Game Notes: No. 13/13 Football On the Road vs. Stony Brook

Saturday, September 19

Stony Brook, N.Y.

7:00 PM

University of New Hampshire

Stony Brook University

Tickets

9/16/2015 4:01:00 PM | Football

No. 13/ 13 UNH (1-1 overall, 0-0 CAA) at Stony Brook (1-0, 0-0 CAA)
Saturday, Sept. 19 (7 pm) at LaValle Stadium

TV:American Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Eric Frede, Color Commentator: Micheal Young
Radio: Wildcat Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Bob Lipman, Color Commentator: Tim O'Sullivan
Live Video Stream: CAA.TV
Live Stats

QUICK HITTERS

The No. 13/13 UNH football team enters the week with a 1-1 overall record following last week's 26-8 win at Colgate. Both games have been on the road.

New Hampshire has a 3-0 lifetime record against Stony Brook. The teams met each of the last two years as CAA rivals. Prior to that, the teams battled back in 2006. (See page 4)

UNH has won 11 consecutive CAA conference games. The streak began with the last three CAA games in November 2013 and continued with an unblemished 8-0 conference record last year. (See page 4)

Since the CAA took the conference banner in the 2007 season, UNH has a 4-4 record in conference openers. Including this year's matchup at Stony Brook, every CAA opener has been on the road. (See page 5)

The 2015 season is the second time in the Coach Mac era (1999-2015)that UNH kicks off with three consecutive road games. It also happened in 2011 (58-22 loss at Toledo, 48-41 OT win at Lehigh, 45-43 win at Richmond).

Excluding playoff games, this is the third time in the Coach Mac era that UNH will play three consecutive road games. Prior to the aforementioned 2011 season, the Wildcats played three straight road games in the 2001 season (35-24 win at UMass, 31-27 loss at Rhode Island, 35-20 loss at Hofstra).

Saturday's game at Stony Brook is a homecoming for junior RB Dalton Crossan, who grew up in nearby Lake Ronkonkoma (N.Y.). Crossan recorded career highs in both carries (21) and rushing yards (96) last week at Colgate University. (See page 5)

Defensive lineman Jullian Turner and Cam Shorey both recorded a sack in each of the first two games of the season. Turner has a total of four tackles for a loss.

UNH has outscored the opposition 20-6 in the second quarter but the opponents have the edge in the first (20-7), third (10-3) and fourth (15-9) quarters.

158 WEEKS IN A ROW: UNH owns the nation's longest streak of Top 25 appearances with 158 in a row, a stretch that dates back to Sept. 13, 2004, and is an amazing 83 weeks longer than Montana State, which has the country's second-longest ranked streak.

UNH vs. Stony Brook State all-time series: New Hampshire won all three previous meetings against Stony Brook University with a 1-0 record at SBU's LaValle Stadium – 31-13 victory on Oct. 26, 2013.

UNH prevailed 28-20 in last year's hard-fought game at Cowell Stadium. The Seawolves entered the game ranked No. 5 in the nation in passing defense (146.5 yards/game), No. 1 in total defense (220.5 yds/game), No. 2 in scoring defense (11.0 points/game) and No. 2 in 3rd down defense (23.5%). The Wildcats' offense posted 28 points, 227 passing yards and 380 total yards while converting 6 of 17 (35.3%) third downs.

Date H/A UNH SBU Result

09/16/06 H 62 7 W

10/26/13 A 31 13 W

10/25/14 H 28 20 W

The Most Recent Matchup (Oct. 25, 2014): In last year's 28-20 win at Cowell Stadium, the visiting Seawolves led the third-ranked Wildcats 14-0 at the end of the first quarter but UNH responded with 21 consecutive points to take a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter.

The last 15 minutes featured a UNH 35-yard punt return, a UNH interception, a field goal blocked by SBU, a blocked PAT by UNH and a fumble recovered by UNH.

Stony Brook's 12-play, 49-yard drive of 6 minutes, 53 seconds ended at the UNH when Keith Parkinson intercepted a pass at the 25-yard line and had a 48 yard return to the SBU 27 with 5:43 on the clock.

New Hampshire was forced to attempt a 40-yard field goal that was blocked by Christian Ricard with 4:51 to play.

The Seawolves needed just four plays to score a TD on a 31-yard pass play from Conor Bednarski to Adrian Coxson. UNH's Cam Shorey blocked the ensuing PAT, however, to keep the Wildcats in front, 21-20, at 3:22.

Stony Brook opted to kick deep rather than attempt an onsides kick, and UNH responded with a quick scoring drive of four plays that was capped by Jimmy Owens' 51-yard touchdown run. Christian Breda made the PAT kick to give the home team a 28-20 lead with 1:45 remaining.

With SBU facing 4th-and-10 from its 37 and 1:12 to play, Cody Muller strip-sacked Bednarski and Matt Kaplan recovered the fumble to secure the victory.

Inside the CAA Win Streak: New Hampshire enters Saturday's game at Stony Brook winners of 11 consecutive CAA conference games (12 straight wins against CAA teams, including a 41-27 win at No. 8 Maine in the 2013 NCAA second round). UNH is 5-0 on the road and has defeated five nationally-ranked teams during the 11-game win streak.

The 'Cats ran the table last year with an 8-0 CAA conference record after closing the 2013 season with three straight league wins. The win streak began Nov. 9, 2013 with a 33-17 against 22nd-ranked James Madison University.

To quantify New Hampshire's dominance during this stretch, the Wildcats have outscored the opposition 384 (34.9 ppg) to 167 (15.2 ppg) and have trailed just three times – 10-0 at Richmond, 14-0 (2014) vs. Stony Brook (2014) and 3-0 vs. Maine (2014).

UNH's most recent loss to a CAA opponent was Nov. 2, 2013, when the Wildcats were upended 17-0 at William & Mary.

Game 1 11/09/13 at UNH 33, (#22) James Madison 17

Game 2 11/16/13 UNH 37, at Albany 20

Game 3 11/23/13 at UNH 24, (#4) Maine 3

Game 4 09/20/14 UNH 29, at (#17) Richmond 26

Game 5 10/04/14 UNH 48, at Elon 14

Game 6 10/11/14 at UNH 32, (#10) William & Mary 3

Game 7 10/25/14 at UNH 28, Stony Brook 20

Game 8 11/01/14 at UNH 49, (#23) Albany 24

Game 9 11/08/14 UNH 41, at Rhode Island 14

Game 10 11/15/15 at UNH 43, Delaware 14

Game 11 11/22/14 UNH 20, at Maine 12

CAA Openers: Since the CAA took the league banner in the 2007 season, UNH has a 4-4 record in conference openers

09/08/07 at James Madison 41, UNH 24 L

09/13/08 UNH 51, at Rhode Island 43 W

10/03/09 UNH 57, at Towson 7 W

09/18/10 at Rhode Island 28, UNH 25 L

09/24/11 UNH 45, at Richmond 43 W

09/22/12 at Old Dominion 64, UNH 61 L

10/05/13 at Towson 44, UNH 28 L

09/20/14 UNH 29, at Richmond 26 W

Homecoming for Crossan: Saturday's game at Stony Brook is a homecoming for junior RB Dalton Crossan, who grew up in nearby Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

Crossan was sidelined by injury for last year's Oct. 25 matchup at Cowell Stadium.

As a redshirt freshman in 2013, Crossan recorded one carry for 22 yards (which set up a UNH second-quarter touchdown) and had one catch for four yards. He also returned two kickoffs for a total of 36 yards, including a long of 25 that led to another UNH touchdown (on the last play of the third quarter).

Scouting Stony Brook: After being picked to finish eighth in the preseason CAA standings, the Stony Brook Seawolves opened its season last week at home with a 38-9 win against Central Connecticut State University. After giving up a touchdown in the first minute of the game, Stony Brook scored 31 consecutive points.

The Seawolves had 475 yards on the day, rushing for a total of 345 and averaging 5.0 yards per carry. SBU dominated the time of possession, holding on to the ball for 43:26 of the game. This can be attributed to going 11-for-21 on third-down conversions and 2 of 2 on fourth-down conversions. They converted 5 of 7 drives in the red zone into points; SBU missed field goals on the two squandered possessions.

Defensively, Stony Brook held Central Connecticut to just 120 yards of offense – 27 rushing and another 93 through the air. They also forced two turnovers – one interception by linebacker Julian Quintin and a recovered fumble forced by defensive back Naim Cheeseboro. The Seawolves recorded three sacks on the day and held CCSU to a paltry 1-for-10 on third down.

Seawolves' head coach Chuck Priore is in his eighth season at the helm, leading them to a record of 57-47 over that time. Last year, he led the Seawolves to a record of 5-7 and a sixth place finish in the CAA.

Seawolves to Watch: Running back Stacey Bedell led the attack last week vs. Central Connecticut State with 145 yards on the ground and three touchdowns; he was honored as CAA Offensive Player of the Week. RB Isaiah White also went over 100 yards on the ground, finishing with 103 yards on just 17 attempts.

Quarterback Joe Carbone went 10 of 15 passing for 109 yards and an interception. He also scored two touchdowns on the ground while racking up 23 yards.

On defense, Naim Cheeseboro was the top tackler with five and he forced a fumble. Senior defensive lineman Victor Ochi was selected to the 2015 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team; in last year's game at UNH, Ochi recorded a team-high eight tackles with four sacks. Cheeseboro was also named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.

Coach Mac Turns 200: The UNH football team played its 200th game in the 17-year tenure of head coach Sean McDonnell on Sept. 3, 2015 at San Jose State University (43-13 loss). Coach Mac has a career record of 127-74 (.632 win percentage).

WHEN UNH HAS THE BALL: Quarterback Sean Goldrich returns to lead the Wildcats as a senior captain. A starter since his redshirt freshman season, Goldrich had shared the job much of the time with the graduated Andy Vailas. Goldrich has climbed into the UNH Top 10 career lists in three offensive categories – fifth in passing yardage (5,895) and attempts (784) as well as sixth in completions (480).

Goldrich is also UNH's active career leader in rushes (283), rushing yards (952) and rushing touchdowns (17). Last year, he had 88 carries for 332 yards and nine TDs.

Last season, Goldrich got off to a fast start but then missed five games with an injury. He started all nine games he played and completed 188 of 295 passes (63.7 percent) for 2,391 yards with 16 TDs and six interceptions.

In two games this season, Goldrich has a 109.52 passer efficiency rating by completing 27 of 45 passes (60.0%) for 226 yards and one TD; he has not thrown an interception. He is third on the team in both rushes (13) and rushing yards (50).

Junior QB Chris McCormick entered last week's game at Colgate at 9:24 of the third quarter. He immediately led the Wildcats on a 9-play, 42-yard drive that resulted in a 44-yard field goal by Christian Breda and gave UNH a 23-0 lead. McCormick also engineered a 7-play, 47-yard drive late in the fourth quarter that extended New Hampshire's lead to 26-8. Overall, he completed 4 of 10 passes for 27 yards and threw an interception; he also gained nine yards on one carry.

Explosive junior Dalton Crossan sets the pace among a crew of running backs that includes sophomore Trevon Bryant.

Crossan played in just six of the 14 games in 2014 because of injuries, yet managed to set a school record by averaging 32.4 yards per kick return with 14 returns for 454 yards. He was limited to 12 carries from scrimmage for 66 yards and had five catches for 54 yards. Among active 'Cats, Crossan ranks second in career rushes (74) and rushing yards (594).

Crossan recorded team and career highs in both carries (21) and rushing yards (96) last week at Colgate. Through two games, he leads UNH in carries (30), rushing yards (143) and all-purpose yards (301). Crossan compiled 167 all-purpose yards in the season opener at FBS opponent San Jose State with nine carries for 47 yards (both team highs), including a 26-yard touchdown, four catches for 14 yards and three kickoff returns for 102 yards.

Bryant played as a true freshman last fall and had 17 carries for 70 yards and two catches for 19 yards. In two games this season, he already has 17 carries for 100 yards for an average of 5.9 yards per carry. Bryant showed his explosive speed last week 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).

Both Crossan and Bryant have scored on a rushing TD each of the first two games.

Senior wide receiver Jared Allison had 36 catches last season for 240 yards – both those numbers are best among returning Wildcats. Last week at Colgate, Allison hauled in four catches for 32 yards, including an 12-yard TD pass from Goldrich. Allison has six catches for 43 yards (7.2 yards/catch and 21.5 yards/game).

Allison, senior Mike Kelly and sophomore Aaron Lewis-Cenales are the three projected starters – one year ago, they combined for 48 catches and 345 yards. Lewis-Cenales recorded career highs in both receptions (four) and receiving yards (58) last Saturday at Colgate; he has five catches for 60 yards this season. Kelly has a total of two catches for 30 yards.

Junior tight end Jordan Powell caught three passes for 25 yards in the 2014 season and matched that total with three receptions for 33 yards, including a long of 13 yards, in the season opener at San Jose State. He added three more catches for 31 yards at Colgate to enter this week's game at Stony Brook as UNH's leader in receiving yards (64).

What's My Line: Juniors Tad McNeely and Alexander Morrill and senior Austin Heter anchor the offensive line. They were all starters last season, and both McNeely (6-foot-2, 290 pounds) and Morrill (6-2, 301) have been in the starting lineup since they were redshirt freshmen. McNeely was named a CAA Second-Team All Star last year and a 2015 Preseason All-Conference Team selection.

At the end of last season, Morrill was playing left guard, McNeely was at right guard and Heter (6-4, 292) was at right tackle. McNeely has moved to center to replace the graduated Mike Coccia. McNeely knows the assignment; two years ago, after starting the first four games of the season at left guard, he started the last nine at center. Morrill is penciled in at left guard and Heter at left tackle.

Junior Andrew Lauderdale, a 6-6, 277-pound converted tight end, has earned a starting spot at right tackle while classmate Curtis Nealer gets the starting nod at right guard. Senior George Kallas has the potential to break into the starting lineup. Kallas started three games last year and Nealer two.

WHEN The Opponent HAS THE BALL: Senior captain Akil Anderson and junior DeVaughn Chollette lead a linebacking crew that should be a strength for the Wildcats.

Anderson, who checks in at 6-1, 211, has started and led the Wildcats in tackles each of the last two seasons with 124 as a sophomore and 82 a year ago. He made the CAA All-Conference Second Team last fall. Chollette, a 6-0, 247 pounder, started one game as a redshirt freshman in '13, one as a sophomore in '14 and was in a regular rotation at the position both years. His 67 tackles last year tied for fifth best on the team.

Chollette is currently tied for third in tackles (7-7-14) and Anderson has been credited with 10 tackles (3-7-10).

The secondary, with veterans at both the safety and cornerback positions, shapes up as another Wildcat strength this season.

Seniors Daniel Rowe and Hayden Knudson start at two of the safety spots while classmates Lamar Edmonds and Keith Parkinson compete for the other starting safety position. Edmonds got the starting nod in the season opener at San Jose State but Parkinson was the starter at Colgate.

Rowe and Knudson were the only two Wildcats in their class to play as true freshmen. Rowe was third on the team in tackles last year with 54-16-70 totals. He was tied for second on the team with eight pass breakups and was one of four Wildcats who led the defense with two forced fumbles. Knudson missed six games due to injury last fall and still tied for seventh on the team in tackles with 34-10-44 totals. He, too, forced a pair of fumbles.

Parkinson had a team-high three interceptions – the Wildcats had 14 interceptions overall – last season and returned them a total of 89 yards, and also had 31 tackles. Edmonds was credited with 24 tackles.

Rowe led all players with a career-high 13 tackles at San Jose State while Knudson made nine stops and Edmonds seven.

Through two games, Rowe leads all 'Cats with 21 tackles and Knudson is next with 15.

Junior Casey DeAndrade has established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the CAA and is on the STATS Watch List as for FCS Defensive Player of the Year honors, as well as the CAA Preseason All-Conference Team. He started each of his first two years. DeAndrade led the team in unassisted tackles and was fourth overall in tackles at 57-12-69 last season, when he was a CAA First-Team selection as both a cornerback and a punt returner.

DeAndrade is tied for third in tackles (12-2-14) and has five pass breakups. He recorded four pass breakups last week 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 this season. 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. He is tied with Chollette and DeAndrade for third on the team in total tackles (14).

The defensive line is led by 6-1, 294-pound senior captain Jullian Turner and 6-1, 289-pound classmate Rashid Armand in the middle as well as 6-5, 250-pound junior Cam Shorey on the outside.

Armand started 11 games (12 games played) at defensive tackle last season and Turner played all 14 games with three starts. Shorey saw action every game at defensive end. Turner had 17 unassisted tackles and helped in 12 others for a total of 29, which leads the returners on the line. He had five tackles for a loss and a couple of sacks. Armand had 9-5-14 totals and Shorey had 10-7-17 numbers with five tackles for a loss.

Turner has been impressive this season with four of his nine tackles recorded behind the line of scrimmage, including two sacks (one each game). He tallied a personal-best six tackles last Saturday at Colgate.

Armand was credited with a career-high five tackles (all assisted) at San Jose State and he made four stops vs. Colgate. Shorey also made a career-best five stops vs. the Spartans and, like Turner, he has registered one sack each game.

Sophomore DE Mike Boryeskne recorded five tackles against both San Jose State and Colgate.

Special Teams: New Hampshire has a couple of dangerous returners in DeAndrade and 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.

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 over 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 26.6 yards per return (5-133).

Christian Breda started last season as UNH's top placekicker but was moved to second on the depth chart late in the year. Breda made 5 of 10 field goal attempts in '14 and 35 of his 42 PAT conversion kicks. Breda has regained the starting role as placekicker and has added punting to his duties.

Breda 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.

In the Sept. 3 season opener at San Jose State, Breda excelled in the punt game with an average of 41.6 yards on nine punts, and that included a long of 51 as well as four inside the 20.

Balanced Play Calling: Through two games, UNH has relatively even play calling with 67 rushing plays and 58 pass plays. Last week at Colgate, the Wildcats ran the ball 41 times for 218 yards and passed 33 times for 193 yards.

IN the Red: UNH has scored on 5 of 6 trips inside the Red Zone this season with four touchdowns and one field goal. Last week at Colgate, the Wildcats converted 4 of 5 possessions into points with three TDs (two rush, one pass) and a field goal. The only pointless possession was on a missed 24-yard FG attempt.

In comparison, the opponents have scored on 5 of 9 trips inside the 20. Colgate was just 1 of 4 as the Wildcats forced the Raiders to lose the ball on downs three times.

Sack Exchange: UNH's defense recorded three sacks each of the first two games of the 2015 season. 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.

Valuing Possession: Neither team committed a turnover in the season opener at San Jose State, then in the game at Colgate both teams turned the ball over once.

'Cats Claw Colgate: No. 12/15 UNH scored a pair of touchdowns late in the second quarter to build a 20-0 lead en route to a 26-8 victory against Colgate University at Andy Kerr Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12.

The Wildcats recorded 218 rushing yards and 193 passing yards for 411 total yards of offense. The Raiders finished with 336 total yards (141 rush, 195 pass).

Sean Goldrich threw his first –and only – TD pass of the season with a 12-yard strike to Jared Allison at 1:13 of the second quarter. It marked Allison's first receiving touchdown since the 2013 season (Oct. 19 vs. Villanova; 24 games between TD receptions).

Career Highs vs. the Raiders: Dalton Crossan led UNH's balanced offense at Colgate with a career-high 96 rushing yards on a personal-best 21 carries; he established his previous high of nine carries in the season opener at San Jose State.

Trevon Bryant also recorded career highs in both carries (10) and rushing yards (70) with a career-long 28-yard rush.

Aaron Lewis-Cenales finished with four catches for 58 yards, both career highs.

Jullian Turner recorded career highs in both assisted (four) and total tackles (six).

Mike Boryeskne finished with a line of 2-3-5 tackles for the second consecutive week.

Cyrus Boone made four stops (1-3-4) in his second career game.

Kyle Reisert recorded his first career tackle and ended the game with 1-1-2.

Neil O'Connor recorded his first career catch – for two yards.

Milestone Made in Hamilton: Sean Goldrich attempted 23 passes at Colgate to increase his career total to 784 and climb to No. 5 on UNH's all-time leaderboard. He supplanted Mike Granieri, who finished with 764 pass attempts.

West Coast Recap: The No. 9/7 UNH football team was defeated 43-13 by FBS opponent San Jose State University at Spartan Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 3.

SJSU scored a touchdown on three of its first four possessions and held UNH to a pair of three-and-outs in the first quarter to build a 20-0 lead, and the home team took a 26-7 lead into halftime with a 464-50 advantage in total yards, 22-2 disparity in first downs and 22:19 in time of possession.

Dalton Crossan compiled 163 all-purpose yards (47 rush, 14 catch, 102 kickoff return) and that included a 26-yard TD run. Trevon Bryant had seven carries for 30 yards, including his first career TD on a four-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Jordan Powell was the top Wildcat in receiving yards with 33 on three catches.

Sean Goldrich completed 10 of 22 passes for 60 yards.

Three 'Cats recorded double-digit tackles. Daniel Rowe led the way with a career-high 13 stops followed by Casey DeAndrade (11) and Dougie Moss (10), both of whom also finished with career highs. Rowe also forced a fumble and blocked a PAT kick.

New Hampshire Selected Third In CAA Preseason Poll: UNH, defending CAA champions by virtue of last year's 8-0 unblemished conference record, received five of a possible 24 first-place votes and was selected third overall in the 2015 CAA Football Preseason Poll that was released July 28. Here is the complete poll:

School (First-Place Votes)

1. Villanova (14)

2. James Madison (5)

3. New Hampshire (5)

4. William & Mary

5. Richmond

6. Delaware

7. Maine

8. Stony Brook

9. Towson

10. Albany

11. Rhode Island

12. Elon

Preseason Accolades: Junior defensive back Casey DeAndrade receive a total of six preseason awards, including STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. He was also named to the STATS FCS Preseason All-America First Team, College Sporting News Fabulous 50 All-America Team, College Sports Madness All-America Second Team, CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team and College Sports Madness All-CAA First Team.

Senior linebacker Akil Anderson was tabbed to four preseason teams – the STATS FCS All-America Third Team, USA College Football All-America Second Team, CAA All-Conference Team and College Sports Madness All-CAA Second Team.

Senior quarterback Sean Goldrich was named to the CFPA National Performer of the Year Watch List as well as the USA College Football All-America First Team and College Sports Madness All-CAA Third Team.

Junior OL Tad McNeely also received three preseason accolades – USA College Football All-America Second Team, CAA Football All-Conference Team and College Sports Madness All-CAA Second Team.

Junior OL Alexander Morrill was selected to the College Sports Madness All-CAA Second Team.

Senior WR Jared Allison was voted to the College Sports Madness All-CAA Third Team.

Blue-White Game recap: Junior quarterback Adam Riese completed 12 of 17 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown (one of three scoring drives he engineered), but classmate Chris McCormick was declared the backup to starter Sean Goldrich following the conclusion of the Blue-White Game on Aug. 24. McCormick completed 3 of 8 passes for nine yards. Goldrich, in limited time, was 7-for-14 for 70 yards and orchestrated two scoring drives – 8-play, 65-yards capped by his two-yard TD run and 9-plays, 36-yards with a 31-yard Morgan Ellman field goal.

Junior running back Dalton Crossan led the ground game with 25 rushing yards on four carries. Sophomore Trevon Bryant had a game-high eight carries for 24 yards and had a pair of one-yard rushing TDs.

A total of 15 Wildcats caught a pass in the intrasquad scrimmage. Redshirt freshman Matt Torrey had a game-high 49 receiving yards on two catches while sophomore Aaron Lewis-Cenales led the way with four catches (for 46 yards) and the one-yard TD reception from Riese.

Freshman DB Matt Sherlock and senior DB Horace Chalstrom tied with a team-high five tackles. Josh Kania, another freshman, was one of six 'Cats with four tackles, and he recorded three of the defense's five sacks.

A Lot To Lose: On offense, UNH lost its top three rushers that accounted for 297 of the team's 509 carries, 1,524 of the 2,373 yards and 28 of 39 TDs. No longer on the roster are running back Jimmy Owens (102 rushes, 638 yards), RB Nico Steriti (136-554) and quarterback Andy Vailas (59-332), who played in all 14 games with five starts; he completed 104 of 153 passes for 1,149 yards and 10 TDs. Steriti led the team with 14 rushing TDs and Owens added eight.

The Wildcats also lost 4 of 5 leading receivers, including the top two, who combined for 218 of the team's 308 catches, 2,985 of 3,766 yards, and 26 of 28 TDs). The top receivers slot to graduation are R.J. Harris (100 catches, 1,551 yards, 15 TDs), Harold Spears (56-848, four TDs), Steriti (32-232) and Jimmy Giansante (30-364).

On the defensive side of the ball, the 'Cats lost its second-leading tackler in linebacker Shane McNeely (42-33-75) as well as their top two tacklers among linemen in Cody Muller (21-23-44) and Matt Kaplan (29-12-41). The four defensive linemen lost to graduation accounted for 26 of the team's 39 sacks; Muller and Kaplan ranked 1-2 in that stat with 10 and 6, respectively. Classmates Brian Ciccone and Robbie Zauck were the next two sacks leaders with respective numbers of 5.5 and 4.5.

NATION-LEADING 11 STRAIGHT FCS Postseasons: UNH has qualified for the NCAA FCS Championship tournament 11 consecutive years, the longest active streak in the nation; the next longest active streak of five is held by North Dakota State.

The Wildcats compiled an 11-11 postseason record spanning the 2004-14 seasons. It all began in 2004 with a first round upset (27-24 win) at Georgia Southern.

New Hampshire has a 12-16 lifetime record in the postseason and that includes 11-13 in the I-AA/FCS tourney.

Here is a breakdown of UNH's all-time postseason record (home games in bold), beginning with its lone bowl appearance in 1947 at the Glass Bowl:

Year Game Opponent Result

1947 Glass Bowl Toledo L, 14-20

1975 D-II Quarterfinals Lehigh W, 35-21

1975 D-II Semifinals W. Kentucky L, 3-14

1976 D-II Quarterfinals Montana State L, 16-17

1991 I-AA First Round Samford L, 13-29

1994 I-AA First Round App. State L,10-17(OT)

2004 I-AA First Round Ga. Southern W, 27-23

2004 I-AA Quarterfinals Montana L, 17-47

2005 I-AA First Round Colgate W, 55-21

2005 I-AA Quarterfinals Northern Iowa L, 21-24

2006 FCS First Round Hampton W, 41-38