BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Coming off back to back CAA wins, Campbell (4-3, 3-2 CAA) heads back on the road, matching up with Richmond (5-3, 4-1 CAA) on Saturday, October 28. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Robins Stadium.

WATCH / FOLLOW
Watch the Camels take on the Spiders on FloSports, and listen online at GoCamels.com or through The Varsity Network app. Live stats are also available at GoCamels.com, and follow on Twitter @GoCamelsFB for live updates.

LAST TIME OUT
Lamagea McDowell ran for a career-high 114 yards and two scores, helping Campbell top Maine 34-38 on Homecoming at Barker-Lane Stadium. The Camels moved to 4-3 on the season and 3-2 in CAA play, picking up their first home CAA victory, while Maine dipped to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in conference games.

Campbell built a 28-7 halftime lead behind a pair of first half touchdowns from McDowell, finding the endzone on four straight possessions after its opening drive stalled.

Maine clawed back with touchdown catches of 33 and 18 yards for Rohan Jones, bringing the Black Bears within 34-28 with 6:12 remaining, but Derek Robertson's second down pass was intercepted by Trevon Booker, allowing Campbell to seal the win.

The Camels limited the Black Bears to -7 rushing yards, a school record for fewest rushing yards allowed in a game.

McDowell rushed 26 times in his first career 100-yard rushing game, running for 114 of the team's 168 yards, while Williams threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns, completing 26-of-33 passes. VJ Wilkins made eight catches for 79 yards, while Chaney Fitzgerald picked up five grabs for 46 yards. Kelsey also posted two catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.

CJ Tillman led the Campbell defense with 10 tackles, adding a first half forced fumble, while Booker notched five tackles to go with his game-clinching interception.

Robertson threw for 503 yards and four touchdowns for Maine, connecting on 36-of-52 passes with two interceptions. Joe Gillette recorded six catches for 135 yards, with Jones and Jamie Lamson both catching two TD passes.

LEADING THE CAMELS
Campbell comes into this week's matchup with the ninth-ranked scoring offense in FCS, averaging 37.3 points per game, also ranking 14^th best in total offense nationally at 431.4 yards per game.

Hajj-Malik Williams owns the FCS' second best completion percentage at 74.9 percent, averaging 273.1 passing yards per game with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. The redshirt senior QB has also rushed for four scores.

Williams has connected with 15 different CU receivers through seven games, including 12 with multiple catches. Jalen Kelsey has posted a team-high 465 yards with three touchdowns on 26 catches, while VJ Wilkins owns a team-high 38 catches, going for 396 yards and four TDs.

NaQuari Rogers also owns six touchdowns on the ground, rushing for 411 yards.

Defensively, CJ Tillman has registered a team-best 64 tackles with 3.5 for loss, while Monchovia Gaffney owns 47 stops with 5.5 tackles for loss.

WILKINS NAMED TO RICE AWARD WATCH LIST
Campbell rookie VJ Wilkins has been named to the 2023 Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award watch list, which honors the national freshman of the year in college football's Division I subdivision and is presented by FedEx Ground.

The wide receiver is one of 22 FCS players on the midseason watch list, including one of four among CAA Football programs. The Rice Award, now in its 13th season, is named after legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. Past recipients include Cooper Kupp, Chase Edmonds, Trey Lance and Shedeur Sanders.

Wilkins is the fifth Camel to earn a spot on the Rice Award watch list, joining quarterback Daniel Smith (2017), wide receiver Caleb Snead (2018), quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams (2019) and linebacker CJ Tillman (2021).

The Pfafftown, N.C. native owns 38 catches for 396 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season, ranking fourth in the CAA in receptions. Wilkins tacks on three rushes for 20 yards, adding 386 kick return yards with a 20.3 yards per return average.

Wilkins has been named the CAA Freshman of the Week twice already this season, most recently after hauling in a season-high 114 yards on 10 catches, adding a touchdown against Elon.

THE MATCHUP: RICHMOND
Richmond has won five of its last six outings since starting the season, coming off a 33-10 victory at North Carolina A&T.

Camden Coleman and Kyle Wickersham have combined to throw for 1,418 yards, with Coleman tossing 10 TDs. Nick DeGennaro also averages 76.0 receiving yards per game, adding eight total touchdowns. Defensively, Tristan Wheeler owns a team-high 77 tackles with 6.5 stops for loss and a sack.

Saturday will be the first matchup between Campbell and Richmond.

NEXT UP
On the road for three of its final four regular season dates in 2023, Campbell will head to North Carolina on November 4 for its final nonconference outing, returning home for a November 11 date with top-10 ranked Delaware before rounding out the regular season at North Carolina A&T.

NORTH CAROLINA GAME SET FOR NATIONALLY TELEVISED NOON KICK
Campbell's November 4 football game at top-10 ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill has been selected for a noon kickoff, broadcast nationally on the ACC Network.

The date will be the first meeting between the Fighting Camels and the Tar Heels.

ALUMNI & FRIENDS PREGAME TAILGATES SLATED FOR RICHMOND AND UNC GAMES
The Campbell Community is invited to join the Campbell Alumni Association for pre-game tailgating when the Fighting Camels travel to Richmond on October 28, and North Carolina on November 4.
At Richmond, southern favorites will be served, including beef brisket, chicken barbeque, and all the fixins. Full details and registration HERE.

When the Fighting Camels face off against the Tar Heels, the Campbell Alumni Association and Campbell Athletics will host pre-game tailgating fun, including games, delicious barbeque and all the fixins, compliments of White Swan BBQ (a proud member of the Orange Owned business network). Full details and registration for that date can be found HERE.

CAMELS FACE ONE OF THE STRONGEST SCHEDULES IN FCS
According to Stats Perform, Campbell faces the fifth toughest schedule in the FCS, based on 2022 Division I opponent records. CU's 2023 opponents, all Division I FCS or FBS, owned a 77-55 record (.583) last season.

Harvard owns the strongest 2023 slate, according to the metric at .648 (68-37), followed by Nicholls (.610, 83-53), Elon (.606, 80-52) and Cal Poly (.585, 69-49). North Alabama (.573, 71-53), Yale (.571, 60-45), ETSU (.570, 65-49), Central Arkansas (.568, 67-51) and Northern Arizona (.561, 74-58) round out the top-10.

TWO FORMER CAMELS OPEN SEASON ON NFL ROSTERS
For the first time, two former Camels appeared on active NFL rosters opening the 2023 season. Both matched up in their first career NFL game, with Brevin Allen's Los Angeles Chargers hosting Julian Hill's Miami Dolphins in week one.

Allen became the first Camel to play in an NFL game during the Chargers' season opener. After making the Dolphins' initial 53-man roster, Hill was inactive through two games due to injury, but made his NFL debut in Miami's record-setting 70-20 win over Denver, seeing time on 58 total plays.

Both signed as undrafted free agents after the 2023 NFL Draft following their Campbell careers, with Allen initially signing to the LA practice squad as an outside linebacker.

WILKINS, WILLIAMS RANK AMONG TOP FCS PERFORMERS BY PFF
With data through six games this season, Campbell's Hajj-Malik Williams and VJ Wilkins ranked among the nation's highest graded position players, according to PFF.

Williams ranks 15^th in all of college football and fifth among FCS quarterbacks, rating at a 90.9 offensive grade. Wilkins, meanwhile, stands as the top-graded FCS wide receiver and third overall in college football at 90.3.

Campbell's offensive line also rates as one of the best in the FCS, ranking No. 4 in pass blocking efficiency at a 92.9 grade, anchored by center Isaiah Burch, who owns the eighth-best individual pass blocking grade in FCS at 88.8.

CAMPBELL JOINS THE COASTAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Campbell University officially became a member of the Coastal Athletic Association in all sports on July 1, 2023.

The addition of Campbell in 2023 increases the CAA's full membership to 14 schools, joining fellow new members North Carolina A&T, Hampton, Monmouth and Stony Brook as schools that have all joined in the last year. CAA Football now consists of 15 teams in 2023.

The conference encompasses many of the nation's largest metropolitan areas with a geographic footprint that stretches from Boston to Charleston. It has produced 18 national team champions in five different sports and 33 individual national champions.

Campbell joined NCAA Division I in 1977 and became a charter member when the Big South Conference was formed in 1983. Campbell joined the Atlantic Sun Conference in the summer of 1994 and competed in the ASUN 17 years before returning to the Big South in the summer of 2011.

After a five-decade absence, Campbell resumed football competition in 2008 as a member of the Pioneer Football League. Campbell moved up to competition in Big South football in 2018.