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It is never easy to play two straight road games to open the season, but Villanova struggled through their second roadtrip of the Fall in Week 2 on Saturday. The 'Cats hardly looked like roadwarriors as they fumbled away a number of opportunities to take control of the game, and ultimately lost 27-24, to Fordham -- their first loss to the Rams since before Vince Lombardi ever enrolled at the New York school.
The voters in the Sports Networks' FCS top-25 media poll weren't impressed by the effort, dropping the Wildcats 11 spots from #8 to #11. The 0-2 Wildcats may be somewhat satisfied with their poll positioning, as they are currently the only two-loss team that remains in the rankings and could have easily dropped out completely.
Towson is now the highest-ranked CAA program at number-four, with four other CAA teams included for six total. The other CAA representatives are New Hampshire (12), Richmond (15), Stony Brook (17), James Madison (20).
Villanova's uninspiring performance over the weekend left them, unsurprisingly, left out of the CAA's weekly honor roll. Newcomers Stony Brook and UAlbany players took the top honors in the defensive and offensive categories, respectively.
This week, the Wildcats will take a bye to recover from injuries and to attempt to reset from a disappointing start to their season.
The Sports Network FCS Top-25 College Football Poll
| Team (1st Place Votes) | Record | Points | Prev Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. North Dakota State Bison (146) | 2-0 | 3,769 | 1 |
| 2. Eastern Washington Eagles (6) | 2-0 | 3,639 | 2 |
| 3. Montana State Bobcats | 1-1 | 3,234 | 3 |
| 4. Towson Tigers | 2-0 | 3,210 | 5 |
| 5. Sam Houston State Bearkats | 1-1 | 3,033 | 4 |
| 6. South Dakota State Jackrabbits | 2-0 | 2,941 | 6 |
| 7. Northern Iowa Panthers | 2-0 | 2,855 | 9 |
| 8. Central Arkansas Bears | 1-1 | 2,461 | 7 |
| 9. Eastern Illinois Panthers | 2-0 | 2,218 | 14 |
| 10. Georgia Southern Eagles | 2-0 | 2,203 | 10 |
| 11. Montana Grizzlies | 1-0 | 2,073 | 13 |
| 12. New Hampshire Wildcats | 0-1 | 1,944 | 11 |
| 13. McNeese State Cowboys | 2-0 | 1,789 | 18 |
| 14. Cal Poly Mustangs | 1-1 | 1,663 | 12 |
| 15. Richmond Spiders | 1-1 | 1,645 | 15 |
| 16. Wofford Terriers | 1-1 | 1,573 | 16 |
| 17. Stony Brook Seawolves | 1-0 | 1,482 | 17 |
| 18. Illinois State Redbirds | 0-1 | 1,100 | 19 |
| 19. Villanova Wildcats | 0-2 | 978 | 8 |
| 20. James Madison Dukes | 1-1 | 944 | 20 |
| 21. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 2-0 | 712 | 24 |
| 22. Lehigh Mountain Hawks | 1-0 | 603 | 23 |
| 23. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats | 2-0 | 580 | 25 |
| 24. Youngstown State Penguins | 2-0 | 551 | NR |
| 25. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks | 0-1 | 523 | 22 |
The full CAA weekly honor roll is as follows:
Offensive Player of the Week: Omar Osbourne, Jr., RB, UAlbany
Osbourne finished with a career- and game-high 252 yards on the ground, including a pair of touchdowns, to lead the Great Danes to their second win in as many years over in-state foe Colgate. The junior, whose 252 yards on 35 carries mark the third-best rushing performance in program history, turned in his career-high rushing total in the first half alone as UAlbany moved to 1-1 on the season with Saturday's 37-34 win.Defensive Player of the Week: Reuben Johnson, Sr., DB, Stony Brook
Johnson's presence was undoubtedly felt on defense on Saturday, with the senior securing two fumble recoveries turned eventual touchdowns as the Seawolves won their season-opener and first-ever conference contest, 24-0, over Rhode Island. Johnson added four tackles, including one for a loss of three yards, to help Stony Brook blank the Rams on the road.Special Teams Player of the Week: Rob Jones, Jr., PR/KR, Delaware
Jones highlighted Saturday's first half for the Blue Hens with a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown that represented the first such score for Delaware since 2004. In addition to the junior's career-long return, he would tack on another two scores in the opening half as the Hens rolled to a 42-21 win over Delaware State in Saturday's Route 1 Rivalry showdown, a series in which UD has now won all five meetings.Rookie of the Week: Kendell Anderson, R-Fr., RB, William & Mary
Anderson broke open for a pair of touchdowns to pace the Tribe to a 31-7 win over Hampton on Saturday. The rookie racked up 97 yards on 14 rushes in a game that saw him score his first two career touchdowns.
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