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2024 CAA Football

CAA Football Weekly Report | Week 11

CAA Football Weekly Report | Week 11

Catch up on the CAA Football weekly news, notes and awards. See who shined on the gridiron this week.

Nov 11, 2022 by FloFootball Staff
CAA Football Weekly Report | Week 11

See who shined on the gridiron this week.

Offensive Player of the Week

Nolan Henderson | QB | Delaware

In three quarters of action, Henderson completed 22-of-28 passes for 323 yards and a school-record tying five touchdowns. He also ran for a score in Delaware’s 49-17 win over Monmouth. 

The Blue Hens’ quarterback threw for four touchdowns and ran in from 2 yards out in the first half. He added his fifth scoring pass on the first drive of the second half, as UD tallied its most points since 2016.

Defensive Player of the Week

Marcus Hillman | DB | Elon

Hillman recorded eight tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble in Elon’s 27-3 victory over UAlbany. 

The senior was part of a Phoenix defense that held UA to season-lows in yards (210) and points (3) and tallied 10 sacks, matching the second-most by any FCS team this season. 

Hillman also forced his eighth career fumble, setting an Elon record.

Special Teams Player of the Week

D'Ago Hunter | KR/PR | Towson

Hunter returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown and also had a 60-yard kickoff return, as Towson topped Villanova, 27-3. 

The senior finished with 172 all-purpose yards and became the first Towson player to return a punt for a TD since 2017. 

Hunter has scored three TDs on returns this season. He is averaging 24.0 yards on punts and 24.6 yards on kickoffs.

Rookie of the Week

Isaiah Perkins | WR | Towson

Perkins made a team-high four receptions for 60 yards and a career-best two touchdowns in Towson’s 27-3 triumph over Villanova. 

The freshman had a 25-yard TD catch in the second quarter that put the Tigers on top and added a 10-yard TD grab early in the fourth quarter that pushed the lead to 17. 

Perkins has 22 catches for 268 yards this season.

CONFERENCE NOTES

TWO TOP-25 CLASHES ON WEEK 11 SLATE: A pair of top-25 clashes headline an important slate of games in Week 11. 

No. 12 Richmond visits No. 17 Delaware, and No. 21 New Hampshire hosts No. 22 Rhode Island, with all four teams in the mix for a CAA championship. 

No. 8 William & Mary entertains Villanova and No. 18 Elon heads to Hampton in games that also have title implications. 

Towson takes a two-game winning streak to Stony Brook, and UAlbany welcomes Maine.

THE RACE IS ON: The race for the CAA title is the most competitive in the FCS, with six teams packed within one game of the lead entering Week 11. 

New Hampshire, Richmond and William & Mary are tied for first place at 5-1. Elon sits a half-game back at 5-2, and Delaware and Rhode Island are tied at 4-2. 

Seven CAA teams have winning overall records, which is the most of any FCS conference.

SEVEN CAA PLAYERS ON CFPA NATIONAL PERFORMER WATCH LIST: Seven CAA players were chosen to the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) midseason watch list for the FCS National Performer of the Year. 

Recognized were Delaware QB Nolan Henderson, Elon QB Matthew McKay, Monmouth RB Jaden Shirden, Rhode Island QB Kasim Hill, Richmond QB Reece Udinski, UNH QB Max Brosmer and W&M QB Darius Wilson.

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 21-5 against FCS opponents. The 21 wins and the .808 win percentage are the best of any FCS conference.

QUALITY QUARTERBACKS: CAA Football features some of the best quarterback play in FCS. 

The league has six of the top 23 QBs in FCS in pass efficiency (MU's Tony Muskett, UA's Reese Poffenbarger, UR's Reece Udinski, EU's Matthew McKay, W&M's Darius Wilson and UD's Nolan Henderson), and five of the top 26 in passing yards (Udinski, Poffenbarger, Henderson, Rhode Island's Kasim Hill and Muskett). 

Udinski is second in FCS in completion percentage (76.2%), VU's Connor Watkins is third in yard per completion (16.3), and Henderson is sixth in TD passes (25).

GETTING IT DONE ON THE GROUND: Six of the top 25 rushers in FCS play in the CAA. 

MU's Jaden Shirden leads the nation at 156.7 ypg, W&M's Bronson Yoder is 16th (104.9 ypg), URI's Marques DeShields (99.5 ypg) is 17th, UNH's Dylan Laube is 21st (94.1 ypg), EU's Jalen Hampton is 22nd (94.0 ypg) and UA's Todd Sibley is 25th (91.7 ypg). 

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

NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS: Seven CAA Football players have earned FedEx Ground FCS National Player of the Week accolades from Stats Perform this season, while an eighth was recognized by NCAA.com. 

National honorees were: Delaware's Johnny Buchanan (Defense - Sept. 5), W&M's Jalen Jones (Defense - Sept. 12), Delaware's Nolan Henderson (Offense - Sept. 19), Richmond's Reece Udinski (Player by NCAA.com, Sept. 26), UAlbany's Reese Poffenbarger (Freshman - Oct. 17), New Hampshire's Sean Lehane (Special Teams - Oct. 24), Stony Brook's Charlie McKee (Freshman - Oct. 24) and Towson's D'Ago Hunter (Special Teams - Oct. 31).

SIX TEAMS RANKED IN TOP 25: CAA Football led all FCS conferences with six teams ranked in the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches Top 25 polls again this week. 

William & Mary is No. 8 in both polls, while Richmond rose to No. 12 in the Stats poll and No. 13 in the AFCA poll. Delaware is ranked No. 15 by the AFCA and No. 17 by Stats, while Elon is No. 18 in the Stats poll and No. 21 in the AFCA rankings. Rhode Island is ranked No. 22 in both polls, and New Hampshire is No. 21 in the Stats poll and No. 25 in the AFCA poll.

UAlbany

•  Fell 27-3 at Elon last week. It was UAlbany's first FCS loss by more than seven points.

•  Reese Poffenbarger was 18-of-37 passing for 161 yards at EU. He ranks 11th in FCS in passing yards and 14th in pass efficiency and has thrown for 250+ yards in seven of his last eight games. He has 20 TDs and two interceptions.

•  Todd Sibley ran for 110 yards on 20 carries at EU, which was his fifth game with 100+ yards. He ranks 25th in FCS in rushing.

•  Roy Alexander has made multiple catches in eight straight games and has 36 receptions for 446 yards and two touchdowns this season.

•  Thomas Greaney tops all CAA tight ends in receptions (38), receiving yards (509) and TDs (eight).

•  UAlbany has generated over 400 yards of total offense in seven of its last eight games.

•  A.J. Simon contributed four tackles, 3.0 TFLs, a sack and a forced fumble at Elon. He's third on the team with 8.0 TFLs for the season.

Delaware

•  Scored 42 first-half points on the way to a 49-17 victory over Monmouth last week.

•  Nolan Henderson was 22-of-28 passing for 323 yards and a UD-record tying five TDs and also ran for a TD. He has 200+ passing yards in eight straight games and has accounted for at least two TDs in eight games. He's sixth in FCS with 25 TD passes and is 17th in passing yards.

•  Jourdan Townsend made three catches for 85 yards and a TD vs. MU. He has 35 catches for 493 yards and five touchdowns in the last seven games.

•  Thyrick Pitts added five catches for 54 yards and two TDs. He leads UD with seven TD grabs.

•  Johnny Buchanan made 10 tackles vs. MU and leads the CAA with 112 stops. He was the FCS National Defensive Player of Week after making 23 stops vs. Navy and has had 10+ tackles in six games.

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

•  UD recorded six QB sacks vs. Monmouth.

Elon

•  Beat UAlbany 27-3 to finish unbeaten at home (5-0) for the first time since 1997.

•  Matthew McKay has thrown for 300+ yards three times and is 19th in FCS in pass efficiency and 17th in passing TDs (19).

•  Jalen Hampton ran for 81 yards and two TDs vs. UA. He has three 100+-yard outings and is fifth in the CAA and 22nd in FCS in rushing.

•  Jackson Parham made seven receptions for 82 yards vs. UA after missing two games due to injury. It was his fourth game with seven or more catches.

•  Skyler Davis is EU's all-time leading scorer with 326 points. He's second on the CAA's career FG list (66) and is 15-of-19 this season with five FGs from 51+ yards.

•  Elon's defense has allowed just 33 points in the second half vs. its nine FCS foes.

•  Elon recorded 11 sacks vs. UA, which is the most by any FCS team this season.

•  Marcus Hillman set a EU record with his eighth career forced fumble and had three sacks vs UA.

Hampton

•  Lost 20-14 to No. 8 William & Mary last week. Led 14-10 late in the third quarter.

•  Reserve QB Christopher Zellous passed for 92 yards and ran for 68 yards vs. W&M.

•  Jadakis Bonds had four catches for 92 yards vs. W&M. He ranks fifth in the CAA in receiving yards and is 16th in FCS with eight TD catches. He had a HU-record 15 TD catches in 2019 and is HU's career leader in TD grabs.

•  Hampton rushed for 210 yards vs. W&M, which was its most since Sept. 10. Darren Butts ran for 79 yards and a TD and Elijah Burris added 51 yards and a TD.

•  Hampton has held five opponents to 140 yards or less on the ground.

•  Ali Shockley tallied 10 tackles vs. W&M. He's eighth in the CAA with 73 tackles and has 38 stops over the last three games.

•  Qwahsin Townsel had a team-high 12 tackles vs. W&M and ranks second in the CAA with 84 stops. It was his fourth game with at least 10 tackles.

Maine

•  Dropped a 26-22 decision to No. 23 Rhode Island last week. It was Maine's third straight loss by 10 points or less.

•  Joe Fagnano has thrown for 180+ yards and at least one TD in seven of his last eight games and has over 5,000 career passing yards.

•  Elijah Barnwell ran for a season-best 98 yards and a TD at URI as Maine had its most rushing yards (183) since Oct. 8.

•  Freshman TE Rohan Jones had his first career TD catch (18 yds) in the third quarter.

•  Zavier Scott ran for 26 yards, caught four passes for 33 yards and had a 58-yard kickoff return against URI.

•  Maine didn't commit a turnover for the fourth consecutive game and have now scored on 17 straight trips to the red zone.

•  Brian Lee, Jr. had a team-high seven tackles and a TFL vs. URI. He's second on the team with 58 stops and has 4.5 TFLs.

•  Cody Williams was 3-for-3 on FGs vs. URI, including a season-best 46-yarder.

Monmouth

•  Suffered a 49-17 setback at No. 18 Delaware last week.

•  Jaden Shirden ran for 202 yards and a TD at UD. It was his fourth 200+-yard outing and the eighth time in nine games that he's topped 100 yards. He leads FCS in rushing (156.7 ypg) and is seventh in FCS in rushing TDs (12), including seven TD runs of 50+ yards.

•  Tony Muskett missed his second straight game due to injury. He has thrown for 200+ yards in 11 of his last 13 games and has a TD pass in 23 straight contests.

•  Owen Wright is fourth in FCS with 15 rushing TDs and is also ninth in scoring (9.6 ppg).

•  Dymere Miller had four catches for 35 yards at UD. He's second in the CAA in receptions (6.0 pg) and receiving yards (84.6 ypg).

•  Da'Quan Grimes leads MU and is 12th in the CAA with 74 tackles.

•  Monmouth ranks 10th in FCS in total offense (466.0 ypg), 11th in scoring offense (37.6 ppg) and seventh in rushing (233.9 ypg).

New Hampshire

•  Nearly erased a 24-point deficit, but lost 40-34 at No. 14 Richmond last week.

•  Dylan Laube amassed 169 all-purpose yards at UR, including a 100-yard kick return for a TD. He tops FCS in punt returns and all-purpose yards and ranks 21st in rushing.

•  Max Brosmer was 23-of-36 passing for 277 yards and three TDs at UR. He has 16 TD passes in the past seven games and has thrown for 200+ yards in 6-of-9 contests.

•  Freshman Joey Corcoran made five catches for 77 yards and a TD at UR. It was his sixth game this season with at least five receptions.

•  Heron Maurisseau had a career-best two TD catches at UR, including a 46-yard Hail Mary grab for a TD to end the first half.

•  Josiah Silver had 3.0 TFLs and a sack at UR. He's third in the CAA with 8.5 sacks and second with 14.0 TFLs, while Dylan Ruiz is second in the league with 9.0 sacks.

•  Max Oxendine matched his career-high with 12 tackles at Richmond.

Rhode Island

•  Defeated Maine, 26-22, last week to snap a 14-game losing streak in the series.

•  Marques DeShields rushed for 110 yards and a TD vs. UM. It was his sixth 100-yard effort and fifth in a row. He's 17th in FCS in rushing (100.7 ypg) and 15th with 10 TDs.

•  Kasim Hill passed for 244 yards and a TD and ran for 41 yards and two TDs vs. UM. He has thrown for 200+ yards in 8-of-9 games and has 15 passing TDs and six rushing TDs.

•  Ed Lee made eight catches for a career-high 190 yards and a TD vs. UM. It was his third 100+-yard effort this season and the most yards by a URI receiver in a game since 2019.

•  Jake Fire made a team-high 13 tackles vs. UM and has tallied nine or more tackles in six games. He's fifth in the CAA with 80 stops.

•  Jordan Jones had his 26th career pass breakup vs. UM, tying a program record.

•  URI has clinched its third straight winning season and fourth in the last five years.

Richmond

•  Moved into a tie for first place in the CAA after a 40-34 victory over New Hampshire.

•  Reece Udinski threw for 287 yards and three TDs vs. UNH. He's second in FCS in completion percentage (76.2%), ranks sixth in pass yards and has 22 TDs, with just four interceptions. He's passed for 300+ yards in five of his last seven games.

•  Leroy Henley had seven catches for 106 yards and two TDs vs. UNH. He leads UR with eight TD catches and has three games with 100+ yards.

•  Jasiah Williams ranks fourth in FCS with 69 receptions and has nine or more catches in five games.

•  Jakob Herres has 100+ receiving yards in three of the last five games. He's the FCS active leader in career receptions (277) and is second in career receiving yards (3,718).

•  Tristan Wheeler tops UR with 81 tackles and has 337 career stops, which ranks fourth among active FCS players.

•  UR ranks 3rd in the CAA with 24 sacks, including 23 in the past seven games.

Stony Brook

•  Beat Morgan State, 24-22, on Angelo Guglielmello's 37-yard FG as time expired.

•  Ross Tallarico set career-highs with 36 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns vs. MSU. He tops SBU with 406 rushing yards and three TDs.

•  Freshman QB Daron Bryden came off the bench to complete 11-of-19 passes for 124 yards and a TD vs. MSU.

•  Shawn Harris, Jr. made three catches for a team-high 55 yards vs. He leads SBU in receiving yards (296) for the season.

•  TE Tyler Devera made his third TD catch of the season vs. MSU.

•  De'Aundre Cruz had a career-high eight tackles, 2.0 TFLs and a forced fumble vs. MSU.

•  Carthell Flowers-Lloyd had 2.0 TFLs vs. MSU and ranks third in the CAA wiht 12.0 TFLs.

•  Stony Brook recorded 6.0 sacks against MSU and made 12.0 tackles for loss. Isaiah Givens and Eric Black each had a pair of sacks.

Towson

•  Earned their second straight win with a 27-3 victory over Villanova last week.

•  D'Ago Hunter tallied 172 all-purpose yards vs. VU, including a 77-yard punt return for a TD, which was the first by a Towson player since 2017. Hunter has three returns (2 KOR, 1 PR) for TD's this season.

•  Tyrrell Pigrome threw for 125 yards and two TDs and also ran for 73 yards vs. VU. Twice this season he's had over 100 yards passing and rushing in the same game.

•  Joachim Bangda rushed for a season-best 107 yards vs. VU. He's the third TU player to run for over 100 yards in the past three games.

•  Towson held VU to a season-low 153 total yards and allowed its fewest number of points in a CAA game since 2015.

•  Mason Woods had a team-high six tackles vs. VU. He's led the Tigers in tackles for four straight games and has a team-best 68 stops for the season.

Villanova

•  Fell 27-3 at Towson last week, ending a two-game winning streak.

•  Connor Watkins has completed 14 passes of 40 or more yards this season and has thrown at least one TD pass in 7-of-9 games.

•  Watkins' 75-yard TD run vs. Hampton was the longest ever by a VU quarterback and his 130 rushing yards were the most by a QB since 2015. He has 345 rush yards in 2022.

•  TD Ayo-Durojaiye has rushed for over 100 yards four times this season, including three of the past four games. He's averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

•  Jaaron Hayek missed the TU game due to an injury. He ranks fifth in FCS in receiving yards (101.2 ypg) and has topped 100 receiving yards four times this season.

•  Brendan Bell recorded a career-high 10 tackles at Towson, while Jared Nelson added a career-best eight stops and 2.5 TFLs.

•  VU ranks fifth nationally against the pass, giving up just 172.8 ypg. They have held three of their past foes under 140 yards.

William & Mary

•  Extended their winning streak to five by beating Hampton, 20-14, last week.

•  Bronson Yoder ran for a team-high 115 yards and a TD at HU. He ranks 16th in FCS in rushing and has topped the 100-yard mark five times this season.

•  Malachi Imoh ran for 93 yards, including a game-winning 49-yard TD. He's averaging 8.4 ypc and leads W&M with nine rushing TDs.

•  W&M ran for 309 yards at HU, which was its third straight game with 300+ yards. W&M is third in the FCS in rushing (266.6 ypg), 15th in FCS in total offense and 30th in scoring.

•  Lachlan Pitts has a team-high 398 receiving yards and ranks fifth in FCS with 22.1 ypc.

•  John Pius tops FCS in sacks (10.5) and is second in TFLs (16). He has a team-high 57 stops.

•  W&M is off to its best start since 2009 with its 8-1 record, which includes a 5-0 mark on the road.

•  The Tribe ranks fourth nationally in third-down conversion defense at 32.2%.