s defense recorded seven sacks, including three from Jeremiah Grant, and got a 90-yard pick six from Jabril Hayes as the Spiders (7-2, 5-0 CAA) held off Towson (4-5, 2-3 CAA), 35-24, for their seventh straight win.
Cam Coleman threw TD passes of 13 and 10 yards to Landon Ellis as Richmond went up 16-7 late in the second quarter, but Towson closed within 19-17 after a 4-yard scoring run by Tyrell Greene on the opening drive of the second half. Hayes’ pick six early in the fourth quarter pushed the Spiders’ lead to 12, but the Tigers battled back on an 80-yard TD pass from Sean Brown to John Dunmore. The Spiders’ defense didn’t allow Towson to get any closer and they extended the margin as Sean O’Haire booted five field goals (21, 22, 47, 36, 18), including a pair in the final 3:04. Coleman passed for 230 yards and 2 TD’s with Jerry Garcia making four catches for 110 yards. Zach Palmer-Smith chipped in 98 yards on the ground. Defensively, Grant had five tackles, 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles. For Towson, Brown threw for 275 yards and a TD, with Dunmore making six receptions for 123 yards. Xavier Terry tallied 11 tackles and three pass breakups for the defense.
Elon 50, Campbell 27
Box Score
Chandler Brayboy accounted for 309 all-purpose yards, including eight receptions for 183 yards and 2 TD’s, as Elon (3-6, 2-3 CAA) topped Campbell (3-6, 1-4 CAA), 50-27. The two teams combined for 943 yards in the offensive shootout.
Brayboy had a 66-yard TD grab on Elon’s first offensive play, but Campbell used a 70-yard scoring catch from Sincere Brown to pull within 16-13 early in the second quarter. The Phoenix responded with 27 unanswered points to put the game away, including a 36-yard strike to Brayboy on the opening drive of the second half and a 6-yarder to Dylan Magazu that made it 43-13 late in the third period. Rushawn Baker also had a big day for Elon, running for 154 yards and 3 TD’s, while quarterback Matthew Downing threw for 251 yards and three scores. Campbell quarterback Mike Chandler II was 22-of-39 passing for 355 yards and 4 TD’s and he added 51 yards on the ground. Randall King had seven receptions for 145 yards and 2 TD’s and Brown added seven grabs for 135 yards and 2 TD’s.
Oklahoma 59, Maine 14
Box Score
Maine (4-5, 2-3 CAA) jumped out to a 7-0 first-quarter lead on SEC member Oklahoma but suffered a 59-14 setback. Black Bears’ quarterback Carter Peevy passed for 123 yards and a touchdown and ran for a team-high 30 yards.
Maine drove 68 yards in nine plays on its opening possession and grabbed the early advantage on a 3-yard TD pass from Peevy to Carter Heisey. However, the Sooners followed with 52 unanswered points to take control. The Black Bears added a fourth-quarter TD on a 5-yard run by Nick Laughlin. Christian Thomas made a team-high 10 tackles to lead the Maine defense.