In Week 6 of CAA football, Villanova reasserted its front-runner status while Towson made a statement about its prospects in the season's back half. 

In Towson's highest-scoring performance of the 2024 season thus far, the Tigers defense provided the most emphatic score. 

Holding a 20-13 lead over visiting William & Mary, Towson looked to buckle down as the Tribe drove deep into Tigers territory. CJ McClendon answered the call, getting to William & Mary quarterback Darius Wilson and forcing loose the football. 

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Brandon Peters scooped the fumble and went 70 yards on a huge momentum swing — not just for Towson on its way to a 34-27 win, but in potentially thrusting the Tigers into the FCS Playoffs conversation.  

Saturday's showdown with the Tribe concluded a brutal three-game stretch for Towson, pitting it against postseason-caliber opponents and national title contenders ranked no worse than William & Mary's positioning at No. 12. The Tigers proved their playoff potential and conference championship chops in taking preseason Coastal Athletic Association favorite and reigning co-champion Villanova to the brink of a 14-13 decision.

And while Pete Shinnick and Co. would presumably have preferred a tighter score than the 41-24 final from Towson’s visit to perennial national-title contender North Dakota State, the Tigers played the Bison closer than NDSU’s in-state rival and No. 7-ranked North Dakota this past week.

Nevertheless, good showings in losses matter little compared to wins for a team aiming to make the Playoffs. Towson needed to get a W from this three-game run to begin its case for the postseason — and doing so against a red-hot William & Mary team could be the catalyst into a huge second half of its season.

The Tigers held the Tribe to 176 rushing yards, and more tellingly, four yards per carry. Considering the huge numbers William & Mary was putting up on the ground ahead of Week 6, that’s no small feat for the Towson defense. Neither is outgaining Wiliam & Mary in rushing yards with 203, paced by Tyrell Greene Jr.’s 133 on just 15 carries

Quarterback Sean Brown’s passing was exactly what Towson needed to be it: Efficient. And, in finding John Dunmore for a pair of touchdowns, Brown and the Tigers passing game cashed in when needed.

The back-half of Towson’s schedule doesn’t let up: Beginning in Week 7 when the Tigers visit Norfolk State, they play 3-of-4 on the road. That stretch includes a visit to high-scoring Monmouth and a visit to yet another top 20-ranked foe in Richmond. The lone home game in that span is against surprising Stony Brook, which looks like a possible playoff team in its own right.

But Towson is heading into this pivotal stretch for both its playoff chances and possible CAA title contention on the right foot both offensively and defensively.

Cardiac Rams

It hasn’t been easy, but Rhode Island is undefeated against FCS opponents and 2-0 to start CAA play after escaping a nailbiter at Hampton in Week 6.

The Rams’ rally from down two touchdowns at the start of the fourth quarter forced double-overtime. Quarterback Devin Ferrell’s touchdown carry and subsequent two-point conversion finalized the comeback in a 46-44 thriller, and lifted Rhode Island to an incredible third one-possession victory.

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The outlier wasn't exactly a romp, either: Rhody opened its CAA schedule with a 21-9 defeat of Campbell.

Defeats of Holy Cross, Long Island, Campbell and now Hampton average a four-point per game margin, which may not be great for coach Jim Fleming’s blood pressure but is a welcome deviation from recent years. Of Rhode Island’s five losses in 2023, three were by one-possession margins.

In 2022, a 7-4 Rams bunch came four points away from ending its near 30-year playoff drought; losses of 31-30 at William & Mary and 31-28 at New Hampshire, teams that shared the season’s CAA championship, kept URI from finishing 9-2.

Fleming has touted Rhode Island’s continuous growth as a program reflected in the Rams’ repeatedly being in the postseason conversation in recent years. Their ability to pull out close games in 2024 may be the next phase in that growth — especially in the context of how the Rams sealed those wins.

Rhode Island’s defense opened the season impressively, which was to be expected with an All-America caliber linebacker A.J. Pena and talented playmakers like Devin Hightower all in the mix. But replacing quarterback Kasim Hill, a focal point of the competitive Rams teams for the previous four years, posed questions not immediately answered through this season’s first few weeks.

In exploding for 544 yards with a balanced run-pass attack at Hampton, Ferrell put together his best performance filling Hill’s former role. He went 14-of-25 passing for 247 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for the second-overtime score to cap his 30-yard performance on the ground.

Sacred Heart transfer Malik Grant’s likewise settled into his spot as the primary ball-carrier with games of 141 and 180 rushing yards and four combined touchdowns over the last two games. But with Deon Silas delivering a breakout performance as Rhody’s change-of-pace, going for 60 yards and two touchdowns, the Rams just might have a dangerous two-pronged attack on which to rely during the season’s second half.

Award Contenders Emerging on the Main Line 

The Week 5 edition of CAA Takeaways noted emerging national award contenders through the first month of the campaign. Among them, Villanova linebacker Brendan Bell, made his most emphatic case as a Buck Buchanan Award contender with his showing against Stony Brook in Week 6.

Bell was a heat-seeker with 15 tackles against the Seawolves including 2.5 for loss and a sack. With 57 tackles through Villanova’s first six games, Bell should clear the century mark in the regular season.

Villanova features another national awards candidate, however, someone omitted from last week’s list. It’s time to correct that error and mention freshman running back David Avit sprinting to the front of the Jerry Rice Award line.

Avit claimed his second CAA Rookie of the Week in as many weeks, and the FCS STATS National Freshman of the Week honors after his 183-yard, four-touchdown explosion. His Week 6 effort came on the heels of a 160-yard breakout vs. Long Island, capped with his first collegiate touchdown.

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