CAA Football Recap – Nov. 14

Bryant 31, Sacred Heart 23

Box Score

OJ Ross rushed for a season-high 138 yards and two touchdowns to power Bryant (7-4, 5-2 CAA) past Sacred Heart (4-6, 4-4 CAA), 31-23. The Bulldogs finished with 219 yards on the ground.

A Dean Hangey 1-yard scoring run helped Sacred Heart build a 10-3 lead in the second quarter, but Brennan Myer answered with a 7-yard TD run to knot the game at 10-10 at the half. Ross broke loose for a 36-yard TD run to offset a pair of Pios’ field goals from Ryan Bocklet, putting BU up 17-16 heading into the fourth period.  The Bulldogs were able to establish a 31-16 cushion with TD runs of 21 yards by Ross and five yards by Jordan Bennett. SHU made it a one-score game on a 1-yard pass from Poochie Snyder to Steven Dowdy, Jr. with 3:22 remaining, but the Bulldogs were able to kill the clock on their ensuing possession. Myer passed for 159 yards, with Shemar Fowles making four catches for 74 yards. Drake Lusk tallied 10 tackles for the Bulldogs’ defense. For SHU, Chuck Webb rushed for a career-high 146 yards, while Snyder threw for 178 yards and ran for 65. Daimon Jacbos recorded a team-best 10 stops.

UAlbany 37, Maine 3

Box Score

Kai Colon passed for 264 yards and two touchdowns and the UAlbany defense held Maine to just six first downs and 162 total yards as the Great Danes (7-4, 5-2 CAA) beat the Black Bears (1-9, 1-6 CAA), 37-3.

UAlbany scored touchdowns on its first three possessions to build a 21-0 advantage in the opening 17 minutes of the game. Colon (7 yards) and Aidan Semo (2 yards) had scoring runs before Colon found Tavahri Groves with an 8-yard pass. Leading 23-3 at the half, the Great Danes maintained control with a 1-yard TD run by Semo in the third quarter and 24-yard scoring catch by Luke McAuliffe in the fourth. Jordan Rae had five catches for 95 yards for UAlbany and Cole Sisson contributed eight tackles and a sack defensively. For Maine, Rashawn Marshall ran for 74 yards on 14 carries and Brayden Isaiah tallied 11 tackles and 2.0 TFL’s defensively.

Towson 19, Rhode Island 16 (ot)

Box Score

Jordan Davis reached the end zone of a 5-yard run to lift Towson (3-8, 3-4 CAA) past Rhode Island (5-6, 2-5 CAA), 19-16 in overtime. It was the Tigers’ third consecutive win and second straight overtime victory.

Rhode Island got off to a fast start as Alex McClelland hit Sean Byrd on a 61-yard TD pass on the third play of the game. Towson’s Max Young and URI’s Ty Groff traded 30-yard field goals before the Tigers got a 1-yard TD run from Tristen Kenan to tie the game at 10-10 late in the third quarter. Young added a 24-yard field goal, but Groff answered with a 35-yarder with 1:49 on the clock to force overtime. The Rams got a 28-yard Groff field goal on their possession in the extra session before Davis provided the game-winning run. Davis passed for 100 yards and rushed for 36, while Jaydyn Johnson made 11 tackles and a TFL defensively. For URI, McClelland ran for a team-high 137 yards and threw for 113. Case Mankins contributed 10 tackles, 4.0 TFL’s and 3.0 sacks for the Rams’ defense.

New Hampshire 20, Stony Brook 17

Box Score

Tommy McLeish lunged into the end zone from a yard out with 2:11 remaining to send New Hampshire (4-7, 3-4 CAA) to a 20-17 victory over Stony Brook (5-6, 3-4 CAA).

The two teams traded scores all afternoon. A 23-yard Michael Mannino field goal put SBU ahead early, but UNH responded with a 1-yard TD run by Denzel Gibson. The Seawolves took a 10-6 advantage into halftime when Quinn Boyd had an 8-yard scoring run late in the period. A 25-yard halfback pass from Myles Thomason to Ryan Ricketti early in the third quarter put the Wildcats back on top. However, SBU put together an 83-yard drive capped by a 4-yard Jameer Reeder TD run that gave SBU a 17-13 lead late in the third quarter. UNH went 70 yards in 14 plays capped by the McLeish TD to go ahead. The Seawolves drove deep into UNH territory in the final minute, but missed a field goal. Thomason had five receptions for 131 yards to go along with his TD toss, while Jackson Stone made 12 stops for the UNH defense. Boyd passed for 224 yards, with Seth Sweitzer making 13 catches for 147 yards. Reeder rushed for 121 yards and Geno Calgero had 13 tackles and a TFL.

North Carolina A&T 41, Hampton 14

Box Score

North Carolina A&T (5-6, 4-3 CAA) sprinted out to a 27-point halftime lead and topped rival Hampton (1-10, 0-7 CAA), 41-14. The Aggies’ defense held the Pirates to four first downs and 118 total yards.

A&T scored touchdowns on its first three drives, getting scoring runs from Shimique Blizzard (1 yard) and Jayden Williams (1 yard) followed by a 74-yard strike from Kevin White to Elijah Kennedy. A 57-yard punt return for a score by Kennedy pushed the advantage to 34-0 before Hampton got on the board in the fourth quarter on a Donovan Shepard 1-yard run. The Aggies added a 6-yard scoring run from J.T. Smith and the Pirates had a 9-yard TD catch by Sejhe Jackson. White threw for 188 yards, with Kennedy making five grabs for 156 yards. Blizzard ran for a season-best 131 yards and 2 TD’s and Donavan Frederick had a team-high nine tackles and a forced fumble. For Hampton, Tre’Von Taylor passed for 65 yards and a TD and Kobe Davis recorded a team-high nine stops.

Elon 28, Campbell 24

Box Score

Elon (6-5, 4-3 CAA) overcame a 17-point halftime deficit and knocked off No. 16 Campbell (8-3, 5-2 CAA), 28-24. Phoenix quarterback Brady Stober passed for a season-high 276 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 2-yard run with 2:21 remaining.

Campbell jumped out to a 7-0 first-quarter lead as Kamden Sixkiller hit Evan Austin with a 15-yard TD pass on fourth down. The Camels added a 27-yard Alex Crabb field goal and a 75-yard strike from Sixkiller to Jyron Waiters to go up 17-0 at the break. Elon turned the tables in the third quarter, with TD runs of 40 and three yards by Kamerin McDowell-Moore to pull within three. Stober then connected on a 54-yard TD throw to Kenaz McMillian to put the Phoenix ahead 21-17 early in the fourth quarter. Campbell answered with a 65-yard drive capped by a 3-yard TD grab by Waiters with 6:53 remaining, but Stober guided Elon on the winning drive on the ensuing possession. McDowell-Moore ran for 117 yards and 2 TD’s, topping the century mark for the seventh straight game, while Jevean Brown tallied 10 tackles. For Campbell, Sixkiller passed for 429 yards and three touchdowns, with Waiters making seven receptions for 176 yards.

Merrimack 29, Monmouth 28

Box Score

Frankie Weaver passed for 361 yards and four touchdowns, but Merrimack kicked a 39-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to defeat the Hawks (8-3, 7-0 CAA), 29-28, ending a seven-game winning streak. Despite the setback, Monmouth captured its first CAA championship.

After falling behind 6-0 in the first quarter, Weaver threw TD passes to Tra Neal (19 yards) and Elijah Jennings (23 yards) to take the lead. Another 16-yard scoring grab by Neal put Monmouth ahead 21-12 at the half. After Merrimack closed within two, Weaver connected on a 32-yard scoring pass to Gavin Nelson to make it 28-19 with 10:29 remaining. However, MC got a long TD pass and then took advantage of a late interception to set up the game-winning field goal. Neal finished with 10 receptions for 139 yards and 2 TD’s. Jaeden Jones had eight tackles, 2.0 TFL’s and a sack.