CAA FOOTBALL RECAP - OCT. 31
James Madison 20, #16 Delaware 8
Box Score
NEWARK, Del, Oct. 31, 2009 - Redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Thorpe ran for one touchdown and threw for another to
lead the James Madison football team to a 20-8 victory at Delaware
Saturday.
Thorpe ran 12 yards for JMU's first touchdown and hit senior tight end Charlie Newman on a seven-yard scoring play for the Dukes' second touchdown.
The first-year quarterback
threw for 262 yards overall, and JMU compiled 386 yards of total
offense in winning at Delaware for the first time since 1994.
The victory snapped a four-game
JMU losing streak and raised the Dukes' overall record to 3-5 and their
Colonial Athletic Association mark to 1-4.
Delaware fell to 5-3 overall and to 3-3 in the CAA.
JMU trailed 3-0 at halftime but
scored on three of its first four possessions of the final half. The
Dukes drove 75 yards on their first series of the third quarter to go
up 7-3, went 66 yards on their third series of the half to lead 13-6
and drove 83 yards for a third score.
JMU during the second half
compiled 287 yards of total offense, including 229 passing. The Dukes
limited Delaware to 107 yards after halftime and to 224 yards (9
rushing, 215 passing) overall after the Blue Hens entered the game
averaging 30.9 points, 364.9 yards of total offense and 125.4 rushing
yards per game.
JMU used six plays in grabbing the lead during the initial possession of the final half. Thorpe hit senior tight end Mike Caussin on a 31-yard completion to the Delaware 15 to
set up his 12-yard scoring run on an option to the right side.
Delaware pulled to within 7-6
on the following series, and JMU turned the ball over on its next
possession before controlling the final quarter and a half.
The Dukes were in position to extend their lead on their second series of the half when Thorpe hit senior wide receiver Rockeed McCarter on a 51-yard pass play from the JMU
39. However, a Delaware defender knocked the ball away as McCarter
headed toward the end zone with the Blue Hens returning it to their 43.
Delaware got only one first
down after the turnover, failing to convert on a fourth-and two play
from the JMU 34 with 5:06 left in the third period, and JMU quickly
moved for its second score.
The Dukes used only five plays
while navigating the 66 yards with Newman's scoring catch coming with
3:18 left in the third quarter. A 53-yard Thorpe-to-McCarter
completion to the Delaware 11 set up the touchdown.
JMU held Delaware without a
first down on the ensuing series and used 14 plays to move for its
third touchdown. Thorpe completed four straight passes for 50 yards
and had an 11-yard run before junior tailback Jamal Sullivan scored from the three to give JMU a 20-6 lead with 9:57 left in the game.
Delaware came back three series later to reach the JMU nine but suffered a second-down sack before JMU freshman free safety Jakarie Jackson intercepted a fourth-down pass from the 19.
Delaware took its 3-0 lead with
13:14 left in the second quarter on a 34-yard Jon Striesky field goal.
The Blue Hens moved 67 yards in 11 plays from their 22 with Pat Devlin
completing four of five passes for 57 yards during the series.
Devlin hit on 19 of 42 passes
for 215 yards but was intercepted twice and sacked eight times. The
Hens didn't have a running play by a running back of more than 10
yards. Their final points came when JMU took an intentional safety
during the finals minutes.
Four Dukes had sacks, including senior defensive end Arthur Moats
(Portsmouth, Va./Churchland), who was credited with 2.5 among his seven
tackles. Moats entered the game as the national leader in tackles for
loss, and his sacks raised his season total to 9.5 and his career mark
to 27.5.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Chase Williams had a team-high 11 tackles, including 10
unassisted and 1.5 sacks, for the JMU defense. Senior defensive tackle
Sam Daniels had two sacks and five tackles overall and sophomore defensive end D.J. Bryant a sack.
Sullivan ran for 44 yards and
Thorpe for 42 for JMU. McCarter finished with three catches for 125
yards and Caussin with three receptions for 71 yards.
#1 Richmond 42, Towson 14
Box Score
TOWSON, Md. - No.
1 Richmond scored 22 points in a three-minute span in the third quarter
and toppled Towson, 42-14, Saturday at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson,
Md. Senior QB Eric Ward was 11-of-14 passing for 177 yards and two TDs for the Spiders, who are off to their best start in school history at 8-0.
Freshman FB Kendall Gaskins scored three of the Spiders six touchdowns, while senior TB Justin Forte surpassed the 100-yard mark for the second-straight game with 121 yards on 22 carries and a TD.
With the win, the Spiders (8-0, 6-0) remain in sole possession
of first place in the CAA Football South Division, while extending the
FCS's longest winning streak to 17 games. Now off to its best start in
the 127-year history of Richmond Football, the Spiders have won
11-consecutive road contests -- the longest active streak in Division-I
football.
The victory sets the stage for a Top-5 showdown next Saturday
when No. 4 Villanova (7-1, 4-1) visits UR Stadium on the Spiders'
Homecoming Weekend. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. in a game that holds
huge postseason and CAA Football title implications.
Richmond trailed 14-13 early in the third quarter, but the
quick-strike Spiders seized complete control by scoring the game's
final 29 points - including 22-consecutive in a 2:32 span in the third.
Forte capped a 62-yard drive with a 10-yard TD run at the
8:01-mark and the Spiders drew even with their first two-point
conversion of the season -- a pass from Ward to Jordan Mitchell.
Richmond forced a quick three-and-out, then Jonathan Mayfield
recovered a fumble on Towson's fake-punt attempt at the three-yard
line. Gaskins scored on the next play, followed by a 23-yard
interception return for TD by sophomore Tremayne Graham just three plays from scrimmage later.
Gaskins, whose first TD rush of the game gave the Spiders a 13-7 lead
before the break, scored again on a 10-yard pass from Ward with 11:37
left in the game to cap the scoring.
The Spiders dominated the game with a 13-minute advantage in time
of possession thanks to four scoring drives of 62 yards or longer.
Richmond limited Towson to just 49 yards of total offense in the second
half and out-gained them 420-164 for the game.
Junior LB Eric McBride led the defensive effort with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Junior DT Martin Parker had seven stops (two for loss).
Richmond was able to rest many of its offensive and defensive starters in the fourth quarter.
After Towson (2-6, 1-4) kept the Spiders off the board in the
first quarter - its first time holding an opponent scoreless in the
opening quarter this season - Ward put Richmond on the board first when
he hit senior TE William Bischoff early in the second for Bischoff's first career score.
QB Tommy Croninger drew the Tigers even with a TD pass on the
ensuring drive and his 12-yard scamper early in the third quarter gave
Towson its first lead over Richmond since the Tigers stunned the
Spiders 23-21 on a last-second TD pass in 2007. Richmond never trailed
in a 45-14 rout at UR Stadium last season.
Ward completed his 11 passes to seven different targets, including three catches for 74 yards to sophomore Donte Boston. Sophomore Tre Gray reeled in two for 58 yards.
Towson gained just 80 yards on the ground, while three different Tiger QBs combined to go 10-of-19 for 84 yards.
#5 William & Mary 39, Rhode Island 14
Box Score
KINGSTON, R.I. (Oct. 31, 2009)—The fifth-ranked William
and Mary football team established a school record by allowing -46
rushing yards and junior running back Courtland Marriner rushed for
three touchdowns as the Tribe earned a 39-14 victory at Rhode Island on
a windy Saturday afternoon in Kingston.
With the victory, W&M improves to 7-1 and owns its best record
through eight games since 1986. Additionally, the Tribe improves to 4-1
in conference play for the second consecutive season.
In addition to setting a school record in rushing defense, the Tribe
outgained the Rams (1-7, 0-5), 374-149. W&M’s defensive unit also
allowed just 11 first downs and held the Rams to just 3-of-16 on
third-down conversions.
Senior quarterback R.J. Archer was efficient and completed 18-of-23
passes with a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Cam Dohse recorded a
game-high six catches for 76 yards, while senior tight end Rob Varno
recorded four catches and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Tribe earned season highs with six sacks and 14
tackles for a loss. Senior All-American defensive end Adrian Tracy
tallied 3.5 tackles for a loss and a sack, while sophomore defensive
end Marcus Hyde had 3.0 TFL, two sacks and a forced fumble. Junior
defensive tackle Michael Stover also came up big with 3.0 TFL and a
sack.
Junior punter David Miller made a significant impact on special teams
and averaged 48.7 yards per punt (six punts), while registering a
career-long 71-yard punt early in the fourth quarter.
After taking over at the Tribe’s 26-yard line following a bad snap on a
W&M punt attempt, Rhode Island recorded the contest’s initial
points when quarterback Chris Paul-Etienne connected on a 5-yard
touchdown pass to wide receiver Shawn Leonard with 7:38 showing in the
first quarter. Highlighting the short drive was a 9-yard completion
from Paul-Etienne to Joe Bellini on a fourth-and-nine from 13-yard line.
The College evened the contest later in the quarter when Marriner
capped off a four-play, 36-yard drive with a 9-yard cutback touchdown
run up the middle. Dohse helped key the short drive with a pair of
catches.
The Tribe took its first lead on an 18-yard touchdown run by junior
running back Terrence Riggins up the middle with 5:44 remaining in the
second quarter. In addition to completing all three of his passes for a
total of 30 yards, Archer posted a 17-yard run on the 7-play, 70-yard
drive.
Archer engineered another scoring drive on the Tribe’s next possession,
as he connected with Varno on 4-yard touchdown strike with just 14
seconds remaining in the half to put W&M ahead, 21-7. Archer threw
for 50 yards on the 13-play, 67-yard drive that lasted 3:13. Facing a
fourth-and-7 at URI’s 22-yard line and moving into a strong wind, Dohse
recorded a key 8-yard reception over the middle to help keep the
scoring drive alive.
W&M’s defensive unit was dominant in the first half, allowing just
56 yards of total offense and five first downs. The Tribe was
especially tough against the run and held the Rams to -9 yards rushing
on 15 carries.
The Tribe took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 67
yards on eight plays into the end zone to extend its lead to 27-7.
Marriner capped off the impressive drive when he bounced out to the
right side for a 16-yard touchdown run with 11:06 showing. Most of the
College’s yardage on the drive came via the ground, as sophomore
Jonathan Grimes and Marriner piled up 30 and 28 yards, respectively.
The Green and Gold pushed the margin to 30-7 on a 19-yard field goal by
Pate with 3:05 remaining in the third quarter. Pate’s 15th field goal
of the season was helped set up with a 36-yard reception by Dohse on
the left sideline. The 11-play, 74-yard drive looked to be stalled with
a 3-and-out, but URI was penalized for being off sides on the Tribe’s
punt attempt.
Marriner scored his third rushing touchdown of the afternoon on a
39-yard reverse down the URI sideline with 12:32 remaining in the
contest that increased W&M’s lead to 37-7.
The Tribe tacked on its final score of the afternoon when junior Kyle
O’Brien recorded a safety with 3:29 remaining, while Rhode Island’s
Paul-Etienne threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Leonard with 1:29 left.
#8 New Hampshire 48, Northeastern 21
Box Score
DURHAM,
N.H.— The No. 8 –ranked University of New
Hampshire football team, led by senior running back Chad
Kackert and his career-high 176
rushing yards and two touchdowns, defeated Colonial Athletic
Association North Division rival Northeastern University on
Saturday afternoon, 48-21 at Cowell Stadium.
The 176 rushing yards on 17 carries was the most by Kackert since
he ran 11 times for 164 yards at Rhode Island in 2008.
The UNH offense recorded a season-best 461yards of total offense
for its best mark of the 2009 season on the way to victory. The
Wildcats improve to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the CAA, while the
Huskies fall to 1-7 overall and 1-7 in the conference.
UNH also remains in first place in the CAA North with its 4-1
conference mark.
After the UNH defense stopped NU on a fourth down pass breakup by
junior linebacker Hugo Souza near midfield, the Wildcats proceeded to string together several
long running plays, including a key 15 yard touchdown run by
Kackert to give the Wildcats the 7-0 advantage with 7:07 to play in
the first quarter. The drive lasted 7 plays and covered 59
yards.
However, the Huskies responded with a drive of their own that was
10 plays for 73 yards and killed 5:04 off the clock, capped off
with a 2 yard pass from quarterback Alex Dulski to wide receiver
Adhir Ravipati to tie the contest at 7-7 with 1:57 remaining in the
first quarter.
Following an amazing one-handed grab on the sideline by senior
tight end Scott Sicko, Kackert
broke several tackles and rambled 22 yards for his second touchdown
of the day as UNH grabbed a 14-7 advantage with 12:16 to play in
the second quarter. The drive went for five plays and 55 yards.
The Wildcats defense held again with their first three-and-out of
the game and after the NU punt, on the first play of the drive,
junior running back Sean Jellison broke a huge 64 yard touchdown run to give the Wildcats a 21-7 lead
with 10:42 remaining in the second stanza.
After a UNH punt fake that kept the drive alive, the Wildcats took
advantage of its second chance with a 27 yard touchdown strike by
junior quarterback R.J. Toman to Sicko that gave the Wildcats a 28-7 advantage with 6:52
to play in the second quarter after the PAT by Manning and that was
the score at the intermission.
In the first half, the Wildcats outgained the Huskies by an
impressive 280-157 margin in total yardage and was led in rushing
by Kackert with 9 carries for 86 yards. Sicko also had a huge half
for the ‘Cats with seven catches for 96 yards.
Souza picked off a Matt Carroll pass and returned it 17 yards as
the QB was harassed by several Wildcat defenders. Eleven plays and
35 yards later, Manning booted a 30 yard field goal and the Wildcat
lead expanded to 31-7 with 6:46 to play in the third quarter.
Manning kicked another field goal, this time a 23-yarder, to give
the Wildcats a 34-7 lead with 1:51 to play in the third quarter.
The field goal was set up by a 73 yard run by Kackert.
Northeastern scored with 9:03 to play in the fourth quarter on a 28
yard TD pass by Matt Carroll to Jordan Batts.to cut the UNH lead to
34-14, but the Wildcats answered quickly with a 44 yard TD pass by
sophomore quarterback Kevin Decker to sophomore wide receiver Mickey Mangieri to give UNH the 41-14 lead.
The Huskies scored again on a 9 yard run by Griffin with 4:41 to
play in the game, cutting the UNH lead to 41-21.The Wildcats
recovered an NU onsides kick and started a drive deep in NU
territory that resulted in a 7 yard touchdown run by redshirt
freshman Shawn Sweeney with 3:22
left in the game and the Wildcats led 48-21 following the made
PAT.
Looking some key individual performances, Toman completed 11 of 22
passes for 131 yards and one passing touchdown. Sicko was the top
receiver of the game with his seven catches for 96 yards and 1
touchdown and Kackert finished with 176 rushing yards On the
defensive side of the football for UNH, junior lineback
Devon Jackson and sophomore
defensive lineman James Jenkins each led the ‘Cats with seven tackles apiece. The UNH defense
held Northeastern to just 322 yards of total offense and only 149
yards on the ground.
Maine 19, #19 Massachusetts 9
Box Score
ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine football team defeated the University of Massachusetts by the score of 19-9 on Saturday afternoon at Alfond Stadium. With the win, Maine improves to 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the CAA while UMass falls to 4-4 and 2-3 in conference play. Maine was led by Warren Smith (Forked River, N.J.) who accounted for both Black Bear touchdowns.
The Black Bears got on the scoreboard in the first quarter when Jordan Waxman (Kitnersville, Pa.) hit a 25-yard field goal to give Maine a 3-0 lead.
The Minutemen answered with a Jon Hernandez 1-yard touchdown run to take a 7-3 lead with 3:40 to go in the first half.
The Black Bears were forced to punt, but Donte Dennis (Rahway, N.J.) intercepted UMass quarterback Kyle Havens' throw on the ensuing drive at the UMass 46-yardline and Maine was in business. On the next possession, Smith led Maine on eight plays that ended with a 7-yard touchdown reception by Tyrell Jones (Gaithersburg, Md.). After a Waxman extra point, Maine took a 10-7 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter UMass' first drive came undone early when Dennis recovered a fumble at the UMass 23 yardline. The drive ended with another Waxman field goal, this time from 32 yards out and the Black Bears would go on to take a 13-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Black Bears would extend the lead when Smith had a five yard rush up the middle for his second touchdown of the day. UMass would convert the other way on the Black Bears' point-after try, but Maine still had a 10-point lead.
That is all the Black Bear defense would need as Trevor Coston (Greenlawn, N.Y.) and Jerron McMillian (Hillside, N.J.) would each have an interception to end the last two UMass drives to put the game away for Maine.
Smith went 19-for-35 through the air for 226 yards and a score while rushing for 39 and a touchdown.
Dennis had two interceptions to go with a fumble recovery and 11 tackles.
Landis Williams (Pemberton, N.J.) had six receptions for a game-high 77 yards while Mike Brusko (Zionsville, Pa.) had four catches for 42 yards.
Victor Cruz led the Minutemen with eight catches for 73 yards.
The Black Bears return to action on Saturday when they travel to take on James Madison at 3 p.m.