CAA Football Recap - Sept. 12
Rob Washburn
Rhode Island 31, Elon 10
Box Score
Rhode Island (2-1, 1-0 CAA) rode a dominant performance from its defense to pull away for a 31-10 victory over Elon (2-1, 0-1 CAA) in the conference opener for both teams. The Rams’ defense forced five turnovers and blocked a field goal, with 21 of their points coming off of giveaways.
Both defenses were in control through the first three quarters with the game tied at 3-3 following a 45-yard field goal from Elon’s Luke Barnes in the second period and a career-long 51-yard field goal from URI’s Josh Hamel in the third. The Rams put together an 18-play, 98-yard drive capped by a 1-yard plunge by Terrance Campbell to go up 10-3 with 10:50 to play. URI’s Tyson Grimm picked off a pass on Elon’s next possession and the Rams cashed it in on a 7-yard scoring pass from Tyler Budge to Marquis Buchanan. A 30-yard pick six by Mitchell Garner upped the Rams’ advantage to 24-3 with 5:18 left. Both teams added late TD’s as Elon got a 35-yard scoring reception from Zimere Winston and URI countered with a 3-yard grab from Aboraa Kwarteng.
Budge passed for 178 yards and 2 TD’s to pace the URI offense, while Moses Meus contributed seven tackles, 1.5 TFL’s and an interception defensively. For Elon, freshman Kamerin McDowell-Moore ran for 117 yards on 23 carries and Brodie Carroll made a team-best nine tackles with a TFL.
Bryant 31, Hampton 3
Box Score
Brennan Myer passed for 216 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing TD as Bryant (1-2, 1-0 CAA) opened CAA play with a 31-3 victory at Hampton (1-2, 0-1 CAA).
Hampton took the early lead on a 35-yard Brett Starling field goal, but Myer delivered a 13-yard TD pass to Sean Wilson, Jr. and a 60-yard scoring strike to Shamar Fowles to put the Bulldogs ahead 14-3 in the second quarter. Bryant added a 44-yard Nicholas Stoyanovich field goal on the final play of the half. The Bulldogs pulled away in the second half as Myer reached the end zone on a 6-yard run in the third quarter and Kendrick Agenor scored on a 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Fowles finished with four catches for 112 yards and Olatunde Mkparu tallied nine tackles for the BU defense. For Hampton, reserve quarterback Tre’von Taylor passed for 134 yards and ran for 36. Cam Sturdifen made 13 tackles for the Pirates defense.
UAlbany 35, LIU 13
Box Score
Kai Colon passed for 207 yards and three touchdowns as UAlbany (2-1, 1-0 CAA) never trailed in a 35-13 triumph at LIU. The Great Danes’ defense was also impressive, holding the Sharks to 221 total yards.
UAlbany scored touchdowns on its first two possessions as Mitch Viviano caught a 7-yard scoring toss from Aidan Semo and Joey Koch had a 3-yard grab from Colon to go up 14-0. After LIU pulled within seven at the half, the Great Danes took control with two more Colon scoring passes in the third quarter as he connected with BJ Norman on a 20-yarder before a 33-yard strike to Jordan Rae to make it 28-7. UA put the game after Semo scored on a 2-yard run following a Rich Benenge fumble recovery. Jeremiah Pruitt had seven tackles, a TFL and a PBU for the UAlbany defense.
New Hampshire 42, Stonehill 35
Box Score
Joquez Smith rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns and New Hampshire (1-2, 0-1 CAA) came up with several big plays on special teams in a 42-35 triumph over Stonehill.
The Wildcats got off to a fast start when Ryan Ricketti returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. After Stonehill drew even, UNH moved back on top when Trevor Barry recovered a blocked field goal and took it 71 yards to the end zone. A 26-yard TD run by Smith put UNH ahead 21-14 at the half and a 5-yard scoring pass from Brooks Bentley to Ty Carlos pushed the Wildcats’ advantage to 14 midway through the third quarter. Stonehill twice cut the gap to seven, but Smith answered with TD runs of 34 and three yards, with the second one making it 42-28 with 11:06 to play. Bentley finished 14-of-22 passing for 195 yards and a TD. Barry made a team-high 15 tackles and Jackson Stone chipped in with 14.
North Carolina Central 30, North Carolina A&T 22
Box Score
A valiant North Carolina A&T comeback attempt came up three yards short as the Aggies (0-3) fell 30-22 at rival North Carolina Central. A&T quarterback Kevin White had a big afternoon, throwing for 259 yards and three touchdowns and running for 42 yards.
Trailing 16-0 in the second quarter, the Aggies trimmed the deficit as White connected with Elijah Kennedy on a 51-yard TD pass. After a long NCCU TD run, A&T responded with a 2-yard TD toss to Kennedy that made it 23-14 at the half. The Eagles added another score following a lengthy third-quarter weather delay, but the Aggies closed within eight on a 6-yard TD toss from White to Anthony Rucker. A&T’s defense was able to get a stop and they drove to the NCCU 3-yard line in the game’s final seconds, but were unable to punch it in. Kennedy finished with a career-high 112 receiving yards on seven catches. Mykell Harvey recorded eight tackles and 1.5 TFL’s for A&T defensively and Steven Davis II also had eight stops.
Ball State 41, Stony Brook 17
Box Score
Jeremiah Coney rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns but Stony Brook (1-2) dropped a 41-17 decision at Ball State.
The Cardinals went up 21-0 before the Seawolves got on the board late in the second quarter on a 45-yard Michael Mannino field goal. Down 27-3 in the fourth quarter, Coney reached the end zone on a 3-yard run to cap a 75-yard drive. Less than a minute later, Coney broke loose on a 66-yard TD burst that brought SBU within 34-17. Quinn Boyd passed for 147 yards, with Seth Sweitzer making seven receptions for 50 yards. Defensively, Jojo Garcia tallied 13 tackles, 2.0 TFL’s, a sack and an interception and Geno Calgaro also had 13 stops.
UMass 37, Sacred Heart 10
Box Score
UMass jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the game’s opening four minutes and went on to a 37-10 win over Sacred Heart (0-2). Pioneers’ quarterback Poochie Snyder completed 11-of-16 passes for 77 yards and picked up 24 yards rushing.
The Minutemen built a 23-0 halftime advantage and tacked on two more scores in the third quarter, including one on a pick six. SHU broke through late in the third quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Ryan Bocklet. In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers put together a 75-yard drive finished by a 1-yard Cole Snider TD run. Jason Palmieri made five catches for 46 yards, while Myles Hamilton had five tackles and a half-TFL to pace the defense.
Merrimack 23, Maine 14
Box Score
Despite a solid effort from its defense, Maine (1-2, 1-0 CAA) couldn’t overcome three turnovers and a blocked punt in a 23-14 setback to Merrimack.
The Black Bears took a 3-0 lead in the opening quarter on a 41-yard Samuel Tremblay field goal. However, Merrimack returned a blocked punt for a TD in the second quarter and then had a pick six in the third to go up 14-3. Maine trimmed the deficit to three on a 7-yard Rashawn Marshall TD run and a two-point conversion with 3:50 left in the third quarter. The Black Bears were still within one score, 21-14, after a 45-yard Tremblay field goal with 6:22 left, but a safety with 2:10 on the clock sealed the Merrimack win. Quarterback Eddie Buehler threw for 130 yards and ran for 24 for the Black Bears. Noah Carpenter made a team-best 10 tackles and Sam Oppenheimer had eight stops, a TFL and an interception for a Maine defense that forced three turnovers and held Merrimack to 290 yards.
Florida 52, Campbell 3
Box Score
Campbell (2-1) drove 63 yards for a field goal on its opening drive of the game at SEC member Florida but failed to score again in a 52-3 loss to the Gators.
Campbell quarterback Kamden Sixkiller connected on a pair of passes to Stevie Keener on the opening drive and got to the UF 7-yard line before settling for a 29-yard Alex Crabb field goal. The Gators went on top 10-3 later in the first quarter and then broke the game open with two punt returns for touchdowns in the second quarter. Sixkiller finished 16-of-30 passing for 127 yards, with Keener making two grabs for 57 yards. Kaleb Simpkins made a team-high seven tackles for the Camels.
Western Michigan 49, Monmouth 14
Box Score
Monmouth (1-2, 1-0 CAA) piled up 431 total yards and outgained FBS member Western Michigan but suffered a 49-14 setback to the Broncos.
WMU built a 21-0 halftime edge and pushed the margin to 28 before Monmouth put together a 75-yard drive capped by a 5-yard TD pass from Frankie Weaver to Tra Neal early in the third quarter. The Broncos responded with three more scores before the Hawks ended the game with a 75-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard TD run from Nazir Treadwell with 15 seconds remaining in the game. Weaver was 28-of-46 passing for 273 yards, with Neal making seven receptions for 106 yards. Ryan Russo and Jaeden Jones each made 10 tackles, with Russo adding a sack.
South Carolina 45, Towson 9
Box Score
Aaron Enterline made 10 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown, but Towson (0-3, 0-1) was beaten 45-9 at SEC member South Carolina.
A pair of big plays put Towson in a 17-0 hole, but the Tigers got a 41-yard field goal from Zaydaan Faridi just before halftime. After a USC TD and a weather delay in the third quarter, the Tigers responded with a 23-scoring pass from Andrew Indorf to Enterline to pull within 24-9. The Gamecocks tacked on a punt return and a long run for a TD down the stretch. Indorf finished 16-of-30 passing for 171 yards. Jaydyn Johnson tallied a team-best 12 tackles.