Story by
The Sanford Herald, N.C.
No. 25 UAlbany hands No. 12 Campbell first FCS loss, 45-35
- Story byThe Sanford Herald, N.C.
- No. 25 UAlbany hands No. 12 Campbell first FCS loss, 45-35
ALBANY, N.Y. — No. 25 UAlbany returned a fumble and an interception for touchdowns and held off a second-half rally by No. 12 Campbell to hand the Camels their first loss to an FCS opponent this season, 45-35, Saturday in Coastal Athletic Association football action at Casey Stadium.
Rahshan La Mons rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown as the Great Danes (6-3, 4-1 CAA) sna second half.
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Dillon Dunathan opened the scoring when he recovered a Campbell fumble and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown. La Mons added a 63-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to give UAlbany a 21-7 lead, marking the first time Campbell had trailed an FCS opponent by two scores this season.
The Great Danes extended their advantage to 31-14 on Brayden Heitmeyer's 44-yard field goal before Campbell responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that took just 1:15 off the clock. JJ Cowan capped the possession with a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 31-21 at halftime.
UAlbany regained momentum early in the third quarter when Jamari Young returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 38-21.
Campbell answered with touchdowns on its next two possessions.
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Quarterback Kamden Sixkiller connected with Chinua Ezeigbo on a 27-yard touchdown pass to complete a 10-play scoring drive.
The Camels then forced a turnover when Kareem Williams sacked UAlbany quarterback Kai Colon, stripped the ball and recovered the fumble.
On the next play, Cowan broke through the middle of the defense for a 41-yard touchdown run, his third score of the game, pulling Campbell within 38-35 with 13:13 remaining.
The teams exchanged possessions before Campbell turned the ball over on downs at its own 16-yard line with 1:52 remaining. Colon then connected with BJ Norman for a touchdown to extend UAlbany's lead to 45-35.
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The Great Danes' defense stopped Campbell on downs again with 1:12 remaining to secure the victory.
La Mons finished with 119 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Colon completed 15 of 28 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Norman caught eight passes for 99 yards.
Defensively, Shawan Lewis recorded 3.5 sacks and forced two fumbles. Donny Jones and Jeremiah Pruitt combined for 14 tackles and three tackles for loss.
Cowan led Campbell's rushing attack with 97 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries, matching his career high for rushing touchdowns.
Ezeigbo recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game, catching seven passes for 110 yards.
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Sixkiller completed 27 of 44 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His 20th touchdown pass of the season established a Campbell single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 19 set by Hajj-Malik Williams in 2023.
Charles Battaglia led Campbell's defense with six tackles, while AJ Benon added five tackles and an interception. Ebenezer Bedada finished with four tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss.
Campbell will play two of its final three regular-season games at home, beginning with Stony Brook at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Barker-Lane Stadium. The Camels will also host Monmouth on Nov. 21.
