Week 7 marks the beginning of the 2024 football season's second half. The stakes are raised now for teams around the country, including in the Coastal Athletic Association. 

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While a variety of CAA squads are on byes in Week 7, the slate isn't without a number of important matchups both in and out of conference. Towson, which scored the biggest league win of Week 6, wraps up its non-conference docket in Week 7 with a visit to Norfolk State. 

The Tigers are the second CAA squad to see the Spartans in 2024. Hampton beat Norfolk State in their annual rivalry matchup last month, 37-7. 

The other non-conference set for Oct. 12 is one of the most history-rich series in the FCS, the 108th installment of the Governor's Cup pitting Rhode Island against Brown. 

Brown dominated in the early days of the rivalry, but Rhode Island has taken 6-of-7 since 2016, including the last five in a row. The 2023 Governor's Cup followed a track perhaps foreshadowing the Rams' 2024, with URI winning a one-score thriller, 34-30. 

Coming off its double-overtime win last week at Hampton, this Rhode Island has three times already won in similar fashion. 

"There was no panic," coach Jim Fleming said of Rhode Island's response to falling behind Hampton by two scores. "They just knew what they had to do and they had to go out and execute...Very proud of how the whole operation just continues to hang in there. It's really incredible, some of the finishes we've had and how we've had them, and we'll keep taking them. 

"But as I keep telling [the team]," Fleming added, "Don't play with fire too much longer." 

Brown's an opponent that's played with fire in its own right, emerging unscathed in a 31-28 win over Harvard but getting burned last week against another CAA opponent out of Rhode Island, Bryant. Bears quarterback Jake Willcox, who threw for a shade less than 3,000 yards a season ago, has 852 yards in just three games to start 2024. 

UAlbany at Bryant 

As UAlbany heads into Bryant for its inaugural CAA league matchup with the Bulldogs, both are on similar trajectories. The Great Danes snapped a three-game losing skid last week with their best showing in all phases of a 31-10 rout of Cornell.

UAlbany turned it on after intermission, outscoring the Big Red after intermission, 25-3. The defending co-CAA champion Great Danes hope to make that second-half turnaround a microcosm of their 2024 season, starting with picking up their first conference win.

The UAlbany defense that showed up at Cornell looked like the dominant side powering the Great Danes to the national semifinals. UAlbany allowed just 14 first down, held the Big Red to 97 total rushing yards, and denied them points on 2-of-4 red-zone opportunities.

"I certainly think our defense is getting better every week," UAlbany coach Greg Gattuso said. "We tackled a lot better." 

Freshman Troy Berschwinger took a huge step toward establishing himself as the latest standout playmaker for the Great Danes defense, racking up eight of those tackles vs. Cornell, including a sack. 

Bryant, meanwhile, seeks its first-ever CAA victory. The Bulldogs held off in-state rival Brown in a back-and-forth Week 6 contest thanks in part to a sensational performance from quarterback Jarrett Guest. His 337 yards and four touchdowns powered Bryant to its highest-scoring outing this season.

And part of any great passing performance is some outstanding receiving. Bryant has seen that every week from Landon Ruggieri. 

"Landon brings a tenacity. He brings a grit every time he plays the game. You know that he's going to catch those 50-50 balls," Bryant coach Chris Merritt said, adding that when it comes to Ruggieri, those 50-50s are "more like 70-30."

The former walk-on has hauled in eight touchdown receptions this season, tops in the CAA, and his 109.8 yards per game trail only Monmouth's Josh Derry. The UAlbany secondary's ability to limit the damage Guest and Ruggieri can inflict will be the tale of what should be a closely contested matchup of opponents seeing each other for the first time in this conference, but not for the first time as league counterparts. 

The Great Danes and Bulldogs were once Northeast Conference foes, splitting four meetings from 2009 through 2012. 

PREDICTION: UAlbany 28, Bryant 27 

Maine at Delaware 

A Maine Black Bears team has not defeated Delaware since 2016. The Fighting Blue Hens have yet to lose in 2024. Even with having yet to face UD since becoming Maine coach, Jordan Stevens understands the tall task that awaits his squad going into Delaware Stadium in Week 7. 

"When you face a team like Delaware, being a player and a coach, [there is] a level of respect, a level of preparation that needs to go into this week," Stevens said. "We know what we're going up against [in terms of] the standard of performance, a standard of execution, and the players have risen up to that." 

The Blue Hens held off Monmouth in an outstanding Week 6 game, slamming the door on their 42-35 victory when Tyron Herring broke up a fourth-down pass to Gavin Nelson. 

Delaware matched Monmouth's FCS-best offense with Zach Marker stepping in at quarterback to throw for 298 yards and three touchdowns, while Marcus Yarns returned to the lineup and rolled up 142 rushing yards with a score. 

Yarns reliability at running back with Jo'Nathan Sliver's change-of-pace ability gives the undefeated Blue Hens a potent combination against a Maine defense that has allowed 179.6 rushing yards per game. 

PREDICTION: Delaware 38, Maine 17

New Hampshire at Elon

Elon’s a program that’s proven adept at midseason bounce-backs. The Phoenix finished with records of 4-2 in the final six of 2021 and 2022, and 3-1 in the final month of the 2023 season to put themselves into the CAA championship race down the stretch. 

"We're able to be successful on the back end of the season because everybody in our program understands that we're process-driven," said Elon coach Tony Trisciani. ""Coming out to work every day and developing skills and getting better and improving and growing is what you look for as a developmental program." 

Saturday marks something of a do-or-die point for the 2024 Phoenix, already in a hole in conference play after its loss to Richmond in Week 5. Being 1-1 in conference is manageable; an 0-2 hole in league play could doom any hope Elon might have of recreating last season's torrid push into the championship race. 

One major development for the Phoenix was Jack Salopek stepping in at quarterback to throw for 187 yards and a touchdown vs. Richmond. Salopek's emergence could shake up what has been an inconsistent offense. 

New Hampshire, meanwhile, comes into Rhodes Stadium looking to rebound from a 28-23 loss at Harvard in which the Wildcats faced their own offensive inconsistencies. Quarterback Seth Morgan has been electric, and with 267 yards and two touchdowns, was once more against the Crimson. 

The Wildcats run game totaled just 46 yards, however. That's a lingering concern for an offense averaging fewer than 100 rushing yards per game on the season. Elon's defense leverage that to make UNH one dimensional and set up potential takeaway opportunities. 

That, and capitalizing on offensive chances are vital if the Phoenix are to rise out of the ashes. On the flip side, New Hampshire must dictate the game's pace and force Elon to play an uptempo style. 

PREDICTION: New Hampshire 27, Elon 24 

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