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University of New Hampshire Athletics
O'Connor Named STATS FCS Walter Payton Award Finalist
11/20/2017 4:10:00 PM | Football
DURHAM, N.H. – Neil O'Connor (Leominster, Mass.), a junior wide receiver on the No. 21/20 University of New Hampshire football team, was named a finalist for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the FCS offensive player of the year, on Tuesday.
O'Connor helped lead the Wildcats to a 14th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division I FCS Championship, which is the longest active streak in the nation. UNH will play host to Central Connecticut State University in the opening round Nov. 25 (2 p.m.) at Wildcat Stadium. Buy tickets online at www.unhwildcats.com, by calling (603) 862-4000 or in-person at the Whittemore Center box office.
His 2017 accolades include New England Football Writers Gold Helmet award twice – Oct. 4 and Sept. 13.
O'Connor – 1 of 25 finalists for the award – is UNH's leader in receptions (87), receiving yards (1,291), receiving touchdowns (10) and all-purpose yards (1,405); he has also completed all three pass attempts for 95 yards and a TD.
With those numbers, O'Connor ranks in the top 15 in the nation in five statistics – No. 3 in receiving yards, No. 4 in receiving yards per game (117.4), No. 5 in receptions per game (7.9), No. 13 in receiving TDs and No. 15 in all-purpose yards per game (127.73).
O'Connor is atop the CAA leaderboard in both receiving yards/game and receptions/game; he ranks second in all-purpose yards/game and fourth in scoring (5.5 points/game).
On UNH's list of single-season superlatives, O'Connor is No. 3 in receptions and No. 4 in receiving yards. On the career lists, he is No. 9 in receiving yards (2,198).
O'Connor has recorded more than 10 catches in a game three times and has eclipsed 150 receiving yards four times in 11 games this season. He caught 11 passes for a career-high 232 yards – the program's second-highest single-game total – and one touchdown against the University of Rhode Island. One week later, O'Connor had 154 yards and a personal-best three TDs on seven catches vs. Bryant University. And one week after that, he finished with a career-high 13 catches for 182 yards at Stony Brook University.
O'Connor helped lead the Wildcats to a 14th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division I FCS Championship, which is the longest active streak in the nation. UNH will play host to Central Connecticut State University in the opening round Nov. 25 (2 p.m.) at Wildcat Stadium. Buy tickets online at www.unhwildcats.com, by calling (603) 862-4000 or in-person at the Whittemore Center box office.
His 2017 accolades include New England Football Writers Gold Helmet award twice – Oct. 4 and Sept. 13.
O'Connor – 1 of 25 finalists for the award – is UNH's leader in receptions (87), receiving yards (1,291), receiving touchdowns (10) and all-purpose yards (1,405); he has also completed all three pass attempts for 95 yards and a TD.
With those numbers, O'Connor ranks in the top 15 in the nation in five statistics – No. 3 in receiving yards, No. 4 in receiving yards per game (117.4), No. 5 in receptions per game (7.9), No. 13 in receiving TDs and No. 15 in all-purpose yards per game (127.73).
O'Connor is atop the CAA leaderboard in both receiving yards/game and receptions/game; he ranks second in all-purpose yards/game and fourth in scoring (5.5 points/game).
On UNH's list of single-season superlatives, O'Connor is No. 3 in receptions and No. 4 in receiving yards. On the career lists, he is No. 9 in receiving yards (2,198).
O'Connor has recorded more than 10 catches in a game three times and has eclipsed 150 receiving yards four times in 11 games this season. He caught 11 passes for a career-high 232 yards – the program's second-highest single-game total – and one touchdown against the University of Rhode Island. One week later, O'Connor had 154 yards and a personal-best three TDs on seven catches vs. Bryant University. And one week after that, he finished with a career-high 13 catches for 182 yards at Stony Brook University.
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