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The pedestrian bridge leads to a wide concourse at Wildcat Stadium.
Photo by: Allen Lessels
Closing in on Wildcat Stadium, Football Season
7/15/2016 1:40:00 PM | Football, UNH Insider
Yet another sign that the 2016 University of New Hampshire football season – and a new era for the Wildcats with the opening of their new stadium – is fast-approaching.
Magazines and web sites have been offering up their FCS preseason rankings.
Media Day for the Colonial Athletic Association is less than two weeks away (Tuesday, July 26) and there the Wildcats will find out where they've been picked to finish in the league's preseason poll.
So far, they are ranked 13th in one poll (Lindy's College Football), 18th in another (Sporting News College Football) and unranked (Athlon College Football) in a third.
The 2016 season opens seven weeks from Saturday with a game at San Diego State, a high-powered FBS team, on Sept. 3 (8:30 ET).
UNH christens Wildcat Stadium the next weekend – on Saturday, Sept. 10 – with a 7 p.m. game against New England rival Holy Cross.
Season tickets for the 2016 campaign in Wildcat Stadium, which include the historic opener and a Homecoming game against William & Mary on Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m., start at $99. The stadium features a variety of seating options, including the Service Credit Union Victory Club which will offer an all-you-can-eat buffet and a fan experience unlike any other in the area.
Information on tickets and the stadium is available online or by calling 603-862-1262. UNH has begun offering tours of the stadium and more information on that is also available at the web site.
As usual, UNH head coach Sean McDonnell, his staff and players will pay little attention to what the polls have to say.
That said, the Wildcats will be looking to start another streak in the STATS FCS Top 25. Their 162-week stretch of being in the Top 25 ended last October. The nation's-best mark had begun on Sept. 6, 2004.
"That streak is pretty special to us, but obviously numbers don't really matter and rankings don't matter that much to us," said senior quarterback and captain Adam Riese this week. "It's more about hard work and getting on the field and playing football to the best of our ability. . . . Obviously we feel we should be in the Top 25. We feel that we are the No. 1 team in the country, obviously. Any team in the country should feel that way."
The first STATS FCS poll of the year is due out Monday, Aug. 8. The Wildcats were not in the Top 25 in the final poll after last season.
The rankings don't change the approach.
"We're still going to go out and do the same thing we would do any other day," Riese said. "Just play hard, work hard and get better every day so we can go out and be ready for our first game against San Diego State."
The bottom line is the season – and the opening of Wildcat Stadium – will be here soon.
The football players – many of whom are already on campus for optional conditioning sessions - report for fall camp on Aug. 7.
"The summer's fun being around the guys, working out and training and stuff, but we're kind of anxious to get out on the field and be able to put on the pads and hit and throw the ball around and actually play some football rather than doing the field work drills and stuff," Riese said. "Like any guy in the locker room can tell you, they're ready to go get the season going and play some football. It's right around the corner and I'm ready to go. I'm looking forward to it."
As for the stadium, crews this week continued to dismantle the old press box on the Field House side of the facility.
Others worked on installing lamp posts along the pedestrian bridge onto the new concourse, on steps leading down to the Cat Pack Plaza and steps leading along the Field House to the new ticket plaza, among the many other projects under way.
UNH has five regular season home games on the schedule.
Besides the stadium opener on Sept. 10 and Homecoming game on Oct. 1, home games are set for Oct. 15 against James Madison at noon, Oct. 29 against Stony Brook at noon and Nov. 12 against Albany at noon.
UNH finished with a 7-5 record last season and qualified for the FCS tournament for the 12th consecutive year, a streak of appearances that is the best in the country.
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
Magazines and web sites have been offering up their FCS preseason rankings.
Media Day for the Colonial Athletic Association is less than two weeks away (Tuesday, July 26) and there the Wildcats will find out where they've been picked to finish in the league's preseason poll.
So far, they are ranked 13th in one poll (Lindy's College Football), 18th in another (Sporting News College Football) and unranked (Athlon College Football) in a third.
The 2016 season opens seven weeks from Saturday with a game at San Diego State, a high-powered FBS team, on Sept. 3 (8:30 ET).
UNH christens Wildcat Stadium the next weekend – on Saturday, Sept. 10 – with a 7 p.m. game against New England rival Holy Cross.
Season tickets for the 2016 campaign in Wildcat Stadium, which include the historic opener and a Homecoming game against William & Mary on Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m., start at $99. The stadium features a variety of seating options, including the Service Credit Union Victory Club which will offer an all-you-can-eat buffet and a fan experience unlike any other in the area.
Information on tickets and the stadium is available online or by calling 603-862-1262. UNH has begun offering tours of the stadium and more information on that is also available at the web site.
As usual, UNH head coach Sean McDonnell, his staff and players will pay little attention to what the polls have to say.
That said, the Wildcats will be looking to start another streak in the STATS FCS Top 25. Their 162-week stretch of being in the Top 25 ended last October. The nation's-best mark had begun on Sept. 6, 2004.
"That streak is pretty special to us, but obviously numbers don't really matter and rankings don't matter that much to us," said senior quarterback and captain Adam Riese this week. "It's more about hard work and getting on the field and playing football to the best of our ability. . . . Obviously we feel we should be in the Top 25. We feel that we are the No. 1 team in the country, obviously. Any team in the country should feel that way."
The first STATS FCS poll of the year is due out Monday, Aug. 8. The Wildcats were not in the Top 25 in the final poll after last season.
The rankings don't change the approach.
"We're still going to go out and do the same thing we would do any other day," Riese said. "Just play hard, work hard and get better every day so we can go out and be ready for our first game against San Diego State."
The bottom line is the season – and the opening of Wildcat Stadium – will be here soon.
The football players – many of whom are already on campus for optional conditioning sessions - report for fall camp on Aug. 7.
"The summer's fun being around the guys, working out and training and stuff, but we're kind of anxious to get out on the field and be able to put on the pads and hit and throw the ball around and actually play some football rather than doing the field work drills and stuff," Riese said. "Like any guy in the locker room can tell you, they're ready to go get the season going and play some football. It's right around the corner and I'm ready to go. I'm looking forward to it."
As for the stadium, crews this week continued to dismantle the old press box on the Field House side of the facility.
Others worked on installing lamp posts along the pedestrian bridge onto the new concourse, on steps leading down to the Cat Pack Plaza and steps leading along the Field House to the new ticket plaza, among the many other projects under way.
UNH has five regular season home games on the schedule.
Besides the stadium opener on Sept. 10 and Homecoming game on Oct. 1, home games are set for Oct. 15 against James Madison at noon, Oct. 29 against Stony Brook at noon and Nov. 12 against Albany at noon.
UNH finished with a 7-5 record last season and qualified for the FCS tournament for the 12th consecutive year, a streak of appearances that is the best in the country.
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
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