By Rich Adragna

Delaware (3-0, 5-0)—Another day, another easy win for the Blue Hens as they shellacked lowly Monmouth 42-7 to tighten their grip on the top spot of the CAA.  UDel scored on its first two offensive drives, both courtesy of Omar Cuff.  Cuff recorded another score later on in the game on a pass from Joe Flacco, who tossed for 215 yards and two TDs.  Fred Andrew picked off a Monmouth pass in the final seconds of the game and returned it for a touchdown to seal the victory for the Blue Hens, whose 5-0 start was its first since the 2003 squad went undefeated en route to a Division I-AA championship.  The Blue Hens will look to quell the talented Ricky Santos when they travel north to face New Hampshire this weekend.

Massachusetts (2-0, 4-1)—The competition in the FBS was too much for the Minutemen to handle early on as they were defeated by their fellow statesmen in Boston College 24-14.  The Golden Eagles got the early lead at the end of the first half as they shut out UMass.  Liam Coen’s two touchdown passes, one to Rasheed Rancher (41 yards) and one to Jeremy Horne (35 yards), in the third quarter kept the Minutemen in the game, but Boston College expanded their lead with a  touchdown from Andre Callender and never looked back.  The Minutemen will have a week to recover from the loss before they go back at it with their conference brethren, starting with a home match against Villanova on Oct. 13.

James Madison (2-0, 4-1)—QB Rodney Landers led the Dukes to a 35-7 pasting of Villanova, earning them the number 9 ranking in the FCS poll for this week.  Landers was a one-man wrecking crew last week, throwing for 300 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran the ball in for two scores of his own.  Scott Noble contributed to the scoring with a rushing touchdown of his own.  JMU will ship up to Boston for a match-up with Northeastern on Saturday.

Richmond (2-0, 3-1)—The Spiders cracked the top 25 in the FCS poll by prevailing in a shoot-out over New Hampshire 45-38.  RB Tim Hightower scored four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing), including a 72-yard dash, and gained 168 yards.  Meanwhile, Justin Rogers had an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and an 84-yard return to New Hampshire’s 16 yard line, setting the school record in kickoff return yardage.  Richmond will look to keep their hot streak going when they head to Towson for a game with the Tigers.

Northeastern (0-1, 1-3)—The Huskies did not have any action last weekend, as they will go up against James Madison this week.

New Hampshire (0-2, 2-2)—The Wildcats found themselves on the short end of an exciting shootout against Richmond last week as they fell 45-38.  In a game where both teams each had the same number of total yards (410), UNH star slinger Ricky Santos was 30-for-46 for 361 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 36 yards and three scores.  The 361 yards moved Santos to eighth place in the FCS’ all-time passing list.  However, his stellar performance was not enough for the Wildcats as they remain winless in conference play.  A daunting task is at hand for UNH as they head home for a date with top dogs Delaware.

Maine (0-2, 1-3)—The Black Bears were idle last week and will look to spoil the homecoming festivities in Hempstead when they take on unbeaten Hofstra.

Rhode Island (0-2, 1-4)—The struggling Rams finally got their first win of the season in an overtime thriller against Brown 49-42.  It was a seesaw from the get-go as URI and Brown alternated scores and kept it close to the end of regulation.  The Rams did most of their scoring on the ground, with Derek Cassidy and Jerell Jones scoring two each, and Joe Casey and DJ Stefkovich with one apiece.  For the win, though, they opted to go airborne as Cassidy tossed to Shawn Leonard for the game winner.  The Rams will get a bye this week as they wait for James Madison to come to town on Oct. 13.

William & Mary (1-1, 3-2)—The Tribe came back from a thirteen-point deficit and emerged victorious over Towson 27-22.  QB Jake Phillips passed for two touchdowns in the second quarter to get the team going after being down 13-0 in the beginning.  The Tribe defense, though, are the heroes of the day, stalling the Tigers twice in the fourth quarter to secure their first conference victory.  The Tribe will look to build on that performance when they take head to Villanova.

Villanova (1-1, 3-2)—After a three-game win streak, the Wildcats cooled off in their crushing defeat to James Madison 35-7.  The offense was rendered nonexistent for most of the game, save for Antwon Young’s rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.  The offense amassed only 201 yards of total offense, and the defense were beaten single-handedly by JMU QB Rodney Landers.  The Wildcats look to regroup as they host William & Mary.

Towson (0-3, 2-3)—Last week’s match with William & Mary was nothing short of heartbreaking for the Tigers as they lost 27-22, keeping them winless in conference play.  The Tigers had an early 13-0 lead, but it vanished instantly when the Tribe put up a Brian Pate field goal and two passing touchdowns to gain the lead at the end of the half.  If that wasn’t painful enough, Towson’s attempts to take back the lead in the final moments of the fourth quarter were put to rest by the Tribe defense.  Crestfallen, the Tigers will look to put it behind them and kick off their home-stand just right as they face Richmond and rushing sensation Tim Hightower.

Sports Network’s FCS College Football Poll
1.    Montana
2.     Northern Iowa
3.     North Dakota State
4.    Massachusetts
5.     Appalachian State
6.    McNeese State
7.    Southern Illinois
8.    Wofford
9.    James Madison
10.     Youngstown State
11.    Delaware
12.    Pride
13.    Montana State
14.    Richmond
15.    New Hampshire
16.    Eastern Illinois
17.    Nicholls State
18.    Yale
19.    Sam Houston State
20.    Delaware State
21.    Hampton
22.    Western Illinois
23.    Illinois State
24.    Cal Poly
25.    Southern

CCA and AFCA’s FCS Coaches Top-25 Poll
1.    Montana
2.    North Dakota State
3.    Massachusetts
4.    Northern Iowa
5.    Appalachian State
6.    Southern Illinois
7.     McNeese State
8.    Wofford
9.     James Madison
10.     Youngstown State
11.    Delaware
12.    Pride
13.    Montana State
14.    New Hampshire
15.    Richmond
16.    Eastern Illinois
17.    Yale
18.    Nicholls State
19.    Sam Houston State
20.     Hampton
21.    Delaware State
22.    Illinois State
23.    Western Illinois
24.    Cal Poly
25.    The Citadel

Omar Cuff’s Delaware Blue Hens have emerged as a CAA powerhouse winning their first three conference games. (udel.edu)