Colonial Athletic Association teams made a splash in Week 1 with a pair of wins over FBS opponents, giving Power Five competition all it could handle, and one squad coming back in the fourth quarter for a conference victory. 

With four teams now ranked in the national polls and still more on the rise, the CAA looks every bit the deep and collectively strong conference on which it's staked its reputation for years. So what can we anticipate for an encore? 

Week 2 promises more excitement and marquee opportunities for the Colonial to make a collective statement. The second weekend's games to watch include William & Mary, returning home after its defeat of FBS Charlotte, facing a high-profile FCS opponent. Delaware comes home from its FBS win at Navy for an in-state rivalry matchup, and New Hampshire aims to set the early pace in conference play with its second CAA game in as many weeks. 

Monmouth Vs. Fordham 

Monmouth's CAA debut ended in heartbreak at New Hampshire, but the Hawks proved more than capable of competing in their new league. Monmouth returns home following the back-and-forth, 31-21 loss at UNH in Week 1, for a non-conference matchup with nearby Fordham. 

The Rams opened their season winning a 48-31 shootout against another Tri-State opponent in Wagner. Quarterback Tim DeMorat erupted for 386 yards passing and five touchdowns spread among MJ Wright and Garrett Cody (two apiece), and Fotis Kokosioulis (one touchdown to go with 152 yards). 

Kokosioulis continued his climb up the all-time program ranks for receiving yards and touchdowns with his monster performance, and will be a focal point for the Monmouth defense. At 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, he's a much different player for the Hawks to defend than New Hampshire tight end Kyle Lepkowski, whose size and physicality gave Monmouth problems in Week 1. 

Still, Monmouth limited the New Hampshire offense to just 17 points, which Hawks coach Kevin Callahan noted as a positive from the opener. 

"They hung tough and they played well. It was good to see Da'Quan Grimes back in the lineup [at linebacker]. He brings a little bit of a presence to our unit," Callahan said. "The guys on the back end with Eddie Morales and Tyrese Wright, I thought they played very well." 

Da’Quan Grimes led the defense with 11 tackles at UNH.

It was great seeing him back on the field.#FlyHawks pic.twitter.com/CQnhLTfLkE

— Monmouth Football (@MUHawksFB) September 2, 2022

The preseason All-CAA honoree Morales can expect plenty of matchups with Kokosioulis, but slowing the prolific Fordham passing attack will be a team effort. That includes up front, where the Hawks cycled through 10 players Week 1, Callahan noted — among them, Zamon Robinson, who made a sack at UNH. 

Richmond Vs. Saint Francis 

Both Saint Francis and Richmond opened with Week 1 losses to FBS opponents, but both showed plenty in those decisions. The Spiders overcame a first-half deficit at Virginia and, for all intents and purposes, outplayed the Cavaliers after intermission. 

The revamped Richmond offense showed plenty of promise in the debut for both coordinator Billy Cosh and quarterback Reece Udinski, while the two-headed backfield of running backs Aaron Dykes and Savon Smith provided more than ample ground-based punch to the air-raid look. 

While the 34-17 final score is misleading in conveying just how competitive the Week 1 matchup played out, Saint Francis' 30-23 overtime loss at Akron details exactly how close the Red Flash were to scoring the win. SFU led going into the fourth quarter and scored a game-tying touchdown with 3:30 left in regulation, but could not answer Cam Wiley's touchdown carry in the extra frame. 

Damon Horton buoyed a Red Flash rushing attack that spread 40 carries among seven players, gaining 86 yards on 18 touches with a touchdown. 

Justin Sliwoski and Cole Doyle shared quarterbacking duties at Akron, attempting 17 and 16 passes respectively. Both are mobile, making it two weeks in a row that a Richmond defense undergoing some personnel changes up front face an opponent with capable ball-carriers behind center. 

Brennan Armstrong went for 105 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. But after a first half that included a 64-yard gashing, the Spiders buckled down behind the leadership of Tristan Wheeler. The heat-seeking linebacker made 19 tackles as the young line settled in, most notably Jeremiah Grant. 

Grant's five tackles and two for loss operating on the interior suggests Richmond may have its latest d-line star after thriving with standouts like Maurice Jackson, Kobie Turner and Darius Reynolds in recent years. 

"He's one of those guys that's always trying to learn," Wheeler said of Grant. "This camp, he's busted his tail to get to the point [of] what he showed today. He's in there watching film with us, doing all the little things right. You prepare that way, it's going to show up in your performance come game time." 

With SFU showing a multifaceted rushing approach, Richmond will need to replicate that second-half play in the Spiders' home opener to leave with the win. 

Delaware Vs. Delaware State  

UD alum Ryan Carty returns home for his first game at head coach at Delaware Stadium, and he comes with a marquee win en tow. 

The Blue Hens' 14-7 defeat of Navy marked the program's first win over an FBS since 2007 — a season in which Delaware reached the National Championship Game. 

The 2007 campaign is also historically relevant this week, as that postseason run began with the first meeting between the in-state counterparts at UD and Delaware State. Since squaring off in the 1st Round of the 2007 FCS Playoffs, the programs have cultivated a series befitting their proximity and histories with the Route 1 Rivalry. 

Delaware looks to extend its record in the Route 1 Rivalry to 11-0 this year after making it 10 straight in April 2021 with a 34-14 rout. Thyrick Pitts caught for 87 yards with a touchdown in that meeting, and remains a weapon to watch in Delaware's passing attack. However, quarterback Nolan Henderson's two scores against Navy went to Chandler Harvin and Bryce De Maille in a performance that stated emphatically Henderson is 100 percent after dealing with injury in 2021. 

An up close look at the @Bryce_DeMaille TD pic.twitter.com/ptnN4Mbc9U

— Delaware Football (@Delaware_FB) September 3, 2022

William & Mary Vs. Campbell 

With the possible exception of Jackson State, no other FCS program has generated more offseason buzz among national media than Campbell. Probably not a coincidence both programs have NFL alumni in the helm with Deion Sanders at JSU and Mike Minter in his 10th season at Campbell. 

Minter's grown the Campbell program from a non-scholarship member of the Pioneer Football League to a preseason favorite to contend for the Big South Conference championship. Credit the Camels coaching staff's aggressive recruiting approach, which netted 247Sports.com's No. 89 ranking among all signing classes for 2022. 

Not only was that tops among FCS programs, but Campbell's class ranked ahead of FBS programs including USF, Wyoming and Washington. 

The Camels opened 2022 meeting the hype with a 29-10 win over SoCon member The Citadel. Campbell limited The Citadel's option offense to just 187 rushing yards on 48 carries, swarming to the ball to the tune of six tackles for loss. 

William & Mary, meanwhile, unleashed a dominant rushing attack on Charlotte in the Tribe's 41-24 romp. Bronson Yoder's 120 yards, Darius Wilson's 67, Malachi Imoh's 54 and Donavyn Lester's 46 showed the depth of the Tribe's rushing options, while Wilson going off for 225 passing yards and two touchdowns demonstrated the collective balance. 

Wilson's passing is an X-Factor Campbell didn't have to address last week against The Citadel. However, the Camels return veteran defensive backs Keshawn Thompson and Dorian Jones, while 4-star safety prospect Myles Rowser was the crown jewel of Campbell's ballyhooed recruiting class. 

UAlbany Vs. New Hampshire 

After rallying in the fourth quarter, New Hampshire scored a huge conference win in Week 1 over Monmouth. The Wildcats can extend their CAA mark to 2-0 before much of the league even has a single Colonial game to its credit, traveling to UAlbany for Week 2. 

New Hampshire's 31-21 victory in Rick Santos' debut as full-time head coach was at times uneven. Yet, with touchdowns scored in all three phases, the Wildcats showed plenty to suggest a new playoff streak is attainable in 2022. All-American defensive end Josiah Silver picking up right where he left off as a Jerry Rice Award-contending freshman with a sack and a blocked punt that led to a Charles Briscoe touchdown. 

Josiah Silver gets to the quarterback on a huge 3rd down play!#CatJui23
Game Day Central ➡️ https://t.co/Nivg6d3Sc2 pic.twitter.com/NDZZxvVGa6

— UNH Football (@UNH_Football) September 1, 2022

Silver isn't the only defensive end to watch in this conference clash. Santos quipped during this week's media call that Bloomsburg transfer A.J. Simon reminded the UNH coach of former Great Danes/current Florida State sack machine Jared Verse — right down to the No. 96. 

There's merit to the comparison, to be sure, but Verse never took the field in threads like those UAlbany will be rocking for its 2022 home opener. 

Back in Black ⚡️

New threads for Saturday's Black Out ⬛️#UAUKNOW #WinTheDay 🟪 🟨 pic.twitter.com/T94BB55efv

— UAlbany Football (@UAlbanyFootball) September 6, 2022

The Week 2 nightcap is an intriguing matchup with two teams capable of flipping the script from finishes in the CAA basement a year ago. UAlbany benefited tremendously from the transfer portal in the offseason, adding Simon with a group that also includes Pitt import running back Todd Sibley; wide receiver and Akron transfer Julian Hicks; and linebacker Ori Jean-Charles, who came in from Maine.