Ladies and gentlemen, we have officially made it to week 1 of the college football season. Rejoice.

Thursday night commences the beginning of Flo's partnership with Colonial Athletic Association, which puts 70 football games on FloFootball.com and the FloSports app over the course of the next several months—but the deal is much bigger than the live events, alone.

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CAA fans can expect comprehensive coverage of their league on our site all season long. We recommend that you take a look around right now for things like this and this and this.

The good folks behind the desk at the CAA offices will also be kind enough to create these weekly notes, which will get all of us primed and ready to go each week.

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Villanova Kicks Off Season With Win Over No. 13 Colgate

Villanova opened the 150th season of college football last Saturday with an impressive 34-14 win over No. 13 Colgate. Quarterback Dan Smith, a transfer from Campbell, threw for 205 yards and 3 TD’s and also ran for a score in his Wildcats’ debut. Justin Covington rushed for a career-high 134 yards on 19 carries as VU piled up 239 yards on the ground. Defensively, VU held Colgate off the scoreboard for the first two-and-a-half quarters and limited them to 288 total yards. Cornerback Jaquan Amos tallied six tackles, a fumble recovery and a pick six.

UNH's McDonnell Takes Leave Of Absence

New Hampshire head coach Sean McDonnell will take an indefinite leave of absence for health-related reasons. Associate head coachRicky Santos has been named the team’s interim head coach.

CAA Looks To Extend Success Against FBS Foes

UAlbany, James Madison and Rhode Isand will meet FBS opponents in Week 1. CAA Football teams have posted multiple wins over FBS opponents in each of the past three years. In 2018, Villanova beat Temple, 19-17, and Maine beat Western Kentucky, 31-28. CAA Football has posted 38 wins over FBS foes in its history and has won at least one game against an FBS team in 11 of the past 13 years. Since 2013, seven different teams (UAlbany, JMU, Maine, New Hampshire, Richmond, Towson and Villanova) have recorded a FBS victory.

CAA Success In Non-Conference Play

CAA Football teams compiled a 22-9 (.710) record against non-conference FCS competition last season. In 2017, CAA teams went 26-6 (.813) in non-conference games against FCS opponents, which was the best winning percentage by any FCS conference.

JMU Picked To Win CAA Title

James Madison, which returns 19 of 22 starters from last year’s 9-4 team that earned a FCS playoff berth for the fifth consecutive season, was the overwhelming choice to win the CAA Football title in 2019. Towson, which is coming off its first FCS playoff appearance since 2013, was picked second in the poll, while defending CAA Football champion Maine placed third. Elon, Delaware and Stony Brook, which all made the FCS playoffs last year, took the next three spots in the preseason poll. New Hampshire was seventh, followed by Rhode Island, Villanova, Richmond, William & Mary and UAlbany.

Towson's Flacco, Richmond's Jackson Headline Preseason All-CAA Team

Towson quarterback Tom Flacco was chosen as the CAA preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Richmond defensive end Maurice Jackson was selected as the CAA preseason Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s head coaches and media relations directors. Flacco passed for a league-high 3,251 yards and a school-record tying 28 TD’s last season and also ran for 742 yards and four scores. Jackson recorded 46 tackles, 15.0 TFL, a league-high 10.0 sacks and four forced fumbles.

UAlbany

• Return seven starters on offense and eight on defense from last year’s 3-8 squad.
• WR Dev Holmes led all CAA freshmen in receptions (50) and receiving yards (734) in 2018 and had 5 TD catches.
• RB Karl Mofor rushed for 596 yards and 5 TD’s and also caught 23 passes last season. He ran for a team-high 555 yards in 2017.
• QB Jeff Undercuffler started the final three games last season as a true freshman and passed for 170 yards and 2 TD’s in a win over Stony Brook.
• LB Levi Metheny recorded a team-high 92 tackles last season and ranked 5th in the CAA in tackles per game (8.4). He also led UA with 9.5 TFL and 2 interceptions.
• LB/DE Eli Mencer contributed 58 tackles, 8.5 TFL and a team-high 4.5 sacks in 2018.
• UAlbany travels to MAC member Central Michigan for its season opener. The Great Danes upset Buffalo (22-16) in 2016.

Delaware

• Return seven starters on offense and five on defense from a 7-5 team that made its first FCS playoff appearance since 2010.
• QB Pat Kehoe threw for 2,075 yards and 17 TD’s last season. He passed for 270+ yards three times and had six games with at least two touchdown passes.
• RB DeJoun Lee rushed for a team-high 606 yards and 2 TD’s in 2018.
• Delaware returns four of its five starters on the offensive line, led by All-American Mario Farinella.
• UD ranked 19th in FCS in scoring defense and 33rd in total defense a year ago.
• All four starters on the Blue Hens’ defensive line are back in 2019, led by All-CAA defensive end Cam Kitchen.
• Delaware Stadium is undergoing a two-phase, $60 million renovation, which will include new luxury seats and chairbacks to the west stands in 2019.

Elon

• Return seven starters on offense and seven on defense from last year’s 6-5 team that earned a FCS playoff berth for the second consecutive season.
• QB Davis Cheek passed for 1,018 yards and 4 TD’s in 6 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury on Oct. 13. He was the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2017.
• RB Jaylan Thomas earned CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year honors last season after rushing for a team-high 761 yards and 4 TD’s, including 222 yards in a win over URI.
• WR Kortez Weeks has made 96 receptions for 1,193 yards in his first two years at EU.
• All-CAA DE Marcus Willoughby recorded 58 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks and 7 quarterback hurries last season.
• Cornerbacks Greg Liggs, Jr. and Daniel Reid-Bennett combined for 120 tackles, 5 interceptions and 16 pass breakups in 2018.
• Skyler Davis was 17-of-22 on FG’s last year and missed just once inside 40 yards.

James Madison

• Return nine starters on offense and 10 on defense from last year’s 9-4 team that made the FCS playoffs for the fifth straight year.
• QB Ben DiNucci ranked 3rd in FCS in completion percentage (68.3%) last year. He passed for 2,275 yards and 16 TD’s and also ran for 433 yards and a team-high 9 TD’s.
• Returning WR’s Kyndel Dean and Jake Brown combined for 85 catches for 1,069 yards and 7 TD’s in 2018.
• JMU ranked 6th in FCS in scoring defense (14.6 ppg) and 6th in total defense (289.5 ypg) in 2018.
• LB Dimitri Holloway recorded a team-best 127 tackles and 11.0 TFL last season.
• All-America CB Rashad Robinson returns to action after missing last year due to injury. He intercepted 7 passes in 2017.
• D’Angelo Amos led the nation in punt return average (22.0 ypg) and punt return TD’s (3) last season.

Maine

• Return seven starters on offense and eight on defense from last year’s 10-4 team that won its first CAA title since 2013 and reached the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.
• QB Chris Ferguson threw for 2,372 yards and 22 TD’s last season. The yardage total was the 9th-highest in Maine history.
• Earnest Edwards made a team-high 53 catches for 839 yards and 10 TD’s in 2018 and also scored 2 TD’s on kickoff returns.
• Maine’s defense held WKU to 42 yards rushing and 3-of-16 on third down. The Black Bears lead FCS in rush defense (13.5 ypg).
• Maine led FCS in rush defense (79.2 ypg) and ranked 17th in total defense last year.
• The Black Bears ranked 3rd in FCS with 47 sacks last season. Kayon Whitaker (9.5) and Deshawn Stevens (9.0) led the way.
• All-America CB Manny Patterson made 3 interceptions and was third in FCS with 22 pass breakups.

New Hampshire

• Return nine starters on offense and seven on defense from a team that won three of its last four games in 2018.
• RB Carlos Washington, Jr. rushed for more than 100 yards in three of UNH’s final four games, including 179 against Villanova.
• WR Malik Love was limited to 2 games last year due to injury, but made 70 catches for 733 yards and 3 TD’s in 2017.
• Either RS freshman Bret Edwards or true freshman Max Brosmer is expected to start at quarterback for UNH.
• Safety Pop Lacey was tied for the team lead in tackles last season with 79. He also had 2 interceptions and 5 pass breakups.
• Evan Horn recorded a team-high four interceptions last season, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
• UNH had its FCS-record streak of 14 straight playoff appearances snapped in 2018.

Rhode Island

• Return six starters on offense and seven on defense from a 6-5 team that recorded URI’s first winning season since 2001.
• WR Aaron Parker caught 61 passes for a CAA-best 955 yards and 10 TD’s last season. He ranks 7th in career receiving yards, 9th in receptions and 4th in TD catches at URI.
• The Rams are expected to decide between returning junior Vito Priore and freshman Darius Perrantes for the starting QB job.
• RB’s Zoe Bryant and Naim Jones combined to rush for 891 yards and 7 TD’s in 2018.
• Ahmere Dorsey returned two kickoffs and one punt for TD’s last season. He led the CAA in KOR (28.4) and was 2nd in PR (11.1).
• LB Branyan Javier-Castillo tied for the team lead with 78 tackles last season and added 6.5 TFL and 2 interceptions.
• The Rams were nationally ranked last season for the first time since 2005, reaching as high as No. 15 in the polls.

Richmond

• Return six starters on offense and eight on defense from last year’s 4-7 squad.
• Junior Joe Mancuso will start at QB for the Spiders. He made four starts a year ago, passing for 1,185 yards and 7 TD’s and rushing for a team-high 354 yards and 3 TD’s.
• RB Xavier Goodall returns to action after missing last year due to injury. He ran for a team-high 452 yards in 2017.
• Transfer WR’s Charlie Fessler (Northwestern) and Keyston Fuller (Duke) are expected to start for UR in the opener. 
• DE Maurice Jackson was chosen as the CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. He recorded 46 tackles, a CAA-best 15.0 TFL, 10 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in 2018.
• Safety Daniel Jones topped UR in both tackles (86) and interceptions (3) last season.
• Richmond returns four starters on the offensive line and enters the season with no OL that is a senior or redshirt senior.

Stony Brook

• Return three starters on offense and eight on defense from a 7-5 team that earned a 2nd straight FCS playoff appearance. 
• Junior Tyquell Fields will start at QB for SBU after seeing action as a backup for the past two years. He threw for 166 yards and 2 TD’s in 2018 and rushed for 49 yards.
• Senior Isaiah White will be SBU’s starting running back after playing on defense and special teams for the past two years. He ran for 243 yards on 62 carries in 2015.
• SBU has added Bryant transfer WR Jean Constant, who earned All-America honors as a kick returner in 2017 and 2018.
• The Seawolves ranked 12th in FCS in scoring defense, 18th in total defense and 20th in rushing defense in 2018.
• SBU returns three All-CAA players defensively - DL Sam Kamara and DB’s Gavin Heslop and TJ Morrison.
• Stony Brook is 11-1 at home over the past two seasons, including 5-0 in 2018.

Towson

• Return six starters on offense and seven on defense from last year’s 7-5 team that earned its first FCS playoff berth since 2013.
• All-America QB Tom Flacco was chosen as the CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He passed for 3,251 yards and a school-record tying 28 TD’s last year and ran for a team-best 742 yards and 4 TD’s.
• RB Shane Simpson ranked 2nd in FCS in all-purpose yards (171.5 ypg) in 2018. He earned All-CAA honors as a running back, kick returner and punt returner.
• Returning WR’s Shane Leatherbury and Jabari Allen combined for 119 receptions for 1,629 yards and 15 TD’s last season. 
• Aidan O’Neill kicked a school-record 22 FG’s last season. His 53 career FG’s are six shy of the CAA all-time record.
• Towson led the CAA in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense in 2018. 
• LB Robert Heyward recorded a team-high 98 tackles and 10.5 TFL last season.

Villanova

• Knocked off No. 13 Colgate, 34-14, to open the 2018 season.
• Campbell transfer QB Dan Smith threw for 205 yards and 3 TD’s in his VU debut and also ran for 37 yards and a TD.
• RB Justin Covington rushed for a career-high 134 yards on 19 carries at Colgate.
• RB Jalen Jackson added 64 yards rushing and caught an 18-yard TD pass. 
• Villanova’s defense shutout Colgate until midway through the third quarter and allowed just 288 total yards.
• CB Jaquan Amos recovered a fumble that set up VU’s first touchdown and then returned an interception 27 yards for a score that made it 14-0. He added six tackles. 
• LB Forrest Rhyne made a career-high eight tackles, including 2.0 TFL and a sack.
• The VU/Colgate contest was the first Div. I college football game of the year and was VU’s earliest opener in school history.

William & Mary 

• Return seven starters on offense and eight on defense from last year’s 4-6 squad. 
• Either Coastal Carolina transfer Kilton Anderson or true freshman Hollis Mathis is expected to start at QB for the Tribe.
• Four starters are back on the W&M offensive line, including All-CAA honoree Mark Williamson.
• All-CAA safety Isaiah Laster made a team-high 4 interceptions last season and was 2nd on the team with 65 tackles.
• CB Corey Parker has earned All-CAA accolades for the past two seasons. He had 42 tackles and 9 PBU’s in 2018.
• All-CAA DL Bill Murray led the Tribe in TFL’s (9.5) and sacks (4.5) last season and also blocked three kicks.
• The Tribe is opening the season at home for the first time since 2007.
• New head coach Mike London went 24-5 in two seasons at CAAFB member Richmond.