University of New Hampshire Athletics
McDonnell Honored as CAA Coach of the Year; Football Receives 13 All-Conference Awards
11/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
CAA Release • CAA Video
RICHMOND, Va. – The No. 1-ranked University of New Hampshire football team received a total of 13 CAA Football All-Conference honors, including five First Team selections, and head coach Sean McDonnell was feted as CAA Coach of the Year on Tuesday afternoon.
Sophomore Casey DeAndrade (East Bridgewater, Mass.) earned a pair of First Team accolades, as he was selected both as a punt returner on offense and cornerback on defense. Seniors Mike Coccia (Bethlehem, Pa.), R.J. Harris (Odenton, Md.) and Harold Spears (Perkasie, Pa.) were UNH's other First Team representatives.
The Wildcats had a total of four members on the Second Team with seniors Cody Muller (Telford, Pa.) and Brad Prasky (Groton, Mass.), as well as junior Akil Anderson (Morristown, N.J.), on defense and sophomore Tad McNeely (Whitehall, Pa.) on offense.
New Hampshire also had four student-athletes named to the Third Team. Seniors Matt Kaplan (Franklin, N.H.), Shane McNeely (Whitehall, Pa.) and Steven Thames (Fort Washington, Md.) were voted on defense, whereas Nico Steriti (Toms River, N.J.) was selected on offense.
UNH's total of 13 honorees (defense-7; offense-6) is highest in the league; the Wildcats are followed by the University of Richmond (12), Villanova University (10) and College of William & Mary (10).
McDonnell, who was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award (national coach of the year) last week, is the conference Coach of the Year for the second time in his 16 seasons at the helm of the Wildcats. He was previously honored as Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2004.
This year, McDonnell guided UNH to the No. 1 rank in the national polls and top seed of the FCS tournament with a 10-1 overall record that included 8-0 as CAA conference champions. The Wildcats ended the regular season with a school-record 10-game win streak to earn an 11th consecutive trip to the postseason, which is the longest active streak in the country.
DeAndrade is the UNH leader in pass breakups (10) and he ranks second in fumble recoveries (three) as well as fifth in tackles (52). He also has an interception and a forced fumble. DeAndrade began punt return duties the fifth game of the season at Elon University (Oct. 4), where he averaged 13.25 yards on four returns. He leads the CAA in punt returns with an average of 10.4 (18-187 yards).
Coccia has anchored the Wildcats' offensive line as the starting center all 11 games and Tad McNeely has started all nine games in which he has played, all at right guard. Their blocking has paved the way for the second-highest scoring offense in the CAA at 37.0 points per game. UNH ranks third in the conference in both rushing offense (169.3 yards/game) and passing offense (277.3 yards/game). Coccia was a CAA All-Conference Third Team selection in 2012 – his previous full season.
Harris, a First Team honoree for the third consecutive year, has 79 catches for 1,220 yards and 13 receiving touchdowns in 11 games to average 110.9 yards per game and 15.4 yards per catch; he also has eight rushes for 61 yards and two TDs. He leads the CAA in scoring (8.7 points/game), receiving yards, receiving yards/game, receptions per game (7.2) and receiving TDs; furthermore, he is fourth in all-purpose yards/game (116.45). Harris has eclipsed 100 receiving yards in 9 of 11 games and also has a receiving touchdown in nine contests.
Spears ranks second on the team in catches (49), receiving yards (692) and receiving TDs (four); with those numbers, the tight end is averaging 62.9 yards per game and 14.1 yards per catch, both of which rank second among the seven 'Cats who have recorded double digits in catches. Spears ranks seventh in the CAA in receiving yards/game and 11th in receptions/game. He was in the starting lineup all 11 regular-season games. He was previously on the Third Team in 2012 and '13.
Anderson, a linebacker who has started all 10 games in which he as played, leads all Wildcats in total tackles with 63, which is comprised of 31 solo and 32 assisted. He ranks second on the squad in tackles for a loss (seven) and also has one interception. One week after missing the game vs. Lehigh University, Anderson recorded a season-high 10 tackles at nationally-ranked University of Richmond (Sept. 20). He has recorded at least three tackles every game. Last year, Anderson was named to the CAA All-Conference Third Team.
Muller, who has started all 11 games at defensive end, leads UNH defensive linemen in tackles with 33 (15-18-33) – that number is seventh overall – and he tops all 'Cats in both tackles for a loss (9.5) and sacks (7.5). Muller leads the CAA and is No. 2 in the nation in fumble recoveries with four, and he is eighth in sacks. He has recorded at least one tackle every game with eight multiple-tackle efforts, including a career-high nine in the regular-season finale at the University of Maine (Nov. 22).
Prasky has punted 41 times for 1,791 yards, which calculated to the second-best average in the CAA of 43.7 and would break the school single-season benchmark of 41.3 he matched last year. Prasky has 12 punts of 50+ yards, including a season-long of 58 against the University of Delaware (Nov. 15), and has pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line 19 times; in comparison, he punted the ball into the end zone for a touchback just four times.
Kaplan has started all 11 games at defensive tackle. He ranks second among UNH defensive linemen in tackles with 29 and is tied for sixth overall in tackles for a loss (5.0); he also has 2.5 sacks, which is tied for fourth on the leaderboard. Kaplan also has a fumble recovery to his credit. He tallied a tackle 10 of 11 games with nine multiple-tackle efforts, including a season-high five at Maine.
Shane McNeely, elder brother of Tad, is the only Wildcat who has recorded a sack, interception, fumble recovery and forced fumble this season (with one of each). The linebacker ranks second on the team in total tackles (59) with 33 solo and 26 assisted. Of those, 5.5 tackles have been for a loss. McNeely, who has started all 11 games, has at least one tackle every game with a season-high 11 at Richmond.
Thames, the starter at cornerback opposite DeAndrade all 11 games, ranks second on the squad in pass breakups with eight and also has one interception. In the CAA, he is 10th in passes defended (breakups + interceptions). Thames has amassed 30 tackles (26-4-30).
Steriti ranks second for UNH in rushes (87), third in rushing yards (286) and first in rushing TDs (eight); he also has 24 catches for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Steriti has played in 9 of 11 games with eight starts; he missed consecutive games vs. Dartmouth College (Sept. 27) and Elon. He was the Wildcats' top rusher in back-to-back games against University at Albany (13-84) and University of Rhode Island (15-52) with two TDs both games. Steriti was voted to the Second Team in 2012 and 2013.
New Hampshire will play host to the winner of the Sacred Heart vs. Fordham first-round matchup in an NCAA second round game at Cowell Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6 (1 p.m.). Tickets are on sale now by calling 603-862-4000, extension 5 or by visiting www.unhwildcats.com.
