A better reflection of Sean McDonnell's influence on college football may not exist than a Week 4 Coastal Athletic Association clash between Ryan Carty's Delaware Blue Hens and Rick Santos' New Hampshire Wildcats. 

Two of the young coaching stars who developed under McDonnell's tutelage, Carty and Santos both coached their teams to FCS Playoffs appearances in their first full seasons at the helm. Each is now in Year 2, and through the first three weeks of the campaign have squads that look like front-runners for the conference championship. 

For two former quarterbacks who first crossed paths 16 years ago, the other's respective success comes as no surprise. 

"I got a chance to realize how competitive he was, how talented he was, and how good of a person he was," Carty said, referring to his initial encounters with a then-Walter Payton Award-winning playmaker for UNH. Carty joined McDonnell's Wildcats staff in 2007, Santos' senior season, as a restricted-earnings assistant coaching tight ends. 

New Hampshire reached the Playoffs that season, the fourth in an incredible 14 straight seasons the Wildcats qualified for the postseason. That run included the duration of Carty's tenure as an assistant, which also overlapped with Santos returning to Durham as a wide receivers coach from 2013 through 2015. 

The playoff streak ended in 2017, but last year marked a triumphant return of UNH to the field with a share of the 2022 CAA championship en tow. 

Behind the electrifying all-around playmaking of Dylan Labue — every bit the Walter Payton Award contender Santos was in his UNH playing days — and with a stout, all-around defense, the Wildcats are primed to build another playoff streak in Santos' second full year as coach. 

"No shock that the program is where it is right now, kind of continuing in the footsteps of coach McDonnell and [Santos] putting his own spin on it," Carty said. 

Likewise, Santos expressed his "utmost respect for" Carty. 

"Brilliant, brilliant coach all around — not just football mind, [but a] great leader, great motivator," Santos said. "He was a huge part of our success in all the time that he was here. I can't thank him enough for how I was able to develop under his tutelage." 

The two avoided each other last year — Carty joked he's fine with not seeing New Hampshire on the schedule — but this season, it's an early pace-setter for league title. 

Delaware comes into the Week 4 reunion 1-0 in CAA play, opening the campaign with a 37-13 win at Stony Brook. For New Hampshire, the visit to UD opens the conference slate after an impressive 2-1 start that included routs of FCS opponents Stonehill and Dartmouth, and a shootout loss to FBS Central Michigan. 

Laube's nation-leading all-purpose production and point-per-game output are front-and-center for the Wildcats, as the do-everything running back fulfills on the promise Carty saw aiding in Laube's recruitment out of Westhampton Beach High School. However, UNH quarterback Max Brosmer is putting up some of the most impressive passing numbers of anyone in the FCS through three weeks, ranking sixth in the nation with 844 yards and second with 10 touchdown throws. 

Brosmer's also produced a 10:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio through three games — a number sure to be tested by a Delaware defense that has remained among the subdivision's most active despite near-wholesale change in the starting 11 during the offseason. 

The Blue Hens have six takeaways through three weeks, with five different defenders boasting an interception. Three Blue Hens have forced fumbles, two of whom are among the quintet with picks: Tyron Herring and Christian Pierce. 

For two coaches who came up in the UNH coaching tree at a time when the program was the hub of offensive innovation, Saturday's contest could well become a slugfest with outstanding defenses dictating the tone. 

But regardless if it's Chase McGowan and Jackson Taylor or Dylan Ruiz and Josiah Silver making the decisive plays; or if it's Marcus Yarns or Dylan Laube, expect an instant classic that adds a new chapter to one of the defining legacies of CAA football. 

Rhode Island at Villanova 

The early leader in the CAA at 2-0, Rhode Island is coming off a historically significant win with its Week 3 defeat of Maine. The 34-17 final marked the Rams' first victory in Orono since 1998, a potential harbinger of more milestone moments in Rhody's 2023 campaign. 

Chief among those is pursuit of the program's first playoff appearance in almost 40 years — a 3-0 start in conference would go a long way in bringing that goal to fruition. 

A tough Villanova team, making its CAA debut in 2023, stands in the way of Rhode Island continuing its strong start. The Wildcats dominated their two FCS matchups before visiting UCF in non-league play last week, outscoring Lehigh and Colgate by a combined 80-29 margin. 

Villanova flourished with an offensive attack not dissimilar to Rhode Island's early into the 2023 docket. Rhody's outstanding wide-receiving corps has buoyed a passing game that, with veteran quarterback Kasim Hill at the controls, ranks fourth in the FCS. 

The Wildcats feature their own rotation of outstanding pass-catchers, however, with Rayjoun Pringle boasting 229 yards and three touchdowns through the first three games. With Pringle holding down the No. 1 spot as Jaaron Hayek works his way back from injury, Jaylan Sanchez has broken out as a dynamic secondary option for Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins. 

Sanchez has been a dangerous home-run threat with an average of almost 40 yards per reception, and 198 total for the season. 

Both offenses face stiff tests from talented secondaries: Villanova's Devon Marshall has been among the nation's most active defensive backs with five pass break-ups through three weeks, while Rhode Island's Jordan Colbert and Randy Jordan have been around the ball routinely. 

Elon at Campbell

Games are won in the trenches; it's a cliche applicable to any matchup in football. In the case of the Week 4 Tar Heel State showdown between Campbell and Elon, however, the play up front promises to be especially important — in part because the clash of Campbell's offensive line against the Elon defensive front is among the most intriguing such battles all season. 

The Camels massive offensive line has given quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams room to operate on the way to a spectacular start, and last week at Monmouth paved the way for NaQuari Rogers to break off three rushing touchdowns. 

No front five in the CAA is bigger. In the same vein, few defensive lines are as talented as Elon's, starting with Marvin Pearson. 

Big, disruptive and athletic, Pearson has been sensational through the Phoenix's first three games. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound end moves like a much smaller player, yet engages with the physicality of a 300-pound tackle. Along with Josh Johnson and Cazeem Moore, the Elon line sets the tone for a defense coming off allowing just three points in the Phoenix's CAA-opening win over North Carolina A&T. 

Win up front, move to two wins in the conference; the equation is that simple in Buies Creek. 

More Week 4 Action 

Reigning CAA co-champion William & Mary returns to Zable Stadium and conference play in Week 4, hosting a Maine bunch seeking its first win. The Black Bears have played a brutal schedule with games against current three-win FBS team FIU and No. 2-ranked North Dakota State on the road the first two weeks, then a home opener against Top 20-ranked Rhode Island. 

A trip to visit the No. 4-ranked Tribe offers little reprieve, as Maine tries to solve Nate Lynn, John Pius, and the rest of the dominant William & Mary defense. 

Richmond finished its non-conference docket on a high note with last week's rout of Delaware State. The Spiders try to build on the positive momentum in their CAA debut, visiting a winless Stony Brook bunch. 

Seawolves coach Chuck Priore said of the teams' 0-3 start, which includes conference losses to Delaware and Rhode Island, that sustained performance has been a primary element eluding Stony Brook thus far. How fast the Seawolves start in Saturday's contest could go a long way in dictating the direction of the Week 4 tilt. 

Towson concludes its non-conference schedule in Week 4, hosting Norfolk State. The Tigers defense showed out in a 20-10 win to claim the Battle of Greater Baltimore. Generating four takeaways proved central to Towson's emphatic win, and sets the scene for the Tigers' Week 4 matchup. 

Norfolk State comes in among the nation's top 20 teams in average turnover margin, plus-three through three games. The Spartans have forced seven turnovers, four of which came in their win over CAA foe Hampton.