CAA FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE - SEPT. 28
CAA Football Players of the Week -- Sept. 29
CAA Football announced its Player of the Week honorees, Monday, Sept. 29. Four individuals earned honors following their performances on the field Saturday, including Villanova’s Aaron Ball, Northeastern’s Nate Thellen, Villanova’s Joe Marcoux and Maine’s Jared Turcotte.
Ball, the CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week, helped the 19th-ranked Wildcats upend top-ranked Richmond, 26-20, Saturday. The Los Angeles, Calif, native carried the ball 18 times for 123 yards in what was Villanova’s first-ever win over a No. 1 ranked team. The 100-yard feat was the first-ever for Ball, and came against a Richmond defense which was allowing just 53 rushing yards-per-game coming in. Ball had two touchdown carries, including a career-long of 63 yards to paydirt. His two touchdowns in the win also mark a career-best single-game total. This is Ball’s first-ever weekly CAA Football honor.
Thellen grabbed CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week honors after leading Northeastern to a 27-10 win over UC Davis in the Huskies’ home-opener Saturday. The Brockton, Mass., native hauled in an astounding mark of three interceptions during the win. The sophomore also returned one pick 92 yards for a touchdown. Thellen’s three interceptions rank as the second-best total in school history, while his return for a touchdown is the first for Northeastern since 2002. The Brockton High School alum also made five total tackles in the win, helping him to earn his first CAA Football weekly honor.
Marcoux, the CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week, accounted for more than half of No. 19 Villanova’s 26 points in its win over No. 1 Richmond Saturday. The Campbell Hall, N.Y., native finished the game 4-for-4 in field goal attempts and connected on both of his PAT tries. Marcoux, who already earned CAA Football Special Teams honors Sept. 15, recorded field goals of 21, 25, 29 and a career-long of 48 in the win. The 48-yarder also ranks as the sixth-longest field goal in Villanova history.
Turcotte earned CAA Football Rookie of the Week honors after garnering a team-high 82 rushing yards on 11 carries in the Black Bears’ 24-10 loss to No. 2 James Madison. The Lewiston, Maine, native who was playing in place of an injured Jhamal Fluellen, averaged 7.5 yards a carry against a defense which was limiting opponents to just 3.9 yards per attempt.
CAA Football Launches Another Landmark TV Package
CAA Football will feature an even larger television package than the league debuted at the beginning of its Inaugural Season.
CAA Football Commissioner Tom Yeager announced a 41-game television schedule as part of the league’s Media Day Celebration at the ESPNZone in Baltimore, Md. The schedule, the largest conference television package among the nation’s Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), is highlighted by a conference-only package of 21 games on Comcast regional television networks CN8, The Comcast Network and Comcast SportsNet.
The 21-game conference-only package covered by the Comcast networks features the most competitive games airing on regional networks spanning the East Coast. CN8 will air 12 match-ups throughout its Maine to Virginia footprint. Comcast SportsNet networks including Comcast SportsNet New England and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will cover an additional nine games throughout the 13-week season, with additional distribution possible on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, CSS and SNY, schedule permitting.
The remaining 20 games on the 2008 CAA Football Television package will include two non-conference games on CN8, one on Comcast SportsNet, seven broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks and a single game on both the Big Ten Network and NESN. WABI-TV in Maine will provide coverage for five of the Black Bears’ six home games this season. Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) has plans to broadcast one contest, Towson will play a non-conference match-up on CSTV and WMUR-TV in New Hampshire will provide coverage of New Hampshire’s contest at Dartmouth.
Television listings for every game are listed throughout this release.
CAA Football In The Polls
For a complete rundown of both the Sports Network Top-25 and the FCS Coaches Poll visit page 18 of the weekly release. Below are highlights and notes about CAA Football in this week’s rankings.
The Sports Network Top-25
No. 1 James Madison carries on what is now a two-week span CAA Football has owned the top-spot in the poll. The Dukes’ No. 1 ranking also marks the first time since Sept. 5, 2005 it has been at the top of The Sports Network Top-25.
Last week (Sept. 22) both Richmond (No. 1) and James Madison (No. 2) became the first duo from a single-league to hold the Top-2 spots in The Sports Network Poll since 1991. It also marked the first time in the league’s 62-year history (Atlantic 10 and Yankiee Conference) it has ever held the Top-2 spots in any National Top-25.
JMU’s top-ranking is the second-straight week a CAA Football team has been at No. 1 -- The last time a CAA Football school was ranked No. 1 in consecutive weeks was in 2006 -- New Hampshire held on to No. 1 from Sept. 11-Oct. 9 that season.
CAA Football’s six ranked squads in the Sports Network’s Top-25 mark the second-straight season the league has had six teams ranked following the fifth week of the season.
CAA Football’s six teams in the poll is more than any other conference can boast, as both the Missouri Valley and SoCon show only five in this week’s poll.
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 46-straight weeks. The league can now boast having at least two teams in the Sports Network Top-10 in 72 of the last 76 weeks. The last time CAA Football placed at least six among the Top-25 in six consecutive weeks was between Sept. 24-Oct. 29, 2007 which included Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Richmond and Villanova.
FCS Coaches Top-25
James Madison’s No. 1 ranking in this week’s poll marks the first time CAA Football has owned the top spot in the FCS Coaches’ Poll in consecutive weeks.
Last week (Sept. 22), James Madison (No. 1) and Richmond (No. 2) held the Top-2 spots in the poll, marking another first-ever for CAA Football in the FCS Coaches’ Poll. Since the poll debuted in 2007 no league has held the Top-2 spots in the same week.
James Madison’s No. 1 ranking in last week’s poll also marked a first for CAA Football, as no team from the league had ever been ranked No. 1 by the Coaches since the poll’s debut in 2007.
Since the FCS Coaches Poll debut, CAA Football has had at least four squads ranked every week (19 weeks). The league’s total of six in this week’s poll mark the sixth-consecutive edition with as many CAA Football squads listed, and the 13th week overall.
CAA Football’s five teams among the poll’s Top-15 mark the fifth-straight week the league has had at least five squads among the Top-15 -- something only accomplished by CAA Football. The league has had four-or-more teams among the Coaches’ Top-15 each of the last 18 weeks of the Top-25 -- the poll has been released a total of 19 weeks dating back to the Preseason 2007 edition.
CAA Football -- The SEC of FCS
CAA Football is widely regarded as the toughest conference, top-to-bottom, in the landscape of FCS football. One can point to the SEC as a viable comparison for CAA Football on the FBS/BCS level.
In the Sept. 28 edition of the Associated Press Top-25, the SEC put a total of six teams in the poll, five of which were in the Top-15 -- No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 LSU, No. 11 Georgia, No. 12 Florida and No. 13 Auburn. In the Sept. 29 edition of the Sports Network poll, CAA Football also placed six in the Top-25, five of which were among the Top-16 -- No. 1 James Madison, No. 5 New Hampshire, No. 6 Richmond, No. 14 Villanova and No. 16 Delaware (the Blue Hens were 108 points out of No. 15 after Furman received a first-place vote, even though the Paladins are ranked No. 15.)
In this week’s (Sept. 28) USA Today Coaches’ poll the SEC has six teams ranked and five among the Top-15 including No. 2 LSU, No. 4 Alabama, No. 10 Georgia, No. 13 Florida and No. 14 Auburn. In this week’s FCS Coaches’ Poll CAA Football also has six teams ranked and five among the Top-15 including No. 1 James Madison, No. 5 New Hampshire, No. 7 Richmond, No. 12 Massachusetts and No. 14 Delaware.
Non-conference winning percentages for CAA Football and the SEC are almost identical. CAA Football is 19-5 (.792) against non-conference FCS opponents, while the rest of the country’s FCS squads are a combined 78-91 (.462) against non-conference FCS foes. The SEC is 18-5 (.783) against non-conference FBS opponents, while the rest of the country’s FBS teams are a combined 139-152 (.478) against non-conference FBS foes.
Comments from coaches on the toughness in both leagues also mirror each other:
Mississippi State’s Sylvester Croom -- “If you are going to compete in this conference, you’ve got to prepare well and you’ve got to play well every week. Anybody in this conference can beat anybody at any given time.”
Richmond’s Mike London -- “(CAA Football) is a tough conference. In this conference you have to be on point each game. If you are deficient in any area, whether it be offense, defense or special teams then you are going to have issues. It is the toughest FCS conference in the country ... there are good coaches, good players and good schemes. It all boils down to executing and on any given Saturday you better be ready to play.”
UMass’ Coen, Towson’s Schaefer Among 2008’s Best Signal Callers
Massachusetts’ Liam Coen and Towson’s Sean Schaefer enter this weekend at the top of the NCAA career records among ACTIVE FCS QUARTERBACKS.
Both make up the Top-2 in four major passing categories. Below is a breakdown of where each ranks in those four statistical groups:
Pass Attempts
1. Sean Schaefer, Towson - 1,333
2. Liam Coen, Massachusetts - 1,084
3. Ryan Alexander, Davidson - 1,069
Pass Completions
1. Sean Schaefer, Towson - 849
2. Liam Coen, Massachusetts - 698
3. Ryan Alexander, Davidson - 596
Passing Yards
1. Sean Schaefer, Towson - 9,480
2. Liam Coen, Massachusetts - 9,253
3. Ryan Alexander, Davidson - 7,506
Passing Touchdowns
1. Liam Coen, Massachusetts - 75
2. Sean Schaefer, Towson - 60
3. Nathan Brown, Central Arkansas - 58
Nova’s Marcoux and Northeastern’s Thellen Garner More CAA Football National Honors In Week Five
Villanova’s Joe Marcoux garnered recognition as The Sports Network Special Teams Player of the Week and was named a National Special Teams All-Star by College Sporting News. Northeastern’s Nate Thellen garnered defensive All-Star recognition from the College Sporting News. Both players, earlier Monday, earned weekly recognition as conference players of the week. The Sports Network and College Sporting News, both publications which devote major coverage to the FCS level of college football, will select National Player of the Week honorees following each week of competition during the 2008 regular season.
After just five weeks of play CAA Football has already garnered recognition nine times (at least one honor in each of the five weeks) -- a total that is five more than any other FCS conference has won.
CAA Football athletes were honored nine of the 12 weeks in 2007, and boasted a total of 15 national winners. CAA Football’s total trailed only the Southern Conference’s 16 National Player of the Week honorees last season.
Check out page 16 of the weekly release for a complete rundown of CAA Football’s National Players of the Week.
Turn Me Over
Both Hofstra (No. 2) and Richmond (No. 18) rank among the Top-20 in the country in turnover margin after five weeks of play.
The Pride has forced a total of 12 turnovers while committing only four, for a margin of +8 (2.00/game). The Spiders, who rank second in the country with a total of 10 team interceptions -- only one behind Morgan State’s total of 11, have also forced 12 turnovers while committing just six, for a margin of +6 (1.20/game).
For a league-wide rundown on turnover margin visit page 36 of the weekly release.
Payton/Buchanan Watch
The Sports Network released its 2008 Preseason Watch lists for both the Walter Payton and Buck Buchanan awards. CAA Football had two on the Payton Watch List -- UMass’ Liam Coen and James Madison’s Rodney Landers -- and one on the Buck Buchanan Watch List -- Maine’s Jovan Belcher. The Walter Payton Award is given to the most outstanding offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision, while the Buck Buchanan Award is awarded to the most outstanding defensive player in FCS.
Several other league players may be added to the watch lists over the course of the season -- below are some of those names (including their to-date stats) along with those already on the lists.
Walter Payton Award
-- Liam Coen, QB (Massachusetts) - 74-115-2-971 pass yds, 64.3%, 9 TD, 242.8 pass yds/game, (-10)-971-961 total yds, 240.2 total yds/game
-- Rodney Landers, QB (James Madison) - 35-58-3-504 pass yds, 60.3%, 3 TD, 100.8 pass yds/game, 92-602 rush yds, 7 TD, 120.4 rush yds/game, 602-504-1106 total yds, 221.2 total yds/game
-- Kevin Grayson, WR (Richmond) - 27-374 rec. yds, 1 TD, 74.8 rec. yds/game
-- Eugene Holloman, RB (James Madison) - 50-310 rush yds, 2 TD, 77.5 rush yds/game
-- Sean Schaefer, QB (Towson) - 108-171-7-1122 pass yds, 63.2%, 9 TD, 224.4 pass yds/game, (-15)-1122-1107 total yds, 221.4 total yds/game
Buck Buchanan Award
-- Jovan Belcher, DL (Maine) - 5 G, 17 solo, 28 assisted, 45 total, 6.0-21 TFL, 2.0-7 sacks, 1 FR, 1 PBU
-- Tim Kukucka, DL (Villanova) - 4 G, 5 solo, 8 assisted, 13 total, 4.0-11 TFL, 2.0-5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 PBU
-- Sherman Logan, DL (Richmond) - 5 G, 6 solo, 13 assisted, 19 total, 4.5-32 TFL, 2.0-24 sacks, 1 FF, 1 PBU
-- Matt Marcorelle, DL (Delaware) - 3 G, 4 solo, 3 assisted, 7 total, 2.0-6 TFL, 0.5-4 sacks, 2 PBU, 1 BLK
-- Greg Miller, DL (Villanova) - 4 G, 18 solo, 9 assisted, 27 total, 8.5-37 TFL, 3.5-27 sacks, 2 FF
-- Lawrence Sidbury, DL (Richmond) - 5 G, 10 solo, 7 assisted, 17 total, 5.5-18 TFL, 2.0-12 sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF, 2 PBU
-- Sean Smalls, DB (Massachusetts) - 4 G, 8 solo, 4 assisted, 12 total, 2 PBU
CAA Football Partners With Circuit City
One of the nation’s largest consumer electronic retailers has teamed up with CAA Football to promote the nation’s best FCS Conference.
CAA Football, and some of its member schools, have given Circuit City the right to use past-player images in its weekly advertisements, in-store television ads, online promotions and nationally-aired television commercials over the course of the 2008 season.
Checkout all of the promotions which include CAA Football images online at circuitcity.com.
CAA Football In The NFL
As of Sept. 30 a total of 31 CAA Football alumni and one head coach were listed among NFL franchises player personnel (athletes who exhausted their NCAA eligibility in CAA Football). Below is a list of CAA Football alums, the teams they are part of and each players’ statistics and results from the most recent week of NFL contests.
**The list includes head coaches, active rosters, practice squads, suspended players and injured reserve/physically unable to perform.
Player - Alma Mater - NFL Franchise - Roster Status
- Mike Adams - Delaware - Cleveland Browns - Active Roster
-- 2 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection, 1 fumble recovery vs CIN (W 20-12) --
- Stephen Bowen - Hofstra - Dallas Cowboys - Active Roster
-- 2 tackles vs WAS (L 24-26) --
- Jermon Bushrod - Towson - New Orleans Saints - Active Roster
-- not active vs SF (W 31-17) --
- Willie Colon - Hofstra - Pittsburgh Steelers - Active Roster
-- started on Offensive Line vs BAL (W 23-20) --
- Marques Colston - Hofstra - New Orleans Saints - Active Roster
-- not active vs SF (W 31-17) --
- Mike DeVito - Maine - New York Jets - Active Roster
-- 1 tackle vs ARI (W 56-35) --
- Brian Finneran - Villanova - Atlanta Falcons - Active Roster
-- 2-10 receiving yards vs CAR (L 9-24) --
- Joe Flacco - Delaware - Baltimore Ravens - Active Roster
-- 16-of-31 for 192 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 2-(-1) rushing yards vs PIT (L 20-23) --
- Corey Graham - New Hampshire - Chicago Bears - Active Roster
-- 3 tackles vs PHI (W 24-20) --
- Tim Hightower - Richmond - Arizona Cardinals - Active Roster
-- 6-13 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1-5 receiving yards vs NYJ (L 35-56) --
- Akeem Jordan - James Madison - Philadelphia Eagles - Active Roster
-- 1 tackle vs CHI (L 20-24) --
- Dan Kreider - New Hampshire - St. Louis Rams - Active Roster
-- saw action vs BUF (L 14-31) --
- Mike Leach - William and Mary - Denver Broncos - Active Roster
-- saw action vs KC (L 19-33) --
- Paris Lenon - Richmond - Detroit Lions - Active Roster
-- BYE WEEK --
- Brandon London - Massachusetts - Miami Dolphins - Active Roster
-- BYE WEEK --
- Montell Owens - Maine - Jacksonville Jaguars - Active Roster
-- 1-41 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 tackle vs HOU (W 30-27) --
- Ben Patrick - Delaware - Arizona Cardinals - Active Roster
-- 1-11 receiving yards vs NYJ (L 35-56) --
- Darren Sharper - William and Mary - Minnesota Vikings - Active Roster
-- 7 tackles, 1 pass deflection vs TEN (L 17-30) --
- Mike Tomlin - William and Mary - Pittsburgh Steelers - Head Coach
-- 23-20 winners over BAL --
- Raymond Ventrone - Villanova - New England Patriots - Active Roster
-- BYE WEEK --
- Brian Westbrook - Villanova - Philadelphia Eagles - Active Roster
-- not active vs CHI (L 20-24) --
- Kyle Arrington - Hofstra - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Practice Squad
- Stephen Cooper - Maine - San Diego Chargers - Reserve Suspended
- Anthony Cotrone - Maine - Jacksonville Jaguars - Injured Reserve
- Christian Gaddis - Villanova - Cleveland Browns - Practice Squad
- Ryan Gibbons - Northeastern - Dallas Cowboys - Practice Squad
- James Ihedigbo - Massachusetts - New York Jets - Practice Squad
- Shemiah LeGrande - Hofstra - Detroit Lions - Injured Reserve
- Brandon McGowan - Maine - Chicago Bears - Injured Reserve
- Matt Mulligan - Maine - Miami Dolphins - Practice Squad
- Matt Sherry - Villanova - Cincinnati Bengals - Injured Reserve
- Arman Shields - Richmond - Oakland Raiders - Injured Reserve
#16/14 DELAWARE (2-2, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: at #18/12 Massachusetts (2-2, 0-1)
Next Week: hosts Maine (2-3, 0-2)
-- John Higginson, who was pressed into starting duty just before the game when Matt Marcorelle could not go due to a hamstring injury, spearheaded a Blue Hen defense which allowed just 150 total yards and nine first downs to Albany last week. Higginson posted a season-high six tackles, had a sack for nine yards and blocked a field goal attempt.
-- Albany managed just 22 yards on 17 second half plays and had no play longer than seven yards against Delaware in the second half of last weekend’s game. Albany had (-2) yards in the third quarter alone.
-- Robby Schoenhoft completed 10-of-16 passes for 166 yards and a 20-yard scoring toss to sophomore Martwain Johnston against the Great Danes. Tyrone Grant broke a 7-7 tie with a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the second quarter of last Saturday’s game.
HOFSTRA (2-2, 1-0 CAA)
This Week: at #1/1 James Madison (4-1, 2-0)
Next Week: at Bucknell (2-1)
-- The Pride defense forced four turnovers (2 fumbles, 2 INTs) against Stony Brook, resulting in 26 Hofstra points. The Pride defense held Stony Brook to just 211 yards -- 93 below its season average.
-- Redshirt freshman walk-on Roger Williams made his third consecutive field goal try against Stony Brook and is now 4-of-6 in PAT attempts this season. Williams’ 21-yard field goal in the first quarter gave the Pride a 10-0 lead.
-- Saturday’s game will be the first time the Pride has faced a No. 1-ranked team since August 29, 2001 when Hofstra fell to No. 1 Montana, 21-0 on Long Island. Hofstra is 2-5-0 against JMU and has dropped the last four meetings.
-- Cory Christopher led the Pride’s 316-yard offensive effort against Stony Brook by accumulating 209 yards in total offense. He completed 15-of-24 passes for 161 yards against the Seawolves.
#1/1 JAMES MADISON (4-1, 2-0 CAA)
This Week: hosts Hofstra (2-2, 1-0)
Next Week: at #6/7 Richmond (3-2, 2-1)
-- Rodney Landers ran 27 times for 156 yards and a TD and completed 7-of-13 passes for 108 yards Saturday at Maine. The game marked Landers’ third-straight 100-yard rushing game and the 10th of his career. He raised his career rushing yards total to 2,309, within 13 yards of Eriq Williams’ JMU quarterback record of 2,322 (1989-92).
-- Mickey Matthews set JMU’s career coaching wins record with the victory at Maine. His JMU and career mark of 68-45 passed Challace McMillin’s mark. McMillin, who traveled with the team to Maine and was the first-ever head coach at JMU, had a record 67-56-1 from 1972-84.
-- Senior free safety Marcus Haywood had two interceptions in the game at Maine marking the second time this season he’s had two in a single-game. Senior cornerback Evan McCollough also had one interception against the Black Bears.
-- Each of James Madison’s three remaining home games is sold out.
MAINE (2-3, 0-2 CAA)
This Week: Bye Week
Next Week: at #16/14 Delaware (2-2, 0-0)
-- Redshirt freshman Jared Turcotte earned CAA Football Rookie of the Week honors Sept. 29 after garnering a team-high 82 rushing yards on 11 carries in the Black Bears’ 24-10 loss to James Madison. The Lewiston, Maine, native who was playing in place of an injured Jhamal Fluellen, averaged 7.5 yards a carry against a defense which was limiting opponents to just 3.9 yards per attempt.
-- The Black Bears tied the score at 10-10 early in the fourth quarter against Madison on a Derek Session 35-yard touchdown run -- the first of the redshirt freshman’s career. Session rushed for 42 yards on only four carries in the game.
-- Senior defensive end Jovan Belcher recorded a game-high 13 tackles, including 1.5 for loss for minus-seven yards against the Dukes Saturday.
#18/12 MASSACHUSETTS (2-2, 0-1 CAA)
This Week: hosts #16/14 Delaware (2-2, 0-0)
Next Week: at Northeastern (1-3, 0-0)
-- The crowd of 53,190 UMass played in front of last Saturday at Texas Tech marked the largest crowd in UMass school history in any sport. The former record was 51,221 when the Minutemen football squad lost at NC State in 2002.
-- Brian Ellis scored his first-career TD on a fumble return of 53 yards in the first quarter at Texas Tech. That score was the first first-quarter of the season, opponents had outscored UMass 44-0 to that point. It was UMass’ first fumble recovery this season.
-- Courtney Robinson had 44 kickoff return yards against the Red Raiders to move into fourth place on UMass’ career kickoff return yards list with 1,130. He passed Adrian Zullo (1,123).
-- Josh Jennings had double-figures in tackles for the fourth time in his career with 11 against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
#5/5 NEW HAMPSHIRE (4-0, 1-0 CAA)
This Week: Bye Week
Next Week: hosts William and Mary (2-1, 0-0)
-- New Hampshire improved to 4-0 for the first time since the Wildcats opened up 5-0 in 2006.
-- New Hampshire’s defense held Dartmouth scoreless in the first half and only allowed the Big Green 92 yards of offense over the first 30 minutes of the game. For the contest, UNH’s defense gave up just six points and 238 total offensive yards.
-- The New Hampshire offense had 310 yards and 28 points in the first half and finished the game with 42 points and 525 yards of total offense against Dartmouth. The 500-yard offensive output marks the second time this season the Wildcats have racked up at least 500 yards of total offense.
-- As a team New Hampshire rushed for 265 yards against Dartmouth, even without the services of junior running back Chad Kackert. The Wildcats carried the football 42 times for 265 yards and five touchdowns.
NORTHEASTERN (1-3, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: at Towson (2-3, 0-1)
Next Week: hosts #18/12 Massachusetts (2-2, 0-1)
-- Nate Thellen grabbed CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week honors after leading Northeastern to a 27-10 win over UC Davis Saturday. Thellen hauled in three interceptions during the win while returning one 92 yards for a touchdown. Thellen’s three interceptions rank as the second-best total in school history, while his return for a touchdown is the first for Northeastern since 2002. Matt Lanagan was the last Husky to have three picks in a game; he accomplished the feat against Lehigh in 1988.
-- The Huskies had a brilliant defensive day against UC Davis, forcing six turnovers which led to 20 of their 27 points. The six turnovers forced was the most by Northeastern since creating seven James Madison turnovers in 2002. Northeastern is now +4 in turnover margin this season, which ranks third among league leaders.
-- Alex Broomfield had a big day with 152 rushing yards, second-most in his career, and a score. He also threw a 21-yard TD pass to Brian Mandeville, his fourth career TD pass.
RHODE ISLAND (1-4, 0-2 CAA)
This Week: hosts #25/- Brown (2-0)
Next Week: at Towson (2-3, 0-1)
-- Rhode Island held Boston College scoreless in the first quarter. This season, Rhode Island has outscored its opponents 14-9 in the first quarter.
-- The Rams limited Boston College to just 27 yards passing, and held a 214-27 advantage in the passing game Saturday afternoon in a rainy Chestnut Hill, Mass.
-- Senior quarterback Derek Cassidy threw for a 189 yards on 26-of-41 passing. This season Cassidy has thrown for 1,330 yards surpassing his previous career-best single-season passing total of 1,060 in 2006.
-- Freshman Brandon Johnson-Farrell tied a season-high with seven receptions for 67 yards in the loss at Boston College. This season, Johnson-Farrell leads the squad with 26 receptions. In the last two games, the Rhode Island wide receiver has caught 14 passes for 134 yards.
#6/7 RICHMOND (3-2, 2-1 CAA)
This Week: at VMI (2-2)
Next Week: hosts #1/1 James Madison (4-1, 2-0)
-- The loss at Villanova dropped Richmond to 3-2 overall, 2-1 in CAA Football and barred the Spiders from just their 13th start of 4-1 (or better) since the 1920 season. The loss also kept Richmond from its second 3-0 start to league play since 1987.
-- Richmond, which was playing its fist game as a No. 1-ranked team since the 1985 season, fell to 4-2 all-time as the nation’s top-ranked FCS team.
-- The Spiders slipped to 43-26 when playing as a ranked team in the Sports Network poll since 1993 with the loss, and 12-4 since the start of 2007. It also dropped Richmond to 26-38 versus a ranked team since 1995, but 7-2 since the start of last season.
-- Thanks to Michael Ireland’s interception on Villanova’s first possession of the game, the Spiders have 10 picks this season. Richmond had just 10 in 14 games last season.
TOWSON (2-3, 0-1 CAA)
This Week: hosts Northeastern (1-3, 0-0)
Next Week: hosts Rhode Island (1-4, 0-2)
-- Matt Castor rushed for a career-high 108 yards on 37 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 31-24 victory over Columbia. Castor returned to action after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury, and produced Towson’s first 100-yard rushing game since Sept. 29, 2007 ( Nick Williams, at William & Mary - 139). The two rushing TD’s were the first of the season for Towson.
-- When Castor scored the game-winning TD on a one-yard run with 1:06 remaining, it marked the first points Towson had scored in the fourth quarter of a game this season.
-- Quarterback Sean Schaefer threw the 60th TD pass of his career in the win over Columbia. By completing 20-of-31 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, Schaefer moved into fifth place on the CAA’s career passing yardage list. Schaefer has completed 849-of-1,322 passes for 9,430 yards in his career.
#14/16 VILLANOVA (3-1, 1-0 CAA)
This Week: at William and Mary (2-1, 0-0)
Next Week: Bye Week
-- Aaron Ball earned CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week honors after helping the Wildcats upend Richmond, 26-20, Saturday. The Los Angeles, Calif, native carried the ball 18 times for 123 yards in what was Villanova’s first-ever win over a No. 1 ranked team. The 100-yard feat was the first-ever for Ball, and came against a Richmond defense which was allowing just 53 rushing yards-per-game coming in.
-- Joe Marcoux became a two-time 2008 CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week after accounting for more than half of Villanova’s 26 points in its win over Richmond. The Campbell Hall, N.Y., native finished the game 4-for-4 in field goal attempts and connected on both of his PAT tries. Marcoux recorded field goals of 21, 25, 29 and a career-long of 48 which ranked as the sixth-longest field goal in Villanova history.
-- The win over Richmond was the first for Villanova versus a No. 1-ranked team. The Wildcats are now 1-4 all-time versus No. 1-ranked teams.
WILLIAM AND MARY (2-1, 0-0 CAA)
This Week: hosts #14/16 Villanova (3-1, 1-0)
Next Week: at #5/5 New Hampshire (4-0, 1-0)
-- Quarterback Jake Phillips tied his career-high with four touchdown passes in the Tribe’s 42-12 win over Norfolk State last Saturday. The last time Phillips threw for four TDs in a single game came during his redshirt freshman season (2005). He tossed four scoring strikes in just over a quarter’s worth of action in the team’s thrilling 44-41 double overtime win at Northeastern.
-- David Caldwell’s 66-yard touchdown return after the blocked field goal against Norfolk State was the College’s first special teams score after a blocked kick since former Tribe safety Seam McDermott scooped and scored from 12-yards out after a blocked punt at Rhode Island in 1996 .
-- With two TDs against Norfolk State, D.J. McAulay now has five scores on the season, which surpasses his career total (3) entering this season. All of McAulay’s five scoring grabs have come from greater than 22-yards.
NORTHEASTERN AT TOWSON
Saturday, Oct. 4 - 12:00 pm
Unitas Stadium (11,198), Towson, Md.
Television: CSN, CSS - Bob Picozzi (pbp), Scott Brunner (analyst), Brent Harris (sideline), Rich Wolff (producer), Tim Walbert (director)
Series: Northeastern leads 5-3
Last Meeting: Sept. 24, 2005, Northeastern 56-41 in Brookline, Mass.
Northeastern (1-3, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Rocky Hager (Minot State, 1974)
Career: 107-57-1 (15 years)
School: 16-32 (5 years)
Offense
Rushing: Alex Broomfield (4 G, 86-371 yards, 4 TD)
Passing: Anthony Orio (4 G, 66-121-3-794 yards, 4 TD)
Receiving: Brian Mandeville (4 G, 15-244 yards, 1 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Phil Higgins (4 G, 19 solo, 16 assisted, 35 total)
Sacks: David Akinniyi (4 G, 2.0-23 yards)
Interceptions: Nate Thellen (4 G, 3-113 yards)
Towson (2-3, 0-1 CAA)
Coach: Gordy Combs (Towson, 1972)
Career: 91-84 (17 years)
School: 91-84 (17 years)
Offense
Rushing: Matt Castor (3 G, 61-204 yards, 2 TD)
Passing: Sean Schaefer (5 G, 108-171-7-1122 yards, 9 TD)
Receiving: David Newsom (5 G, 27-278 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Jordan Manning (5 G, 22 solo, 21 assisted, 43 total)
Sacks: Jordan Manning (5 G, 1.5-9 yards)
Interceptions: Ollie Thomas (5 G, 1-0 yards)
#14/16 VILLANOVA AT WILLIAM AND MARY
Saturday, Oct. 4 - 1:00 pm
Zable Stadium (12,259), Williamsburg, Va.
Series: William and Mary leads 14-10-1
Last Meeting: Oct. 6, 2007, Villanova 63-24 in Villanova, Pa.
Villanova (3-1, 1-0 CAA)
Coach: Andy Talley (Southern Connecticut, 1967)
Career: 186-117-2 (29 years)
School: 158-99-1 (24 years)
Offense
Rushing: Aaron Ball (4 G, 60-281 yards, 4 TD)
Passing: Antwon Young (3 G, 54-94-7-621 yards, 2 TD)
Receiving: Phil Atkinson (4 G, 17-194 yards, 1 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Greg Miller (4 G, 18 solo, 9 assisted, 27 total)
Sacks: Greg Miller (4 G, 3.5-27 yards)
Interceptions: Frederick Maldonado (4 G, 2-8 yards)
William and Mary (2-1, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: Jimmye Laycock (William and Mary, 1970)
Career: 184-135-2 (29 years)
School: 184-135-2 (29 years)
Offense
Rushing: Terrance Riggins (3 G, 31-261 yards, 0 TD)
Passing: Jake Phillips (3 G, 42-74-6-515 yards, 8 TD)
Receiving: D.J. McAulay (3 G, 11-222 yards, 5 TD)
Defense
Tackles: David Caldwell (3 G, 12 solo, 10 assisted, 22 total)
Sacks: Adrian Tracy (3 G, 3.0-22 yards)
Interceptions: Derek Cox (3 G, 2-79 yards)
HOFSTRA AT #1/1 JAMES MADISON
Saturday, Oct. 4 - 1:30 pm
Bridgeforth Stadium (15,500), Harrisonburg, Va.
Series: James Madison leads 5-2
Last Meeting: Oct. 1, 2005, James Madison 42-10 in Hempstead, N.Y.
Hofstra (2-2, 1-0 CAA)
Coach: Dave Cohen (C.W. Post, 1988)
Career: 11-15 (3 years)
School: 11-15 (3 years)
Offense
Rushing: Brock Jackolski (3 G, 32-195 yards, 2 TD)
Passing: Cory Christopher (4 G, 84-123-2-828 yards, 2 TD)
Receiving: Anthony Nelson (4 G, 25-264 yards, 1 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Nick Altomare (4 G, 13 solo, 12 assisted, 25 total)
Sacks: Luke Bonus (4 G, 1.5-6 yards)
Interceptions: Ray McDonough (4 G, 2-54 yards)
James Madison (4-1, 2-0 CAA)
Coach: Mickey Matthews (West Texas State, 1976)
Career: 68-45 (10 years)
School: 68-45 (10 years)
Offense
Rushing: Rodney Landers (5 G, 92-602 yards, 7 TD)
Passing: Rodney Landers (5 G, 35-58-3-504 yards, 3 TD)
Receiving: Bosco Williams (5 G, 7-99 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Marcus Haywood (5 G, 19 solo, 22 assisted, 41 total)
Sacks: Arthur Moats (5 G, 3.0-17 yards)
Interceptions: Marcus Haywood (5 G, 4-48 yards)
#16/14 DELAWARE AT #18/12 MASSACHUSETTS
Saturday, Oct. 4 - 3:30 pm
McGuirk Stadium (17,000), Amherst, Mass.
Television: CN8 - Scott Graham (pbp), Jon Ritchie (analyst), Gregg Murphy (sideline), Bob Allen (producer), Bob Johnson (director)
Series: Delaware leads 23-5
Last Meeting: Nov. 5, 2005, Massachusetts 35-7 in Newark, Del.
Delaware (2-2, 0-0 CAA)
Coach: K.C. Keeler (Delaware, 1981)
Career: 142-49-1 (15 years)
School: 54-28 (7 years)
Offense
Rushing: Johnathon Smith (4 G, 70-311 yards, 8 TD)
Passing: Robby Shoenhoft (4 G, 60-103-7-734 yards, 4 TD)
Receiving: Aaron Love (4 G, 17-237 yards, 1 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Erik Johnson (4 G, 14 solo, 13 assisted, 27 total)
Sacks: John Higginson (4 G, 2.0-15 yards)
Interceptions: Anthony Walters (4 G, 3-31 yards)
Massachusetts (2-2, 0-1 CAA)
Coach: Don Brown (Norwich, 1977)
Career: 90-42 (12 years)
School: 38-16 (5 years)
Offense
Rushing: Tony Nelson (4 G, 74-403 yards, 5 TD)
Passing: Liam Coen (4 G, 74-115-2-971 yards, 9 TD)
Receiving: Victor Cruz (4 G, 23-405 yards, 2 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Josh Jennings (4 G, 17 solo, 20 assisted, 37 total)
Sacks: Josh Jennings (4 G, 1.0-12 yards)
Interceptions: Josh Jennings (4 G, 1-3 yards)
#25/- BROWN AT RHODE ISLAND
Saturday, Oct. 4 - 1:00 pm
Meade Stadium (6,555), Kingston, R.I.
Television: NESN - Talent to be determined
Series: Brown leads 66-24-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 29, 2007, Rhode Island 49-42 (ot) in Providence, R.I.
Brown (2-0)
Coach: Phil Estes (New Hampshire, 1981)
Career: 58-33 (10 years)
School: 58-33 (10 years)
Offense
Rushing: Dereck Knight (2 G, 30-133 yards, 0 TD)
Passing: M Dougherty (2 G, 45-72-4-406 yards, 2 TD)
Receiving: Buddy Farnham (2 G, 18-189 yards, 2 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Chris Perkins (2 G, 9 solo, 4 assisted, 13 total)
Sacks: James Develin (2 G, 2.0-16 yards)
Interceptions: None
Rhode Island (1-4, 0-2 CAA)
Coach: Darren Rizzi (Rhode Island, 1992)
Career: 16-18 (3 years)
School: 1-4 (First year)
Offense
Rushing: Jimmy Hughes (5 G, 46-146 yards, 1 TD)
Passing: Derek Cassidy (5 G, 121-206-6-1330 yards, 6 TD)
Receiving: Brandon Johnson-Farrell (5 G, 26-237 yards, 0 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Matt Hansen (5 G, 28 solo, 15 assisted, 43 total)
Sacks: Matt Hansen (5 G, 3.0-19 yards)
Interceptions: Matt Hansen (5 G, 1-20 yards)
#6/7 RICHMOND AT VMI
Saturday, Oct. 4 - 1:30 pm
Foster Stadium (10,000), Lexington, Va.
Series: VMI leads 40-39-5
Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2005, Richmond 58-7 in Richmond, Va.
Richmond (3-2, 2-1 CAA)
Coach: Mike London (Richmond, 1983)
Career: 3-2 (First year)
School: 3-2 (First year)
Offense
Rushing: Josh Vaughan (5 G, 80-353 yards, 3 TD)
Passing: Eric Ward (5 G, 83-128-2-1068 yards, 8 TD)
Receiving: Kevin Grayson (5 G, 27-374 yards, 1 TD)
Defense
Tackles: Derek Hatcher (5 G, 17 solo, 13 assisted, 30 total)
Sacks: Sherman Logan (5 G, 2.0-24 yards)
Interceptions: Justin Rogers (5 G, 3-105 yards)
VMI (2-2)
Coach: Sparky Woods (Carson Newman, 1976)
Career: 65-48-5 (11 years)
School: 2-2 (First year)
Offense
Rushing: Tim Maypray (4 G, 59-453 yards, 5 TD)
Passing: Kyle Hughes (4 G, 7-29-2-136 yards, 3 TD)
Receiving: Mario Scott (4 G, 4-74 yards, 1 TD)
Defense
Tackles: AJ Gross (4 G, 9 solo, 13 assisted, 22 total)
Sacks: Damiso Alexander (4 G, 3.0-7 yards)
Interceptions: Greg Walker (4 G, 1-34 yards)