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CAA Weekend Recap: When Senior Day Comes Early

CAA Weekend Recap: When Senior Day Comes Early

Seniors stepped up in key roles for CAA Week 6 winners, including in William & Mary's 27-21 defeat of Delaware.

Oct 9, 2022 by Kyle Kensing
CAA Weekend Recap: When Senior Day Comes Early

Senior Day celebrations around the Colonial Athletic Association won't commence for another month or so, but Week 6 informally marked an occasion for the veterans to command the spotlight. 

In no matchup were seniors more integral than William & Mary's 27-21 win over previously undefeated Delaware, a showdown of top 16-ranked counterparts with ambitions for a CAA championship. 

Upperclassmen made key contributions in the decision, from senior running back Bronson Yoder getting the scoring started with a touchdown carry in the first quarter, part of his 114-yard return to the lineup; to senior tight end Lachlan Pitts hauling in a touchdown reception from running back Malachi Imoh (more on that in a bit). 

"That's one thing I know in this locker room, we've got a lot of fifth-and-sixth-year guys," said Tribe cornerback Ryan Poole. "This means the most to them."

Because of the pandemic-impacted 2020 season and the NCAA offering additional eligibility, being a senior doesn't necessarily mean this is a player's last season. Poole is one such example. 

But that just means an even more savvy collection of upperclassmen steering the ship — and, in plenty of cases, partnerships forged as freshmen among teammates whose eligibility beyond 2022 forms teams' identities. The outgoing seniors seek to leave their signatures on program history with its first conference championship since 2015 — which also marked the Tribe's last trip to the Playoffs. 

Saturday's win over a Delaware team that came in ranked No. 6, averaging almost 30 points per game and having not yet yielded more than 21 points went a long way toward that pursuit. It's fitting the upperclassmen were at the forefront. 

"I've got guys I came in with in 2018, like [offensive lineman] Colby Sorsdale, this is their last run," Poole said. "It's really for those guys. Young guys in the room, they know it's go time. If they didn't believe then, they believe now." 

Senior defenders including Poole delivered signature performances in a win critical to William & Mary's conference-title aspirations. Isaiah Jones also played a monster game with a team-high eight tackles — one for loss — and forced a fumble on Delaware's last-ditch effort. 

Tye Freeland made a sack and broke up a pass, reflective of the versatility Poole noted Freeland bringing at nickelback. 

"I was so happy to see [No.] 17 back out there," Poole said. "He's our physical guy in the box. He can cover just as well as a corner, so it's best of both worlds when he's out there. I really think that was the key factor in the game, having him out there to guard the slots and step up in the run game." 

A similar story played out at Rhodes Stadium, where Elon secured a winning home record for the season. That's no minor accomplishment for the Phoenix, marking just the third time since 2011. The previous two campaigns in which Elon finished above .500 at Rhodes, it advanced to the FCS Playoffs. 

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"This is our turf, this is our backyard, so we've just got to defend it the right way," said linebacker Devonte Chandler, one of the seniors to put his stamp on a 27-10 Phoenix win over Towson. 

The right way for Elon both at Rhodes Stadium and for the entirety of its current, CAA-leading five-game winning streak is through a defensively dominant second half. The Phoenix have yet to allow a touchdown in the 30 minutes after intermission during the streak, the lone outlier being Jakob Herres' scoring reception in overtime during Elon's 30-27 win over Richmond in Week 5. 

Chandler continued on his All-CAA pace with two tackles for loss including a sack, and a forced fumble. Senior wide receiver Jackson Parham erupted for 152 yards on seven catches, and senior kicker Skyler Davis connected on field-goal attempts of 51 and 48 yards to both surpass 300 career points and claim sole stake to the most made field goals in Elon history. 

"We had a lot of seniors come back this year [who] love Elon, [who] take pride in this team, this university and our student body, " Chandler said. "Just the whole thing that comes with wearing maroon-and-gold, and the team's bought into that." 

The general concept of experience is well understood as a benefit in any medium, not just football. Specific to the gridiron, more time studying schemes, more repetitions in the weight room, more opportunities to pinpoint and address weaknesses can only be a positive. 

But of the benefits that come with experience Chandler cited as most significant to Elon's success was cultivating an atmosphere based on meeting responsibility without reminders. 

"It means it's a player-led team when you've got a lot of seniors out there," Chandler said. "Things kind of run themselves, you're not just looking at one person to make all the decisions or make all the calls. You can depend on the whole team, at this point to know what's expected. There's not a lot of micro-managing going on, because the standard is the standard." 

And that standard has Elon on the inside track to not only its first-ever CAA championship, but the program's first league title since winning the then-NAIA South Atlantic Conference in 1981. The Phoenix are 1-of-2 teams in the Colonial that control their own paths to an outright title after Week 6. 

Elon's continued success in Tony Trisciani's fourth season at the helm could well add to the impressive legacy the Colonial's historical coaching fraternity has cultivated over the years — and so far, it's a credit to the coaches on the field, as Chandler described the Phoenix seniors. 

"You've got a bunch of coaches in the locker room now, at this point," he said. 

Two on Top 

With Delaware dropping its first decision of 2022, just two teams remain undefeated in CAA play: Elon, at 3-0; and New Hampshire, which improved to 4-0 with its 24-14 win over Stony Brook. 

The Wildcats donned gorgeous, throwback uniforms paying homage to the 1991 team that earned a share of the Yankee Conference championship. The tribute's fitting, given New Hampshire's championship trajectory in CAA play. 

UNH continued the weekend's theme of pivotal plays from seniors, this time with wide receiver Brian Espanet hauling in the touchdown catch that ultimately put the game away for the Wildcats. 

New Hampshire goes on the road for its in-state rivalry game against Dartmouth in Week 7, looking to snap a two-game losing skid to the Big Green and break a 19-19-2 all-time series stalemate. 

Win or lose in Hanover the Wildcats will take an unblemished CAA mark into the Oct. 22 showdown with Elon. The Phoenix need to hold off Rhode Island next week in order for the Week 8 trip to Durham to be for sole possession of first place; that won't be easy. 

The Rams had a bye week both to prepare and to marinate on their last meeting with Elon. The Phoenix's 43-28 win in the 2021 regular-season finale likely denied Rhode Island its first playoff bid since 1985. 

Hawks Offense Continues to Fly High 

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Monmouth pushed its own win streak to four games in Week 6, weathering UAlbany's rally effort for a 38-31 win. The 38 points are modest by Hawks standards thus far in 2022, marking their third-lowest output through six games. That's rather remarkable, given Saturday's contest included touchdown runs of 75 and 30 yards from Jaden Shirden — the latter, a downright leisurely stroll compared to the bevy of other explosive rushes Shirden has produced — and Owen Wright went 99 yards for a score. 

Yet another afternoon of standout performances from Wright, who is now up to 12 rushing touchdowns on the season; and Shirden, who should be at the top of any Walter Payton Award watch list through six weeks, shouldn't overshadow the effectiveness of Monmouth's passing game. 

Tony Muskett needed just 13 completions for 187 yards. Wide receiver Dymere Miller accounted for six of those completions and 116 yards — his second consecutive game reaching triple-digits after a 125-yard performance Week 5 at Lehigh — and has surpassed his output of a year ago.  

"In the run game, the O-line's doing a great job giving our running backs hole, so it's opening it up for me," Miller said. "Then, on top of that, I've got receivers around me [who] help me get the matchup I need to." 

The same way that both Shirden and Wright have shined together on the ground, Monmouth's receiving corps is sharing the spotlight effectively: Miller leads the way with 22 catches for 369 yards and two touchdowns, but Assanti Kearney is just behind at 18 receptions for 326 yards and three touchdowns. 

Ugo Obasi adds 12 receptions for 223 yards, and Alex Bryant's scored two touchdowns from his 16 receptions. The versatility Monmouth boasts among its pass-catchers punishes defense for attempting to load the box against Shirden or Wright —  then, when the rushing lanes open, the receivers are there to contribute. 

"In the receiver room, we definitely take pride in blocking," Miller said, noting the emphasis placed on blocks when the corps reviews game film. 

Their ability to open the perimeter and keep defensive backs at bay once the ball-carriers get past the second level is as critical to the Hawks putting another six on the scoreboard as catching one of the Muskett's passes in the end zone. 

In The Win Column 

Hampton coach Robert Prunty deemed Maine's winless record deceptive heading into the Pirates' Week 6 matchup, referring to the Black Bears as "a dangerous 0-4 team." 

His assessment proved prophetic, as Maine scored both its first win of the season, and the first career head-coaching victory for alum Jordan Stevens. 

The Black Bears endured a pair of beautiful Malcolm Mays touchdown passes in the first quarter, which put a Hampton bunch looking for its first-ever CAA win ahead early. 

Maine's Black Hole Defense settled in and picked Mays off three times, while a run game slow to get off the blocks through the first four weeks came to life against a Pirates D that ranked among the best in FCS vs. the rush ahead of Saturday. 

Week 6 was especially big for Freddie Brock, the running back and breakout freshman star in 2021, who came into his sophomore campaign dealing with injuries. Brock scored a touchdown rushing and another receiving, both in the fourth quarter to complete the Maine comeback. 


Play of the Week: The Running Back RPO 

Teams around college football have successfully executed double-pass touchdowns this season, including Richmond in a Week 3 rout of Lehigh. But has any team but William & Mary scored from an option pitch-pass combination? 

The unique sequence combined the Tribe's usual quarterback RPO with Darius Wilson, who pitched off to running back Malachi Imoh. Imoh then uncorked a beauty that officially went for 13 yards, but covered considerably more ground, to an open Lachlan Pitts in the end zone. 

"We've got a lot of ex-quarterbacks, so that's something we can really take advantage of," Wilson said. "So we practiced in the week, and we really liked the way it looked. When we had a chance in the red zone to call it, we wanted to call it." 

OK, so the execution wasn't entirely sandlot ball with Imoh making the pass decision out of the option; Tribe offensive coordinator Christian Taylor did indeed draw up the play previously. 

But with William & Mary featuring two capable quarterbacks in Wilson and Hollis Mathis who have shared snaps this season, even lining up simultaneously in some situations, the ball going to 5-foot-8, 185-pound Imoh was just the kind of unexpected wrinkle necessary to catch an outstanding Delaware defense off-guard. 

"I don't believe Malachi's ever done it," William & Mary coach Mike London said. "Maybe they think because of his stature he can't throw the ball. But he got the ball on the perimeter, so you want [the defense] to attack him, and then [have] the ability to just throw it enough because he's throwing it to a 6-foot-6 tight end."

Basketball season won't tip off for another month, but Imoh tossing it up and Pitts going high-point to retrieve the ball looked like a point guard setting up his power forward for an alley-oop dunk. 

"That's being creative on offense," London added.