By Rich Adragna
Massachusetts (6-1, 8-2)-The Minutemen bounced back from their upset loss against Rhode Island by dominating New Hampshire, winning by a score of 27-7 and clinching the North Division title. Running back Matt Lawrence, who rushed for 139 yards, had two nine-yard dashes into the end zone and Liam Coen connected with Mike Omar for a 21-yard touchdown. The UMass defense allowed UNH to score only one offensive touchdown and picked off Ricky Santos twice. The Minutemen will face against Hofstra on Saturday; a win can give them at least a share of the outright conference title.
Richmond (6-1, 8-2)-In a game that featured a back-and-forth offensive battle and multiple overtime periods, it was the Spiders that emerged victorious 62-56 in their match-up over Delaware, which took five overtimes to complete. QB Eric Ward was 16-for-29 with 199 yards and four TDs, two of which came in overtime. Tim Hightower produced 113 yards of rushing and a touchdown while Josh Vaughan tallied two scores, including the game-winner. With Saturday’s win, Richmond has clinched the South Division title; they will need a victory over William & Mary this week to claim a share of the overall CAA title. However, that and a UMass loss will make them outright conference championships.
Delaware (5-2, 8-2)-In a wild game with the Spiders of Richmond, the Blue Hens amassed 585 yards of total offense and saw QB Joe Flacco put up monstrous numbers in the passing game, throwing for 375 yards and three touchdowns. However, they were on the short end of the shootout, falling 62-56 in the fifth overtime period to the Spiders, and allowing Richmond to take the South Division title. Flacco also had two rushing touchdowns, while RB Omar Cuff touched the end zone twice while registering 189 yards rushing. Yet after exchanging scores with Richmond in three of the first four possessions in overtime, Flacco’s pass was knocked away on their fifth possession on fourth down, ending their shot at victory. With the season nearing its end, UDel will look to make playoff implications interesting as they face against Villanova.
James Madison (5-2, 7-3)-RB Griff Yancey scored all three of his rushing touchdowns in the first quarter to give the Dukes a lead they would never relinquish as they won over William & Mary 55-34. JMU’s rushing attack had a very big day last Saturday, registering a total of 371 ground yards and six touchdowns, with Yancey and QB Rodney Landers leading the way. The multi-talented Landers rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns on the ground; he would also throw for a touchdown pass to Rockeed McCarter. Antoinne Bolton also had a rushing touchdown for the Dukes. JMU’s season will conclude when they host Towson.
New Hampshire (3-4, 6-4)-The Wildcats fell on hard times against Massachusetts last week, losing 27-7, thanks in part to the uninspiring performance of their golden boy, QB Ricky Santos. While Santos was 27-for-40 for 221 yards, he failed to tally up a touchdown pass and was picked off twice by the Minutemen defense. The rushing game of UNH fared no better; they gained only 44 total rushing yards, despite Chad Kackert’s one-yard touchdown run, which was the only score of the game for UNH. The loss all but ends their playoff chances, but the Wildcats can give themselves an outside shot at a postseason berth with a win against Maine this week.