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2024 UAlbany vs Rhode Island

CAA Football Week 12 Takeaways: Upsets, Close Calls Set Up Dramatic Finale

CAA Football Week 12 Takeaways: Upsets, Close Calls Set Up Dramatic Finale

Comeback wins by New Hampshire and Rhode Island, plus Monmouth's upset of Villanova headlined an entertaining and chaotic Week 12 in CAA football.

Nov 17, 2024 by Kyle Kensing
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Seven, three, three and one: These were the point differentials separating winners and losers in Week 12 contests with Coastal Athletic Association football championship implications. 

A raucous and thrilling Saturday sets the stage for the 2024 regular-season finale, with only two teams still alive to earn at least a share of the CAA title. One is Richmond, which guaranteed itself no worse than a second straight co-championship, surviving a 24-21 test at Hampton. 

The Spiders are now one win away from finishing a perfect CAA slate and claiming the conference's first undisputed championship in five years. All that separates them from that achievement is William & Mary, which embarks on next weekend's Capital Cup with plenty at stake on its end. 

Thanks to Richmond's win and a pair of upsets — Monmouth over Villanova, 40-33, and New Hampshire's 31-30, comeback defeat of Stony Brook — Rhode Island is the only team left that can split the crown with Richmond. 

Rhode Island outlasted UAlbany in Week 12 doing what the Rams have done best all season: rallying in the second half. 

New England Thrillers 

What would an almost certain FCS Playoffs-clinching win for the 2024 Rhode Island football team be without a comeback? The Rams spotted UAlbany a 17-0 lead at halftime of their Week 12 encounter before scoring 20 unanswered on three Malik Grant touchdown runs. 

A perfect distillation of Rhode Island's ability to overcome challenges came on the second of Grant's touchdowns when Erv Wiggins Jr. blocked the ensuing point-after attempt. Even the most casual football watched knows the world of difference that one point can often make, sometimes being the pivotal factor in a close game. 

And, as UAlbany lined up for an overtime-forcing field-goal attempt at the end of regulation and Rhode Island leading 20-17, the Rams' denied point loomed large. 

However, Westley Neal Jr. loomed larger. 

One of Rhode Island's defensive stars came through in the clutch on special teams, blocking the would-be, game-tying kick as the clock reached zeroes, defying the Football Cosmos that so often punish teams for leaving points off the board. 

"Part destiny, but part absolute heart and perseverance," an emotional URI coach Jim Fleming said in the postgame press conference. "It's been a long season, and it's going to continue to get longer, which is a really good thing." 

At 9-2, Rhode Island's destiny is set: The program is bound for the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 1985. A win over in-state counterpart Bryant next week gives the Rams 10 victories for the campaign, and hope for a share of the CAA title if William & Mary can knock off Richmond. Perhaps in that scenario, a 1st Round bye might even be in play. 

Meanwhile, about 150 miles northeast of Meade Stadium in Durham, New Hampshire poured on 21 fourth-quarter points to complete a comeback from down 30-10 going into the final period vs. Stony Brook. 

Seth Morgan's touchdown scramble ignited a wild stretch lasting a little more than seven minutes of game time. 

In that span, the New Hampshire defense forced two turnovers deep in Stony Brook territory, and the Wildcats offense converted them into touchdowns on a Denzell Gibson run and Morgan's 15-yard pass to Joey Corcoran. The latter proved to be the game-winner, scoring New Hampshire its third straight victory and resurrecting playoff hopes that seemed buried less than a month ago. 

"We felt like we were the better team if we played our game," UNH coach Rick Santos said in his postgame press conference. "[Coaching them through the comeback] was really just reminding them how good they were, staying in the moment to play extreme hard, and challenging guys like Ryan [Toscano], the captains to seniors, to have elite energy." 

And indeed, it was veterans like Flex Ruiz stepping up with his sack of Tyler Knoop setting up the Wildcats offense in the red zone immediately after Morgan's touchdown run, and Zedane Williams recovering the fumble that led to the go-ahead touchdown. For those seniors, their effort may well have extended New Hampshire's season beyond next Saturday. 

Win & They're In? 

New Hampshire's late-season turnaround sends the Wildcats into the Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket next Saturday at Maine with eight wins in reach. A four-game winning streak to close the campaign, including a top 20 win after the Week 12 defeat of Stony Brook, should be enough to get New Hampshire into the FCS Playoffs. 

In a similar scenario heading down the stretch is William & Mary. The Tribe held off a Bryant team that, despite being winless in CAA play, has shown admirable heart in the final month of its inaugural Coastal season. The Bulldogs have challenged some of the conference's top teams, and Week 12 was no exception. 

William & Mary needed Malachi Imoh to break a 62-yard touchdown run to give the Tribe breathing room in the fourth quarter of a 22-12 win. 

The 135th edition of the Capital Cup could be a golden ticket for the Tribe to get back to the Playoffs. Beating rival Richmond would give William & Mary eight wins for the season and presumably a top 10 bullet-point on its resume ahead of Selection Sunday. 

Week 12 Game Balls  

Monmouth QB Derek Robertson 

Derek Robertson lit up the CAA for the first half of the 2024 season, but his production slowed amid a trying stretch for Monmouth. Robertson returned to form and went beyond even his outstanding first month with a 22-of-23 passing performance in the Hawks' win over Villanova. 

Robertson racked up 358 yards and threw three touchdowns to three different pass-catchers: Josh Derry, Maxwell James and Sone Ntoh. 

William & Mary RBs Malachi Imoh and Bronson Yoder

The William & Mary two-headed monster of Bronson Yoder and Malachi Imoh combined for 244 yards on 28 carries in the Tribe's win over Bryant. Imoh's long touchdown run effectively put the Bulldogs away in the fourth quarter, and put an exclamation on a performance in which Imoh averaged more than 12 yards per carry. 

Yoder handled the bulk of carries with 20 and averaged more than seven yards per touch.

New Hampshire DE Flex Ruiz

Perhaps the best performance in all-around remarkable New Hampshire career, Dylan "Flex" Ruiz made three sacks, including the hit that led to a pivotal Wildcats touchdown, against Stony Brook. 

Ruiz was an absolute terror against an offensive line that's been one of the best in the CAA all season. 

CAA Week 12 Scores

  • Richmond 24, Hampton 21
  • Monmouth 40, Villanova 33 
  • Rhode Island 20, UAlbany 17 
  • William & Mary 22, Bryant 12 
  • Towson 31, North Carolina A&T 
  • Delaware 41, Campbell 22  
  • New Hampshire 31, Stony Brook 30 
  • Elon 31, Maine 25 

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