See who shined on the gridiron this week.

Offensive Player of the Week

Malcolm Mays | QB | Hampton

After entering the game in the third quarter, Mays completed 15-of-23 passes for 208 yards and four touchdowns, helping Hampton rally past UAlbany in overtime, 38-37, for its first CAA win. 

Trailing by 14 in the fourth quarter, Mays threw TD passes of 43 and 5 yards to tie the contest, and then hit Jadakis Bonds with a 7-yard strike in overtime for the game-winning score.

Let's check out this week's #CAAFB Top Plays presented by @jerseymikes @UAlbanyFootball @RhodyFootball @MUHawksFB@UNH_Football @NovaFootball @HUAthletics1868 @BlackBearsFB @StonyBrookFB @Spiders_FB pic.twitter.com/JikFsatPmh

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) October 19, 2022

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Khairi Manns | DL | Maine

Manns recorded a career-high 11 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in Maine’s 38-28 victory over Monmouth. 

The junior helped limit the Hawks’ league-leading rushing attack to 112 yards and was involved in two of the Black Bears’ season-high five sacks. His forced fumble in the first quarter set up a Maine touchdown.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Jarrett Martin | LB | Rhode Island

Martin tallied a career-best six tackles, 1.5 TFLs and a game-winning pick six, as No. 25 Rhode Island beat No. 14 Elon, 17-10. 

With the game tied at 10-10, Martin returned an interception 16 yards for a TD to put the Rams ahead with 8:37 to play. 

He was part of a URI defense that held Elon to a season-low 263 total yards and 20 points under its scoring average.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Andrew Lopez | PK | Richmond

Lopez made the first two field goals of his career in the fourth quarter to lift No. 21 Richmond to a 20-10 win over No. 17 Villanova. 

Filling in for injured Jake Larson, Lopez made a 31-yard field goal with 6:04 to go that put the Spiders up by seven, and he added a 37-yard field goal with 1:12 remaining. 

Along with hitting both FG attempts, he was 2-for-2 on PATs.

Rookie of the Week

Reese Poffenbarger | QB | UAlbany

Poffenbarger repeats as CAA Rookie of the Week after completing 26-of-35 passes for 337 yards and four TDs in UAlbany’s overtime loss to Hampton. 

The freshman threw three TDs of 35 or more yards and added a 15-yard scoring toss in OT. 

It was Poffenbarger’s fifth straight game with 250+ pass yards, and he has 13 TDs with no interceptions for the year.

Reese Poffenbarger threw three TD’s of 35 or more yards and added a 15-yard scoring toss in overtime for @ualbanyfootball

It was his fifth straight game with 250+ pass yards and he has 13 TD’s with no interceptions for the year pic.twitter.com/UZaMMe06sG

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) October 17, 2022

CONFERENCE NOTES

ALL 13 TEAMS IN ACTION IN WEEK 8: For the first time since Sept. 17, all 13 CAA Football teams will be in action Saturday. 

Highlighting the slate is a top-25 matchup between No. 21 Elon and No. 25 New Hampshire. 

Three other top-25 squads face CAA road tests, as No. 22 Rhode Island visits Monmouth, No. 12 William & Mary goes to Towson and No. 19 Richmond heads to Hampton. No. 13 Delaware hosts Morgan State in non-conference play. Rounding out the slate, Villanova is home against UAlbany, and Stony Brook entertains Maine.

THE RACE IS ON: The race for the CAA title is the most competitive in the FCS, with seven teams packed within a game of the lead entering Week 8. 

New Hampshire is on top of the standings at 4-0, but there are six squads (Delaware, Elon, Maine, Rhode Island, Richmond and William & Mary) with only one loss. 

Eight CAA teams also have winning overall records, which is two more than any other FCS league.

DOMINANT IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: CAA teams have been dominant against FCS non-conference opponents over the past five years, winning a remarkable 76% of those games. 

The success has continued in 2022, as CAA teams are 19-5 against FCS opponents. 

The 19 wins and the .792 win percentage are tied with the Ivy for the best of any FCS conference.

QUALITY QUARTERBACKS: CAA Football has featured some of the best quarterback play in FCS this season. 

The league has seven of the top 23 QBs in the FCS in pass efficiency (VU's Connor Watkins, UA's Reese Poffenbarger, MU's Tony Muskett, EU's Matthew McKay, UD's Nolan Henderson, UR's Reece Udinski and W&M's Darius Wilson). and five of the top 24 in passing yards (Udinski, McKay, Henderson, Poffenbarger, Muskett). Udinski tops the FCS in completion percentage (76.2%), Watkins is second nationally in yards per pass attempt (10.98) and Henderson is fifth in TD passes (18).

GETTING IT DONE ON THE GROUND: Five of the top 23 rushers in FCS play in the CAA. 

MU's Jaden Shirden leads the nation at 144.7 ypg, UA's Todd Sibley is ninth (107.3 ypg), W&M's Bronson Yoder is 12th (106.0 ypg), UNH's Dylan Laube is 18th (96.2 ypg) and EU's Jalen Hampton is 23rd (90.8 ypg). 

Nineteen CAA players have run for at least 100 yards in a game this season, with Shirden (two) and Laube (one) having topped 200 yards.

DEFENSES CREATING OFFENSE: There have been two defensive touchdowns scored in five of the seven weeks. 

In Week 1, URI's Jordan Jones (42 yds) and UNH's Randall Harris (25 yds) returned interceptions for TDs. 

W&M's Jalen Jones (33 yds) and UR's Aaron Banks (35 yds) scored on pickoffs in Week 2. 

In Week 4, UR's Tyreke Funderburk had a 30-yard pick six and UAlbany's Joseph Greaney scored on a 77-yard fumble return. 

In Week 5, TU's Robert Javier (97 yds) and VU's Jalen Goodman (23 yds) had a pick six. 

In Week 7, URI's Jarrett Martin (16 yds) and UM's Buggs Brown (39 yds) tallied a pick six.

POFFENBARGER BECOMES FIFTH NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: UAlbany's Reese Poffenbarger was honored as the FedEx Ground National Freshman of the Week on Oct. 17, after passing for 337 yards and four touchdown vs. Hampton. He's the fifth CAA player to be honored nationally. 

Richmond's Reece Udinski was chosen as the FCS National Player of the Week by NCAA.com on Sept. 26, after throwing for 357 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Stony Brook. 

Delaware's Johnny Buchanan was the FedEx Ground National Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5, after making a school-record 23 tackles in a win over Navy. 

W&M's Jalen Jones was the Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12, after intercepting three passes in a win vs. Campbell. 

UD's Nolan Henderson was the FedEx Ground Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19, after passing for 379 yards and four TDs, as the Hens beat Rhode Island.

SIX TEAMS RANKED IN TOP 25: CAA Football led all conferences, with six teams ranked in the Stats Perform Top 25 last week, while five were in the AFCA Coaches poll. William & Mary is No. 12 in the Stats poll and No. 13 in AFCA poll, while Delaware is No. 12 in the AFCA poll and No. 13 in the Stats poll. Richmond is ranked No. 19 by Stats and No. 21 by the AFCA while Rhode Island is No. 19 in the AFCA rankings and No. 22 in the Stats poll. Elon is ranked No. 21 by Stats and No. 25 by the AFCA, and New Hampshire joined the Stats poll at No. 25. Villanova received votes in both polls and Hampton got a vote in the AFCA poll.

UAlbany

•  Edged 38-37 in OT by Hampton last week. It was UAlbany's fourth loss by seven points or less.

•  Reese Poffenbarger was 26-of-35 passing for 337 yards and a career-high four touchdowns vs. HU. He ranks eighth in the FCS in passing yards and 10th in pass efficiency and has thrown for 250+ yards in five straight games. He has 13 TDs and no interceptions this season.

•  Todd Sibley ran for 65 yards and a TD vs. HU. He's topped the 100-yard mark in four of his last five games and ranks ninth in FCS in rushing.

•  Thomas Greaney had six receptions for a career-high 110 yards and two TDs vs. HU. He's made at least three catches in all six games and tops all CAA tight ends in receptions (31), receiving yards (441) and TDs (six).

•  UAlbany has generated over 400 yards of total offense in five consecutive games.

•  Jackson Ambush tallied nine tackles and an interception vs. Hampton and has 45 stops over the past four games.

•  Dylan Kelly added nine stops vs. Hampton.

Delaware

•  Off last week. Returns to action Saturday against Morgan State.

•  Nolan Henderson has thrown for 200+ yards in five straight games and has tossed at least two TD passes in all six contests. He ranks fifth in FCS with 18 TD passes, 11th in passing yards and 17th in pass efficiency.

•  Jourdan Townsend made eight catches for 91 yards and a TD at W&M. He has 25 grabs for 337 yards and four TDs in the past four games.

•  Kyron Cumby had a 65-yard TD run at Towson and a 38-yard scoring run at W&M.

•  Johnny Buchanan leads the CAA with 78 tackles. He was the FCS National Defensive Player of Week after making 23 stops vs. Navy and had 19 tackles at W&M.

•  UD has held four teams to 10 points or less. The Hens are third in FCS in pass defense, sixth in total defense and fourth in scoring defense.

•  Justis Henley blocked two FGs at W&M, becoming the first UD with two blocks in a game since 2005.

Elon

•  Fell 17-10 at Rhode Island last week, ending a five-game winning streak.

•  Matthew McKay has thrown for 300+ yards three times. He's ninth in FCS in total offense, 15th in FCS in pass efficiency and 21st in passing yards. He's been responsible for at least three TDs in five of Elon's seven games.

•  Bryson Daughtry made five catches for 55 yards at URI, which was his fifth game with at least four receptions.

•  Jalen Hampton ran for 81 yards and a TD at URI. He ranks fifth in the CAA and 23rd in FCS in rushing (90.8 ypg).

•  Skyler Davis is Elon's career FG leader (62) and is 11-of-14 this season with three FGs from 51+ yards.

•  Elon's defense has allowed just 16 points in the second half vs. its six FCS foes.

•  Omar Rogers contributed a team-high seven tackles and a forced fumble at URI. He's made 23 stops in four games this season.

Hampton

•  Rallied past UAlbany, 38-37 in OT, last week to earn their first CAA victory.

•  Malcolm Mays threw for 208 yards and a career-high four TDs in second half at UA. He has seven TD passes in the past two games.

•  Jadakis Bonds made seven catches for 92 yards and two TDs at UA. He ranks second in the CAA in receiving yards and is second in the FCS with eight TD catches. He had a HU-record 15 TD catches in 2019 and is the career leader in TD grabs.

•  Tyler Thompson had a 40-yard TD catch vs. Maine and a 43-yard TD grab at UAlbany.

•  Darran Butts ran for a season-high 124 yards at UA, including a 52-yard TD.

•  Hampton is second in the CAA and 23rd in FCS in rushing defense (114.5 ypg).

•  DeAndre Faulk tallied a team-best 11 tackles at UA, which was his second game with double-digit stops.

•  KeShaun Moore had 3.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks at UA and ranks fourth in the CAA with 8.0 TFLs for the season.

Maine

•  Beat Monmouth, 38-28, last week for its second straight victory.

•  Joe Fagnano passed for 181 yards and two touchdowns vs. MU. He has thrown for 180+ yards and at least one TD in five straight games.

•  Kobay White made six catches for a season-high 115 yards vs. MU.

•  Freddie Brock ran for a season-high 68 yards vs. Monmouth and has scored three touchdowns in the past two games.

•  Montigo Moss has a TD reception in four of the past five games.

•  The Black Bears forced three turnovers for the second straight game vs. MU and converted them into 21 points.

•  Khairi Manns had a career-high 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble vs. MU.

•  Jamehl Wiley tallied seven tackles, 3.0 TFLs and 2.5 sacks in the win over Monmouth.

•  Buggs Brown had a 39-yard pick six vs. MU.

Monmouth

•  Lost 38-28 at Maine last week, snapping a four-game winning streak.

•  Jaden Shirden ran for 81 yards at UM. He's the leading rusher in FCS (144.7 ypg) and has topped the 100-yard mark in five of his last six games, with two 200+ yard outings.

•  Tony Muskett threw for 292 yards and three TDs at Maine. It was his 22nd straight game with at least one TD pass. He has thrown for 200+ yards in 10 of his last 12 games and ranks 24th in FCS in passing (249.7 ypg).

•  Owen Wright is second in FCS with 13 rushing TD's and is also second in scoring (12.0 ppg).

•  Assanti Kearney had six catches for 100 yards and a TD at Maine. It was his second game this season with 100+ receiving yards.

•  Da'Quan Grimes made a team-high eight tackles at Maine and leads the Hawks with 51 stops for the season.

•  MU ranks seventh in FCS in total offense, ninth in rushing offense and 10th in scoring offense.

New Hampshire

•  Blanked Dartmouth, 14-0, last week for their first shutout win since 2018.

•  Isaac Seide ran for a career-high 127 yards on 26 carries at DC.

•  Max Brosmer passed for 217 yards and a TD and ran for a TD at DC. He has 11 TD passes in the past five games and has thrown for 200+ yards in four games.

•  Joey Corcoran had six catches for a team-high 89 yards at DC. He leads UNH in receptions (33) and receiving yards (389).

•  Dylan Laube, who leads FCS in punt returns, ranks third in all-purpose yards and 18th in rushing, didn't play at Dartmouth.

•  Pop Bush had five tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery vs. Dartmouth.

•  Josiah Silver is second in the CAA with 7.0 sacks and 10.5 TFLs, while Dylan Ruiz is third in the CAA with 6.5 sacks.

•  UNH is off to a 4-0 start in CAA play for the first time since 2014.

Rhode Island

•  Battled past No. 14 Elon, 17-10, last week.

•  Kasim Hill passed for 201 yards and ran for 73 yards and a TD vs. Elon. He has thrown for 200+ yards in 5-of-6 games and has had two or more TD passes in eight of his last 10 contests.

•  Marques DeShields ran for a season-high 127 yards vs. Elon. It was his third 100-yard outing, and he's sixth in the CAA in rushing.

•  Kahtero Summers made a team-high five catches for 74 yards vs. Elon. He ranks fifth in the CAA in receiving yards (72.2 ypg).

•  Jarrett Martin made a career-high six tackles vs. Elon and had a 16-yard pick six for the game-winning score with 8:37 to go.

•  Evan Stewart recorded a team-best seven tackles and had two key PBU's against Elon.

•  Jordan Jones is fourth in the CAA in passes defended (6/1.0 pg). His 24 career passes defended is two shy of the URI record.

•  URI's defense held Elon to season-lows for yards (263) and points (10).

Richmond

•  Moved to 3-0 at home after defeating No. 17 Villanova, 20-10, last week.

•  Reece Udinski threw for just 104 yards and a TD vs. VU. He leads FCS in completion pct. (76.2%), ranks 14th in pass yards and has 14 TDs with two interceptions. He has passed for 350+ yards in three of his last four games.

•  UR ran for a season-high 227 yards vs. VU, led by Aaron Dykes (89 yds) and Savon Smith (74 yds).

•  Jasiah Williams made five catches for 47 yards vs. VU. He's second in the FCS with 48 catches and has made nine or more catches in four of his six games.

•  Jakob Herres is the FCS active leader in career receptions (256) and is second in career receiving yards (3,360).

•  Tristan Wheeler, who made 19 tackles at UVA, had seven stops vs. VU. He's third in the CAA with 56 tackles and has 312 career stops.

•  UR ranks third in the CAA with 16 sacks, including 15 in the past four games.

Stony Brook

•  Suffered a 45-14 setback at No. 22 Fordham last week.

•  Freshman QB Charlie McKee made his first career start at Fordham and was 18-of-36 passing for a career-high 239 yards and two TDs. He has three touchdown passes in the last two games.

•  RB's Jayden Cook (18 att., 55 yds.) and Ty Son Lawton (seven attempts., 34 yds.) returned to action at Fordham. Lawton had missed three games and Cook had been out for two.

•  Reidgee Dimanche made a team-high 10 tackles and recovered fumble at Fordham. He leads the Seawolves with 54 tackles.

•  Dakar Edwards contributed 2.0 TFLs, including a sack, at Fordham.

•  Tedy Afful had a 30-yard TD reception at Fordham, which was the first of his career.

•  OL Kyle Nunez, a four-time All-CAA performer, was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Campbell Trophy.

Towson

•  Off last week. Back in action Saturday, hosting No. 12 William & Mary.

•  Tyrrell Pigrome has passed for 723 yards and five TDs and is TU's second-leading rusher (245 yds). He was the first Towson QB since 2019 to have over 100 yards passing and rushing in the same game vs. Morgan St.

•  Da'Kendall James tops TU in receptions (24) and receiving yards (221). He has at least three catches in five of the Tigers' six games.

•  Devin Matthews is averaging 5.0 ypc and leads TU in rush yards (270) and TDs (three).

•  LB Ryan Kearney tops the team with 50 tackles. He's made at least eight stops in the past four games.

•  LB Mason Woods made a team-high 10 tackles at Elon, which was his second straight game with double-digit stops.

•  Riley Williams leads the CAA and ranks sixth in FCS in punting average (44.2). He has a CAA-best 10 punts of 50+ yards.

Villanova

•  Dropped a 20-10 decision at No. 21 Richmond last week.

•  Jaaron Hayek made four catches for a team-high 89 yards at UR. He tops the CAA and is second in FCS in receiving yards (109.3 ypg). He's topped 100 receiving yards in four of VU's six games this season.

•  Connor Watkins ranks sixth in FCS in pass efficiency. He has 11 TD passes and has also run for five touchdowns. Watkins has completed 11 passes of 40 or more yards this season.

•  TD Ayo-Durojaiye ran for 106 yards on only 11 carries at UR. It was his second 100-yard effort of the year. VU has had three different backs top the 100-yard mark this season.

•  Shane Hartzell recorded a career-best 15 tackles and 2.0 TFLs at UR and leads the Wildcats with 42 stops for the season.

•  Ethan Potter contributed 11 tackles and 2.5 TFLs at UR. It was second straight game with 11 stops.

•  VU ranks 11th in FCS in rushing, 28th in total offense and 29th in scoring offense.

William & Mary

•  Off last week, but visits Towson on Saturday. W&M is 5-1 for the first time since 2010.

•  Bronson Yoder ran for 114 yards and TD vs. UD, which was his third 100-yard effort in five games. He ranks 12th in FCS in rushing.

•  Darius Wilson has tallied 190+ yards of total offense in 5-of-6 games and ranks 23rd in FCS in pass efficiency.

•  W&M ranks fifth in FCS in rushing (245.2 ypg). The Tribe is also 16th nationally in total offense and 24th in scoring offense.

•  TE Lachlan Pitts had four catches for 68 yards and a TD vs. UD. It was his third game with four receptions this season.

•  John Pius leads FCS in sacks (9.5) and TFLs (14.5). He also tops W&M with 40 tackles.

•  W&M has recorded 19 sacks, which ranks second in the CAA. W&M is 21st in FCS in total defense and 24th in scoring defense.

•  Ethan Chang tied a CAA record by booting a 57-yard FG at Stony Brook. He's 10-for-14 on FG's this season.