R.J. Harvey

DURHAM, N.H.-- Senior running back R.J. Harvey (Albany, N.Y.) of the University of New Hampshire football team was the recipient of the first Coca Cola Gold Helmet Award of the 2004 season in recognition of his workman-like efforts in UNH's 24-21 upset victory over No. 1-ranked Delaware.

Harvey carried the football 32 times for 114 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns to help the 'Cats defeat the defending I-AA national champs and moved his team up to 19th on The Sports Network Division I-AA Football poll, which was released on Monday.

Harvey broke the ice early in the contest with a 1-yard run that gave the Wildcats a 7-0 advantage at the 6:32 mark of the first quarter. He also scored on an 8-yard run with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter to give UNH a 17-8 advantage.

The Wildcats (1-0 overall) overcame all kinds of adversity, including the loss of senior starting quarterback Mike Granieri (Lindwood, N.J.) to a knee injury in the second quarter. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass.) who was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for his outstanding efforts. At times UNH used no quarterback in the second half, but instead utilized a direct snap to Harvey, who had some success with the play and racked up positive yardage. Harvey averaged 3.6 yards per carry in the contest, as UNH pounded the football through one of the top defensive lines in I-AA football.

Harvey also caught two passes for eight yards in the contest and returned one kickoff for 11 yards.