It was another week of conference teams mixing it up as the 2025 football season has hit the midway point with several teams still in the hunt for either a chance at a conference title or a possible playoff spot.
Stony Brook exploded for 37 second-half points and claimed a 47-12 triumph over UAlbany in the Battle for the Golden Apple. Seawolves’ quarterback Chris Zellous accounted for 272 yards of offense and four touchdowns and the SBU defense held the Great Danes to 198 yards.
William & Mary rallied from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to defeat North Carolina A&T, 38-34. Rashad Raymond rushed for 124 yards for the Tribe, including a game-winning 2-yard TD run with 11:15 to play.
Quarterback Braden Davis accounted for 266 yards of offense and two touchdowns, including a 21-yard scoring run with 8:52 remaining, as Hampton downed Norfolk State, 41-34, in the Battle of the Bay.
Derek Robertson threw for 351 yards and four touchdowns, and Rodney Nelson added a career-high 203 yards and 2 TDs on the ground as Monmouth topped Delaware State, 49-38. The Hawks finished with 636 yards of total offense.
Maine sprinted out to a 34-0 halftime lead and earned a 34-14 road victory at Bryant. The Black Bears got a big game from quarterback Carter Peevy, who was 23-of-36 passing for a career-high 338 yards and three touchdowns.
Campbell cashed in a turnover to draw even with ACC member NC State early but dropped a 56-10 decision to the Wolfpack. Sixkiller finished 12-of-22 passing for 87 yards. Tyrek Brown and Jojo Pace made six tackles apiece for Campbell.
Elon controlled the ball for nearly 36 minutes and got a dominant effort from its defense to earn a 17-3 road win at Towson. It was the sixth straight victory for the Phoenix in CAA play dating back to last season.
For more details on last week’s CAA action-
caasports.com/news/2025/10/4/caa-football-recap-oct-3.aspx
South Carolina State is entering its second year under head Coach Chennis Berry and the Bulldogs are the odds-on favorite to repeat as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion and to return to the Celebration Bowl for the third time in five years.
SCSU is led by quarterback Ryan Stubblefield (6-0,205, GR) who has thrown for 860 yards and 4 TDs hitting on 68 of 117 passes (58.1%). He has been just as effective on the ground with 144 yards and another 4 TDS in the rushing game.
He has another option he can depend on to run the football with running back Tyler Smith (5-10,190, Jr.) Stubblefield’s best assets in the passing game are graduate s Jalen Johnson (5-9,175), Jordan Smith (5-10,180) and Deyandre Ruffin (6-2, 210) who have combined for 859 yards and 3 TDs as experienced group of receivers.
The key to SCSU’s offense is their experienced offensive line built around a group of transfers and grad students in Tavien Ford, Chevy Trask, Shammond Price, and Jacob Allen who are all well over 300 pounds apiece.
Defensively, SCSU defense is built around speed more so than just bulk. Linebackers Malik Harp (6-1,230), Roderick Taylor (6-2,225) and Jordan Franklin are the guys to watch for defensively. There’s length in the secondary with the likes of 6-3 Tyler Jones and Jalen Levine. Unlike most SCSU defenses of the past, the Bulldogs have been much more susceptible to the pass this season giving up over 200 yards an outing through the air.
A&T’s offense seems to be getting itself into gear with a now-healthy KJ White under center at quarterback. While White continues to impress with his passing and judicious use of the run coupled with good judgement, the running game came alive (121 yards) in a tough last-minute loss to William & Mary in which the A&T offense dominated most of the game despite being a 21-point underdog.
The two biggest obstacles that the Aggies must overcome now before they can start turning these close but no cigar outcomes into wins is stop giving up the consistent big plays on defense and avoid the unforced turnovers on special teams, namely blocked punts deep in their own zone. A& has had a punt blocked in every single game this season and it has either directly or indirectly cost this team three wins in my estimation (Tenn St., Maine, and W&M).
If A&T can rectify these two areas starting this week against SCSU, leading into a bye week, then the second half of the season could be a whole lot different than the first half. I think that turnaround begins at GHOE and it will most likely be a pleasant homecoming for the first time in three years.
N.C. A&T – 31
S.C. State – 25
