CAA Football Recap - Oct. 29
10/29/2022 7:37:27 PM
Rob Washburn
William & Mary edged Rhode Island in a Top 25 matchup and Elon knocked off No. 12 Delaware to highlight another big Saturday of CAA Football. Richmond and Villanova picked up double-digit victories, while Towson and UAlbany used strong offensive performances to earn their first conference wins.
No. 10 William & Mary 31, No. 18 Rhode Island 30
Box Score
Isaiah Jones stopped a two-point conversion attempt with no time left as No. 10 William & Mary (7-1, 4-1 CAA) edged No. 18 Rhode Island (5-3, 3-2 CAA), 31-30.
Rhode Island went up 14-0 early in the second quarter after a Kasim Hill 1-yard run and an 8-yard TD pass from Hill to Kahtero Summers. The Tribe pulled even on second-quarter scoring runs by Bronson Yoder (7 yards) and Donavyn Lester (14 yards), and took a 21-14 advantage early in the third period on Malachi Imoh’s 10-yard gallop. The Rams tied it back up heading into the fourth quarter following a 1-yard Marques DeShields run. W&M moved on top 31-21 after Lester’s 5-yard TD run with 8:51 to go, but URI fought back. Trailing by seven and pinned on its own 1-yard line with 2:56 on the clock, the Rams put together a 99-yard drive and scored on the game’s final play as Hill hit Caleb Warren with a 7-yard TD pass. URI went for the win, but Hill was stopped in the backfield for a loss by Jones.
Yoder finished with 113 yards and Imoh added 93 for a Tribe rushing attack that piled up 314 yards. John Pius had seven tackles and four QB hurries defensively. For URI, Hill passed for 283 yards and 2 TD’s, while DeShields rushed for 132 yards and a TD on 18 carries. Henry Yianakopolos tallied nine tackles, 2.0 TFL’s and an interception for the Rams.
Elon 27, No. 12 Delaware 7
Box Score
Quarterback Matthew McKay threw three touchdown passes and Elon’s defense pitched a shutout over the final 55 minutes as the Phoenix (6-3, 4-2 CAA) defeated No. 12 Delaware (6-2, 3-2 CAA), 27-7.
The Blue Hens drove 75 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive of the game as Nolan Henderson connected on a 12-yard scoring pass to Braden Brose. A 19-yard TD pass from McKay to Chandler Brayboy put Elon ahead 10-7 at halftime, and the Phoenix pulled away in the third quarter as McKay had scoring tosses to Bryson Daughtry (11 yards) and Malik Griffin (6 yards). Skyler Davis added a school-record 53-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, which made him the all-time leading scorer in Phoenix history.
McKay finished with 143 yards through the air and Jalen Hampton rushed for 136 yards on 32 carries. Omar Rogers had six tackles, a sack and an interception for an Elon defense that held UD to 19 yards rushing, recorded four sacks and picked off a pair of passes. Henderson passed for 202 yards and a TD, with Jourdan Townsend making seven catches for 71 yards. Linebacker Johnny Buchanan tallied a team-high 16 tackles.
No. 17 Richmond 31, Maine 21
Box Score
Reece Udinski passed for 368 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for two scores, as No. 17 Richmond (6-2, 4-1 CAA) held off Maine (2-6, 2-3 CAA), 31-21.
Richmond sprinted out to a 21-0 first-quarter advantage after scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions. Udinski got the Spiders on the board with a 2-yard TD run and then hit Jakob Herres with a 63-yard scoring pass to make it 14-0. The Spiders followed with an 80-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard Udinski run. Trailing 28-7 entering the fourth quarter, Maine battled back. Montigo Moss made a one-handed 9-yard TD reception and Zavier Scott broke loose for a 41-yard run that pulled the Black Bears within 28-21 with 8:25 to play. However, Richmond was able to put together a four-minute drive, capped by a 22-yard Andrew Lopez field goal that provided a cushion.
Herres finished with eight catches for 174 yards and Leroy Henley added six receptions for 119 yards and a TD. The Spiders’ defense was led by Tristan Wheeler with 13 tackles and Philip O’Connor with 10 stops and two sacks. For Maine, quarterback Joe Fagnano was 22-of-41 passing for 208 yards and 2 TD’s.
Towson 52, Monmouth 48
Box Score
Towson (3-5, 1-4 CAA) scored on nine of its first 10 drives and put up its most points since 2019 to earn a 52-48 road victory at Monmouth (4-5, 2-4 CAA).
The Tigers took an early 12-7 lead as quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome hit Da’Kendall James with a 61-yard TD pass and then found the end zone on a 15-yard run. A 75-yard scoring gallop from Monmouth running back Jaden Shirden put the Hawks ahead, but Towson responded with TD runs from Joachim Bangda and offensive lineman Cole Cheripko that made it 25-14. The Hawks got two more scoring runs of 24 and 22 yards from Shirden to pull within 35-26 entering the fourth quarter. Monmouth cut the deficit to 42-34 on an 11-yard pass from Enzo Arjona to Dymere Miller with 8:28 left, but Towson’s D’Ago Hunter answered by returning the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. Monmouth closed back within seven on an Owen Wright run with 3:47 to play, but Keegan Vaughan’s 32-yard field goal with 1:21 remaining put Towson up by two scores.
Pigrome was 20-of-25 passing for 216 yards and Towson got 112 yards and a TD rushing from Devin Matthews. For Monmouth, Arjona was 18-of-25 passing for 213 yards and 3 TD’s while taking over for injured starter Tony Muskett. Shirden topped the 200-yard mark for the third time this season with 211 yards and 3 TD’s on 19 carries.
Villanova 24, Hampton 10
Box Score
Villanova (5-3, 3-2 CAA) quarterback Connor Watkins contributed 291 yards of total offense and three touchdowns and the Wildcats added a strong defensive performance to get past Hampton (4-4, 1-4 CAA), 24-10.
Watkins, whose career-high 131 rushing yards were the most by a VU quarterback since 2015, escaped on a 75-yard TD run on the second play of the game to put the Wildcats on top. After the teams traded field goals in the second quarter, Villanova went ahead 17-3 midway through the third quarter on an 11-yard pass from Watkins to Jaaron Hayek. Hampton trimmed the deficit to four late in third quarter on a 23-yard TD pass from Malcolm Mays to Trent Cloud. However, Watkins made another big play with his legs, breaking loose for a 30-yard TD run with 10:42 remaining for the final margin.
Watkins threw for 161 yards, with Hayek making five grabs for 97 yards. Ty Trinh had seven tackles for a VU defense that held Hampton to 163 total yards. For Hampton, Mays was 14-of-24 passing for 137 yards and a TD. Ali Shockley recorded a game-high 14 tackles with a TFL to pace the Pirates’ defense.
UAlbany 59, Stony Brook 14
Box Score
Freshman Reese Poffenbarger threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Julian Hicks, as UAlbany (2-6, 1-4 CAA) rolled over rival Stony Brook (1-7, 1-5 CAA), 59-14, in the Battle for the Golden Apple.
The Great Danes were in control throughout, building a 59-0 advantage after three quarters. Poffenbarger opened and closed the first half with scoring tosses of 25 and 5 yards to Hicks, and the duo opened the second half by connecting on a 15-yard strike that made it 45-0. UAlbany, which finished the game with 405 yards of offense, also got six receptions for 84 yards and a TD from Jackson Parker. The Great Danes’ defense picked off four passes, including a 51-yard pick six by Anthony Lang in the first quarter, and held SBU to 234 total yards.
Stony Brook scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns as Daron Bryden threw a 14-yard pass to Delante Hellams, Jr. and Makhai Jinks added a 1-yard run.
