GAME NOTES: No. 7/9 Football Travels to No. 17/18 Richmond For CAA Opener (Sept. 20)

Saturday, September 13

3:30 pm

University of New Hampshire

1-1

Lehigh University

0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Lehigh

New Hampshire

GAME NOTES: No. 7/9 Football Travels to No. 17/18 Richmond For CAA Opener (Sept. 20)

9/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

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No. 7/9 New Hampshire (1-1, 0-0 CAA) at No. 17/18 Richmond (2-1, 0-0 CAA)
Sept. 20 • 4 pm • Robins Stadium • Richmond, Va.

Radio: Wildcat Sports Radio Network
Bob Lipman (play-by-play) • Tim O'Sullivan (analyst)

TV: Comcast SportsNet
Eric Frede (play-by-play) • Antonio Freeman (analyst) • Al Koken (sideline)

QUICK HITTERS
New Hampshire opens the CAA portion of its schedule Sept. 20 at the University of Richmond. Opening kickoff is 4 p.m. and the game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet.

New Hampshire (1-1, 0-0 CAA) extended its home win streak to seven games with last Saturday's 45-27 win vs. Lehigh at Cowell Stadium. The Wildcats struck first and led 29-0 at halftime.

Richmond is 2-1 overall and 2-0 at home this season following last Saturday's 42-17 home win vs. Hampton.

UNH has an 11-10 lifetime record, including 3-7 on the road, against Richmond. The Wildcats have won three straight in the series with a 44-40 victory the last time these teams met (Oct. 13, 2012 at UNH's Cowell Stadium) and a 45-43 win in the most recent matchup at Richmond's Robins Stadium (Sept. 24, 2011).

Saturday is a matchup of two of the top offenses in FCS.
                                    UNH                Richmond
Pass offense                2 (380.0)          3 (354.0)
Total offense               3 (510.5)          2 (530.0)
3rd down conversion    4 (60.0%)         1 (66.0%)
Scoring                       27 (32.5)          16 (36.7)

UNH is 0-1 on the road this season. The Wildcats lost 54-20 at FBS foe Toledo in the Aug. 30 season opener.

Last year, the 'Cats were 2-2 in CAA road games and 4-5 in all road games, which included playoff wins back-to-back weeks at Maine and Southeastern Louisiana.

UNH has a 5-5 record spanning the last 10 conference openers. The Wildcats have lost two straight and three of their last four conference openers; the only win in that span was Sept. 24, 2011 against Richmond at Robins Stadium (45-43).

Saturday's game will mark the 10th consecutive year UNH opens conference play on the road; the Wildcats are 5-4 during the streak, which began September 2005 with a 62-21 win at Towson.

Senior WR R.J. Harris became the fourth UNH Wildcat to eclipse 3,000 career receiving yards Sept. 13 vs. Lehigh. Harris' six-catch, 109-yard effort increased his career total to 3,035 yards.

Junior QB Sean Goldrich threw for a career-high 422 yards last week vs. Lehigh; he had matched his previous benchmark of 291 in the opener at Toledo. He also established a personal best of 40 attempts and matched highs in both completions (27) and passing TDs (four).

Four 'Cats received a total of nine honors following New Hampshire's 45-27 win vs. Lehigh. QB Sean Goldrich garnered six accolades while TE Harold Spears, WR R.J. Harris and P Brad Prasky were all recognized by the CFPA.

UNH vs. Richmond All-Time Series:   New Hampshire has an 11-10 lifetime record, including 3-7 on the road, against Richmond. The Wildcats have won three straight in the series with a 44-40 victory the last time these teams met (Oct. 13, 2012 at UNH's Cowell Stadium) and a 45-43 win in the most recent matchup at Richmond's Robins Stadium (Sept. 24, 2011).
   UNH head coach Sean McDonnell has a 5-4 record vs. UR.
   The Spiders most recent victory was Sept. 29, 2007 (45-38 at Richmond). UR has never lost consecutive home games to New Hampshire.
   Here is a game-by-game look at the series:
09/06/86   A   Richmond   38   UNH   12
09/05/87   H   Richmond   14   UNH   7
10/08/88   A   Richmond   23   UNH   17   OT
10/21/89   H   UNH   21   Richmond   7
10/06/90   A   UNH   19   Richmond   0
10/12/91   H   UNH   34   Richmond   0
10/10/92   A   Richmond   15   UNH   7
09/18/93   H   UNH   31   Richmond   20
11/05/94   A   UNH   42   Richmond   14
11/04/95   A   Richmond   7   UNH   3
11/02/96   H   UNH   14   Richmond   13
10/10/98   H   Richmond   22   UNH   13
09/25/99   A   Richmond   27   UNH   17
10/14/00   H   Richmond   31   UNH   10
10/12/02   H   UNH   20   Richmond   19
10/18/03   A   Richmond   35   UNH   23
10/07/06   H   UNH   27   Richmond   17
09/29/07   A   Richmond   45   UNH   38
10/09/10   H   UNH   17   Richmond   0
09/24/11   A   UNH   45   Richmond   43
10/13/12   H   UNH   44   Richmond   40

Scouting Richmond: No. 17/18 University of Richmond enters Saturday's game with a 2-1 record, including 2-0 at home, following a 42-17 win against Hampton University at home Sept. 13. UR opened the season with a 55-10 win vs. Morehead State on Aug. 30, then fell 45-13 at the University of Virginia (Sept. 6).
   In last week's game, the Spiders led 21-10 at the half while outgaining Hampton 259-117 in total yards, including 177-65 in passing. Richmond's defense held strong in the second half and limited Hampton to a score with less than three minutes remaining. UR scored twice in the third quarter, one of which was a 50-yard TD run from RB Jacobi Green. The Spiders completed their fourth-quarter scoring with a 9-yard TD run by backup QB Michael Rocco.
   Richmond has won three of its last five games against nationally-ranked opponents. That includes victories vs. No. 21 Delaware and No. 19 William & Mary to end the 2013 season.
   UR has committed 11 turnovers (7 fumbles, 4 INT) in three games in comparison to the opponents' three (2 fumbles, 1 INT).
   The Spiders are led by head coach Danny Rocco, who has a 16-10 record in three seasons. Dating back to last season, Richmond is 6-1 the last seven games.

Spiders to Watch: Redshirt senior quarterback Michael Strauss totaled 217 yards on 17 of 26 passing attempts and three touchdowns in last Saturday's win versus Hampton. He leads the CAA and ranks in the top 10 nationally in both passing touchdowns (six) and passing yards (742).
   Junior running back Jacobi Green recorded his second career 100-yard game in the victory as he led the offense with 133 yards on 15 rushing attempts and two touchdowns.
   Senior wide receiver Rashad Ponder finished last Saturday's game with a game-high 67 receiving yards. He ranks second in the CAA with teammate Stephen Barnette at 200 on the season.

National Numbers – UNH: New Hampshire is among the national leaders offensively in passing (No. 2- 380.0 yards/game), total offense (No. 3- 510.5 yards/game) and third down conversion (No. 4- .600). Also of note, the Wildcats are 10th in net punting (40.33) and 14th in fewest penalty yards per game (40.00).
   A handful of Wildcats are on the national leaderboard. Senior wide receiver R.J. Harris is No. 3 in receiving yards/game (129.0), No. 5 in receptions/game (7.5) and No. 8 in receiving TDs (3). Junior quarterback Sean Goldrich is second in both total offense (385.5 yards/game) and passing yards/game (356.5) as well as No. 7 in passing efficiency (164.2), No. 8 in completion percentage (.684) and No. 9 in passing TDs (six). Also of note, senior Brad Prasky is 17th in punting (42.7 yards/punt), senior TE Harold Spears is 23rd in receiving yards/game (86.0).
   On the other side of the ball, junior Hayden Knudson is the leader in solo tackles/game (11.0) and Daniel Rowe is 14th in that stat (7.0). Knudson is 12th in total tackles/game (11.0).

National Numbers – Richmond: Richmond leads the nation in third down conversion percentage (.660), No. 2 in total offense (530.0 yards/game) and No. 3 in passing offense (354.0 yards/game). UR is also in the Top 20 offensively in first downs (No. 7 - 76), scoring (No. 16- 36.7 points/game) and time of possession (No. 18- 32:44).
   QB Michael Strauss can be found among the national leaders in a handful of stats – he is No. 9 in passing TDs (six), completion percentage (.682) and passing efficiency (160.2), as well as 11th in passing yards/game (247.3).

When UNH Has the Ball: New Hampshire's offense is guided by junior QB Sean Goldrich, who garnered a total of six honors following his Sept. 13 performance vs. Lehigh – he completed 27 of 40 pass attempts for 422 yards and four TDs, and Goldrich also carried the ball 10 times for 64 yards. In two games, his season totals are 54x79 (.684 completion percentage) for 713 yards (356.5 per game) and six TDs; those stats calculate to a 164.17 efficiency rating.
   Goldrich's top target is senior wideout R.J. Harris, who was named to the 2014 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. Harris has topped 100 receiving yards both games in the 2014 season with 149 in the opener at Toledo and 109 against Lehigh. In two games, he has 15 catches for 258 yards and three TDs; Harris also has two carries for 31 yards.
   Eight other 'Cats have 2+ catches this season. Senior TE Harold Spears (10-172, 1 TD), junior WR Jared Allison (8-61) and senior WR Jimmy Giansante (7-93, 1 TD) lead that pack.
   With senior RB Nico Steriti sidelined for most of the Lehigh game, classmate Jimmy Owens carried the ball 12 times for 70 yards. His two-yard plunge opened the game scoring at 6:23 of the first quarter and he recorded a long run of 31 yards. Owens leads the team with 81 rushing yards (on 18 carries); Goldrich has a team-high 20 carries for 58 yards, which ranks second.

When the Opponent Has the Ball: UNH's secondary has been at the forefront of the defensive effort. Safeties Daniel Rowe (17 tackles), Nick Cefalo (13) and Hayden Knudson (11) are the top three tacklers and Knudson, in just one game, also has a forced fumble.
   Shane McNeely has been the constant in the linebacking corps. He has 10 tackles, including two for a loss (one of which was a sack), as does DeVaughn Chollette, who also has two tackles for a loss, one sack and the team's only interception; Chollette received his second career start last week, when Akil Anderson was sidelined by an ankle injury.
   The defensive line is anchored by seniors Cody Muller and Matt Kaplan, both of whom have 102 career tackles. Muller recovered a fumble last week vs. Lehigh.
   Sophomore defensive back Casey DeAndrade has been a ball hawk for the Wildcats. Last year, he ranked No. 2 in the nation in pass breakups (20) and was third on the team in interceptions (three); this season, DeAndrade is tied for the lead in pass breakups with three.

Special Teams: UNH can win the battle for field position with the punting of senior Brad Prasky (Groton, Mass.). His nine punts have averaged 42.7 yards and that includes a long of 52. Prasky has pinned the opposition inside the 20 four times, and that includes Toledo twice inside the 5.
   Junior Christian Breda (Needham, Mass.) has emerged as the kicker on field goals and kickoffs. He has made 4 of 5 PATs and is 1-for-2 on field goal attempts, both of which came last Saturday vs. Lehigh; he booted a 42-yarder at the end of the first half wide left, then connected on a 23-yard attempt in the fourth quarter.
Conference Openers – on the road again: Saturday's game will be the 10th consecutive year New Hampshire plays its conference opener on the road.
   In the past 10 years, UNH has a 5-5 record in conference openers and that includes 5-4 during the current streak of road games. Here is a game-by-game breakdown:
09/18/04   H   William & Mary 9, UNH 7
09/17/05   A   UNH 62, Towson 21
09/30/06   A   UNH 52, Delaware 49
09/08/07   A   James Madison 41, UNH 24
09/13/08   A   UNH 51, Rhode Island 43
10/03/09   A   UNH 57, Towson 7
09/18/10   A   Rhode Island 29, UNH 25
09/24/11   A   UNH 45, Richmond 43
09/29/12   A   Old Dominion 64, UNH 61
10/05/13   A   Towson 44, UNH 28

UNH Soars Past Lehigh: New Hampshire rolled to a 29-0 halftime lead en route to defeating Lehigh University, 45-27, in the Wildcats' Sept. 13 home opener at Cowell Stadium.
   UNH's offense amassed 401 total yards (187 rushing, 214 passing) in the first half while the defense limited Lehigh to 88 yards on 30 plays. The defense finished the game with two turnovers and four sacks.

Milestones vs. the Mountain Hawks: Senior WR R.J. Harris eclipsed 3,000 career receiving yards with his 109-yard effort Sept. 13 vs. Lehigh; it marked Harris' second 100-yard game of the season and 13th of his career. He climbed to No. 3 on UNH's all-time leaderboard by surpassing Curtis Olds (1985-88; 3,028).
   Junior QB Sean Goldrich surpassed 300 career completions and 500 career pass attempts against Lehigh. He is currently 319x523, which ranks 10th on the program leaderboard in both stats.
   Goldrich finished the game with a career-high 422 passing yards; he also established a personal best in attempts (40) and matched his top mark in both completions (27) and passing TDs (four).
   Senior TE Harold Spears recorded career highs in both catches (seven) and receiving yards (138).
   Sophomore LB DeVaughn Chollette recorded his first career interception and returned it 33 yards.
   Junior K Christian Breda made his first career field goal with a 23-yarder in the fourth quarter.
   Senior DE Cody Muller tallied three tackles to surpass 100 career tackles; he now has 63-39-102.
   Junior S Hayden Knudson also recorded his 100th career tackle with the last of his 11 tackles; his totals are 72-28-100.

The Last Time It Happened: UNH re-wrote five "The last time it happened" entries last week vs. Lehigh. The Wildcats recorded 646 total yards of offense (624 at Georgia State; Oct. 6, 2012), 224 rushing yards (203 at Southeastern Louisiana; Dec. 14, 2013) and 422 passing yards (449 vs. James Madison; Nov. 9, 2013).
   In addition, the Wildcats shut out an oppenent in the first half for the first time since Nov. 30, 2013 vs. Lafayette, and had two 100+ yard receivers – Harold Spears (138) and R.J. Harris (109) – for the first time since the aforementioned 2013 game vs. James Madison.

The Award Goes To: Four Wildcats garnered a total of nine awards following the Sept. 13 45-27 win against Lehigh.
Junior QB Sean Goldrich: New England Gold Helmet, CAA Offensive Player of the Week, College Sports Madness CAA Offensive Player of the Week, CFPA Honorable Mention QB of the Week, Dream Bowl Player of the Week, USA College Football FCS QB of the Week
Senior TE Harold Spears: CFPA National Tight End of the Week
Senior WR R.J. Harris: CFPA National All-Purpose Performer of the Week
Senior P Brad Prasky: CFPA Honorable Mention Punter of the Week
Turnover Battle: UNH lost the turnover battle each of the first two games with a -1 rating. Last week vs. Lehigh, the Wildcats committed three turnovers (2 fumbles, 1 INT) and gained two (1 fumble, 1 INT).
   Last year, the Wildcats were 5-1 when winning the turnover battle and 1-3 when the opponent had the advantage; the 'Cats went 4-0 when the turnovers were even.

Harris Among Best in School History: Senior WR R.J. Harris climbed one spot on the UNH career receiving yards leaderboard each of the last three weeks of the 2013 regular season and climbed one more place each of the first two weeks of the 2014 regular season – all the way to No. 3.
   Harris ascended to second place on the program's all-time receptions leaderboard with the eighth of his 11 catches in the Dec. 14 NCAA quarterfinal game at Southeastern Louisiana.
Receiving Yards
1.    David Ball (2003-06)   4,655

2. David Gamble (1990-93)   3,072
3.   R.J. Harris (2011-present)   3,035
Receptions
1.    David Ball (2003-06)   304
2.   R.J. Harris (2011-present)   225