CAA FOOTBALL RECAP - NOV. 14
2009 CAA FOOTBALL AUTOMATIC BID -- CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS
Three teams (Richmond, Villanova and William and Mary) remain in contention for the CAA Football automatic bid into the NCAA Division I National Championships and for the CAA Football Championship heading into the final weekend of the 2009 season.
The William and Mary-Richmond game kicks off live at 12:00 p.m. on The Comcast Network – Mid-Atlantic and Cox 11 (Williamsburg, Va.) from Richmond, Va., Nov. 21. The Delaware-Villanova game kicks off live at 3:30 p.m. on The Comcast Network and Comcast SportsNet-New England from Villanova, Pa., Nov. 21
Listed below are the four possible scenarios for Richmond, Villanova and William and Mary following the final weekend of play:
(1) If both Villanova and Richmond win: The two teams are recognized as CAA Football Co-Champions and Villanova earns the conference’s automatic bid by virtue of the league’s first within-the-division tiebreaker – Head-to-head competition.
(2) If both Villanova and William and Mary win: The two teams are recognized as CAA Football Co-Champions and Villanova earns the conference’s automatic bid by virtue of the league’s first within-the-division tiebreaker – Head-to-head competition.
(3) If Richmond wins and Villanova loses: Richmond is awarded the outright CAA Football title and earns the conference’s automatic bid by virtue of its 7-1 league record.
(4) If William and Mary wins and Villanova loses: William and Mary is awarded the outright CAA Football title and earns the conference’s automatic bid by virtue of its 7-1 league record.
#5 William & Mary 20, #8 New Hampshire 17
Box Score
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Nov. 14, 2009)—Senior placekicker Brian Pate kicked a go-ahead 37-yard field goal from the left hash with 2:54 remaining to help lift the No. 4/5 William and Mary football team to a 20-17 victory against No. 7/8 New Hampshire on Senior Day at Zable Stadium. With the victory, W&M improves to 9-1 and now owns the program’s best record through 10 games since the 1947 season.
The win also moves the Tribe’s conference record to 6-1, as W&M will have a chance to earn at least a share of the league title when it plays at No. 4 Richmond next Saturday at noon.
The College’s defensive unit posted another outstanding performance and limited the Wildcats to just 226 yards of total offense, 147 fewer than its average entering the contest. It marked the fifth time this season that W&M has held the opposition to 100 fewer yards than its average entering the game. W&M also limited UNH to just 27 rushing yards on 24 carries (1.1 yards per rush), 141 fewer yards than UNH’s average entering the contest.
Individually, All-American senior defensive end Adrian Tracy recorded a team-high seven tackles with a pair of sacks and three tackles for a loss. Senior defensive tackle Sean Lissemore also came up big with five tackles, 1.5 TFL and an interception, while redshirt freshman cornerback B.W. Webb earned his team-leading fifth interception of the season.
On the offensive side, sophomore running back Jonathan Grimes totaled a game-high 136 yards rushing, while junior tailback Courtland Marriner and junior wide receiver Chase Hill both found the end zone.
After forcing a three-and-out on UNH’s opening possession, the Tribe got on the scoreboard first when Pate converted a 32-yard field goal from the right hash midway through the opening quarter. The successful kick capped off a 12-play, 54-yard drive that lasted more than six minutes. W&M moved to the Wildcats’ 4-yard line and looked as if it might punch the ball into the end zone, but the drive stalled when the Tribe was whistled for a personal foul penalty. Senior quarterback R.J. Archer completed 4-of-5 passes on the drive and rushed for 17 yards.
New Hampshire answered with a touchdown on its next drive when quarterback R.J. Toman connected with tight end Scott Sicko on a 13-yard strike to punctuate a seven-play, 60-yard march. Highlighting the drive was a 30-yard completion from Toman to wide receiver Tavis Negron on a third-and-12 from the UNH 38.
The Wildcats increased their lead to 10-3 when placekicker Tom Manning made a 42-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
W&M quickly answered with its first touchdown of the afternoon on its ensuing drive to knot the score at 10-10. Marriner provided the tying score, his seventh rushing touchdown this season, on a 5-yard rush up the middle. Grimes keyed the eight-play, 86-yard drive with a 54-yard run.
The Tribe outgained UNH, 176-111, in the first half and allowed just 5 yards on the ground (14 carries). Additionally, the Green and Gold held the Wildcats to just five first downs.
After an interception by Lissemore, his second this season, gave the Tribe great starting field position at the UNH 16, Hill pulled down a leaping, 10-yard touchdown reception on the left edge of the end zone to put W&M ahead, 17-10, with 6:33 left in the third quarter.
W&M had a chance to push the margin to 10 in the final minute of the third quarter, but Pate’s 47-yard field goal attempt was wide right.
The Tribe’s defense allowed just 32 yards of total offense in the third quarter.
New Hampshire drove to W&M’s 32-yard line early in the fourth quarter but failed to convert a fourth-and-two when B.W. Webb recorded his fifth interception of the season.
However, after forcing W&M to three-and-out moments later, UNH found the end zone on its next possession. Facing a fourth-and-seven at the Tribe’s 35, Toman completed a short pass to Joey Orlando, who picked up a key block and raced down the Wildcats’ side line for the tying score with 8:17 remaining.
After Pate’s go-ahead field goal with 2:54 showing, the Tribe’s defense did not allow another UNH first down. The Wildcats managed just 2 yards on its first three plays, and junior defensive tackle Mike Stover broke up Toman’s fourth down pass near the line of scrimmage. W&M then rushed for a pair of first downs and ran out the clock to preserve the win.
The victory improved the Tribe’s record to 5-0 at home this season, marking the first time since 2004 that W&M has posted an undefeated regular-season mark at Zable Stadium.
#3 Villanova 49, Towson 7
Box Score
TOWSON, Md.--Third-ranked Villanova (9-1, 6-1 CAA) was off to the races early on and defeated Towson (2-8, 1-6 CAA), 49-7, on Saturday afternoon at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The Wildcats scored on all five of their drives in the first half and led 35-0 at the intermission along the way to their fourth straight win.
A dominant rushing game for Villanova was in trademark form and the Wildcats outgained the Tigers by a 282-48 margin on the ground. Four of the seven Villanova touchdowns on the afternoon came via a run and six different players gained at least 20 yards on the ground. The passing game was in fine form for the team as well, as three different passers combined to go 11-of-14 with three touchdowns through the air.
Defensively, the Wildcats smothered their hosts and allowed only 225 yards of total offense. Villanova recorded four sacks among its 11.0 tackles for loss and also tallied a forced fumble, an interception and five quarterback hurries. The Wildcat defense notched its fifth game of the season allowing zero or one touchdowns, including the third time in the last four games.
The game turned quickly, as Villanova amassed a 159-18 edge in total yards while scoring three times in the first quarter alone. Junior running back Aaron Ball (Los Angeles, Calif.) ran for an eight-yard touchdown five minutes into the contest to get the Wildcats started.
Junior quarterback Chris Whitney (Warminster, Pa.) caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from junior wide receiver Matt Szczur (Erma, N.J.) in the middle of the period and later threw a 17-yard touchdown pass of his own to sophomore wide receiver Mikey Reynolds (Moorestown, N.J.) just before the end of the frame.
Whitney completed 6-of-7 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, ran the ball four times for 21 yards and caught the one touchdown pass for his first career reception. Szczur ran four times for 44 yards and had two catches for 20 yards in addition to throwing his second touchdown pass of the season.
In the second period, Whitney threw a 24-yard pass for a score to sophomore wide receiver Norman White (Hammonton, N.J.), while Ball ran for his second touchdown of the day with 4:47 left in the half to make the score 35-0. A missed 37-yard field goal attempt by Towson as time expired in the quarter kept the Tigers off the board entering the break.
Senior quarterback Antwon Young (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) helped Villanova pick up in the third quarter where it left off at the end of the first half. Young ran for a career-long 82-yard touchdown with 9:22 left in the period and sophomore running back Lawrence Doss (Bellflower, Calif.) ran for a 13-yard score just 1:10 later to make the score 49-0.
Young established a career-high with 92 rushing yards on five carries and Doss ran 10 times for 41 yards. White and Szczur had two receptions apiece and nine different players caught a pass for the Wildcats.
Junior linebacker Terence Thomas (Lawrenceville, N.J.) recorded a team-high 10 tackles and senior defensive end Tim Kukucka (Wall, N.J.) led all players with 2.5 tackles for loss, including one of the team's sacks. Villanova also received a forced fumble and a sack from freshman Ronnie Akins (Lansdale, Pa.) and a 16-yard interception from sophomore James Pitts (Montclair, N.J.).
The Tigers only points of the game came with 2:47 left in the third quarter when Tremayne Dameron ran in from the 1-yard line to cap a 10-play, 73-yard drive for Towson. Neither team scored in the fourth period.
Dameron rushed for 40 yards and the score on 19 carries, while quarterback Brian Potts carried the ball 10 times. Potts completed 21-of-31 pass attempts for 177 yards and an interception.
Villanova returns home for the final game of the regular season and plays host to Delaware next Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
#4 Richmond 49, Georgetown 10
Box Score
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- No. 4 Richmond bounced back Saturday with a convincing 49-10 win over Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The Spiders built an early lead, rested many of its regulars in the second half and improved to 9-1. Sophomore Tremayne Graham returned a kickoff 94 yards for a TD to highlight Richmond's NCAA-leading 12th-consecutive road win.
Seven different Spiders scored in the game as Richmond out-gained Georgetown 457-179 in total offense, including a decisive 250-59 advantage in rushing yards.
Richmond's win, together with William & Mary's victory over New Hampshire Saturday sets the stage for a titanic first-place showdown between the long-time rivals next Saturday at UR Stadium. The Capital Cup hangs in the balance, along with at least a share of the CAA Football title between the teams that are each 9-1 overall and 6-1 in league play.
Senior QB Eric Ward was seven-of-12 passing with two TDs in his abbreviated outing, while sophomore John Laub saw his first significant action as a Spider and a was nine-for-15 for 122 yards. He completed his first six passes in the game - his first career completions - and also rushed four times for 31 yards and a TD.
Seven different Spiders scored as Richmond improved to 4-0 under head coach Mike London following a loss.
Richmond sprinted out to a quick 21-0 lead on its first three possessions of the game and cashed in short-field opportunities after three Hoyas turnovers.
Junior DL Casey Cooley, making his first career start, stripped the ball from Charlie Houghton on the first play from scrimmage and Eric McBride pounced on the loose ball at the GU 25. Ben Keating capped the drive with a TD run.
A Michael Ireland interception gave the Spiders short field on the next drive and six plays and 42 yards later, Tyler Kirchoff scored from a yard out.
Derek Hatcher recovered a fumble on the Hoyas next possession and the Spiders scored on the first play - a 15-yard strike from Ward to Donte Boston.
The game went to halftime with Richmond up 28-10 after back-to-back scores from the Hoyas preceded a 32-yard pass from Ward to Max Prokell - his second career TD catch - with 1:24 left in half.
Graham's dazzling 94-yard return for TD opened the second half and allowed the Spiders enough breathing room to rest many of its starters for the balance of the game. The kick return -- Richmond's first going for a TD since Justin Rogers' 84-yarder versus New Hampshire in 2007 - stands as the fifth-longest in school history.
Laub's nine-yard scamper midway through the third made it 42-10 and Garrett Wilkins capped the scoring with his 12-yard run with 5:37 left in the game.
Justin Forte was one of 11 Spiders to rush the ball and the senior finished with 10 carries for 76 yards. Kirchoff added 57 yards and 10 carries. Richmond ran the 49 times and none of those carries went for negative yards. Boston reeled in four catches for a game-high 74 yards.
Next Saturday's game, which is also the final regular-season Richmond Football game at 81-year old UR Stadium, is set for 12 p.m. ET live on Comcast Network. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-877-SPIDER-1.
James Madison 17, Massachusetts 14
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. (AP) - Jamaris Sanders returned a fumble 38-yards for seven of James Madison's 10 points off turnovers in a 17-14 win over Massachusetts on Saturday.
Sanders stripped the ball from Massachusetts' Tony Nelson to give the Dukes (5-5, 3-4 Colonial Athletic Association) a 10-0 lead with 1:59 left in the first quarter.
Earlier in the first quarter, Jon Williams recovered a fumble to give James Madison the ball on the Minutemen (5-5, 3-4) 6-yard line. Dixon Wright connected on the resulting 20-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
The Dukes, led by Arthur Moats with 11 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks, held Massachusetts to 247 yards of offense and forced three turnovers.
James Madison's Scott Noble had a career-high 105 yards on 29 carries in the Dukes first win at Massachusetts since 1987.
Tony Nelson rushed for 115 yards on 18 carries for the Minutemen.
Northeastern 14, Hofstra 13
Box Score
John Griffin carried the ball 28 times for 140 yards and a touchdown, and Jason Vega made a career-high 12 tackles with 1.5 sacks to lead the Northeastern football team to a 14-13 win over Hofstra on Homecoming Day and Senior Day at Parsons Field.
Griffin and Vega were honored with the Thornton Award as the offensive and defensive MVPs on Homecoming Day.
On a rainy day that prevented any vertical passing, the two teams waged a defensive battle in the first half. Neither team mustered much offense, but the Pride went up 3-0 on a Henry Greco 31-yard field goal after the Huskies gave them good field position.
That was the score at halftime as the two teams combined for just 178 yards of offense.
In the second half, the Huskies offense came alive with a pair of scores. On the first third-quarter possession, Griffin carried the ball four times for 30 yards. Then Matt Carroll came through with some big passes, including a 24-yard floater to Greg Abelli in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. The Huskies took a 7-3 lead.
Vega then made sure that the Huskies would get the ball back fast. He sacked quarterback Steve Probst on consecutive plays (Jared Veruto helped on the first sack) to force Hofstra to punt. The Huskies got the ball and two plays later, Griffin broke four tackles down the right sideline and sprinted to the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown run. The Huskies went up 14-3.
Northeastern (2-8, 2-5 CAA Football) played conservative on offense, but the defense kept up the intensity, except for a hiccup at the start of the fourth quarter. Probst hit Nicholas Talbert with a four-yard touchdown pass. The Pride successfully converted a two-point play when Everette Benjamin ran nearly sideline-to-sideline to avoid NU defenders. NU's lead was cut to 14-11 with 13:45 to play.
The game came down to Hofstra's last possession. The Pride drove to the NU 36. On 4th-and-inches, Vega stopped Probst on a quarterback sneak to give the Huskies possession. NU then ran the clock down until fourth down with five seconds left. With the punt team on the field, Ron Conway took the snap and ran out of the end zone to give Hofstra a safety, but the clock expired to give the Huskies the 14-13 win.
Northeastern was outgained 269-175, but came up with the big plays to win. In addition to Vega's outstanding day, Craig Kenney had eight tackles, 1.5 for a loss. Kyle Hunte had an interception and a fumble force. Mike Laperriere and Devone Williams each had two pass breakups.
Hofstra (4-6, 2-5 CAA Football) was led by Like Bonus, who had nine tackles, a fumble force, a sack and 3.5 tackles for a loss. Probst was 12-for-23 for 161 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Nelson made seven catches for 97 yards.
It was Senior Day at Northeastern and before the game, the Huskies honored their 27 outgoing players, including Zack Abrams, Matt Allain, Alton Bradley, David Button, Chris Byrne, Jake Catlin, Tyler Church, Ron Conway, Dan Elwood, Sean Fracalossi, Phil Higgins, Mat Johnson, Floran Kacaku, Craig Kenney, Tony Lott, Mike Lukenda, Dan Mason, Geoff Morris, Kevin Newhall, John Pfund, Kerry Pollard, David Racca, Adhir Ravipati, Matt Reingold, Woody Romelus, Ty Sibert and Jason Vega.
Northeastern will wrap up the 2009 season at Rhode Island next Saturday in Kingston, R.I., at 12:30 p.m.
Maine 41, Rhode Island 17
Box Score
ORONO, Maine-- The University of Maine football team defeated Rhode Island by the score of 41-17 on Saturday afternoon at Alfond Stadium. With the win, Maine improves to 5-5 on the season and 4-3 in CAA play while Rhode Island falls to 1-9 and 0-7 in conference play. Maine was led by Chris Treister (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) who threw for 461 yards and five touchdowns while Landis Williams (Pemberton, N.J.) made 17 catches for 220 yards.
Treister tied the school record for completions in a game held by Mickey Fein against UConn in 1997 (38) and set the record for completion percentage (86.4 %) previously set by Mike Buck against Northeastern with 82.6 %. Williams tied the school record for receptions (17) with Rameek Wright and Arel Gordon and broke the record for receiving yards (220) previously held by Gene Benner who had 215 against Hofstra in 1969.
After falling behind early by a field goal, Maine came back when Treister found Williams for a 10-yard score.
The Rams would come back and take a 10-7 lead into halftime, but Maine would explode in the second half.
Maine got on the board when Spencer Wood (Salisbury, N.H.) blocked a punt deep in Rhode Island territory and Treister found Mike Brusko (Zionsville, Pa.) for a six yard score.
Treister expanded the Black Bear lead when he ran 23 yards for a score on the next Maine possession.
After Rhode Island closed the gap to 21-17, Treister found Williams for a 41-yard score on next Black Bear possession to build a 28-17 lead.
Treister would add a 58-yard touchdown pass to Williams and an 18-yard score to Tyrell Jones (Gaithersburg, Md.) to cap the scoring.
Maine continues play on Saturday when the Black Bears travel to take on New Hampshire at 12 p.m. with the winner taking the CAA North Division crown.
Navy 35, #23 Delaware 18
Box Score
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -Ricky Dobbs ran for five touchdowns, moving within one of tying the single-season NCAA record for a quarterback, and Navy defeated Delaware 35-18 on Saturday.
Dobbs leads the nation with 22 touchdowns and needs one more rushing score to tie the record held by Florida's Tim Tebow (2007) and Air Force's Change Harridge (2002).
Jon Stiefsky kicked a school-record four field goals for Delaware (6-4).
Navy (8-3) has already accepted a bid to the Texas Bowl.
Dobbs, who set up his third score with a career-long 46-yard run, finished with 100 yards on 26 carries. He also completed 4 of 6 passes for 78 yards, setting up two scores through the air.
After gaining just 105 yards on 22 first-half plays and trailing 9-7 at the break, Navy had 215 yards in the second half. The Midshipmen ran 51 times for 242 yards for the game.
Alexander Teich, subbing for starting fullback Vince Murray, set up Dobbs' fourth score with a 22-yard run and finished with 57 yards on seven carries.
Delaware moved the ball well on offense, outgaining the Mids 370-320 with 22 first downs to their 16, but couldn't do any better than Striefsky's four field goals until a late fourth-quarter touchdown.
Pat Devlin completed 17 of 29 passes for 194 yards, but had no completion longer than 22 yards. The Hens' only score came on Jerry Butler's 1-yard run with 6:29 left.
Stiefsky converted field goals of 47, 39 and 25 yards in the first half, the last coming on the final play of the half, to give the Hens a 9-7 lead.
Navy opened the second half with the ball and drove 64 yards to a 1-yard score by Dobbs for a 14-9 lead.
Delaware followed with a drive inside the Navy 10, but settled for Stiefsky's 25-yard field goal. The kick gave Stiefsky a school and stadium record, the Hens still trailed 14-12 with 3:33 left in the period.