Coastal Athletic Association (CAA Sports)

SIX CAA FOOTBALL SQUADS RANK AMONG THE NATION?S TOP 25

9/3/2008 4:00:00 AM

RICHMOND, Va. (September 3, 2008) -- CAA Football has a total of six squads among both the Sports Network Top-25 and FCS Coaches’ Poll, released earlier this week.  Also making national news is Richmond’s Eric Ward, who picked up the first National Player of the Week honor for CAA Football.

Ward, who earned CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week honors, helped the then-ranked No. 4 Spiders to a 28-10 win on the road over then-No. 15 Elon.  Ward garnered a career-high 236 yards passing, going 17-for-22 with two touchdowns and no interceptions.  Ward opened the contest with an 80-yard scoring strike to sophomore Kevin Grayson, a play which ranked as the sixth-longest pass play in school history.  The Atlanta, Ga., native completed two passes of 80 and 38 yards on the night, both of which were longer than any completions from Richmond’s 2007 season.  The junior signal-caller also ran the ball 14 times for 59 yards in Richmond’s first win under first-year head coach Mike London.

CAA Football athletes garnered national Player of the Week recognition in nine of the 12 weeks in 2007, and boasted a total of 15 national winners.  CAA Football’s total last season trailed only the Southern Conference’s 16 National Player of the Week honorees. 

CAA Football squads recorded three wins over FCS foes last weekend, making the league undefeated after one week of non-conference FCS play.  Maine, Massachusetts, James Madison, Rhode Island and Towson all have the chance of helping extend the undefeated streak this weekend.

The two national polls, released earlier this week, include six of CAA Football’s 12 member programs.  The league’s six ranked squads in the Sports Network’s Top-25 mark the first time since 2005 the league has had as many teams ranked following the first week of the season.  Only the Missouri Valley equals the number of CAA Football teams (6) in the poll, but CAA Football’s four among the Top-10 is two more than both the Valley (2) and Big Sky (2) can boast.  CAA Football teams among the 2008 Sports Network rankings continue a weekly string of at least three league squads ranked among the Top 25 since the poll’s inception.  CAA Football also extends its string of at least two teams in the Sports Network Top-10 to 42-straight weeks.  The league can now boast having at least two teams in the Sports Network Top-10 in 68 of the last 72 weeks.  The last time CAA Football placed six among the Top-25 in consecutive weeks was between Weeks 10-11 of 2007.  CAA Football squads among this week’s poll include Richmond (No. 3), Massachusetts (No. 4), Delaware (No. 6), James Madison (No. 8), New Hampshire (No. 15) and Villanova (No. 23).  Hofstra also logged one vote is listed as one of several teams just outside the Top-25.

Since the FCS Coaches Poll debuted prior to last season, CAA Football has had at least four squads ranked every week (16 weeks).  The league’s total of six in this week’s poll mark the second consecutive edition with as many CAA Football squads listed, and the ninth week overall.  CAA Football’s four teams among the poll’s Top-10 marks the third-straight week, and the fourth week overall, the league has had four among the Top-10.  This week’s CAA Football squads among the FCS Coaches’ Top-25 include Richmond (No. 3), Massachusetts (No. 4), Delaware (No. 7), James Madison (No. 8), New Hampshire (No. 15) and Villanova (No. 20).  Hofstra and Maine both earned votes in this week’s poll and are listed just outside the Top-25.

Below is a comparison showing both National Polls released Sept. 1.