CAA Football Recap - Sept. 21
Rob Washburn
UNH 38, Bryant 17
Box Score
Seth Morgan passed for 314 yards and four touchdowns as UNH (3-1, 1-0 CAA) defeated Bryant (1-3, 0-1 CAA) in the conference opener for both teams. Wildcats’ receiver Caleb Burke had six catches for a career-high 151 yards and 2 TD’s.
UNH tallied touchdowns on its first four possessions and added a safety on a Bryant punting miscue to build a commanding 31-3 advantage midway through the second quarter. Morgan had TD throws to Burke (10 yds), Drew Danson (6 yds) and Logan Tomlinson (11 yds) during the stretch and Isaac Seide tallied a 33-yard scoring run. Bryant climbed back within 14 points on a 42-yard TD pass from Jarrett Guest to Landon Ruggieri and a 2-yard Ryan Clark scoring run, but Burke stopped the rally with a 31-yard TD grab with 5:38 to play. Guest finished 25-of-44 passing for 335 yards for the Bulldogs and Ruggieri made four catches for 118 yards.
Stony Brook 24, Campbell 17
Box Score
Roland Dempster ran for a career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns as Stony Brook (3-1, 1-0 CAA) earned a conference road victory at Campbell (1-3, 0-1 CAA).
The Seawolves grabbed a 14-0 lead before the Camels’ offense touched the ball. SBU drove 75 yards on its first drive, capped by a 2-yard Dempster TD run. After a CU fumble on the ensuing kickoff, the Seawolves needed only two plays to reach the end zone again on a 3-yard Dempster run. SBU extended the margin to 21 on Johnny Martin’s 1-yard run early in the second quarter before Campbell rallied. Aiden Valdez had TD catches of five yards and 37 yards to trim the deficit to 21-14 early in the third quarter. However, SBU tacked on a 39-yard field goal by Enda Kirby with 2:06 to play and then recovered an onside kick after a late 30-yard field goal by CU’s Connor Lytton.
Monmouth 45, FIU 42
Box Score
Deuce Lee forced and recovered a fumble on the 1-yard line with 32 seconds left as Monmouth (2-2) edged FIU, 45-42, for its first win over an FBS opponent in school history. The Hawks generated 540 yards of offense as Derek Robertson threw for 361 yards and 2 TD’s and Rodney Nelson ran for 117 yards and a TD.
Monmouth got scoring runs of 30 and 3 yards from Sone Ntoh, but still trailed 28-14 late in the second quarter. The Hawks pulled even at 28-28 following 4-yard TD catches from TJ Speight and Gavin Nelson. Down 35-28, Nelson tied the contest on a 59-yard scoring run and MU took its first lead, 42-35 on Ntoh’s 1-yard run with 13:24 left. After the Panthers tied the game at 42, Michael Calton nailed a 43-yard field goal with 1:52 remaining to put Monmouth ahead once again. FIU drove the length of the field, but Lee was able to strip FIU receiver Eric Rivers at the 1-yard line to give the Hawks the win.
Rhode Island 28, LIU 21
Box Score
Malik Grant rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning 8-yard TD run with 1:08 to play, lifting Rhode Island past LIU, 28-21.
Grant found the end zone from seven yards out on the Rams’ opening drive of the game, but LIU was able to take a 14-7 advantage into halftime. URI pulled even at 14-14 on an 11-yard TD run by Grant with 11:35 left before the Sharks regained a seven-point edge. With less than five minutes to go, linebacker Cole Brockwell’s fumble recovery gave URI the ball at the LIU 5, and Hunter Helms tied the game two plays later with a 4-yard run. The Rams were able to force a 3-and-out, and then drove 67 yards for the win, capped by Grant’s third TD. Brockwell finished with a career-high 14 tackles and 1.5 TFL’s.
Maine 26, Merrimack 15
Box Score
Maine (2-2) outscored Merrimack 20-0 in the second half and rallied for a 26-15 road victory. Black Bears’ quarterback Carter Peevy finished with 225 yards and 2 TD’s passing, while the Maine defense held Merrimack to eight first downs and 195 total yards.
Peevy hit Mason Gilbert with a 7-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter, but the Black Bears trailed 15-6 at halftime. An interception by Maine’s Alhaji Kamara late in the third quarter set up a 12-yard TD grab by Cooper Heisey and Joey Bryson’s 28-yard field goal gave the Black Bears their first lead, 16-15, with 13:24 to go. Maine created some cushion with a 94-yard drive capped by Tavion Banks’ 5-yard scoring run with 5:54 left. A 33-yard Bryson field goal put the game away. Kesean Dyson topped the Maine defense with 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
Hampton 27, Howard 20
Box Score
Ja’Quan Snipes rushed for 117 yards and two second-half touchdowns as Hampton (3-1) held off Howard, 27-20, to take The Battle for the Real HU at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
The Pirates jumped out to a 14-0 lead as Tyler Hatcher caught a 6-yard TD pass from Chris Zellous in the first quarter and quarterback Malcolm Mays scrambled for a 34-yard scoring run in the second. Howard rallied to tie, but Snipes exploded for a 53-yard TD run late in the third quarter to put Hampton on top for good and found the end zone again from five yards out with 8:34 remaining. Zellous was 10-of-11 passing, while Elijah Burris added 78 rushing yards as the Pirates piled up 293 yards on the ground. Xavier Marshall had eight tackles and a forced fumble for the Hampton defense.
Richmond 38, Delaware State 24
Box Score
Zach Palmer-Smith rushed for a career-high 207 yards and three touchdowns and added a 59-yard catch as Richmond (2-2) recorded a 38-24 road victory over Delaware State.
UR trailed 10-0, but moved ahead 14-10 at the half on scoring runs from Andrew King and Palmer-Smith. The Spiders pushed their lead to 28-17 on Palmer-Smith’s second TD run and a 61-yard TD pass to Landon Ellis. Palmer iced the victory by breaking loose for a 59-yard touchdown burst with 1:47 remaining. Coleman passed for 312 yards and Ellis had seven receptions for 131 yards.
William & Mary 34, Furman 24
Box Score
Bronson Yoder rushed for a season-high 166 yards, including a game-sealing 12-yard TD run with 57 seconds left, as William & Mary (3-1) rallied past Furman, 34-24. Quarterback Darius Wilson added 155 yards and a TD rushing as the Tribe piled up 384 yards on the ground.
Down 14-0 early, Wilson hit Sean McElwain with a 21-yard scoring pass and then broke loose for a 53-yard TD run. A pair of second-quarter field goals by Eric Bernstein put W&M up 20-14 at the half. The Tribe extended its advantage in the third quarter as Wilson hit Hollis Mathis on a 15-yard scoring pass. Furman cut the deficit to three with 6:18 left before Yoder finished off a 75-yard drive. Alex Washington made nine tackles for W&M and Bryce Barnes and TJ McGill had interceptions.
Delaware 29, Penn 22
Box Score
Ryan O’Connor passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns as Delaware (3-0) erased a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Penn, 29-22. Phil Lutz caught seven passes for 144 yards and 2 TD’s for the Hens.
Lutz had a 41-yard TD catch in the second quarter, but UD was down 16-6 at halftime. Lutz added a 39-yard scoring grab on the opening drive of the third quarter and the Hens took their first lead, 21-16, on an 8-yard TD reception by Jake Thaw. The Quakers went back on top by one in the fourth quarter, but a 13-yard TD run by Jo’Nathan Silver with 1:44 to go proved to be the difference. Penn drove into UD territory in the final seconds, but Ty Davis intercepted a pass to seal the victory. Gavin Moul made 14 tackles for the Blue Hens.
Maryland 38, Villanova 20
Box Score
Villanova (3-1) was unable to overcome a 24-0 halftime deficit and fell 38-20 at Big Ten member Maryland.
The Wildcats battled back in the third quarter, getting a 33-yard Ethan Gettman field goal and a 17-yard TD pass from Connor Watkins to Devin Smith to make it 24-14. The Terps went back up by 21 heading into the fourth quarter before Villanova was able to get a 37-yard Gettman field goal and an 8-yard TD run from backup quarterback Tanner Maddocks. Watkins finished with 106 passing yards and Smith had five receptions for 62 yards. Ethan Potter paced the VU defense with 10 tackles.
North Dakota State 41, Towson 24
Box Score
Towson trimmed a 21-point deficit to seven with 10 minutes to play but dropped a 41-24 decision at 2
nd-ranked North Dakota State. Quarterback Carlos Davis passed for 135 yards and added a 15-yard TD run.
The Tigers trailed 24-3 at the break but got a 2-yard scoring run from Nathan Kent to end a 74-yard third-quarter drive. Down by 21 going into the final period, Davis finished a 75-yard drive with a 15-yard TD run. On TU’s next possession, Tyrell Greene, Jr. broke loose for a 72-yard scoring burst that brought the Tigers within 31-24 with 10:05 remaining. However, the Bison responded with back-to-back scoring drives to secure the victory. Green finished with a team-high 94 yards on the ground. Kam Snell topped the Tigers’ defense with 13 tackles.
ETSU 34, Elon 14
Box Score
Elon (1-3) fell behind 17-0 in the opening quarter and couldn’t recover in a 34-14 loss to ETSU.
A 3-yard TD run by TJ Thomas early in the second quarter brought the Phoenix within 10 at the half, but the Buccaneers added two more TD’s in the third quarter to take control. EU’s Matthew Downing passed for 129 yards, including a 15-yard TD to Chandler Brayboy. Ishmel Akins had eight tackles and a TFL for the Elon defense.
North Carolina Central 66, North Carolina A&T 24
Box Score
A 100-yard return for a TD on the opening kickoff by Aaron Harris got North Carolina A&T (1-3) off to a fast start, but the Aggies were beaten 66-24 by rival North Carolina Central.
A&T was up 9-7 midway through the first quarter after the Harris return and a 27-yard Andrew Brown field goal, but NCCU responded with 24 unanswered points, which included a pick six and a blocked punt. The Eagles later scored on a fumble return as A&T committed four turnovers. Quarterback Justin Fomby passed for 153 yards and ran for a TD, while Shimique Blizzard ran for 67 yards and a score.