Richmond rises above Wildcats

Tim Hightower scored four touchdowns and Justin Rogers set a school record for kickoff-return yardage yesterday as Richmond defeated New Hampshire, 45-38, at Richmond.

Hightower scored on runs of 2, 72, and 13 yards, his final touchdown coming with 8:42 remaining in the game. He also caught a 5-yard pass from Eric Ward for a score.

Rogers had an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and an 84-yard return when he was knocked out of bounds at the 16-yard line. He also fumbled a punt on his own 8, which led to a UNH touchdown.

The Spiders (3-1, 2-0 Colonial Athletic) ran for 193 yards, with 168 by Hightower. UNH quarterback Ricky Santos completed 30 of 46 passes for 318 yards, leaving him 1 yard shy of eighth place on the Football Championship Subdivision's all-time passing list. Santos ran for three touchdowns and passed for one. Keith LeVan caught 11 passes for 142 yards for the Wildcats (2-2, 0-2).

UNH had a chance to tie, moving to Richmond's 40 on its final possession. But the Spiders sacked Santos three straight times and a pass to LeVan in the end zone was broken up by Andrew Harris with 30 seconds left.

Big East

UConn 44, Akron 10 - Andre Dixon ran for 116 yards and Tyvon Branch ran a kickoff back 97 yards for a touchdown to spark the undefeated Huskies at East Hartford.

The 5-0 start is the best for a UConn team since 1995, when the Huskies went 6-0 as a Division 1-AA program.

Akron (2-3) had a 10-9 lead with 4:04 left in the first half after a 6-yard touchdown pass from Chris Jacquemain to Jabari Arthur, but didn't score again.

UConn began its 35-point run on the ensuing kickoff when Branch grabbed the ball on the 3, made one move to his left, and went up the middle of the field to make it 16-10.

Huskies quarterback Tyler Lorenzen completed 17 of 26 passes for 203 yards with an interception and two touchdown passes. One of those went to Dixon, who also had a 55-yard touchdown run.

Northeast-10

Bryant 22, Pace 19 - Charlie Granatell scored on a quarterback sneak with 4:19 remaining, and the Bulldogs (4-0, 4-0) fended off the upset-minded Setters (1-4, 1-3) at Smithfield, R.I.

C.W. Post 41, Saint Anselm 13 - At Manchester, N.H., Anthony Lazarus rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns, Nick Georgetti passed for 235 yards and three scores, and the Pioneers (2-2, 2-1) rolled over the Hawks (0-4, 0-2).

Kutztown 55, AIC 20 - Kyle Spotts completed 17 of 24 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns, including an 88-yarder to Elfren Quiles (eight catches, 174 yards), and the Golden Bears (3-2) scored the first 41 points to overpower the visiting Yellow Jackets (1-3).

Iona 30, Stonehill 10 - At North Easton, Dane Samuels ran for 202 yards and two touchdowns - including a 79-yarder - and the Gaels (4-1) had little trouble with the Skyhawks (3-1).

N.E. Conference

Worcester St. 36, Framingham St. 29 - Garrett Jones ran up the middle for a 22-yard touchdown on the second play of overtime, helping the Lancers (3-2, 2-0 Bogan) complete a comeback from a 14-0 halftime deficit and defeat the visiting Rams (2-2, 1-1).

Maine Maritime 21, Westfield St. 14 - At Castine, Maine, Jim Bower rushed for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Mariners (2-2, 1-1 Bogan) outgained the Owls (1-3, 0-2) on the ground, 305 yards to 23.

Curry 38, Salve Regina 7 - Ryan Van De Giesen threw touchdown passes to three different receivers, and Tim Bloniasz returned an interception 59 yards for a score as the Colonels (5-0, 2-0 Boyd) routed the Seahawks (1-3, 0-2) at Milton.

Plymouth St. 49, WNEC 29 - Jeff Mack ran 24 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns, and Brandon Clough added 96 yards and a score on 17 carries, lifting the Panthers (4-0, 2-0 Boyd) over the Golden Bears (2-3, 0-2) at Springfield.

Nichols 28, Endicott 14 - At Beverly, Robert Morris gained 172 of his 192 rushing yards and all three of his touchdowns in the second half as the Bison (3-1, 2-0 Boyd) rallied from a 14-7 halftime deficit to defeat the Gulls (1-3, 1-1).

Coast Guard 3, Mass. Maritime 0 - David Lieberman kicked a 20-yard field goal with 4:21 remaining and the Bears (3-1, 2-0 Bogan) edged the Buccaneers (2-3, 0-2) at Buzzards Bay.

UMass-Dartmouth 49, MIT 14 - J.T. Harold ran for two first-half touchdowns and finished with 137 yards on the ground, helping the Corsairs (2-3, 1-1 Boyd) cruise past the Engineers (0-4, 0-2) at Cambridge.

Bridgewater St. 45, Fitchburg St. 31 - Quarterback Stephen Clark ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns, Jason Williams added 105 yards and one score, and Bruce Burley rushed for 93 yards and a pair of TDs as the Bears (3-1, 2-0 Bogan) piled up 470 yards on the ground to overwhelm the host Falcons (0-4, 0-2).

NESCAC

Trinity 46, Williams 40 - Joe Clark caught a 26-yard pass from Eric McGrath in the third overtime, his fourth touchdown reception of the game, as the Bantams (2-0, 2-0) won a shootout with the Ephs (0-2, 0-2) at Hartford. Clark finished with 101 yards on six catches. Pat Lucey completed 27 of 44 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns for Williams.

Wesleyan 10, Hamilton 9 - Zach Librizzi threw for 363 yards and connected with Ryan Walsh (188 yards) on a 53-yard touchdown pass that helped the Cardinals (1-1, 1-1) overcome the Continentals (0-2, 0-2) at Clinton, N.Y.

Amherst 30, Bowdoin 6 - Eric NeSmith ran for 131 of the Lord Jeffs' 331 rushing yards, and host Amherst (2-0, 2-0) limited the Polar Bears (1-1, 1-1) to 23 yards on the ground.

Middlebury 41, Colby 0 - Donald McKillup completed 11 of 14 passes for 171 yards, and all three of his touchdown passes went to Andrew Matson as the host Panthers (2-0, 2-0) shut out the White Mules (0-2, 0-2) for the second straight season.

Tufts 35, Bates 20 - At Lewiston, Maine, Brad Ricketson (111 rushing yards) ran for a 62-yard TD and the Jumbos (2-0, 2-0) built a 28-7 lead in a win over the Bobcats (0-2, 0-2).

Other New England

Springfield 49, Utica 12 - Chris Sharpe ran for 69 yards and three touchdowns and passed for a career-high 194 yards and two more scores, helping the Pride (2-2, 1-1 Empire 8) breeze past the Pioneers (1-3, 0-1) at Utica, N.Y.

Hobart 45, WPI 35 - At Worcester, Andrew Strom completed 25 of 37 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns to help the Statesmen (2-2, 1-1 Liberty) top the Engineers (4-1, 1-1).