Offtopic/fun » Hawks to 177 total yards, generated four sack

In what should be another challenging and competitive CAA Football season, most of the conferences flagship programs are wasting no time finding out where they may stand.Of the six CAA teams in the STATS FCS preseason Top 25, five will open play this week on the road against FBS opponents. Ninth-ranked William & Mary got that ambitious stretch underway with Thursdays 48-14 loss at ACC member North Carolina State.The league has notched its share of landmark wins against FBS schools over the years -- with James Madisons 21-16 stunner over nationally ranked Virginia Tech in 2010 the most notable -- and nearly pulled off another when Maine led Connecticut well into the fourth quarter before the Huskies rallied for a 24-21 win Thursday.Still, the outcome of these payday games is often secondary to CAA coaches eager to gauge how their team responds in an adverse environment, an experience designed to help prepare for the more important games that lie ahead.I want to see how we tackle, I want to see how we protect, all the things we need to do and how we play on special teams, New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell said of the No. 22 Wildcats visit to San Diego State (8:30 p.m. ET) on Saturday. Its a huge opportunity for your program and its a great opportunity for your program.Towsons Rob Ambrose isnt simply concerned with the process, however, when his 24th-ranked Tigers head to Tampas Raymond James Stadium on Saturday night (7 p.m. ET) to face a talented South Florida team coming off an 8-5 season and bowl appearance.Were not flying down there to lose, he said. While theyre extremely impressive and intelligent, hard-hitting and fast, theres only 11 of them allowed on the field, thank God. We have 11 guys that can play football, too. A great challenge, and (well) give it everything weve got.Ambrose may have reason for optimism if ballyhooed Oregon transfer and former four-star recruit Morgan Mahalak can provide an immediate spark and stability to the quarterback position that the Tigers at times lacked while narrowly missing the playoffs during a 7-4 finish to 2015.Villanovas Andy Talley, entering his 32nd and final season as head coach, isnt as enthusiastic about his teams chances Saturday at Pittsburgh (1:30 p.m. ET). Hes even more concerned considering the No. 23 Wildcats are missing a trio of key injured starters in All-CAA cornerback Malik Reaves, linebacker Corey Majors and tailback Matt Gudzak.Im not a proponent of (FBS games), he said. Frankly, a lot of the (other) coaches do a great job telling you what a challenge it is and all that, but the truth of the matter is theyre bigger, faster and stronger. So the key for me is to play as well as we can play and hopefully we get out of it with no injuries.New Hampshire also finds itself in a seemingly tough spot against defending Mountain West champion San Diego State, an expected contender for the Group of Fives New Years Six bowl slot. The Aztecs return the conferences offensive (RB Donnell Pumphrey), defensive (CB Damontae Kazee) and special teams (RS Rashaad Penny) players of the year to a team that routed Cincinnati in last years Hawaii Bowl to cap an 11-win season.This is the best football team weve ever played here at UNH, and thats going from 1974 since Ive been part of this program, McDonnell said. Theyre really, really talented.The Wildcats allowed 707 total yards in a 43-13 loss to another MWC member, San Jose State, in last years opener.Fourth-ranked Richmond appears to hold the conferences best chance of springing an FBS upset when the preseason CAA favorite travels to Virginia on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET). The Cavaliers got all they could handle from William & Mary in a 35-29 victory last September, though this Wahoos team figures to bear little resemblance -- at least schematically -- under former BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall.Virginia is a 12-point favorite.Youve got to make a lot of calculated decisions when you are playing an opponent with a new staff in place, Spiders coach Danny Rocco said. So kind of a little bit of a delicate task here, but I think weve gone about it the right way.DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS HELPS SEAWOLVES STONE NO. 19 NORTH DAKOTAStony Brook could soon be giving the conference another Top 25 resident following Thursdays 13-9 win over No. 19 North Dakota at LaValle Stadium. The graduation of CAA co-defensive player of the year and current Baltimore Raven Victor Ochi hasnt taken the bite out of a rugged Seawolves unit that led FCS in total defense and allowed a conference-low 15.7 points per game last season. The group limited the Fighting Hawks to 177 total yards, generated four sacks and came up with a crucial 4th-and-1 stop with 2:14 remaining.The stand protected a lead given by the Seawolves special teams earlier in the fourth quarter, when Kye Morgans touchdown return of Gavin Heslops blocked punt deep in UND territory erased a 9-7 deficit with 8:52 left.Im really proud of the team, coach Chuck Priore said. With the adversity throughout the game, we responded and we kept on making plays. You have to make fourth quarter plays and you have to make end-of-the-game plays. Fourth-and-1 and we stopped it. We needed a first down to kill the game and we killed it. In the past weve lost those games.The end result carries additional weight consider