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CAA Football

3 CAA Football Takeaways From Week 2 Of The 2024 Season

3 CAA Football Takeaways From Week 2 Of The 2024 Season

As CAA Football continues to grow, it’s not just dead weight the conference is throwing around. Here are some CAA takeaways from Week 2 of the 2024 season.

Sep 10, 2024 by Matt Cannizzaro
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As Coastal Athletic Association Football continues to grow, it’s not just dead weight the conference is throwing around the FCS landscape. 

Sure, the CAA’s 16 teams is the most of any FCS conference, but having half of those teams ranked or receiving votes in the latest polls only supports the quality of the competition and illustrates why teams such as Bryant have been lining up to join the ranks.

This week, 15 of the 16 CAA teams were in action, including newcomer Bryant, and they compiled a 9-6 record. 

Following the successful week, four of the teams are ranked in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and/or the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 – Villanova (4/5), William & Mary (13/13), UAlbany (15/17) and Elon (NR/22) – with Richmond, Campbell, New Hampshire and Rhode Island also garnering votes.

Check out some of the takeaways from the CAA teams during Week 2 of the 2024 football season.

The New CAA Teams Are Resilient

The Bryant Bulldogs didn’t get the warmest welcome to the CAA when they went on the road and got thumped by Delaware to open the season and their new CAA era. 

Bryant opened the scoring with a field goal and then quickly found itself in a 34-10 halftime deficit that ballooned to a 48-17 loss.

Ultimately, the Bulldogs joined the CAA because they want to continue to get stronger and become an FCS contender. That will come with some lumps against more experienced teams.

In Week 2, Bryant played host to Franklin Pierce in a nonconference matchup, and a three-touchdown performance from the tandem of graduate quarterback Jarrett Guest and senior receiver Landon Ruggieri helped the Bulldogs secure their first win of the new season, 21-17.

It may not have been a conference win, but the Bulldogs will need some confidence and momentum in the coming weeks, as eight of their last nine games will be against CAA teams. 

Campbell, which debuted in the CAA last season, also bounced back from an opening-week loss in a big way, as the Camels had a game for the record book.

The Camels’ 24-16 win over No. 17 Western Carolina saw them rally from a 10-0 second-quarter deficit to secure the program’s first victory against a ranked opponent and the first win for Braxton Harris as the team’s head coach.

Campbell was led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Chad Mascoe Jr., who completed 18 of 29 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns, a noticeable improvement from the team’s Week 1 loss to Liberty. 

For his 12-tackle performance in keeping Western Carolina at bay, Campbell senior linebacker Jalen Brooks was named CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week.

Ahead for the Camels is back-to-back conference games against Rhode Island and Stony Brook, so they’re getting warmed up at the right time.

The Ground Games In The CAA Are Solid

Through two weeks of the season, eight CAA speedsters have rolled up more than 160 rushing yards, with North Carolina A&T redshirt junior Kenji Christian leading the way with 201 yards, an average of 100.5 per game.

Stony Brook’s Roland Dempster is close behind at 197 yards, while Elon’s TJ Thomas Jr. is third with 193. Thomas’ 8 yards per carry is the most by any player with two games played. 

Dempster was recognized Monday as the CAA Football Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his 160 yards and three touchdowns in Stony Brook’s 37-10 win over Stonehill, while Thomas received a pair of honors – CAA Football Rookie of the Week and Stats Perform FCS National Freshman Player of the Week. 

Thomas has 11 carries for 163 yards in Elon’s 41-19 win against North Carolina Central. 

For the record, airing it out for a touchdown is cool, too, and there’s plenty of that going on in the CAA.

Through two games, Monmouth senior Derek Robertson has completed 51 of 78 passes for 745 yards and seven touchdowns – plus three interceptions. He leads the CAA in attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns and is tied in the interception column. 

It’s almost officially fall. It’s football. It’s all cool. The QBs will get their time in the spotlight this season.

Are Ranked CAA Teams Cursed?

Is being a ranked CAA team a reason to panic, or were their struggles more about the quality of their opponents in Week 2, with two being from the FBS level?

What are the chances that three of the four nationally ranked CAA teams would lose in Week 2? 

William & Mary went on the road to FBS Coastal Carolina, and the Tribe never got their legs under them, falling behind 21-0, before finally getting any points on the board.

The good news for the Tribe is that it wasn’t a conference game, and it didn’t hurt their placement in the rankings. If anything, maybe battling back to a 40-21 final score can serve as momentum heading into their two rebound games before CAA play starts.

UAlbany also didn’t see much of a slide after playing up a level and facing a tough FBS team in West Virginia. 

Sure, the Mountaineers cruised on their home turf in front of 50,000 fans, 49-14, but the Great Danes held their own and got a solid performance from quarterback Myles Burkett, who was 18 for 39 for 306 yards and a touchdown. 

The Great Danes will head to Idaho in Week 3, before taking a week off to prepare for a meeting with Maine to kick off their CAA slate.

Finally, Richmond fell to Wofford 26-19 to fall to 0-2 on the season, despite outperforming the Terriers offensively (318-304). Unfortunately for the Spiders, two lost fumbles and four interceptions were the difference. That will need to be cleaned up if Richmond plans to climb back into the top 25. 

Villanova was the only one of the ranked CAA teams to pick up a win, a 28-3 victory over Colgate.

How Did The CAA Football Teams Perform In Week 2?

*CAA teams in bold

  • Bryant def. Franklin Pierce, 21-17
  • Campbell def. No. 17 Western Carolina, 24-16
  • Delaware - BYE
  • Elon def. North Carolina Central, 41-19
  • Hampton def. Virginia Union, 33-21
  • Montana State def. Maine, 41-24
  • No. 19 Lafayette def. Monmouth, 40-35
  • New Hampshire def. Holy Cross, 21-20
  • North Carolina A&T def. Winston-Salem State, 27-20 (OT)
  • Minnesota def. Rhode Island, 48-0
  • Wofford def. Richmond, 26-19
  • Stony Brook def. Stonehill, 37-10
  • Towson def. Morgan State, 14-9
  • West Virginia def. UAlbany, 49-14
  • No. 5 Villanova def. Colgate, 28-3
  • Coastal Carolina def. William & Mary, 40-21

College Football Rankings 2024 

AFCA Coaches Poll – Sept 8, 2024

  1. South Dakota State (22) - 1-1 (Last Week: 1)
  2. North Dakota State (2) - 1-1 (Last Week: 2)
  3. Montana State (2) - 3-0 (Last Week: 3)
  4. Villanova - 2-0 (Last Week: 5)
  5. Idaho - 1-1 (Last Week: 7)
  6. South Dakota - 1-1 (Last Week: 6)
  7. Central Arkansas - 1-1 (Last Week: 9)
  8. Southern Illinois - 1-1 (Last Week: 12)
  9. Montana - 1-1 (Last Week: 4)
  10. North Dakota - 1-1 (Last Week: 20)
  11. Sacramento State - 0-2 (Last Week: 8)
  12. UC Davis - 1-1 (Last Week: 18)
  13. William & Mary - 1-1 (Last Week: 14)
  14. UIW - 1-1 (Last Week: 11)
  15. UAlbany - 1-1 (Last Week: 13)
  16. Chattanooga - 0-2 (Last Week: 10)
  17. Tarleton State - 2-1 (Last Week: 21)
  18. Lafayette - 1-1 (Last Week: 19)
  19. Illinois State - 1-1 (Last Week: 22)
  20. Youngstown State - 1-1 (Last Week: 23)
  21. Northern Iowa - 2-0 (Last Week: NR)
  22. Florida A&M - 2-1 (Last Week: 24)
  23. Nicholls - 0-2 (Last Week: 25)
  24. Mercer - 2-0 (Last Week: NR)
  25. Weber State - 1-1 (Last Week: NR)

Others Receiving Votes: Southeast Missouri State (61); Furman (51); Richmond (49); Wofford (46); Abilene Christian (38); Elon (37); Southern Utah (31); Eastern Illinois (28); Western Carolina (27); North Carolina Central (16); Northern Arizona (14); Delaware State (13); New Hampshire (13); Harvard (11); UT Martin (10); Missouri State (8); Yale (8); Saint Francis (Pa.) (6); Drake (5); Alabama A&M (4); Alabama State (2); Georgetown (D.C.) (2); McNeese (2); Rhode Island (2); Campbell (1); Indiana State (1); Lamar (1); Prairie View A&M (1); Stephen F. Austin (1).

Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll – Sept 8, 2024

  1. South Dakota State (44) - 1-1 (Last Week: 1)
  2. North Dakota State (6) - 1-1 (Last Week: 2)
  3. Montana State (6) - 3-0 (Last Week: 3)
  4. Idaho - 1-1 (Last Week: 7)
  5. Villanova - 2-0 (Last Week: 5)
  6. South Dakota - 1-1 (Last Week: 6)
  7. Central Arkansas - 1-1 (Last Week: 9)
  8. Montana - 1-1 (Last Week: 4)
  9. Southern Illinois - 1-1 (Last Week: 10)
  10. North Dakota - 1-1 (Last Week: 23)
  11. Sacramento State - 0-2 (Last Week: 8)
  12. UIW - 1-1 (Last Week: 12)
  13. William & Mary - 1-1 (Last Week: 13)
  14. Chattanooga - 0-2 (Last Week: 11)
  15. UC Davis - 1-1 (Last Week: 18)
  16. Tarleton State - 2-1 (Last Week: 20)
  17. UAlbany - 1-1 (Last Week: 16)
  18. Illinois State - 1-1 (Last Week: 21)
  19. Lafayette - 1-1 (Last Week: 19)
  20. Weber State - 1-1 (Last Week: 24)
  21. Youngstown State - 1-1 (Last Week: 25)
  22. Elon - 1-1 (Last Week: NR)
  23. Mercer - 2-0 (Last Week: NR)
  24. Nicholls - 0-2 (Last Week: 22)
  25. Abilene Christian - 1-1 (Last Week: NR)

Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Southeast Missouri - 111; Richmond - 100; Wofford - 85; Northern Iowa - 70; Florida A&M - 69; Western Carolina - 67; Eastern Illinois - 64; Furman - 52; Campbell - 49; Southern Utah - 48; Lamar - 15; Alabama State - 13; North Carolina Central - 12; Saint Francis - 11; Austin Peay - 8; Charleston Southern - 7; Harvard - 5; Drake – 4.

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