CAA Football Recap - Week 1
Rob Washburn
SATURDAY, AUGUST 31
Rhode Island 20, Holy Cross 17
Box Score
Shawn Harris caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Devin Farrell with 19 seconds remaining as Rhode Island won a 20-17 thriller over Holy Cross. Farrell finished 20-of-33 passing for 287 yards and ran for a team-best 55 yards.
The Rams built a 6-0 advantage on a pair of Ty Groff field goals and extended the lead to 13-3 on a 2-yard scoring pass from Farrell to Tommy Smith on a fourth-down play late in the third quarter. The Crusaders rallied for a pair of fourth-quarter TD’s to go on top 17-13 with 1:47 remaining. Farrell then guided a 12-play, 75-yard drive, converting two third down and one fourth-down play before finding Harris on a crossing route for the game-winner. Rhode Island’s defense held Holy Cross to 271 total yards with Emmanul Gomes making a team-high seven stops.
#16 UAlbany 27, LIU 21
Box Score
Griffin Woodell rushed for 85 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter as UAlbany held off LIU, 27-21. The Great Danes’ defense sealed the victory by ending a LIU drive at the UA 39 in the final minute.
In a back-and-forth game, UAlbany took a 10-7 lead on a 20-yard fumble return for a TD by Jack Iulano and carried a 17-14 advantage into the half on a 75-yard strike from Myles Burkett to Seven McGee. The Sharks went back on top with a score on their opening drive of the third quarter, but Woodell broke loose a 41-yard burst before finding the end zone from three yards out to put UA on top for good, 24-21, with 9:57 left in the third period. John Opalko contributed field goals of 40 and 41 yards. Dontae Lunan made a team-high 13 tackles and a TFL for the Great Danes’ defense.
Cincinnati 38, Towson 20
Box Score
Towson piled up 438 yards of offense and pulled within eight of Big 12 member Cincinnati in the third quarter before falling 38-20 to the Bearcats. Quarterback Carlos Davis was impressive in his Tigers’ debut, completing 21-of-37 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Devin Matthews rushed for 70 yards and added 25 receiving yards.
Towson trailed 21-3 after the opening quarter, but Davis connected with Jaceon Doss on a slant pass that he took 76 yards for a score. Later in the period, Davis hit John Dunmore with a 28-yard TD toss to pull the Tigers within 28-17 at the half. A 59-yard drive to start the third quarter resulted in a 33-yard Keegan Vaughan field goal to make it 28-20, but the Tigers were unable to get any closer.
Morgan State 30, Hampton 28
Box Score
Quarterback Malcolm Mays accounted for 231 yards of total offense, but Hampton was edged 30-28 by Morgan State. Mays came off the bench to complete 13-of-17 passes for 168 yards and 2 TD’s and rushed for a team-high 63 yards on only four carries.
In a game that was tight throughout, Hampton was down just 20-14 at halftime as Elijah Burris scored on a 2-yard run in the first quarter and caught a 33-yard pass from Mays in the second. The Pirates twice pulled with two, getting a 2-yard TD run from Ja’Quan Snipes in the third quarter and then pulling within 30-28 on a 29-yards scoring pass from Mays to Kevin Johnson, Jr. with 4:29 remaining. However, MSU was able to convert a pair of third downs on the ensuing drive and run out the clock.
Liberty 41, Campbell 24
Box Score
Campbell held a three-point second-quarter lead on defending Conference USA champ Liberty but dropped a 41-24 decision. Quarterback Chad Mascoe, making just his second career start, passed for 180 yards and a TD, with Sincere Brown making five receptions for 126 yards.
After giving up an early TD, the Camels got a 64-yard run from Mark Biggins that set up a 27-yard Connor Lytton field goal. Campbell went on top, 10-7, early in the second quarter as Brown caught a 36-yard scoring strike from Mascoe. Liberty converted a 70-yard scoring pass to take a 17-10 halftime lead and tacked on the first 10 points of the third quarter. The Camels closed to within 10 on a 1-yard TD run by Biggins with 3:04 to go in the third quarter and Allen Mitchell added a 2-yard TD run late in the contest. Jojo Pace registered 14 tackles for the Campbell defense and Paul Hutson III had 11 stops.
Marshall 45, Stony Brook 3
Box Score
Stony Brook limited Marshall to just seven points over the game’s first 25 minutes but suffered a 45-3 setback to the Thundering Herd. Linebacker Anthony Ferrelli recorded a game-high 14 tackles for the Seawolves and Chayce Chalmers added 10 stops and a tackle for loss.
SBU was down just 7-0 with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter, but Marshall tallied 10 more points before halftime and added a touchdown on its opening drive of the third quarter. Freshman quarterback Malachi Marshall came off the bench for SBU and guided a 12-play drive that resulted in a 39-yard field goal by Enda Kirby. Marshall finished 10-of-20 passing for 96 yards.
Virginia 34, #13 Richmond 13
Box Score
Quarterback Kyle Wickersham threw for 110 yards and added a 5-yard touchdown run as Richmond was beaten 34-13 at ACC member Virginia.
The Spiders fell behind 20-0 early in the second quarter before Wickersham capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive with a 5-yard run. The Cavs pushed their lead to 34-7 midway through the third quarter before Richmond added field goals of 35 and 33 yards from Brandon Peskin. Nick DeGennaro made seven receptions for 74 yards and Zach Palmer-Smith ran for 76 yards on only seven carries. Carter Glassmyer topped the UR defense with seven stops.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 30
Maine 17, Colgate 14
Box Score
Maine captured its season opener for the first time since 2019, holding off Colgate, 17-14. Quarterback Carter Peevy completed 16-of-21 passes for 186 yards and ran for a score in his Black Bears’ debut, while the Maine defense held the Raiders to 302 total yards.
After falling behind 7-0 early in the second quarter, Maine responded with a 75-yard drive and tied the game on a 3-yard TD run by Peevy. A 34-yard Joey Bryson field goal with 15 seconds on the clock gave the Black Bears a 10-7 lead at the half. Maine pushed its advantage to 10 on a 7-yard TD run by Jaharie Martin with 10:31 to play, but Colgate answered with a TD of its with 4:27 remaining. The Black Bears turned the ball over with under a minute left, but an interception by Maine’s Alhaji Kamara with seven seconds to go sealed the win.
Duke 26, Elon 3
Box Score
Despite an impressive defensive performance, Elon dropped a 26-3 decision at ACC member Duke. The Phoenix held the Blue Devils to 350 total yards, with Khalil Baker recording a team-high 10 tackles and Caleb Curtain contributing six stops, an interception and three pass breakups.
The Phoenix trailed just 3-0 late in the second quarter and nearly drew even when a 49-yard field goal attempt by Jack Berkowitz bounced off the crossbar. The Blue Devils quickly drove 69 yards for a TD to take a 10-0 advantage into the half. Duke tacked on a field goal on its opening drive of the second half and added a pair of TD passes. Berkowitz got Elon on the board by hitting a 39-yard field goal with 14 seconds to play.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 29
#6 Villanova 24, #25 Youngstown State 17
Box Score
Quarterback Connor Watkins accounted for 197 yards of offense and two touchdowns and linebacker Richie Kimmel made a clutch interception in the final minute as 6
th-ranked Villanova held off #25 Youngtown State, 24-17.
Watkins, who rushed for 107 yards on only 10 carries, had a 14-yard TD run in the first quarter and raced into the end zone from 29 yards out early in the third period to give the Wildcats a 24-3 advantage. The Penguins battled back within seven late in the fourth quarter and were driving when Kimmel picked off a pass at the Villanova 49 with 57 seconds left that sealed the victory. Kimmel finished with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery in addition to the interception. It was Villanova’s eighth straight win in a season opener.
#15 William & Mary 41, VMI 7
Box Score
William & Mary used a balanced attack to pile up 446 yards of total offense and cruised past in-state foe VMI, 41-7. The Tribe got 1-yard TD runs in the first quarter from Bronson Yoder and Malachi Imoh and extended the advantage to 21-0 midway through the second period when Clayton Dobler returned a blocked punt 18 yards for a score. Multi-threat senior Hollis Mathis put the game away with a 4-yard scoring run just before halftime and a 26-yard TD catch in the third quarter.
Quarterback Darius Wilson was 11-for-15 passing for 190 yards and 2 TD’s while Mathis had 117 all-purpose yards. The Tribe defense held VMI to 241 total yards with Alex Washington making eight stops.
Delaware 48, Bryant 17
Box Score
Ryan O’Connor threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns to lead Delaware past Bryant, 48-17, in a non-conference contest. The Bulldogs got a 21-yard field goal from Bryce Soli midway through the first quarter, but Delaware broke loose for 21 points in a five-minute span as O’Connor threw scoring passes to Phil Lutz (16 yards) and Marcus Yarns (3 yards) and Yarns added a 1-yard TD run set up by a KT Seay interception.
A 4-yard TD catch by Marc Taglieri, Jr. pulled Bryant within 21-10, but the Blue Hens responded with a 1-yard TD run by Jo’Nathan Silver and two more O’Connor scoring passes to Nicholas Laboy (11 yards) and Jalyn Witcher (8 yards) to put the game away. Bryant quarterback Jared Guest passed for 146 yards and a TD.
Wake Forest 45, North Carolina A&T 13
Box Score
North Carolina A&T led ACC foe Wake Forest late in the first half before the Demon Deacons used a big third quarter to pull away for a 45-13 win. After falling behind 7-0 early, the Aggies drove 80 yards and tied the game on a 21-yard TD run by Kenji Christian late in the first quarter. A&T followed with a 15-play, 71-yard drive to open the second period and went on top after a 38-yard Andrew Brown field goal. WFU rallied for a 17-10 halftime edge and then put the game away with three TD’s in the third quarter. Brown drilled a 51-yard field goal for the Aggies’ final points.
A&T finished with 337 yards of offense as Christian ran for 121 yards and a TD on 16 carries and Wesley Graves added 70 yards on 19 attempts. Quarterback Kevin White was 10-of-16 for 116 yards through the air.
Eastern Washington 42, Monmouth 27
Box Score
Derek Robertson passed for 390 yards and three touchdowns in his Monmouth debut, but the Hawks were beaten 42-27 at Eastern Washington.
After falling behind 14-0 in the opening 10 minutes of the game, Monmouth battled back. A 2-yard TD run by Sone Ntoh capped a 75-yard drive to cut the deficit in half and the Hawks drew even on a 48-yard scoring pass from Robertson to Josh Derry as part of a 95-yard drive midway through the second quarter. However, Eastern Washington responded with 28 unanswered points to go up 42-14 early in the fourth quarter. Robertson tried to rally the Hawks throwing TD passes of 21 yards to Jack Neri and 19 yards to Max James.
UCF 57, UNH 3
Box Score
UNH fell behind 22-0 midway through the second quarter and never recovered in a 57-3 loss at Big 12 member UCF. The Wildcats got on the board in the second quarter on a 38-yard Nick Mazzie field goal that capped a 55-yard drive.
Quarterback Seth Morgan was 14-of-28 passing for 95 yards, with Logan Tomlinson making six catches for 73 yards. Wande Owens recorded a team-high 14 tackles for UNH and Zedane Williams picked off a pass.