Game Notes: Football Plays Host To Rhode Island (Oct. 31)

Saturday, October 31

Durham, N.H.

1:00 PM

University of New Hampshire

University of Rhode Island

Tickets

10/28/2015 10:27:00 AM | Football

Saturday, Oct. 31 – 1 p.m. – Cowell Stadium – Durham, N.H. – Tickets • Promotions
UNH (3-4 overall, 1-3 CAA) vs. Rhode Island (1-6, 1-3 CAA)

Radio: Wildcat Sports Radio Network

QUICK HITTERS
The UNH football team has a 3-4 overall record with a 1-3 CAA conference record, but New Hampshire is unbeaten in two home games this season.

Rhode Island is 1-6 overall with a 1-3 CAA conference mark. The Rams are winless in four road games. URI is coming off an open week. Most recently, the Rams lost 37-12 to Richmond (Oct. 17). Prior to that, they were 20-0 victors against Delaware.

UNH has a 56-27-5 lifetime record against Rhode Island.

The Wildcats have won four straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings; URI's only win in that span was Sept. 18, 2010 (28-15 at home).

UNH has won seven consecutive home games since the Rams' 10-7 win on Sept. 9, 1995.

New Hampshire has a 12-3 record against the Rams in the Sean McDonnell era (1999-present), and that includes a perfect 6-0 mark at Cowell Stadium.

In the national stats, UNH is No. 4 in kickoff returns (26.13 yards per return), No. 12 in punt returns (15.73 per return), No. 8 in blocked punts (two) and No. 17 in blocked kicks (three).

Junior running back Dalton Crossan is No. 8 nationally in rushing TDs (nine), No. 22 in scoring (8.6 points/game) and 11th in all-purpose yards per game (155.86).

Junior defensive end Cam Shorey is No. 12 in the nation (third in the CAA) in sacks per game at 0.86; Shorey has a team-high six sacks in seven games.

The Wildcats are in the unfamiliar position of having a two-game losing streak following last weekend's 31-14 final at Delaware; the 'Cats have lost back-to-back games just three times the past five seasons. The last time UNH lost three consecutive games was 2003.

The last time UNH was below .500 this deep (seven or more games) into a season was in 2003 (2-5 record).

UNH has lost consecutive CAA conference games for the first time since 2010, when the Wildcats were defeated on the road by both Rhode Island (28-25, Sept. 10) and Maine (16-13, OT; Oct. 2). The most recent time the Wildcats lost three straight CAA conference games was 2003.

New Hampshire no longer holds the nation's longest active streak of weeks being consecutively ranked. The Wildcats' mark ended at 162 weeks when they exited the STATS FCS Poll on Oct. 19. The streak began Sept. 6, 2004, when UNH entered the poll at No. 19. The 'Cats were also No. 19 in the last poll of the streak on Oct. 12, 2015.

UNH has launched a stadium ticket campaign for the 2016 season. Reserve season tickets in the state-of-the-art stadium for a $25 deposit per seat. Visit www.unhstadium.com

BE THE MATCH
Be The Match Saturday is Oct. 31 across CAA Football. Each CAA Football member school has joined forces with Be The Match in an effort to raise awareness of the need for bone marrow donors, increase the number of donors in the registry, and ultimately save lives. For more information on Be The Match Saturday, visit CAAFootball.com.
The UNH football team has sponsored an annual bone marrow testing drive for seven years as part of Be The Match Registry for the National Marrow Donor Program.
Over the past 25 years, Be The Match has managed the largest and most divers marrow registry in the world. It has facilitated more than 68,000 marrow and cord blood transplants, which is an average of more than 520 per month.

UNH vs. Rhode Island All-Time Series: The Wildcats and Rams clash on the football field for the 89th time to mark the second-longest rivalry in school history; UNH and Maine have met 103 times. UNH has a 56-27-5 edge in the series.
New Hampshire and Rhode Island met annually from 1905-17, resumed the series from 1923-28, played just once ('42) spanning the next 17 years and have squared off each season since 1946 (with one exception – 2002).
UNH has won four straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings; URI's only win in that span was Sept. 18, 2010 (28-15 at home). The Wildcats have won seven consecutive home games since the Rams' 10-7 win on Sept. 9, 1995.
New Hampshire has a 12-3 record against the Rams in the Sean McDonnell era, and that includes a perfect 6-0 mark at Cowell Stadium. Here is a look at those results.
Date H/A UNH URI Result
09/04/99 A 37 14 W
09/09/00 H 13 12 W
10/20/01 A 27 31 L
09/20/03 A 40 55 L
11/06/04 A 27 3 W
10/15/05 H 53 9 W
11/11/06 A 63 21 W
10/27/07 H 49 36 W
09/13/08 A 51 43 W
11/07/09 H 55 42 W
09/18/10 A 25 28 L
10/29/11 H 31 24 W
10/27/12 A 40 20 W
10/12/13 H 59 19 W
11/08/14 A 41 14 W

'Cats vs. Rams – The Most Recent Matchup: UNH closed the game with 20 unanswered points to pull away for a 41-14 victory against URI at Meade Stadium on Nov. 8, 2014.
The Wildcats struck first but the score was tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. New Hampshire took a 21-7 lead into halftime, but URI opened the third quarter with a touchdown drive to pull within 21-14. The 'Cats responded with a TD 97 seconds later to regain momentum.
UNH completed 27 of 36 passes for 390 yards and rushed for 144 for 534 total yards; the offense converted 8 of 14 third downs.
Rhode Island rushed 41 times for 208 yards and completed 13 of 20 passes for 144 yards; the offense converted 5 of 15 third downs.
The Wildcats won the turnover battle, 2-0 (one fumble recovery, one INT), and recorded the only two sacks of the game.

National Numbers: New Hampshire's defense is No. 8 in sacks with 3.14 per game, which also leads all CAA Football teams.
The 'Cats are also one of the top red zone defenses at No. 19 in the nation – opponents score on 69.2% of their trips inside the 20 – and they are No. 10 in fourth-down conversion defense (28.6%).
On special teams, UNH is No. 4 in kickoff returns (26.13 yards per return), No. 12 in punt returns (15.73 per return), No. 8 in blocked punts (two) and No. 17 in blocked kicks (three).
In other stats, the Wildcats are No. 11 in fumbles lost (two).
Redshirt freshman linebacker Jared Kuehl is No. 4 in the nation in blocked punts with two.
Junior running back Dalton Crossan is No. 8 nationally in rushing TDs (nine), No. 22 in scoring (8.6 points/game) and 11th in all-purpose yards per game (155.86).
Junior Casey DeAndrade is No. 5 in punt returns at 17.1 yards per return.
Junior defensive end Cam Shorey is No. 12 in the nation (third in the CAA) in sacks per game at 0.86; Shorey has a team-high six sacks in seven games.
Redshirt freshman Jared Kuehl is No. 6 in blocked kicks with two.

Dominant in The Dungeon: New Hampshire's Cowell Stadium has been called The Dungeon, a fittingly foreboding nickname for the opposition. In two games this season, UNH is 2-0 at home and has outscored the opposition 94-28, including 45-0 in the first quarter and 80-14 in the first half.
UNH had an 8-1 record at The Dungeon last year as part of a program-record 14-game win streak that included a perfect 6-0 mark in the 2013 season. The streak ended with a 21-18 loss to Illinois State University in the Dec. 20, 2014 NCAA semifinal game.
In the 14-game win streak at The Dungeon, the Wildcats outscored the opposition 571 to 253 (40.8 points/game to 18.1 points/game) with eight games of 40+ points, including three 50+ efforts (59 vs. Rhode Island on Oct. 12, 2013).
Since the start of the 2007 season, the Wildcats are 44-5 at Cowell Stadium for an .898 win percentage.
UNH has won nine consecutive CAA home games with a 4-0 record in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons and a victory vs. Elon this year. The most recent conference home loss was Nov. 17, 2012 (64-35 to Towson University).
New Hampshire has also had tremendous success at home against non-conference teams the past decade-plus (2005-15) with a 20-2 record that included 16 consecutive wins. Prior to the 21-18 2014 NCAA playoff loss to ISU, the last time a non-conference team left Cowell Stadium as the victor was Dec. 3, 2005, when Northern Iowa escaped with a 24-21 win in an NCAA quarterfinal win.
The last time UNH lost a regular-season home game to a non-conference opponent was Nov. 11, 2000 (38-35 to Gardner-Webb). Since then, the 'Cats have won 19 consecutive regular-season home games against non-conference foes.

The Breakdown – Home vs. The Road: Here is a breakdown of UNH's stats at Cowell Stadium (two games) and on the road (five games):
Home Road
Record 2-0 1-4
Scoring offense 47.0 15.4
Scoring defense 14.0 29.4
Offense ypg 448.0 262.8
Defense ypg 329.5 453.0
Turnover margin +7 -5
UNH's offensive stats leaders in The Dungeon are: Dalton Crossan with 32 carries for 214 yards, which calculates to 6.7 yards per carry and 107.0 rushing yards per game, and five TDs; Jordan Powell with nine catches for 80 yards and two TDs; and Amechie Walker, Jr. with six catches for 92 yards and two TDs.
The defensive stats leaders are: Casey DeAndrade with 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and an interception; D'Andre Drummond-Mayrie with 11 tackles and an interception; and Cam Shorey with three sacks (five tackles).

October Overview: UNH has a 1-2 record in October with a 1-0 mark at home and 0-2 ledger on the road. The Wildcats opened the month with a 37-14 victory against Elon, had an open week, then lost consecutive road games to 24th-ranked William & Mary (34-18) and Delaware (31-14). Here is a comparison of October stats with the overall numbers:
October Overall
Record 1-2 3-4
Scoring offense 23.0 24.4
Scoring defense 26.3 25.0
Offense ypg 287.3 315.7
Defense ypg 379.3 417.7
Turnover margin E +2
UNH's offensive leaders in October are Dalton Crossan with 50 carries for 273 yards and six TDs (5.5 yards/carry and 91.0 yards/game); Jordan Powell with 12 catches for 118 yards (9.8 yards/catch and 39.3 yards/game); and Jared Allison with eight receptions for 53 yards (6.6 yards/catch and 17.7 yards/game).
UNH's defensive leaders are Casey DeAndrade with 26 tackles (8.7 per game); Hayden Knudson with 20 tackles (6.7/game); and Akil Anderson with 18 tackles (6.0/game).

All-Purpose Performer: Explosive junior running back Dalton Crossan is a versatile weapon and workhorse for the Wildcats. Crossan leads the team in rushes (104), rushing yards (530), receptions (26), kickoff returns (16), kickoff return yards (414) and all-purpose yards (1,091). He has led the team in both rushes and rushing yards all seven games, as well as in receptions three times.
Crossan carried the ball a career-high 22 times for a personal-best 140 yards and four touchdowns – another career high – in New Hampshire's 37-14 win against Elon University on Oct. 3. Crossan did a majority of that damage in the first half with 12 rushes for 93 yards and four TDs.
Crossan, who did not have 100 yards rushing in his first 24 games, eclipsed that mark for the second consecutive game with a 109-yard effort on 18 carries at 24th-ranked William & Mary.
Crossan is averaging 75.7 rushing yards per game, 21.0 receiving yards per game and 155.9 all-purpose yards per game. He has scored eight rushing TDs, including totes of 36 and 37 yards in consecutive games against Elon and W&M, and also caught a touchdown pass.
Crossan has recorded at least 100 all-purpose yards every game with a low of 122 (at Stony Brook) and high of 186 (at William & Mary). In comparison, the rest of the Wildcats have recorded 100+ all-purpose yards just twice – Trevon Bryant with 117 vs. Central Connecticut State and Casey DeAndrade with 114 at W&M.
Among active 'Cats, Crossan is atop the career leaderboard in rushing yards (981) and he ranks second in rushes (148), receptions (43) and receiving yards (319).
In just one half of action vs. Central Connecticut State on Sept. 26, Crossan had 10 carries for 74 yards (33-yard TD), three catches for a career-high 58 yards (48-yard TD) and a 27-yard kickoff return for a total of 159 all-purpose yards.

Back Under Center: Senior quarterback Sean Goldrich returned to the lineup Oct. 17 at William & Mary after missing three consecutive games. Goldrich incurred a high ankle sprain the second week of the season at Colgate University (Sept. 12) and did not play the next three games – at Stony Brook, vs. Central Connecticut State, vs. Elon.
Goldrich completed 18 of 33 passes for 129 yards, one TD and an interception last week at Delaware; he was sacked once and carried the ball a total of seven times for 21 yards. In two weeks since coming back from the injury, Goldrich is 33-for-62 for 283 yards, one TD and three interceptions; he has been sacked six times for a loss of 36 yards.
In five games overall this season, Goldrich has completed 60 of 107 passes (56.1%) for 509 yards and two touchdowns; he also has 28 rushes for 54 yards. In the Sept. 12 game at Colgate, the captain was 17 of 23 for 166 yards and one TD for a pass efficiency rating of 148.89.
Goldrich is on the UNH Top 10 career list in three offensive categories – fifth in passing yardage (6,178) and attempts (846) as well as sixth in completions (513). He is also the Wildcats' active career leader in rushes (298) and rushing touchdowns (17).
In comparison, the three other UNH quarterbacks who have seen action this year have combined career stats of 80-for-136 for 743 yards, seven TDs and four INTs.
Redshirt freshman Trevor Knight saw action last Saturday at Delaware, primarily in a two-quarterback set in which he took the snap out of a shotgun formation. He completed his only pass attempt (for four yards) and had four carries for 12 yards.
For the season, Knight is 10 of 19 for 124 yards, one TD and one INT; he has 58 yards on 17 carries.
Junior Adam Riese was the starting quarterback consecutive games against Elon (Oct. 3) and Central Connecticut State (Sept. 26). In his first career start vs. CCSU, Riese led the Wildcats to four touchdowns and a field goal on eight possessions – all in the first half. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 188 yards and three TDs without an interception for a 189.16 efficiency rating.
Riese took every snap from center in UNH's 37-14 win against Elon and completed 22 of 32 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown; he was intercepted one.
Riese is 50 of 75 for 473 yards and five TDs with two INTs; for a 16.31 efficiency rating; all of those numbers are team highs. In 12 career games, Riese's numbers include 51 of 77 for 474 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.

When Goldrich Starts: UNH has an 18-9 record (.667 win percentage) when Sean Goldrich is the starting quarterback. That includes 8-1 at home, 11-3 in CAA conference games and 4-0 in CAA conference home games.

It's Better to Receive: Junior tight end Jordan Powell leads the team with 230 receiving yards on 23 catches (10.0 yards per catch). He recorded a personal-best five catches the second consecutive game at William & Mary and finished with a personal-best 53 receiving yards. One game earlier against Elon (Oct. 3), Powell had five catches for 48 yards; those numbers included a four-yard touchdown. Powell has produced consistent numbers with 3-5 catches and 30+ yards in 5 of 7 games. He caught four passes for 32 yards and a score Sept. 26 vs. Central Connecticut State.
Seniors Jared Allison and Mike Kelly and sophomore Aaron Lewis-Cenales are the starting wideouts; Allison matched his personal best of seven catches (for 34 yards and a TD) last week at Delaware. Neither Kelly nor Lewis-Cenales caught a pass against the Blue Hens.
Allison has 19 catches for 149 yards and two TDs. He has been held without a catch twice this season but bounced back both times; he did not have a catch at Stony Brook (Sept. 19) but then had five receptions for 53 yards against Central Connecticut State; Allison also did not have a catch at William & Mary (Oct. 17), one week before his aforementioned 7-catch, 34-yard effort at Delaware.
Lewis-Cenales recorded career highs in both receptions (four) and receiving yards (58) Sept. 12 at Colgate; he has 11 catches for 140 yards this season. Kelly has recorded a season high of two catches three times this year, including consecutive games against Elon and William & Mary; in six games, Kelly has seven catches for 81 yards.
Freshman Amechie Walker, Jr., who has been in the starting lineup four times, ranks second on the team in receiving yards (157) on 14 catches for 11.2 yards per catch. He had a breakout game Sept. 26 vs. Central Connecticut with two touchdowns on two catches, including a season long of 37; he finished with a career-high 56 yards. Walker, Jr. recorded his first career catch Sept. 12 at Colgate and finished the game with three catches for 25 yards.
Redshirt freshman Rory Donovan had a breakout game Sept. 19 at Stony Brook with five catches for 46 yards, including a 17-yard TD reception for his first career score. Donovan subsequently made his first career start one week later against Central Connecticut State; he had one catch for 16 yards. Donovan hauled in a season long catch of 35 yards at William & Mary (Oct. 17).
Junior Kyon Taylor made his 2015 season debut Oct. 24 at Delaware and led all 'Cats with 35 receiving yards (on three catches) with a long of 22. In 28 career games, Taylor has 17 receptions for 195 yards and a TD.

What's My Line: Heading into the season opener, UNH's offensive line had a solid foundation with junior Tad McNeely at center, junior Alexander Morrill at left guard and senior Austin Heter at left tackle. All three were starters last season with both McNeely and Morrill in the starting lineup since they were redshirt freshman.
On the right side of the line, juniors Andrew Lauderdale and Curtis Nealer solidified their starting role at tackle and guard, respectively.
The blueprint changed quickly, however, when Lauderdale missed the second game and McNeely was injured in that game at Colgate – he has been sidelined since – senior George Kallas has stepped in at center.
Lauderdale started the first, third, sixth and seventh games; sophomore Will McInerny was the starting right tackle at Colgate and in back-to-back games vs. Central Connecticut and Elon.
The latest lineman to miss action is Morrill, who did not dress for the Delaware game. Sophomore Jake Kennedy made his first career start at left guard in place of Morrill.

Senior Safeties: Four senior safeties solidify the defensive backfield with Daniel Rowe, Hayden Knudson, Lamar Edmonds and Keith Parkinson patrolling the secondary.
Rowe was injured during the Sept. 19 game at Stony Brook University and missed three games before returning to action Oct. 24 at Delaware; he finished that game with four tackles, including one for a loss. Rowe has 27 tackles (14-13-27), forced a fumble each of the first two weeks of the season and also blocked a PAT in the opener at San Jose State.
Knudson has started 6 of 7 games this season – he did not play in the Sept. 26 home opener vs. Central Connecticut but returned to the starting lineup one week later vs. Elon. He is second overall and first among safeties in tackles with 41 (20-21-41). Knudson has tied for the team lead in tackles each of the past two game with 11 last week at Delaware and nine at William & Mary.
Edmonds, who has started each of the last five games and 6 of 7, ranks second among safeties and fifth overall in total tackles with 29. He tallied his 100th career tackle with the last of eight tackles Oct. 17 at William & Mary; the eight stops matched his career high. Edmonds recorded his second career interception – a play that was featured on SportsCenter Top 10 Plays – Oct. 3 vs. Elon.
Parkinson, with one start in seven games played, has been credited with 20 tackles; he tied his career high of five tackles vs. CCSU.
Sophomore Nick Marino started consecutive games against Central Connecticut State and Elon; in his first career start against CCSU, Marino made the most of the opportunity by recording a personal-best five tackles (4-1-5). He has nine tackles (7-2-9) in five games.
Sophomore D'Andre Drummond-Mayrie has played in 6 of 7 games this season; he was a DNP at William & Mary. Drummond-Mayrie recorded his first career interception against Elon and tallied a personal-best six tackles (3-3-6) one week earlier against Central Connecticut. He has 14 tackles (5-9-14).

Excellent Cornering Skills: Junior Casey DeAndrade has established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the CAA and is on the STATS Watch List for FCS Defensive Player of the Year honors, as well as the CAA Preseason All-Conference Team.
DeAndrade has been UNH's top tackler each of the past four games following an 11-tackle effort at Delaware (Oct. 24) that matched his personal best; prior to that game vs. the Blue Hens, he led the 'Cats with nine stops at William & Mary as well as six tackles against both Elon and Central Connecticut State.
Through seven games, DeAndrade leads the team in tackles with 50 (35-15-50), including 4.5 for a loss. He also has a team-leading seven pass breakups as well as a fumble recovery and an interception.
DeAndrade recorded four pass breakups Sept. 12 at Colgate and that included three consecutive plays midway through the fourth quarter in UNH territory with the 'Cats protecting a 23-8 lead. One week earlier at San Jose State, DeAndrade finished with personal bests in solo tackles (10) and total tackles (11).
Senior Dougie Moss has started opposite DeAndrade 5 of 6 games, including each of the last three. Moss ranks second on the team in tackles with 32 (23-9-32). He made eight stops last week at William & Mary. Moss recorded career highs in total tackles (10) as well as both solo (six) and assisted (four) tackles in the opener at San Jose State.
Sophomore Patrick Mensah made his first career start Sept. 19 at Stony Brook and he recorded four tackles. He made a career-high seven tackles (6-1-7) Oct. 17 at William & Mary and has 20 tackles (16-4-20) in five games.

In the Trenches: UNH's defensive line is led by senior captain Jullian Turner and classmate Rashid Armand in the middle as well as junior Cam Shorey on the outside. Redshirt freshman Jae'Wuan Horton has proven capable at the opposite end.
Turner has been impressive this season with 9 of his 28 tackles recorded behind the line of scrimmage, including four sacks (one each of the first three games). Turner tallied a personal-best six tackles Sept. 12 at Colgate and made five stops against both Elon (Oct. 3) and Delaware (Oct. 24).
Shorey leads the team with six sacks and ranks No. 12 nationally with 0.86 sacks per game. He has sacked the quarterback in 5 of 7 games and recorded a personal-best two against Central Connecticut (Sept. 26). Shorey has 26 tackles (17-9-26), including a career-high seven last week at Delaware, and one fumble recovery. He is the only 'Cat who has recorded a tackle for loss every game, including a season-high 2.5 at Delaware.
Armand was credited with a career-high five tackles (all assisted) at San Jose State and he made four stops vs. Colgate. He has 18 tackles in seven games.
Horton, who did not play Week 2 at Colgate, recorded four tackles against both San Jose State and Stony Brook. He made three stops for a loss at SBU and that included two of the team's four sacks; he also forced a fumble on one of those sacks. Horton sacked the QB again Sept. 26 vs. CCSU to rank third on the team in sacks (three).
Sophomore Mike Boryeskne recorded five tackles each of the first three games this season and was credited with four stops against Central Connecticut, Elon and William & Mary. He is tied with Turner for first among all Wildcat defensive linemen with 28 tackles (15-13-28). He also recovered a fumble at Colgate.

Sideline to sideline: In UNH's defensive formation, the two middle linebackers cover the field sideline to sideline. Senior captain Akil Anderson and junior DeVaughn Chollette lead the Wildcats' linebacking crew.
Anderson – the team's top tackler in 2013 and 2014 – has had a relatively quiet 2015 season with 32 tackles, which ranks fourth on the squad; he recorded a season-high eight stops last week at Delaware, and that came one week after a seven-tackle effort at William & Mary; Anderson made six stops Week 2 at Colgate. Chollette, who was a DNP last week at Delaware, has 27 tackles; he recorded a season-high eight tackles (3-5-8) at Colgate.

Special Teams: New Hampshire has a couple of dangerous returners in Casey DeAndrade and Dalton Crossan. DeAndrade doubled up on CAA First Team honors last season when he was named to not only the All-Conference team as a defensive back but as a punt returner as well. He led the league with an average return of 9.1 yards on 22 returns.
DeAndrade had an electrifying 90-yard punt return for a touchdown Oct. 17 at William & Mary. He is averaging 17.1 yards per return with 154 yards on nine returns.
Crossan was slowed by a leg injury much of the 2014 season and returned late in the year primarily as a kickoff returner. His 32.4 yard average on 14 returns gave him a school record. As a redshirt freshman, Crossan averaged 23.7 yards per kickoff return, which placed him fifth in the CAA.
Crossan didn't lose a step in the offseason. In the 2015 opener at San Jose State, he had three kickoff returns for 102 yards (34.0 average), including a long of 57. For the season, he is averaging 25.9 yards per return (16-414).
Senior Christian Breda held all of New Hampshire's kicking roles – kickoffs, placekicker and punter – until Morgan Ellman took the position of kickoffs the sixth game of the season at William & Mary.
In his first year punting, Breda is averaging 38.6 yards per punt. He has pinned the opponents inside the 20 a total of 11 times and recorded a career-long punt of 51 yards in the season opener at San Jose State; in that game, he averaged 41.6 yards on nine punts and had four inside the 20. In the Oct. 3 game against Elon, Breda averaged 40.7 yards on six punts with a long of 50.
Breda has connected on 5 of 7 field goal attempts – as well as 13 of 16 PATs – this season. He made 2 of 3 field goals on a rainy night at Colgate. After drilling the right upright on a 24-yard attempt, he later connected on a career-long 44 yarder and also made a 35-yard attempt. Breda was perfect vs. CCSU with a 24-yard field goal and five PATs. He connected on a 26-yard FG and made 4 of 5 PATs against Elon. Most recently, he missed a 22-yard attempt and was good from 27 yards at W&M.

Bryant in the Backfield: Sophomore running back Trevon Bryant has 36 carries for 204 yards and two touchdowns to rank second on the squad in all three stats. He is averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He also has three catches for 27 yards, including a career-long 20-yard reception Sept. 19 at Stony Brook. Bryant did not play Oct. 24 at Delaware.
Bryant opened the Oct. 17 game at William & Mary with a 64-yard kickoff return, the longest by a UNH Wildcat this season. He leads the team at 37.8 yards per kickoff return with four for 151 yards.
Bryant showed his explosive speed Sept. 12 at Colgate when he gained the left corner and raced down the left sideline for a 28-yard gain. He finished that game with personal bests in both rushes (10) and rushing yards (70).

Scouting Rhode Island: The University of Rhode Island (Kingston, R.I.) is 1-6 overall, including 1-3 in the CAA and 0-4 on the road (0-2 in CAA road games). URI had an open week last week. The Rams were defeated 37-12 in their most recent game, an Oct. 17 Homecoming game against then-No. 13 Richmond.
In that game, URI fell behind 13-0 before closing within 13-6 on a pair of field goals, but Richmond scored 24 consecutive points spanning the second, third and fourth quarters to pull away.
Rhode Island posted its only win of the season Oct. 17 with a 20-0 victory against Delaware at Meade Stadium to mark the team's first shutout since October 2006 (3-0 vs. Maine). The Rams won the turnover battle vs. UD with a +3 margin (three INTs, no turnovers committed).
URI has been outscored 228-97 with a disparity of 83-9 in the first quarter. The Rams are -10 in the turnover battle with 17 turnovers committed (nine INT, eight fumbles) in comparison to seven for the opposition (six INT, one fumble).

Rams To Watch: Sophomore running back Harold Cooper leads in the CAA and is ranked No. 7 in the nation with 163.5 all-purpose yards per game. Cooper, who did not play in the 27-17 loss at Maine (Sept. 26), is URI's leader in rushes (101), rushing yards (486), rushing TDs (two), receptions (19), kickoff returns (15), kickoff return yards (396), and all-purpose yards (981). He is averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 81.0 rushing yards per game. Cooper also has 19 catches for 99 yards.
Junior quarterback Paul Mroz suffered a season-ending injury against Delaware. He threw for 945 yards this season. His injury opens the door for sophomore James Caparell and freshman Wesley McKoy. Caparell got the starting nod vs. Richmond and completed 10 of 19 passes for 68 yards with one interception; McKoy went 6 of 9 for 71 yards.
Khayri Denny is the top receiver with 19 catches for 299 yards and two TDs. Phadrae White (16-215) and Marven Beauvais (15-253) are the other leading receivers.
Linebacker Adam Parker is the team's top tackler with 63 (40-23-63); he also has a team-best 7.5 tackles for a loss as well as a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
Tim Wienclaw is next on the tackles leaderboard with 48 (34-14-48). Myles Holmes leads the Rams in pass breakups (six) and ranks fourth in tackles with 32 (23-9-32).

Sack Exchange: UNH's defense entered the Oct. 17 game at William & Mary ranked No. 2 in the nation in sacks per game at 4.00 but in the past two games, the Wildcats did not record a sack against the Tribe and tallied two at Delaware; they are currently No. 8.
New Hampshire recorded three sacks each of the first two games of the 2015 season and upped that total to four sacks the third game at Stony Brook followed by a season-high eight vs. Central Connecticut.
Last year, the Wildcats ranked 15th in the nation in sacks per game (2.79) as they recorded 3+ sacks five times in 14 games.

Anti-Air Defense: New Hampshire's defense has held the opponent to less than 200 passing yards in 5 of 7 games, including each of the past two games at William & Mary (145) and Delaware (season-low 71); the previous time an opponent threw for less than 100 passing yards was Nov. 22, 2014 at Maine (92).
The Wildcats held three consecutive opponents under 200 yards passing when they limited Colgate to 195, Stony Brook to 169 and Central Connecticut State to 117 yards.
Elon ended the streak with 244 passing yards (by completing 23 of 52 pass attempts) on Oct. 3.
No quarterback has thrown for more than one touchdown in a game against this Wildcats' defense. UNH did allowed two Stony Brook passing touchdowns, but both QBs threw for one TD pass.

IN the (Red) Zone: UNH has scored on 19 of 24 (79.2%) trips inside the red zone this season with 14 touchdowns and five field goals; that means the Wildcats score a TD 58.3% of the time they cross the 20.
Last week at Delaware, the Wildcats were a perfect 2 of 2 with two touchdowns (one rush, one pass). In contrast, the lowest scoring percentage occurred one week earlier at William & Mary, when the 'Cats converted 1 of 3 opportunities into points with a 27-yards field goal, missed field goal (22 yards) and end of first half (incomplete 5-yard pass play as time expired).
New Hampshire converted all five scoring chances into points Sept. 26 vs. Central Connecticut with three TDs (one rush, two pass) and two field goals. One week later vs. Elon, the 'Cats scored on 5 of 6 trips with four TDs (three rush, one pass) and a field goal.
In comparison, the opponents have scored on 18 of 26 (69.2%) trips into the red zone. Colgate was just 1 of 4 as the Wildcats forced the Raiders to lose the ball on downs three times, and CCSU did not score on its only trip across the 20.
The opposition has improved tremendously the past two games with Delaware scoring four TDs and a field goal in five red zone trips last week and William & Mary recording three touchdowns in four visits inside the UNH 20.

Conference Call: New Hampshire ranks fifth in the CAA in scoring offense with 24.4 points per game; in other offense stats, UNH is seventh in rushing (152.3 yards per game), eighth in passing (163.4 yards/game) and seventh in total offense (315.7 yards/game).
On defense, the Wildcats are sixth in scoring (25.0 points allowed/game), 11th in rushing (223.0 yards allowed/game) and fifth in passing (194.7 yards allowed/game) and 10th in total defense (417.7 yards allowed/game).
On special teams, UNH leads the CAA in both kickoff returns (26.1 per return) and punt returns (15.7 per return).
In three CAA conference games, UNH has been outscored 110-75. One notable advantage – in favor of the opposition – is third down conversion; UNH is 15 of 59 (25.4%) while opponents are 27 of 64 (42.2%); the 'Cats have converted 9 of 15 fourth downs, however, in comparison to 2 of 5 for the opposition.
Dalton Crossan is averaging 78.2 rushing yards per game (64 carries, 313 yards) with six touchdowns. He also has a team-high 16 catches (for 64 yards).
Senior quarterback Sean Goldrich is 33 of 62 for 283 yards, one TD and three interceptions; those numbers produce a 53.2% completion percentage, 141.5 yards per game and an 87.21 passer efficiency rating.
Junior quarterback Adam Riese is 35 of 53 for 274 yards, two TDs and two INTs; those numbers calculate to a .660 completion percentage, 137.0 passing yards per game and a 114.37 passer efficiency rating.
Junior tight end Jordan Powell leads the team in receiving yards with 134 on 13 catches; that is 10.3 yards/catch and 33.5 yards/game.
The defense has been balanced with Casey DeAndrade leading the 'Cat pack with 30 tackles. Hayden Knudson (26) and Akil Anderson (20) are next. Both Cam Shorey and Jullian Turner have tallied five tackles for a loss.

Unbalanced Scoring: The Wildcats have outscored the opposition 66-40 in the first quarter and 76-44 in the second for a total of 142-84 in the first half. But the 'Cats have been outscored 62-14 in the third and 29-15 in the fourth (for a second-half total of 91-29.

Valuing Possession: Through seven games, UNH is +2 in turnover margin, but the Wildcats have been -2 each of the past two games. The defense has not recorded a turnover while the offense has committed four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble). The 'Cats lost both games.
The Wildcats recorded a season-best +4 margin Oct. 3 vs. Elon University (win), when the Wildcats intercepted five passes and were intercepted once. The previous week vs. Central Connecticut (win), the Wildcats were +3 with three fumble recoveries and no turnovers committed.
The 'Cats are 2-0 when winning the turnover battle, 1-1 when it's tied and 0-3 when committing more turnovers.
Neither team committed a turnover in the season opener at San Jose State (UNH loss), then in the game at Colgate both teams turned the ball over once (UNH win).
UNH and Stony Brook combined for five turnovers with the Wildcats throwing two interceptions and losing one fumble and recovering two Seawolves' fumbles (UNH loss).

Another Wildcat First Down: New Hampshire has extended drives 31 times on 102 third downs (30.4%). The Wildcats have excelled at accomplishing that feat in the second quarter at 14-for-29 (48.3%), but has struggled in the third quarter at 4-for-24 (16.7%).
In comparison, opponents are 45-for-109 (41.3%) on third down conversions overall and are 40% or better in 3 of 4 quarters; the best conversion rate is the fourth quarter at 14 of 29 (48.3%), while the lowest is the first quarter at 7 of 22 (31.8%).

'Cats Clawed at Delaware: UNH scored a touchdown near the end of the first half to take a 14-6 lead, but Delaware outscored the Wildcats 25-0 in the second half to record a 31-14 victory at Delaware Stadium on Oct. 24.
UNH yielded 71 passing yards to the Blue Hens, which marked the lowest total by an opponent since Sept. 14, 2013 (46, Colgate).
New Hampshire was held to 50 rushing yards, which marked the team's lowest total since Aug. 30, 2014 (37 at Toledo).
UNH recorded 183 yards of total offense; the last time the 'Cats were held below 200 yards of offense was Dec. 20, 2013 (184 at North Dakota State).
The Wildcats recorded nine first downs, which marked the lowest total since also getting nine first downs Dec. 5, 2009 at Villanova.

Notable Numbers at Delaware: Junior defensive back Casey DeAndrade matched his career high of 11 tackles that he established in the season opener at San Jose State.
Junior defensive end Cam Shorey recorded a personal-best seven tackles.
Junior wide receiver Kyon Taylor tied her career high of three catches. Freshman wideout Amechie Walker, Jr. also had three receptions to equal his single-game high.