Balanced Offense and Defense Lifts No. 12/15 Football Past Colgate, 26-8

Saturday, September 12

Hamilton, N.Y.

6:00 PM

University of New Hampshire

1-1

Colgate University

0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UNH

Colgate

Photo by: Phil Inglis

Balanced Offense and Defense Lifts No. 12/15 Football Past Colgate, 26-8

9/12/2015 10:28:00 PM | Football

Box Score

HAMILTON, N.Y. – Dalton Crossan (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y) led a balanced offense with a career-high 96 rushing yards to lift the No. 12/15 University of New Hampshire football team to Saturday night's 26-8 victory against Colgate University at Andy Kerr Stadium.

UNH improved to 1-1 while Colgate fell to 0-2. The Wildcats recorded 218 rushing yards and 193 passing yards for 411 total yards of offense while the Raiders had 336 total yards (141 rush, 195 pass).

Crossan recorded his career-best 96 yards, including a four-yard touchdown run, on a personal high of 21 carries; he also had 11 receiving yards and 31 yards on kickoff returns for a game-high 138 all-purpose yards. Trevon Bryant (St. Augustine, Fla.) also finished with career highs in both carries (10) and rushing yards (70).

Starting quarterback Sean Goldrich (West Haven, Conn.) finished 17 of 23 for 166 yards and a TD. Chris McCormick (Winoopski, Vt.), who entered the game at 9:23 of the third quarter, was 4 of 10 for 27 yards and an interception. Aaron Lewis-Cenales (Odenton, Md.; 4-58) and Jared Allison (Cliffwood, N.J.; 4-32) were the top receivers; both numbers were personal bests for Lewis-Cenales.

Daniel Rowe (Orange, N.J.) and DeVaughn Chollette (Scranton, Pa.) spearheaded the defensive effort with eight tackles apiece; Rowe also forced a fumble. Hayden Knudson (Alexandria, Va.), Jullian Turner (East Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Akil Anderson (Morristown, N.J.) all finished with six tackles. Casey DeAndrade (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was credited with three tackles and four pass breakups, including three consecutive plays in UNH territory with the Wildcats protecting a 23-8 lead with under seven minutes remaining.

For Colgate, Jake Melville was 21-for-41 for 195 yards and one TD; he also led the squad with 17 rushes for 59 yards. John Wilkins carried the ball 14 times for 48 yards. John Quazza (7-56) and John Maddaluna (6-67) were the top receivers. Kyle Diener tallied a game-high 14 tackles.

The Wildcats marched 66 yards on their second drive of the game, which consisted of seven rushes and five passes, to take a 7-0 lead at 6:22 of the first quarter. The drive was fueled by three double-digit runs – a 15-yard run by Goldrich followed by a 12-yard end around by Amechie Walker, Jr. (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Crossan's 16-yard run – that advanced the ball to the Colgate 12. On 3^rd-and-6 from the CU 8, Goldrich's swing pass to Crossan set up 1^st-and-goal at the 1 yard line. One play later, Bryant backed his way over the goal line and Christian Breda (Needham, Mass.) made the ensuing PAT kick.

Colgate drove 56 yards to the UNH 22, but Jonah Bowman's 39-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left at 3:32 to keep the score 7-0 in favor of the visitors.

Goldrich then engineered a 15-play, 71-yard drive that consumed 5:13 off the clock, but Breda's 24-yard field goal caromed off the right upright and back into the end zone at 13:19 of the second quarter.

The Raiders quickly advanced the ball into UNH territory when Melville's 23-yard completion to Wilkins set up 1^st-and-10 at the New Hampshire 33. The Wildcats made a key defensive stop four plays later, however, when Rowe forced Demetrius Russell's fumble at the 18 and Mike Boryeskne (Sparta, N.J.) pounced on the loose ball to give possession back to the 'Cats.

New Hampshire's offense continued the momentum with Goldrich completions to Mike Kelly (Merrimack, N.H.) and Jordan Powell (Forked River, N.J.) for 22 and 18 yards, respectively, to move the ball to the Colgate 42. The next six plays gained 25 yards to set up 1^st-and-10 at the CU 17. Goldrich dumped the ball over the middle, where Allison kept his balance and picked up 12 yards. Two plays later, Crossan took a handoff from the shotgun formation and ran up the middle four a four-yard TD at 4:55. The scamper capped an 11-play, 82-yard drive that consumed 4:37 and pushed the lead to 14-0.

UNH's defense forced a 3-and-out as Cyrus Boone (Stockton, Calif.) stopped Holland for one-yard loss on 2^nd-and-3 and then Cam Shorey (Calais, Maine) sacked Melville for a two-yard loss.

The Wildcats extended the next drive on a 25-yard completion to Lewis-Cenales down the right sideline and one play later Goldrich connected with Allison on a 12-yard TD pass to give UNH a 20-0 lead at 1:13. The drive covered 70 yards on six plays in a time of 1:55.

New Hampshire took that 20-point lead into halftime with a 19-6 edge in first downs and 294-138 advantage in total offense.

UNH's second drive of the second half, highlighted by a 15-yard pass from McCormick to Lewis-Cenales and Bryant's 10-yard run, culminated in Breda's career-long 44-yard field goal that gave the 'Cats a 23-0 lead at 6:27 of the third quarter. McCormick entered the game at the start of this drive, which went 42 yards on nine plays.

Colgate responded with a long, but fruitless, drive. On 15 plays, the Raiders marched 55 yards to the UNH 14. On the next play -- 3^rd-and-10 -- Knudson knocked the ball out of Quazza's hands in the front corner of the right end zone to preserve the shutout. CU kept the offense on the field for fourth down, when Ryan Farrell (Westwood, Mass.) flushed Melville out of the pocket to the right sideline, where his pass sailed errantly high and out of bounds. The 17-play drive consumed 5:54.

The Raiders forced a 3-and-out, however, and the offense responded with a seven-play, 66-yard drive that ended with Melville's 13-yard TD pass to Alex Greenawalt and a two-point PAT from Melville to Quazza in which the QB rolled to the right and lobbed a pass back to the left corner. The scoring plays trimmed the deficit to 23-8 at 11:02 of the fourth quarter.

UNH closed the scoring on Breda's 35-yard field goal at 2:04. The score was set up by Bryant's 28-yard bolt along the left sideline that move the ball to the Colgate 18. That scoring drive was set up by DeAndrade's three consecutive pass breakups on second, third and fourth downs at the UNH 35.

The 'Cats kept the margin at 26-8 when Rick Holt (Portsmouth, N.H.) sacked Melville on 4^th-and-10 from the UNH 12 with nine seconds left in the game. The loss of possession on downs ended Colgate's 13-play, 66-yard drive that lasted 1:47.

New Hampshire returns to action Sept. 19 (7 p.m.) for its CAA conference opener at Stony Brook University. The game will be broadcast live on American Sports Network. The Wildcats' home opener is Sept. 26 (6 p.m.) against Central Connecticut State University. Tickets are available by calling 603-862-4000 or visiting www.unhwildcats.com.

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