CAA Football Gameday Central — Oct. 1

Your source for all of the CAA Football action this weekend. Logon now to find direct links to streaming video, audio and livestats. Check back over the course of gameday for final scores and links to every boxscore.

One fan’s penance for not believing in VCU: Running a marathon

Like many cynics during VCU’s improbable run from the First Four to the Final Four last March, Connecticut resident Mike Duda gave the Rams zero chance to topple top-seeded Kansas in the Elite Eight. Even after VCU stormed to a 17-10 lead in the game’s opening minutes, an incredulous Duda tweeted , “If they win this game, I will run a half-marathon for someone’s charity in North America. And I h-a-t-e running.” That ill-fated statement is why Duda is paying a far greater price for VCU’s 71-61 upset than simply having his hopes of winning his office pool dashed. The 40-year-old is currently training to run the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6 despite previously having attempted no longer than a three-mile run. “Having played basketball all my life, I’m used to running only when I’m being punished,” Duda said. “Kansas was a really good team, so I thought there was no way that lead was going to hold up.  Moral of the story is never bet against a coach named Shaka or a coach willing to dive for loose balls in practice.” Many people would have laughed off the tweet as a joke or waited for their friends to inevitably forget about it after a few days, but Duda embraced the opportunity to raise money for charity. He even agreed to double the distance when presented with a worthy cause two months later. Duda’s wife lost her 44-year-old mother to brain cancer when she was in middle school, so she remains involved with an organization that funds brain cancer research grants called B*CURED. When B*CURED members informed Duda they could secure a place in the New York City Marathon for him, he decided the chance to raise more money and run in one of the world’s most famous races was worth the extra 13.1 miles of punishment. “If I’m dumb enough to make a bet on Twitter to run a half marathon, maybe I’m smart enough to double down, make more money and run a once-in-a-lifetime race,” Duda said. “Brain cancer is the second-leading cause of death in cancer among kids under 20 or people from 20-29, so it’s not something we’ll get when we’re 80 or 85. We have twin boys that are five and one that’s eight months. To know that they’re as likely candidates to get it as I am, it made it an easy decision.” Despite suffering a six-week setback in his training when he tore his calf muscle playing basketball in his driveway in mid-June, Duda has already run 13 or 14 miles several times and hopes to increase that to 18 on Saturday morning. That’s impressive for someone who willingly admits his stocky frame is ill-suited to distance running and who says if you look up the word “running” in the dictionary, he’s “the antonym.” “I’m still waiting to get this famous runner’s high,” Duda joked. “It’s not something I’ll do again, but it’s worth it. I’ve got to own up to it. I’m not afraid to embarrass myself, but if I don’t finish this thing I’ll be more embarrassed even if I have to crawl to do it.” A lifelong Syracuse fan who calls the Orange’s victory in the 2003 national title game one of the best moments of his life, Duda knows what he’ll tweet the next time VCU’s an underdog in an NCAA tournament game. Says Duda, “Next time I’ll say, ‘If VCU wins this game, then Syracuse is going to win the national championship next year.’” In a little more than a week, Duda has raised almost $7,400 toward his goal of at least $25,000 for B*CURED. For more information on donating, click here.

College Football Odds, Towson Vs. Maryland: Terps 25 1/2 Point Favorites Against FCS Towson

Licking their wounds from a shocking 31 point loss to Temple, the Maryland football team has as good an opportunity as they’ll have all season to end a losing streak. The Towson Tigers make the short drive down to College Park on Saturday for what is likely the biggest game in their program’s history.   As of Thursday evening, the Terrapins were favored by 25 1/2  points over the Tigers. That’s certainly on the low end for a spread between a major BCS school and an FCS school that’s still in the process of building a program in the NCAA’s second-tier division. After losing by 31 last week in a game in which they were favored by 10, it’s certainly understandable that the oddsmakers are hesitant to set a wide spread, even if it’s a glaring mismatch of talent and resources.  The over/under is set at 55 1/2.  With Ronnie Tyler and Quintin McCree back this week, Terps fans are looking for Danny O’Brien to light it up against the cupcake opponent, and surpass that over/under with little contribution from the Tigers offense. Kickoff is set for 3:30 as the Terps look to end their two game losing streak and get back to .500.

Donnelly takes over at Delaware

By Kevin Noonan It’s an old saying and, like most old sayings, it has to

CAA Preview: Has VCU’s Final Four run impacted its recruiting?

When Rodney Purvis received a handful of cards and letters from Virginia Commonwealth early in his high school career, the five-star point guard didn’t view the unheralded Rams as a realistic contender to sign him. Only after VCU’s stunning Final Four run last March did Purvis begin to reconsider. More from The Dagger’s Colonial Athletic Association Preview • THURSDAY: Has VCU’s improbable Final Four run impacted its recruiting? • FRIDAY: CAA projections, all-league teams and storylines to watch. Intrigued by VCU’s charismatic, young coach, up-tempo style and emerging presence on the national stage, Purvis listed the Rams among the final seven schools he was considering on August 30. It’s unlikely Purvis will choose VCU over front runner NC State or fellow contenders UConn and Memphis when he announces his college choice on Friday , but the fact that the Rams were even in the running for the Raleigh native is a coup for the program. “The Final Four run put them almost in the same bracket as a Memphis in Rodney’s eyes,” said Avie Lester, Purvis’ coach at Upper Room Christian Academy in Raleigh. “Memphis is not in a Big East, ACC or SEC, but they have a reputation of going far in the NCAA tournament and doing well on a national stage. That run put VCU in that category. They might not play in one of the bigger conferences, but it made Rodney take a look at them a lot differently.” The sudden interest from a player of the caliber of Purvis is an example of the impact VCU coach Shaka Smart hopes last year’s Final Four appearance makes. Between SportsCenter highlights, coverage on numerous national websites and Smart hitting the late-night talk show circuit, VCU received such a rush of publicity that the perennial Colonial Athletic Association power is no longer an unknown commodity for top recruits. Although Smart is optimistic VCU will be able to sign more highly rated prospects and win more recruiting battles against high-major programs, he cautioned that the increased visibility won’t change the school’s recruiting blue print dramatically. Spring signee Teddy Okereafor was an in-state prospect VCU persuaded to sign a year early before interest from ACC schools mushroomed, while Class of 2012 commits wing Jordan Burgess and forwards Justin Tuoyo and Mo-Alie Cox are each below-the-radar recruits. “I would hope we’re able to get involved with or sign more high-level players than we were before, but we’re not under any illusions,” Smart said. “Whereas before we were signing good mid-level players, it’s not like now we’re going to bring in a bunch of top 50 guys or McDonald’s All-Americans. It doesn’t work that way.” VCU’s post-Final Four recruiting has mirrored Butler ‘s after the first of its two national title game appearances. Coach Brad Stevens managed to crack the final three for elite in-state center Cody Zeller before he signed with Indiana , but the rest of the players the Bulldogs recruited were fringe top 100 or top 15o prospects likely to stay in the program three or four years apiece. For VCU to be able to win an occasional battle for an elite recruit rather than always having to unearth quality players others missed, the Rams will have to solidify themselves as a perennial NCAA tournament team capable of winning in a game or two each year.It would also help if VCU could parlay that into more made-for-TV neutral court non-conference games against marquee programs the way Butler, Gonzaga , Xavier and Temple have done. And lastly it will take a commitment to improving the school’s facilities, which will begin with the construction of a new, privately funded $9 million practice facility next year to replace the air condition-less  60-year-old gym in use today. “VCU is right on the border of reaching the status of a Xavier, a Gonzaga or a Memphis where they’re no longer viewed as a mid-major,” Rivals.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi said. “When they get to that point where they’re looked at as one of those programs that can recruit regardless of conference, that’s when things will really take off for them. A couple more years of doing what they’re doing, and they’re definitely going to be there.” It would have been difficult to believe VCU could ever attain such heights prior to former coach Jeff Capel leading the Rams to their second NCAA tournament appearance in 19 years in 2004. Momentum continued under Anthony Grant with Eric Maynor’s memorable shot to beat Duke in the opening round of the 2007 NCAA tournament and then reached a crescendo last spring when Smart led the Rams from the First Four to the Final Four. “The best thing about the Final Four run recruiting-wise was so many people had a chance to see us play,” Smart said. “Particularly at our level, it can be a tough sell when you call a kid up and he hasn’t seen how you play, the way your players approach games and the way you coach guys. But now that’s changed for us. There’s really nobody that we’ve called in the past several months that hasn’t seen us play.” More conference previews from the Dagger: ACC: Lessons from the pros keep North Carolina humble and hungry , ACC projections and storylines to watch , Ex-Wake Forest star Ish Smith scouts the league , Ranking the 15 best non-league ACC games , Q&A with Florida State junior Michael Snaer Atlantic 10: Temple’s Micheal Eric hopes to seize his chance , A-10 projections and storylines to watch , Ex-Xavier star Byron Larkin scouts the league , Ranking the 15 best non-league A-10 games , Q&A with St. Louis guard Kwamain Mitchell Big Ten: How Zack Novak became Michigan’s emotional leader ; Big Ten projections and storylines to watch ; Ex-Ohio State star Jim Jackson scouts the league ; Ranking the 15 best non-league Big Ten games ; Q&A with Michigan State forward Delvon Roe Big 12: Big 12 projections and storylines to watch , Iowa State’s Royce White aims to capitalize on second chance , Ex-Oklahoma guard Michael Neal projects the league , Ranking the 15 best non-league Big 12 games , Q&A with Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson Conference USA: Marshall aims to end NCAA tournament drought ; C-USA projections, all-league teams and storylines to watch

CAA standouts recovering from surgery

The CAA is a conference to watch this season, with VCU coming off a Final Four appearance and George Mason primed to make another NCAA tournament run. But a new crop of players will have to step up, as the entire All-CAA first team completed its eligibility, and two all-conference players — Old Dominion’s Kent Bazemore and Drexel’s Chris Fouch — are recovering from offseason surgeries. Bazemore, the CAA’s reigning defensive player of the year and top returning scorer for the Monarchs, had been hoping to return by the start of the season after fracturing his left foot . But CBSSports.com reports that Bazemore will now likely miss the first month of the season after ODU coach Blaine Taylor told the website that the senior is a “long ways off from working out.” It’s unsettling news for ODU because the versatile 6-foot-5 Bazemore has NBA potential and averaged 12.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while leading the league in steals last season. Meanwhile, Drexel announced last week that leading scorer Chris Fouch would miss the start of the season while recovering from offseason knee surgery. Fouch, a junior who had redshirted his freshman season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, has become one of the top shooters in the CAA and averaged 14.9 points for the Dragons last season despite making only two starts. A third CAA all-conference player — Luke Hancock — transferred this offseason from George Mason, which has also suspended starting guard Andre Cornelius following an offseason arrest . So a number of the league’s contenders will have to make adjustments at the start of the season. Missing players at the start of the season won’t necessarily damage their postseason chances, but it does remain a concern.

Blaine Taylor not only one with new look at ODU

By Jeff Goodman It was the first time Blaine Taylor’s four daughters had ever seen him without The Stache. And one of them is 31 years old. “They looked at me like I was some strange serial killer,” Old Dominion’s head coach, known for his mustache, told CBSSports.com. “They were just staring at me funny.” They have gotten used to it – and so has, Taylor, who has no plans to bring it back. (Unfortunately, we have no photos, yet, of Taylor without The Stache.)

Towson Vs. Maryland: Terps To Wear Red Uniforms, Black Pants

The ongoing Maryland football uniform fascination rolls on, which means it is our duty to report to you all which jerseys the Terps will be wearing when they take the field against Towson at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. After going with the state flag look against Miami, the all-black ensemble against West Virginia and the gold jersey/black pants combo vs. Temple, the Terps will wear red jerseys with black pants and black helmets, according to coach Randy Edsall . These are not among my personal favorites of the zillions of possible combinations, but if the players can be inspired enough to give a legitimate effort, then the uniforms are fine by me. The Terps will need to bounce back after last week’s embarrassing loss to the Owls. Perhaps going away from the gold jerseys is one way to make sure a better performance happens. For more on the Terps, visit Testudo Times .

UD: Donnelly earning place on the field

NEWARK — The only disadvantage Tim Donnelly had in his preseason competition for Delaware’s starting quarterback job was lack of experience.

UMass Plays Its Final CAA Football Season

With absolute certainty, members of the University of Massachusetts football team know they will finish

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