CAA Football Week 10 Takeaways: Bryant Rolls The Dice, URI's Clutch (Again)
CAA Football Week 10 Takeaways: Bryant Rolls The Dice, URI's Clutch (Again)
Dramatic finishes highlighted Week 10 in CAA football, as playoff hopefuls kept their dreams alive and Bryant made a risky gamble.
Four teams went into Week 10 of the Coastal Athletic Association slate established as the conference's leading contenders for playoff berths: Rhode Island, Richmond, Stony Brook, and Villanova.
All four maintained that position through Saturday, but not without going down to the wire in their respective contests. Two of the four contests — Stony Brook at Bryant, and Hampton at Villanova — were decided by single-possession margins.
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Richmond's 35-24 win over Towson was a five-point contest until the final three minutes when a pair of Sean O'Haire field goals gave the Spiders some separation. Meanwhile, in Rhode Island's 37-28 defeat of Monmouth, the victorious Rams did not hold a lead until the final 77 seconds of regulation.
The first Saturday of November set a fitting tone for a month of close calls as the race to the CAA championship and FCS Playoffs hits the final stretch.
Bryant's Big Gamble was the Right Call
Red-hot Stony Brook improved to 7-2, continuing what has been the biggest season-long surprise of 2024 with its turnaround from going winless in 2023. But the Seawolves very nearly landed on the wrong side of the biggest single-week surprise of the campaign when it escaped Bryant with a 31-30 win in overtime.
Stony Brook scored on its first possession of overtime on a goal-line touchdown run from Roland Dempster, his second trip to the end zone of the day. But just one offensive snap later, Bryant quarterback Brennan Myer hit Landon Ruggieri for a 25-yard touchdown.
It was the second scoring reception of the day for Ruggieri, who continues to establish himself as deserving of All-American recognition. His laid-out reception under heavy duress from E.J. Jones along the sideline was a thing of beauty.
It was also the third touchdown the Bulldogs scored since halftime against a Stony Brook defense that has been among the CAA's best all season.
With Markiel Cockrell's first-play-from-scrimmage, 75-yard touchdown run to answer a Tyler Knoop touchdown pass to Jayce Freeman, and Myer's 19-yard touchdown pass to Tristen Riley that proved to be the eventual overtime-forcing score, Bryant showed it could score on the Seawolves.
Q3 9:04 |Bulldogs touchdown!!!!
— Bryant Football (@BryantUFootball) November 2, 2024
BRY 17, SB 24 pic.twitter.com/dTpKa6bBNx
So, with an opportunity to take down a top 20-ranked team for its first-ever CAA win, Bryant coach Chris Merritt and Co. made the decision to go for a do-or-die two-point conversion. Running back Dylan Kedzior took the handoff and cut through a gap up the middle, but ran into a wall of Stony Brook tacklers.
"I really wanted that win for them. They've been fighting hard all year," Merritt said after the game via Bryant's social media. "Today they put themselves in a spot to win the ball game."
Bryant taking that shot may have fallen short, but it was the right call that showed the staff's faith in an improving Bulldogs side. Don't be surprised to see Bryant breakthrough in its closing stretch.
Highlights: Stony Brook vs Bryant
An Unforgettable Season for Rhode Island Adds More Drama
Just when it seems Rhode Island's remarkable 2024 campaign can't get any more dramatic, the Rams moved to 8-1 in Week 10 with perhaps their wildest win in a campaign that's been full of roller-coaster ride victories.
Rhode Island didn't take a lead in its 37-28 defeat of visiting Monmouth until there was 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. Devin Farrell's 24-yard touchdown pass to Marquis Buchanan — the second scoring connection between the duo on the day — was a moment indicative of URI's entire season in so many ways.
The touchdown gave Rhody is first lead, which it held for good, continuing the campaign-long trend of the Rams dominant second halves. And, as Buchanan ran through the back of the end zone to exchange high fives with a celebrating young fan, it exemplified the energy that has been emanating from this program.
Rhode Island has been on the doorstep of ending its lengthy playoff drought for a few years running now under head coach Jim Fleming. With the Rams now on the cusp of not just opening the door, but kicking it down in the program's fifth straight winning season, the positive vibes around URI are undeniable.
Players like Buchanan, who have been prominent contributors to the build in recent years, are front and center. To that end, it's only fitting that linebacker AJ Pena came up with a fumble after the go-ahead touchdown to move URI closer to victory, and that defensive back Fredrick Mallay put an exclamation point on the day with a scoop-and-score.
RHODY WINS ‼️🏠🏈⚓️🌊🐏
— Rhody Football (@RhodyFootball) November 2, 2024
Rhode Island 37, Monmouth 28#3MoreFeet pic.twitter.com/V8mqs1eOVN
Villanova's Championship Defense Shows Up Again
Perhaps offensive inconsistencies put a ceiling on how far Villanova can advance in the FCS Playoffs. With its win over Hampton in Week 10, Villanova has scored a combined 41 points in its last three games.
But in shutting down an explosive Hampton offense, the Wildcats once again showed their defense is as good as any in the country.
The Pirates welcomed the Wildcats to Armstrong Stadium on Saturday with an opportunity to build a playoff resume over the final month. While the loss likely doomed Hampton's chances for cracking the postseason, the Pirates looked like a playoff-caliber team taking top 20 Villanova to the wire. It's the second one-score loss Hampton has taken to a highly ranked CAA team this season, going to double overtime with Rhode Island last month.
This was a quality win for Villanova, especially the way in which it came together. The Wildcats held a prolific Pirates offense to just 239 yards, and limited the entire stable of capable ball-carriers that has made Hampton so explosive to 21 yards or fewer, save Ja'Quan Snipes. While Snipes' 85 yards marked the game-high, the Pirates' ability to divvy up runs between a variety of weapons has been the engine driving their midseason push.
Villanova shut that down, and completely stymied a passing attack that had been flourishing in recent weeks. With the All-CAA linebacker tandem of Shane Hartzell and Brendan Bell combining for 16 tackles on Saturday, and Bell getting into the Hampton backfield for a sack, the Wildcats' top two defensive stars continue to produce at their peaks — and Villanova will need every bit of defensive contribution it can get as it looks to advance beyond the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010.
And hey, why not integrate the defense into the offense some, too? Bell got the goal-line carry for a touchdown in the third quarter in what proved to be the cushion the Wildcats needed to hold off the Pirates, 20-14.
CAA Week 10 Scores
- Oklahoma 59, Maine 14
- William & Mary 45, North Carolina A&T 7
- New Hampshire 31, UAlbany 14
- Rhode Island 37, Monmouth 28
- Stony Brook 31, Bryant 30 (OT)
- Villanova 20, Hampton 14
- Elon 50, Campbell 27
- Richmond 35, Towson 24
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