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CAA Notebook: Defending Champs New Hampshire, William & Mary Start Strong

CAA Notebook: Defending Champs New Hampshire, William & Mary Start Strong

CAA football defending co-champions New Hampshire and William & Mary scored impressive road wins to begin their pursuits of repeat titles in 2023.

Sep 5, 2023 by Kyle Kensing
CAA Notebook: Defending Champs New Hampshire, William & Mary Start Strong

Nine months may have elapsed since the conclusion of Coastal Athletic Association co-reigning champion New Hampshire's 2022 season, but the Wildcats All-American playmaker Dylan Laube needed fewer than five minutes to get right back to past form. 

A 58-yard punt returned for a touchdown early in the first quarter of New Hampshire's 51-17, season-opening romp at Stonehill highlighted Laube's selection as the National Special Teams Player of the Week. 

Laube led all of the Football Championship Subdivision in all-purpose yardage a season ago with 2,332, good for 194.3 per game — almost 23 more than the next-most productive player. 

By the end of Saturday's first quarter, Laube was well on his way to 239 total yards between rushing, receiving and returns, and had scored a touchdown in all three facets. Not a bad first 15 minutes for beginning to meet the lofty expectations 2022 may have set for Laube, but New Hampshire's do-everything weapon takes on an approach indicative of the Wildcats' collective focus for 2023. 

"Expectations are a funny thing," Wildcats coach Rick Santos said, alluding to UNH's preseason projections and rankings. The team climbed to No. 11 in the Sept. 3 FCS STATS Top 25. "Expectations are kind of external; our standards are internal, and that's what we really focused on this week." 

New Hampshire's highest-scoring season opener in 20 years included a career-best five touchdown passes — each to a different pass-catcher — from Max Brosmer. 

Santos praised Brosmer's distribution among a variety of targets. 

"Any time you're going against an odd front, they can drop eight [defenders into pass coverage] and you have to be able to extend it and get to your second, third, fourth read," Santos said. "There was numerous times where the Skyhawks did a good job taking away our primary receivers, and he bounced back on the complete opposite side of the field to find completions." 

Brosmer and Laube lead the UNH offense into Central Michigan in Week 2 looking to score the CAA's first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision this season after a couple of near-misses in Week 1. 

Fellow defending co-champion William & Mary, meanwhile, took its first step of consecutive CAA titles with a season-opening and conference-opening win on the road, 34-24 Thursday night at Campbell. 

League newcomer Campbell made an impressive CAA debut with an efficient first drive that ate up more than six minutes and produced six points. 

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But after taking a first-round haymaker from the Camels, William & Mary demonstrated the get-off-the-mat, "boxer's mindset" veteran defensive lineman Nate Lynn described in the offseason. 

After giving up touchdowns early in the first quarter and midway through the second, the Tribe defense dominated the second half. 

"You have guys like John Pius and Nate Lynn, Sammy Sarantis, our linebackers [including] Zay Jones, they did a great job adjusting to the scheme," William & Mary coach Mike London said. "Campbell has a very good, athletic running quarterback [Hajj-Malik Williams] and as I said, their offensive line is pretty physical." 

"But we were able to do some things with movement and with just straight-up playing 3-4 d-line technique and coverages," London added. "Linebacker filling the gaps, hustling to the ball, became the calling card." 

William & Mary limited Campbell to 2.9 yards per rush. Lynn got a jump-start on his friendly competition to see who can get to the quarterback fastest against 2022 Buck Buchanan Award runner-up Pius, making two sacks. 

And, as the defense found its stride, the Tribe offense appeared to have not missed a beat. In particular, veteran Bronson Yoder was a handful with 124 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. 

Yoder and backfield mate Malachi Imoh looked every bit as dynamic as a season prior — if not more so. Imoh's pass-catching out of the backfield proved an invaluable weapon for quarterback Darius Wilson at four receptions for a team-high 61 yards. 

For a first week, the defending champs each looked as sharp as if it was mid-October. 

Campbell At Home in the CAA

William & Mary's Week 1 win carried plenty of weight, not just as an always-important notch in league standings, but for the caliber of opponent the Tribe beat. 

"Coach [Mike] Minter has assembled...a very talented team," London said. "They're big, probably [have] the two biggest tackles we played against in a long time. They're fast. A very well-coached football team. They were tough."

Win or lose on the scoreboard — and make no mistake, the Camels were playing to win — what Thursday's matchup symbolized signified its own victory for Campbell football. 

When Minter arrived as head coach a decade ago, the Camels played non-scholarship football in the Pioneer League. The program's been on a steady ascent since, and officially beginning play in one of the top FCS conferences marked a new milestone in that ascent. 

"The university and the administration understood the vision when I took the job. They understood where we was going. We didn't hear the noise that was outside," Minter said. 

He described the process as being focused less on "the wins and the losses," but rather, "building a brand of football that kids would want to come and play here." 

If you build it, they will come ain't just about baseball in Iowa. The philosophy has applied to football in Buies Creek, and Barker-Lane Stadium has the potential to be another kind of field of dreams. 

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"We got to see, the first game against William & Mary, where we at. And now, coming off the football field, I know where we at. I have no questions about what type of football team I have, and we're going to get better and better."

More Impressive CAA Debuts

In addition to CAA newcomer program Campbell, a variety of individual additions to CAA rosters shined in Week 1. 

A pair of hard-fought near-upsets of FBS opponents featured the coming-out parties for two CAA freshmen: Maine running back Tristen Kenan, and Rhode Island wide receiver Marquis Buchanan. 

Kenan's touchdown run at FIU capped a 108-yard debut, and brought the Black Bears within two of the Panthers. 

The freshman running back's outstanding first appearance complemented a re-debut of sorts for the Black Hole Defense. Maine allowed just 13 FIU rushing yards, thanks in no small part to the contributions of Izaiah Henderson. 

While no newcomer to the college game — Henderson is a redshirt senior — the defensive lineman was making his first appearance for the Black Bears. With five tackles, two for loss, a sack and a forced fumble, Henderson made quite an introduction with Maine. 

Likewise, while Rhode Island's Buchanan was in the program a season ago, Thursday at Georgia State was his first game with the Rams. And what a first game for the Providence product. 

Buchanan caught for 101 yards and a touchdown, which came on one of the most impressive individual efforts of Week 1. 

"Oh man, we've been waiting for that. We all have been waiting for that. It was a long freshman year for him," Rhode Island coach Jim Fleming said, referring to Buchanan's redshirt 2022. "Once he got his hands on the rock and he did what he was able to do, it's kind of what we expected of him when we signed the kid. He's a very talented player and he's got a long way to go before he reaches his potential." 

Meet The New Blue Hens, Same as the Old Blue Hens  

Few teams came into 2023 replacing more prominent starting spots than Delaware. The Blue Hens' 37-13 win in CAA play at Stony Brook, however, struck a balance between returning playmakers stepping up and new faces showing out in a way that should have Delaware in the league-title mix. 

Ryan O'Connor's 346 yards passing set a solid foundation for the quarterback, who handled the majority of reps replacing Nolan Henderson behind center. Chandler Harvin and Marcus Yarns shined offensively, and while both factored prominently in Delaware's 2022 playoff run, Week 1 of 2023 suggests either could enjoy breakout campaigns. 

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Harvin caught five passes for a team-high 100 yards, and Yarns rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. 

Dartmouth transfer Tyron Herring made an impact on defense with a team-leading eight tackles and an interception, and Ty Davis — a starter in the secondary last season — put an exclamation point on the win with a pick-six. 

Week 1 Game Balls 

Some more of the standout performances from the first full week in CAA football: 

Elijah Hills, DL - UAlbany 

A week after fellow Great Danes defensive linemen Anton Juncaj and AJ Simon went off for seven combined sacks in the rout of Fordham, Elijah Hills racked up big plays in UAlbany's 42-20 loss at Marshall. 

Hills finished with 1.5 tackles for loss of his five in total and blocked a kick. 

"Elijah played very well against Fordham; those guys (Juncaj and Simon) hogged up all the sacks and the stats," Great Danes coach Greg Gattuso said. "Elijah's a guy we count on...The kid's just not afraid of anybody. He's aggressive and he's tough, and he just loves to play the game. And we're going to need him to show up again this week." 

Week 3 takes UAlbany beyond the edge of the continent to Hawai'i where the Great Danes face a Rainbow Warriors team with CAA ties in the coaching staff. UH head coach Timmy Chang was an assistant to Curt Newsome at Emory & Henry, and Newsome was part of some great James Madison teams under Mickey Matthews. 

Saturday's game also marks a return to Hawai'i for Gattuso, who played in the 1983 Aloha Bowl while at Penn State. 

Caleb Curtain, DB and Marvin Pearson, DL - Elon 

Elon's run to the 2022 Playoffs began with a Week 1 matchup against an FBS autonomy-conference program — a matchup that, despite the final score, fully demonstrated the Phoenix's potential. If a similar opener to 2023 against the Atlantic Coast Conference's Wake Forest Demon Deacons is any indicator, Elon should find itself in the race for the CAA championship once again. 

In particular, Phoenix defenders Caleb Curtain and Marvin Pearson had impressive performances to help keep Wake Forest under 100 yards rushing. Curtain made a sack and an interception, while Pearson delivered a sack and three tackles for loss. 

"Really a breakout year for him. He's strong, he's fast and he's experienced," Elon coach Tony Trisciani said of Pearson. "Expect to see that from him week in and week out." 

Christofer Zellous, QB - Hampton 

Hampton took New York in Week 1, beating Grambling in a 35-31 thriller. Christofer Zellous went over 100 yards both passing (155) and rushing (114), and scored a pair of touchdowns both ways. 

Not a bad statement to make amid a quarterback competition. 

"When we got the game, I knew it would be a game-time decision," Hampton coach Robert Prunty said of starting Zellous. Zellous, Malcolm Mays and Jared Lewis came into Week 1 vying for the Pirates job. 

Mays and Zellous both saw significant reps in 2022, but an injury sustained in last year's matchup with William & Mary became a point of reflection for Zellous, Prunty said. 

"I love where he's at, but keep in mind, we still have a battle going," Hampton coach Robert Prunty said. 

Marquez McCray, QB - Monmouth 

Sacred Heart transfer Marquez McCray debuted against an athletic and physical FAU defense — an Owls defense headlined by linebacker and former CAA standout Jackson Ambush, who transferred from UAlbany — and the new Hawks quarterback looked immediately at home. 

He passed for 249 yards and touchdowns to Dre Tucker and Assanti Kearney, and spread the ball among eight different pass-catchers. 

"He played like the veteran player that he is," Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan said. "He had very good command of our offense for only being in our offense a short time...He played with a composure and a sense of calm out there where he wasnt' rattled by that game or that opponent or that environment at all." 

Jalen Jackson and DeeWil Barlee, RB - Villanova 

Last year, Villanova dealt with injuries throughout the campaign that limited an otherwise deep rotation of running backs. In Week 1 this season, Mark Ferrante's Wildcats showcased the full extent of a healthy VU running-back. 

The results could cause headaches for opposing defensive coordinators. 

Jalen Jackson rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-10 rout of Lehigh, while DeeWil Barlee went for 102 yards and a score.