CAA Season Wrap-Up

The CAA season has come and gone. It was a lot of fun this year in the CAA with teams putting up some monster performances throughout the year, as well as plenty of heartbreak to go with it. Let's take a look at the results from the final week in the CAA with this list mentioning each team in the respective order for where they finished in the conference standings.

1. Rhode Island continued to do what they have done all year and that is win. This time their win came against the Hampton Pirates as they took them down 38-10. The win improved them to  10-2, and 8-0 in the conference giving them sole possession of the conference title. This title crown is their first outright title since 1985 back from when they were in the Yankee Conference. What did they do in their most recent game that allowed them to bask in the glory of winning the conference? Well it started off with a strong first quarter in which they put up 21 points as all three of their possessions found the endzone.  After that things would slow down but they still continued to put up points to give them a dominant victory. It was a game in which the offense was just clicking left and right as they amassed a total of 610 offensive yards. The passing game couldn’t be stopped as they had 409 yards through the air. That isn’t to say that the run wasn’t working though as they did rush for 201 yards on the day. A very dominant day for the Rams as they punched their ticket to the FCS Playoffs with them now getting to host Central Connecticut State out of the NEC. This is a matchup that will take place at 12:00 p.m. ET, and can be streamed on ESPN Plus with the winner advancing to take on UC Davis.

2.  It was win and you are in, and that's exactly what Villanova did as they took down Sacred Heart 34-10 to get in as an at-large bid in the FCS Playoffs. The win was one that had both the offense and defense playing a great game as the defense gave up only 10 points in the match-up with three of those points coming off of a Villanova turnover that gave the Pioneers great field position. Then on the other side of the ball the offense put up 455 yards as they put on a show. In that show they ran for 239 yards and passed for 216 yards. While it was quite the spectacle to watch there was one hiccup on the day as they did lose a fumble on their opening drive which resulted in them going down 3-0 early. But they stayed level headed and then put up 27 unanswered points as they ran away with the game. Now the 9-2 Wildcats who finished second in the conference by going 7-1, will host Harvard in the first round of the playoffs. This exciting match-up will take place on ESPN Plus with the game starting at 12:00 p.m. ET.

3. Oh how the mighty have fallen as Monmouth took a devastating loss, 31-24 against UAlbany. The loss made them 9-3 on the year and 6-2 in the conference. This loss was a punch in the gut as they found themselves down 7-3 at the end of one, but then things got really wild when they couldn’t and gave up 14 more points in the second leading to a 21-3 deficit at the half. They then were outscored 10-6 in the third. Come the fourth they figured things out as they put up 15 points to UAlbany’s zero, but they ran out of time and took the loss. In the loss the Hawks had 269 passing yards and 74 rushing giving them a total of 343 yards. It was a game in which the Hawks didn’t just turn the ball over left and right in either as they only lost one fumble on the day.  But they did have problems as they only possessed the ball for 20:59, as well as going 4-13 on third down and 2-5 on fourth down plays. Those few things were a recipe for disaster as it led to the Hawks losing and missing out on a playoff spot as their season is now done.

4. New Hampshire seemed dead in the water as they sat at an overall of 3-4 around the midway point in the season. Then they turned things around as they just picked up their fifth win in a row when they took down the Maine Black Bears 33-27, giving them a final record of 8-4 on the year and 6-2 in the conference. That sixth win allowed them to tie for third place in the conference. To get their sixth win the Wildcats put 27 of their 33 points in the first half, with 24 of those points coming in the second quarter. After halftime the Wildcats would do just enough to get the win as they scored the winning touchdown on a 7:42 second drive that made the game 33-21 with just under two minutes to go. Maine would give one last push but had an illegal touching, on their onside attempt after putting up a quick score allowing for New Hampshire to run out the clock. This game saw New Hampshire put up 396 yards as they passed for 266, and ran for the other 130, but it wasn’t the offense that was the star of the show. Instead it was their kicker Nick Reed as he earned the CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week. Reed got the award by going 4-for-4 on field goals, including a school-record 55-yarder. He also made kicks from 29, 21 and 33 yards as the nation’s leader in field goals improved to 24-31 on the season. His 55 yard field goal was also his sixth field goal of 50+ yards this season. The Wildcats will need him to stay red hot as they go on the road to take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the first round of the playoffs. This matchup will be one that can’t be missed with it starting at 1:00 p.m. ET, and available on ESPN Plus.

5. William & Mary might not have made the playoffs with a 7-5 record, but they did manage to go 6-2 in the conference which was good enough to help them tie for third place overall. The Tribes last game had no implications on the conference as they took on the Richmond Spiders out of the Patriot League. This game ended up being a loss for the Tribe as they couldn't hold onto their 14-0 lead that they had at halftime as they lost 28-21. In the game William & Mary gave up 21 points in the third quarter as they seemingly fell apart with no way to stop the Spiders. After the third quarter they did manage to tie the game back up but later gave up a 91 yard drive that chewed over six minutes off the clock. This touchdown that they gave up was the backbreaker as they couldn’t tie the game afterwards with such little time remaining. When we look into their stats we see why they struggled to tie or even hold onto their lead in the first place. Throughout the entire game the Tribe only managed a total of 194 yards. It was a game where the pass could only muster up 86 yards, with the run having 108 yards. The Tribe also turned the ball over once by throwing an interception which didn’t help their chances of winning the game. The final game of the season might not have gone to plan but the season overall went very well for William & Mary as they will build upon this season for next year.

6. Maine had an interesting season as they started the year out 0-4, before flipping a switch and winning six in a row. After getting their sixth win things came to a crashing stop as they got blown out by Rhode Island and took a tough loss to New Hampshire leading to them finishing the year at 6-6, and 5-3 in the conference. Their last game against the Wildcats was one where they played really well in three quarters, but the one quarter they didn’t play well in was very costly as they gave up 24 points in the second quarter. Through the other three quarters they only gave up nine points. It makes you wonder what happened in the second quarter that led to so many points being given up. When you look at the stats you see the Black Bears committed two turnovers, but only one of those happened in the second and that turnover only resulted in a field goal. Showing that the second quarter just got away from them as they didn’t have the right answers on how to stop the Wildcats at that time. When looking at the rest of Maine’s stats we see that they passed for 180 yards, and rushed for 189 yards. A very balanced run and pass game resulting in 369 total yards. While the offense was balanced it was not enough to help them make a comeback as they now go into their offseason.

7. Elon might not have had the season that they wanted but it was one where they ended the season with a bang as they took down N.C. A&T 55-17. This win was one where a couple of players really stood out as they had two players earn CAA awards, as their quarterback Landen Clark got the CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week. He got the award by accounting for 336 yards of offense and six touchdowns. He wasn’t the most accurate QB as he was 10-of-24 passing for 231 yards, but the career-high four TD’s and running for a team-best 105 yards and two TD’s, more than made up for his inaccuracies. As was mentioned earlier though he wasn’t the only one to get an award this week for Elon as Kahmari Brown a DE got the CAA Football Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Brown recorded eight tackles, 3.0 TFL’s, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Those 2.5 sacks helped the sophomore set an Elon season record with 12.0 sacks, which leads the CAA and ranks fourth in FCS. He also set the Phoenix career sacks mark with 16.5 in just 23 career games. This was a very good day for the Phoenix as the win set gave them a 6-6 record and helped them go 4-4 in the conference to end the season.

8. Stony Brook ended their year tied for seventh overall in the conference after going 6-6 overall and 4-4 in the conference. They managed to tie for seventh after winning their final game of the year when they took down Bryant 35-28. It was a game that went back and forth and eventually led to Stony Brook getting the winning touchdown with just 51 seconds remaining. When looking at the Seawolves stats we see that they passed for nearly 300 yards as they had 298 yards, then for the run game they had 94 yards, as they finished the game with 392 yards. Another thing that really helped them get the win was their defense getting four turnovers as they got three interceptions and recovered one fumble in the game. While this season might not have gone as expected, getting a conference win to end the year is always the best way to go out.

9. Towson finished their year off the best way possible and that was with a 35-31 win over Campbell. The win pushed them to an overall of 6-6, and 4-4 in the conference tying them for seventh. Their win saw them pass for 261 yards and run for 127 giving them 388 yards on the day. They did have one turnover which resulted in a Camels touchdown, but the Tigers wouldn’t let that stop them as they fought back before eventually getting the win. The shocking thing about this game is the Tigers lost in nearly every major offensive category as they were out gained by the Camels in both the pass and the run, as well as time of possession leaning heavily towards the Camels who had 34:34 in possession time compared to the Tigers 25:26. Finally, the Tigers had more turnovers than the Camels and yet they still managed to come out with the win. 

10. Campbell took another tough loss as this time it was in a game where they outgained their opponent, had the ball longer and even committed less turnovers but it still wasn’t enough as the Towson Tigers won 35-31. This game was one that went back and forth with both teams in contention for the win and after giving up a late touchdown the Camels lost the lead and couldn’t make the comeback with such short time remaining. In this game the Camels threw for 272 yards, while running for 144 yards, giving them 416 total yards on the day. This was also a game in which they didn’t turn the ball over once, and owned the time of possession by having the ball for 34:34 compared to the Tigers 25:26. With so many things going right for the Camels the loss becomes that much more surprising as the Camels now go into their offseason with a final record of  2-10, and 2-6 in the conference.

11. N.C. A&T suffered through another tough season as the quarterback injuries piled up early and they never recovered from there as they only got two wins on the year and finished the year with a four game losing streak. Giving them an overall of 2-10, and 2-6 in the conference. Their final game of the year didn’t go how any team wanted it to as they got squashed down by Elon 55-17. It was a game where the defense struggled to make stops and the offense struggled to not only move the ball, but also keep it in safe hands as they turned the ball over four times. For their turnovers they lost three fumbles and also threw an interception. Giving the Phoenix easy points in the game. Then when it came to moving the ball they also struggled, as their offense put up 217 total yards in the game. Most of those yards came from the pass as they threw it for 160 yards, while the run game really struggled for only 57 yards. Overall not a strong day for the Aggies as they have now go into their offseason hopeful for a better season next year. 

12. Bryant definitely didn’t have the season they were hoping for as they ended up going  3-9 on  the year and 1-7 in the conference. Their last game was just the icing on the cake for how this season went as they were in a back and forth game that they ended losing after giving up a touchdown with just 51 second left in the game. This was also a game that saw them turn the ball over four times as they threw three interceptions as well as lost a fumble. Aside from the team struggling to keep the ball in their possession the offense didn’t do bad at all as they put up 344 yards on the day. With them passing for 228 yards, and running for the other 126. Going to show that this team has some of the right pieces they just need to mold them together a little better for next year if they really want to make a run at things.

13. UAlbany struggled this season but they could not have ended it any better as they took the Monmouth Hawks 31-24. This win was only their second win on the year as they went 2-10 on the season, and 1-7 in the conference, but this win helped to eliminate the Hawks from the playoffs and to take a conference foe out is one of the best feelings a team can get. What they did to get this win was start out strong as they had a 7-3 lead at the end of one, then the defense stayed strong as they held the Hawks off the scoreboard in the second while the offense put up 14 more points giving them a 21-3 lead at the half. Things went smoothly in the third as they outscored them 10-6 making it 31-9 entering the fourth. Things would get interesting in the fourth as the Hawks finally figured things out by scoring 15 points but it was not enough as the Great Danes held on for the huge upset victory. This was a game where the offense was finally able to do things as they passed for 166 yards and rushed for 131 yards giving them 297 yards on the day. While these stats don't jump off the page at you, it's because the offense didn’t need to do a ton as the defense was the real star of the show. In this game the defense got a turnover as they recovered a lost fumble helping the Great Danes win the turnover battle. The defense also held Monmouth to 4-13 on third down and 2-5 on fourth down. Helping give the offense great field position throughout the game. The defense in this game was led by Chris Gales, a linebacker as he had  a team-high 12 tackles and a sack. His sack came at the end of the game as it helped seal the win for UAlbany. This performance earned him the other half of the CAA Football Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Not a bad way to end the season at all if you are the Great Danes or Chris Gales.

14. Hampton’s disastrous season continued into the final week as they took a 38-10 against the Rhode Island Rams. In the loss the defense had no answer on how to stop the Rams as they gave up 610 yards in the game. While they themselves put up 276 yards. This was accomplished by them throwing for 136 yards, and running for the other 140 yards. Just not a great way to end the season as the Pirates will finish the year at 2-10, and having gone 0-8 in the conference.