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UNH FOOTBALL TO HOST AREA CLINICS FOR 14TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

06/01/2005

DURHAM, N.H. — Coaches from the University of New Hampshire football team will be holding their 14th annual football clinics at area high schools in June. The first clinic will be held at Manchester Memorial on June 2, followed by clinics at Marshwood High School (June 3), Nashua High School (June 6), and Londonderry High School (June 8), and Souhegan High School on June 9.

DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire football team played its annual Blue/White scrimmage on Saturday in a downpour, but despite the rain and wind, the coaching staff saw a good mix of seasoned veterans and youngsters getting the job done.

DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire football program, along with the 11 other Atlantic 10 football programs, will join the Colonial Athletic Association beginning in 2007. The announcement was made today by UNH President Ann Weaver Hart and UNH Athletic Director Marty Scarano.

The University of New Hampshire announces that Football season tickets are now on sale.

DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire has completed its 2005 football schedule with the addition of a contest vs. the University of California At Davis on Sept. 3. That game replaces the matchup at I-A Army, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 3, but was removed due to a schedule change by Army.

DURHAM, N.H. — Quarterback Chris Alexander from Riverview, Fla., has signed a national letter of intent to play football for the University of New Hampshire football program.

DURHAM, N.H.--Army announced today that it has made a change in its football schedule, removing the contest originally scheduled vs. Division I-AA University of New Hampshire on Sept. 3, 2005, and adding a Division I-A contest vs. Arkansas State on Nov. 19, 2005.

DURHAM, N.H. — Seventh-year University of New Hampshire head football coach Sean McDonnell announced today that quarterback Jacob Crook (Glendora, Calif.) has signed a national letter of intent to attend UNH in the fall and play for the Wildcat football program.

DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire football program has received 10 commitments from high school student-athletes who have signed national letters of intent to play for the Wildcat football program.

DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire football team will continue its string of playing I-A opponents in 2005 as it travels to West Point, N.Y. to battle Army on Sept. 3. The announcement was made today by sixth-year head coach Sean McDonnell.

DURHAM, N.H. — Junior offensive lineman Tim Carignan (Belmont, N.H.) and senior wide receiver Shaun Diner (Montreal, Quebec) of the University of New Hampshire football team were both recently named to the Seventh Annual Division I-AA Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team. The 36 winners were chosen from a group of 86 nominees and were announced at the Division I-AA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn.

WACO, Texas — Sean McDonnell, sixth-year head coach of the University of New Hampshire football team, was named Region 1 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association on Monday.

HATBORO, Pa. — Senior lineman George Peterson (Clarendon, Vt.) and sophomore wide receiver David Ball (Orange, Vt.) of the University of New Hampshire football team were named to The Sports Network 2004 I-AA All-America Team, the organization announced Monday.

DURHAM, N.H. — Sophomore wide receiver David Ball (Orange, Vt.) of the No. 5-ranked University of New Hampshire football team was named a first-team Walter Camp I-AA All-American on Friday afternoon.

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Craig Ochs passed for 251 yards and three touchdowns and Lex Hilliard rushed for 107 yards and two more scores to lead Montana to a 47-17 victory over New Hampshire in an NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinal.

DURHAM, N.H. — UNH students and the general public are invited to watch the University of Hampshire football team's NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinal playoff game vs. the University of Montana at Theater II of the Memorial Union Building (MUB) on the UNH campus.

DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire football team is coming off one of its biggest wins in program history and as a result has gained the opportunity to travel to Missoula, Mont. to take on the University of Montana Grizzlies in an NCAA I-AA Quarterfinal matchup on Dec. 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST. and for the second consecutive week, the Wildcats have been selected to be seen live on ESPN2.

STATESBORO, GA.-The No. 5 ranked University of New Hampshire football team defeated No. 4 ranked Georgia Southern, 27-23 on Saturday night at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in the opening round of the NCAA Div. I-AA playoffs.

UNH is asking for all alumni, parents, and fans to TURN OUT OR TUNE IN this weekend as the UNH Wildcats compete in the first round of the NCAA Division 1AA playoffs.

PHILADELPHIA--Sixth-year head coach Sean McDonnell of the University of New Hampshire football team has been selected as one of 16 finalists to win the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award, which is presented annually by "The Sports Network".

DURHAM, N.H.--The entire University of New Hampshire football team, staff, administrators and members of the media were gathered in the team's lockerroom on Sunday afternoon to find out who the Wildcats would play in the NCAA I-AA Playoffs and at what venue. The team cheered as the announcer revealed UNH will play at Georgia Southern on Sat., Nov. 27, at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga. The team cheered again at the end of the broadcast when they learned that the game will be shown live nationally on ESPN2 at 6 p.m.

ORONO, Maine - The University of Maine fell behind early as New Hampshire took a 40-14 halftime lead, but battled back in the second half for the 50-36 final score at Alfond Stadium. The Black Bears were led on offense by Ron Whitcomb, who passed for a season high 422 yards and four touchdowns, while Arel Gordon had nine catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns. The Wildcats were led by wide receiver David Ball with nine catches for 172 yards and three touchdowns, as quarterback Ricky Santos was 18 of 33 for 249 yards. Maine finishes the season at 5-6 (3-5 Atlantic 10) and New Hampshire improved to 9-2 (6-2 Atlantic 10).

DURHAM, N.H.--The University of New Hampshire football game on Sat., Nov. 20, in Orono, Maine can be watched live online on a pay-per-view basis at www.watchmainesports.com.

PHILADELPHIA — The University of New Hampshire football team moved up two more spots to fifth this week following an explosive offensive performance in its 62-24 win over Towson on Nov. 13. The Wildcats were previously ranked as high as seventh in the poll following the off week on Oct. 10, and again following the victory over Rhode Island on Nov. 7.

DURHAM, N.H. — Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass.) of the University of New Hampshire football team was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for a league-best fifth time this season after he threw five touchdown passes in UNH's 62-24 win over Towson University on Nov. 13.

DURHAM, N.H. — Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass.) completed 12 of 21 passes for 166 yards and five touchdowns — all in the first half — to lead the seventh-ranked University of New Hampshire football team to Saturday afternoon's 62-24 Atlantic 10 victory against Towson University at Cowell Stadium.

DURHAM, N.H. — Senior wide receiver Shaun Diner (Montreal Quebec) and junior offensive lineman Tim Carignan (Belmont, N.H.) of the University of New Hampshire football team were both named first-team CoSIDA Academic All-Americans for District I. CoSIDA stands for College Sports Information Directors of America.

PHILADELPHIA — The University of New Hampshire football team moved up one spot to seventh this week following an impressive defensive performance in a 27-3 victory at Rhode Island on Nov. 6. This matches the highest ranking of the season for the Wildcats, who were also ranked seventh in the poll following the off week on Oct. 9. UNH was also ranked seventh in this week's ESPN/USA Today I-AA Poll.

KINGSTON, R.I. — John McCoy (Groton, Conn.) rushed for two first-quarter touchdowns to propel the eighth-ranked University of New Hampshire football team to Saturday afternoon's 27-3 Atlantic 10 victory against the University of Rhode Island at Meade Stadium.

PHILADELPHIA--Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass) of the University of New Hampshire football team was once again listed as one of the top 16 candidates to win the Walter Payton Award. The second update of the list was released today by The Sports Network.

PHILADELPHIA — The University of New Hampshire football team moved up two spots to eighth this week following an impressive come-from-behind victory at Northeastern University on Oct. 30, 27-23. The Wildcats have been ranked as high as seventh in the poll this season. Northeastern, a team that has been ranked in the top 25, had its impressive 17 regular season home win streak snapped by the Wildcats.

PHILADELPHIA--Sophomore defensive back Corey Graham (Buffalo, N.Y.) of the University of New Hampshire football team was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in UNH's 27-23 victory at Northeastern University on Oct. 30.

Sophomore defensive back Corey Graham (Buffalo, N.Y.) returned an interception 25 yards for the game-winning TD with 5:24 to play and led UNH to a 27-23 victory at Northeastern Saturday afternoon. UNH is now 5-0 on the road and guaranteed a winning season with its sixth victory of 2004 (6-2 overall, 3-2 Atlantic 10. The Wildcats are also alone at the top of the North Division in the Atlantic 10 standings.

PHILADELPHIA — The University of New Hampshire football team moved up five spots to 10th in this week's Sports Network I-AA Top 25 Poll on the heels of the team's hard-fought, come-from-behind, victory over Hofstra on Oct. 23 (33-27). The Wildcats have been ranked as high as seventh this season. The Atlantic 10 Football Conference boasts three teams in the top 10 and a total of six teams in the top 25.

DURHAM, N.H. — A one-yard touchdown dive by John McCoy (Groton, Conn.) with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter lifted the 15th-ranked University of New Hampshire football team to Saturday afternoon's 33-27 Atlantic 10 victory against Hofstra University at Cowell Stadium.

PHILADELPHIA — University of New Hampshire redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass.) was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for a conference-best fourth time this season following his outstanding efforts in UNH's come-from-behind 33-27 football victory over Hofstra on Oct. 23 at Cowell Stadium.

DURHAM, N.H. — Steve Baylark rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 43 carries — all career highs — to propel the University of Massachusetts football team to Saturday afternoon's 38-21 Atlantic 10 victory against seventh-ranked University of New Hampshire at Cowell Stadium. Baylark was awarded the Bill Knight Trophy as the game's MVP.

PHILADELPHIA — The University of New Hampshire football team fell from its best-ever ranking of 7th to 15th in this week's Sports Network I-AA National Football Poll, following the team's loss to unranked Massachusetts.

PHILADELPHIA — The University of New Hampshire football team moved up two more spots to seventh place this week, despite having a week off. UNH was ranked ninth two weeks ago following their impressive 51-40 victory over Villanova on Oct. 2.

Recognized For Record-Breaking Performance In Upset Victory Over No. 10 Villanova

BOSTON — Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass.) of the University of New Hampshire football team, continued his storybook season on Oct. 2 at Villanova. As a result of his record-breaking efforts, he earned his second Gold Helmet Award of the season. The honor is presented weekly by the New England Football Writers each Wednesday on the campus of Harvard University. The Gold Helmet was one of many honors earned by Santos this week. He also was named The Sports Network National Player of the Week, a member of the I-AA.org All-Star Team, Bob Hansen's Football Gazette National Player of the Week, and he was named both the Player of the Week and the Rookie of the Week by the Atlantic 10 Football Conference. Santos has been named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week twice this season and Rookie of the Week three times in 2004.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) An updated list of 32 players has been established by The Sports Network, I-AA college football's most widely recognized information service, indicating the current and official "Payton Watch" and "Buchanan Battle" members. The "Payton Watch" and "Buchanan Battle" pages, which can be found at The Sports Network's website (www.sportsnetwork.com) keep track of the quest for the 18th Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the top player in I-AA football, and the 10th Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the top defensive player in I-AA. The honors will be presented at the 18th annual I-AA College Football Awards on Thursday, December 16th in Chattanooga, TN, on the eve of the 2004 I-AA National Championship. The Eddie Robinson Award, honoring I-AA's top coach, and the Sports Network Cup, bestowed upon the nation's best I-AA mid-major program, will also be presented on Dec. 16th.

New York, NY, October 5, 2004 - Ricky Santos has been named this week's CSTV: Offensive Player of the Week, after setting three school records as he led New Hampshire to a shocking 51-40 victory over Villanova Saturday on the road. The poised freshman hit 38-of-55 passes for 538 yards and six touchdowns, setting single-game records for completions, yardage and touchdowns. It was the third highest single-game passing total in Atlantic 10 history and the most ever by a freshman.

PHILADELPHIA — Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass.) of the University of New Hampshire football team, continued his story-book season on Oct. 2 at Villanova. As a result of his record-breaking efforts, he was named both the Player of the Week and the Rookie of the Week by the Atlantic 10 Football Conference. Santos was named the Offensive Player of the Week twice this season and Rookie of the Week three times in 2004.

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Ricky Santos broke his own school record by throwing six touchdown passes and set a school mark with 538 yards as New Hampshire withstood Villanova's fourth-quarter rally to earn a 51-40 win Saturday.

PHILADELPHIA — The University of New Hampshire football team moved up two spots to 12th this week in the Sports Network I-AA National Football Poll. The Wildcats improved on the heels of its decisive 45-24 victory in the battle for the Granite Bowl at Dartmouth on Sept. 25.

The Atlantic 10 football conference is well represented in the poll with seven teams ranked among the top 25.

The Wildcats (3-1 overall, 0-1 Atlantic 10) will have another opportunity to improve their standing in the poll when they take on No. 10 ranked Villanova, an Atlantic 10 rival that is also sporting an impressive 3-1 overall mark and 0-1 record in the conference. The other Wildcats are coming off a 16-13 win a Penn.

The Villanova game is set for Saturday, Oct. 2, at Villanova Stadium. Game time is 6 p.m. and the contest, which is the Atlantic 10 Television Game Of The Week, will be shown live on CN8.

1. Southern Illinois 2,584
2. Furman 2,458
3. Georgia Southern 2,413
4. Delaware 2,187
5. Stephen F. Austin 2,180
6. Western Kentucky 2,180
7. Montana 1,981
8. Maine 1,893
9. Wofford 1,660
10. Villanova 1,510
11. Colgate 1,446
12. New Hampshire 1,389
13. Cal Poly 1,278
14. Northwestern State 1,141
15. Northern Iowa 1,104
16. Northeastern 1,006
17. Hampton 999
18. Sam Houston State 637
19. Massachusetts 501
20. Northern Arizona 487
21. Lehigh 429
22. Jacksonville State 416
23. McNeese State 372
24. Appalachian State 372
25. James Madison 303

HANOVER, N.H. - Redshirt freshman Ricky Santos (Bellingham Mass. threw for four touchdowns and 374 yards to lead the University of New Hampshire football team to a decisive 45-24 victory at Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, UNH once again took home the bragging rights as the top I-AA football team in the state of New Hampshire and again held the coveted Granite Bowl Trophy in the air to celebrate the win.

PHILADELPHIA — The University of New Hampshire football team was ranked 14th this week in the Sports Network I-AA national football poll. The Wildcats fell from the 10th spot after suffering a 9-7 loss vs. William & Mary on Sept. 18 at rain-soaked Cowell Stadium.

The Atlantic 10 football conference is well represented in the poll with no less than seven teams ranked among the top 25.

The Wildcats (2-1 overall, 0-1 Atlantic 10) will be looking to return to their winning ways on Sat., Sept. 25, when the squad travels to play at cross-state rival Dartmouth in the battle for the Granite Bowl trophy. Game time is set for 12 p.m. and the contest can be seen live on WMUR-TV (Channel 9) and heard live on the UNH Sports Network.

1. Southern Illinois 2,500
2. Furman 2,476
3. Georgia Southern 2,313
4. Delaware 2,027
5. Stephen F. Austin 2,022
6. Western Kentucky 1,928
7. Montana 1,919
8. Maine 1,892
9. Wofford 1,543
10. Colgate 1,380
11. Villanova 1,256
12. McNeese State 1,236
13. Northern Iowa 1,157
14. New Hampshire 1,056
15. Cal Poly 1,038
16. Massachusetts 1,017
17. Appalachian State 902
18. Northeastern 775
19. Northwestern State 749
20. Hampton 671
21. Montana State 463
22. Penn 461
23. Northern Arizona 457
24. James Madison 395
25. Lehigh 317

DURHAM, N.H. — Greg Kuehn kicked field goals of 27, 35 and 21 yards to lead the William & Mary football team to Saturday afternoon's 9-7 Atlantic 10 victory against 10th-ranked University of New Hampshire at rain-soaked Cowell Stadium.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.--Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham,Mass.) of the University of New Hampshire football team was named this week's recipient of the Gold Helmet Award as the top I-AA football player in New England. The award was presented at the weekly New England Football Writers' Luncheon held on the campus of Harvard University.

In addition to the Gold Helmet, Ricky was named USA Today's overall NCAA Football Player of the Week, The Sports Network National Player of the Week, The Don Hansen National Football Gazette I-AA National Offensive Player of the Week, the Atlantic 10 Football Conference's Offensive Player of the Week and he was the recipient of the conference's Rookie of the Week award.

Santos joins R.J. Harvey as the second Wildcat to win the honor in as many weeks.

In his first career start at UNH, and only his second college game played, Santos snapped the all-time UNH record for touchdown passes with five in a stunning 35-24 upset victory at Division I-A Rutgers on Sept. 11. The previous UNH record for touchdowns in a game was four, accomplished 13 times in the history of the Wildcat football program. The win was the first for UNH against at I-A since UNH joined the I-AA in 1978.

Santos completed 30 of 40 passes for 385 yards vs. the Scarlet Knights, including touchdown passes of 55, 3, 11,24 and 21 yards. His last two passes for paydirt were the game-winner and the game-clincher. He connected with sophomore wide receiver David Ball (Orange, Vt.) at 2:11 of the third quarter to give UNH a 28-24 lead and then helped to put it away with a 21-yard pass to senior wide receiver Shaun Diner (Montreal, Quebec) to seal the victory. UNH bounced back from a 24-14 halftime deficit.

Santos has been extremely accurate with his passes, as evidenced by the fact that he has completed 40-51 pass attempts for 531 yards in two games played. That gives him a phenomenal completion percentage of 78.4 and his efficiency rating now stands at 200.79.

This was the second consecutive week that Santos was named the Atlantic 10's Rookie of the Week. He received the honor the first time after he took over at quarterback midway in the game and helped UNH to a huge victory over then No. 1 ranked Delaware.

The Wildcats will play their home-opener, this Saturday, Sept. 18, when the squad entertains William & Mary. Game time is 12 p.m. at Cowell Stadium. It will be the Wildcats' first conference matchup of the 2004 campaign.

PHILADELPHIA--Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham,Mass.) of the University of New Hampshire football team was named The Sports Network National Player of the Week Monday for his outstanding efforts on the football field during UNH's win at I-A Rutgers. On Sunday, he was also named the Atlantic 10 Football Conference's Offensive Player of the Week and was the recipient of the conference's Rookie of the Week award.

In his first career start at UNH, and only his second college game played, Santos broke the all-time UNH record for touchdown passes with five in a stunning 35-24 upset victory at Division I-A Rutgers on Sept. 11. The previous UNH record for touchdowns in a game was four, accomplished 13 times in the history of the Wildcat football program.

Santos completed 30 of 40 passes for 385 yards vs. the Scarlet Knights, including touchdown passes of 55, 3, 11,24 and 21 yards. His last two passes for paydirt were the game-winner and the game-clincher. He connected with sophomore wide receiver David Ball (Orange, Vt.) at 2:11 of the third quarter to give UNH a 28-24 lead and then helped to put it away with a 21-yard pass to senior wide receiver Shaun Diner (Montreal, Quebec) to seal the victory. UNH bounced back from a 24-14 halftime deficit.

Santos has been extremely accurate with his passes, as evidenced by the fact that he has completed 40-51 pass attempts for 531 yards in two games played. That gives him a phenomenal completion percentage of 78.4 and his efficiency rating now stands at 200.79.

This was the second consecutive week that Santos was named the Atlantic 10's Rookie of the Week. He received the honor last week when he took over at quarterback midway in the game and helped UNH to a huge victory over then No. 1 ranked Delaware.

The Wildcats will play their home-opener, this Saturday, Sept. 18, when the squad entertains William & Mary. Game time is 12 p.m. at Cowell Stadium. It will be the Wildcats' first conference matchup of the 2004 campaign.

PHILADELPHIA--Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham,Mass.) of the University of New Hampshire football team was named the Atlantic 10 Football Conference's Offensive Player of the Week and was the recipient of the conference's Rookie of the Week award as well.

In his first career start at UNH, and only his second college game played, Santos broke the all-time UNH record for touchdown passes with five in a stunning 35-24 upset victory at Division I-A Rutgers on Sept. 11. The previous UNH record for touchdowns in a game was four, accomplished 13 times in the history of the Wildcat football program.

Santos completed 30 of 40 passes for 385 yards vs. the Scarlet Knights, including touchdown passes of 55, 3, 11,24 and 21 yards. His last two passes for paydirt were the game-winner and the game-clincher. He connected with sophomore wide receiver David Ball (Orange, Vt.) at 2:11 of the third quarter to give UNH a 28-24 lead and then helped to put it away with a 21-yard pass to senior wide receiver Shaun Diner (Montreal, Quebec) to seal the victory. UNH bounced back from a 24-14 halftime deficit.

Santos has been extremely accurate with his passes, as evidenced by the fact that he has completed 40-51 pass attempts for 531 yards in two games played. That gives him a phenomenal completion percentage of 78.4 and his efficiency rating now stands at 200.79.

This marks the second consecutive week that Santos was named the Atlantic 10's Rookie of the Week. He received the honor last week when he took over at quarterback midway in the game and helped UNH to a huge victory over then No. 1 ranked Delaware.

The Wildcats will play their home-opener, this Saturday, Sept. 18, when the squad entertains William & Mary. Game time is 12 p.m. at Cowell Stadium. It will be the Wildcats' first conference matchup of the 2004 campaign.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass.) led the University of New Hampshire football team to one of the biggest victories in the 108-year history of the program as he passed for a school-record five touchdowns and 385 yards in the 19th-ranked Wildcats' 35-24 victory over Big East foe Rutgers University on Saturday night at Rutgers Stadium.

The win is the first for the Wildcats vs. a Division I-A team since the NCAA split into Division I-A and Division I-AA in the late 1970's. UNH, which opened the 2004 season with a 24-21 road victory against Div. I-AA national champion Delaware one week earlier, improved to 2-0 on the season. Rutgers drops to 1-1 on the year.

Sophomore wide receiver David Ball (Orange, Vt.) and Santos, who completed 30 of 40 pass attempts, were a two-man wrecking crew for the Wildcats as they connected for two TDs. Ball finished with nine catches for a career-high 132 yards.

Trailing 24-14 at the half, UNH pulled within 24-21 on a 10-yard Santos to Ball connection at 10:36 of the third quarter and then took a lead they would not relinquish on another Santos to Ball strike of 24 yards at 2:11 of the third quarter.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Will Morey (Bridgewater, Mass.) recovered a muffed punt at the Rutgers' 15 -yard line to set up Santos' fifth touchdown pass of the game, a 21-yard completion to senior wide receiver Shaun Diner (Montreal, Que.) at 6:04 that extended the Wildcat lead to 35-24. Junior defensive back Etienne Boulay (Montreal, Que.) sealed the win for the 'Cats with an interception in the end zone with 1:44 to play. Junior running back John McCoy (Groton, Conn.), who led the team with 42 yards rushing on eight carries, ran out the clock on the ensuing UNH possession.

UNH got on the board first with 8:28 remaining in the first quarter when Santos hooked up with David Bailey (Bronx, N.Y.) on a 53-yard pass play to give the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead.

After Rutgers tied the game 7-7 late in the first quarter, UNH regained the lead at 9:11 of the second quarter when Santos found sophomore wide receiver Aaron Brown (Central Square, N.Y.) for a three-yard scoring play.

UNH plays its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 18th against William & Mary. Kick off for the Hall of Fame game is 12 p.m. at Cowell Stadium.

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.

DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire football team was ranked 19th in the nation this week according to The Sports Network I-AA Top 25 poll released this afternoon.

PHILADELPHIA — Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos (Bellingham, Mass.) of the University of New Hampshire football team was named the Atlantic 10 Football Conference's Rookie of the Week for his heroic efforts in UNH's 24-21 upset victory over No. 1 ranked Delaware on Sept. 2. The Fightin' Blue Hens were in the midst of celebrating last year's Division I-AA national championship title.

Santos replaced injured starting quarterback Mike Granieri (Linwood, N.J.) late in the second quarter vs. Delaware and led the UNH squad to victory with an accurate throwing arm and confidence and poise behind the line. Santos handed off repeatedly to starting running back R.J. Harvey (Albany, N.Y.) and also completed 10 of 11 passes for 146 yards. The big pass of the day for the 'Cats was a 44-yarder from Santos to sophomore wide receiver David Ball (Orange, N.J.) for the game-winning touchdown to make it 24-21 with 11:13 left to play. UNH had been trailing by a 21-17 margin with just 13:56 left in the fourth stanza. That score capped off an 8-play 67-yard drive effectively engineered by Santos.

There was more good news for Santos today as UNH head coach Sean McDonnell listed him as the starter on the UNH two-deep heading into the Sept. 11 contest at Division I-A Rutgers, a team that defeated a powerful Michigan State squad on Saturday (19-14). Santos has already won a game in front of 22,700 fans vs. Delaware, his first collegiate start and his first collegiate win vs. the No. 1 team in I-AA football. This week, he conceivably could be getting his first starting nod in front of nearly 42,000 people at Rutgers Stadium. In addition, the game will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on Fox Sports New York beginning at 11:30 p.m., making this another exciting opportunity for the redshirt freshman.

Senior quarterback Hasan Noble (Palo Alto, Calif.) will be listed as the backup quarterback on the Rutgers two-deep. He continues to suffer from an ankle sprain, but is improving steadily and could play if necessary.

Granieri underwent testing on his knee on Friday afternoon and more will be known about the extent of his injury sometime on Monday.

NEWARK, DE (September 2, 2004) — Redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos took over for injured starter Mike Granieri in the first half and hit on 10 of 11 passes for 146 yards and threw a game-clinching 44-yard touchdown pass to David Ball early in the fourth quarter as New Hampshire upset top-ranked and defending NCAA I-AA national champion University of Delaware Thursday night in the football season opener for both teams at Delaware Stadium.

DURHAM, N.H.- In the annual Spring Blue/White Scrimmage the defense made all the big plays, and today, in the Fall Blue/White game, it was the offense's turn, as it went on to produce 44 points. As a result, Wildcat fans had a good opportunity to see many of the offensive weapons the UNH coaching staff has at its disposal in 2004.

DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire football team will be the host of its annual Fall Blue/White Scrimmage on Tuesday, Aug. 24. The action is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. at Cowell Stadium. Admission to the game is free.

RICHMOND, VA. — The University of New Hampshire football team was picked fourth in the North Division of the Atlantic 10 Football Conference on Wednesday afternoon at the annual conference media day held at the Richmond Omni Hotel.

The University of New Hampshire football team showed steady improvement at the end of last season, winning three of its last four contests, including an impressive victory over top 25 squad Maine, 47-27. With the graduation of just six seniors from the final two-deep, look for the Wildcats to continue their improvement on last year's 5-7 record and 3-6 mark in the Atlantic 10. The Wildcats boast 36 returning letterwinners, while the squad lost just 10 to graduation. UNH also returns most of the squad's starters with eight back on offense and seven returning on the defensive side of the football. And, nearly the entire veteran coaching staff returns intact providing a smooth transition into the new season. UNH returns nearly all of its offensive skill players from a squad that compiled an impressive mark of 4,968 yards. Of that total yardage, only 347 yards compiled by wide receiver Jermaine Stevens are lost due to graduation. That translates into the fact that 93 percent of UNH's offensive firepower returns from a team that averaged 414 ypg. On the defensive side of the football UNH ranked among the I-AA leaders in interceptions made and vastly improved its takeaway/turnover ratio as well. It all starts on Sept. 2 when the Wildcats travel to play Delaware, last season's I-AA National Champion. Here's a look at the team position-by-position: