BOULDER, Colo. – Pop Lacey (Reading, Pa.) recorded game-high 10 tackles and scored on a pick-6, but the University of New Hampshire football team was defeated 45-14 by FBS representative University of Colorado on Saturday afternoon at Folsom Field.
Lacey scored UNH's first points of the game on a 15-yard interception return in the third quarter. It was one of two turnovers forced by the Wildcats' defense. Evan Horn(Lebanon, Pa.), who tied with four other 'Cats for second on the team with five tackles, had an intercetpion late in the second quarter.
Brian Carter(Port St. Lucie, Fla.) finished with three tackles, two of which were sacks, as well as a forced fumble and pass breakup.
Christian Lupoli (East Haven, Conn.) completed 13 of 31 passes for 160 yards, including a 71-yard TD pass to Neil O'Connor(Leominster, Mass.). O'Connor finished with five catches for 98 yards, both of which were team highs.
CU quarterback Steven Montez was 14-for-19 for 166 yards and a TD. Laviska Shenault had five catches for 67 yards and a score. Tony Brown (5-80) and KD Nixon (6-30) were the other top targets. Travon McMillian had 16 carries for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Beau Bisharat carried the ball 13 times for 92 yards.
UNH is now 0-3 while Colorado remains unbeaten at 3-0.
NEXT GAME
UNH has an open week before returning to action Sept. 29 (1:30 p.m.) at Elon University.
NEXT HOME GAME
* New Hampshire's next home game is Oct. 6 (12 p.m.) against College of the Holy Cross for STEM Day. The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Boston.
* Purchase tickets for any remaining home game online HERE, by calling (603) 862-4000 or at the Whittemore Center box office.
1st QUARTER
* Colorado capitalized on an interception by Rick Gamboa that gave the Buffs possession on the UNH 28. Three plays later, Montez connected with Shenault on a 28-yard pass play and James Stefanou's PAT kick made it 7-0 at 10:06.
* On the ensuing Buffs' drive, Prince Smith, Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa.) intercepted Montez's pass at the CU 48, but the turnover was negated by an offsides call against the UNH defense. The Wildcats surrendered one more first down, but then forced the home team to punt.
* New Hampshire was held to a 3-and-out on its next possession, but UNH's defense did the same to CU as Carter strip-sacked Montez for a nine-yard loss on 3rd-and-6.
* Colorado led 7-0 at the end of the quarter with a 63-34 edge in total offense. •Wildcat defensive end Brian Carter (Port St. Lucie, Fla./No. 99) had a monstrous first quarter with two sacks and a forced fumble. 2nd QUARTER
* CU marched 55 yards on eight plays to take a 14-0 lead at 10:45 The drive started with a 20-yard run by Travon McMillian and ended when he took a direct snap in shotgun formation on 1st-and-goal from the UNH 1 and dove into the end zone.
* UNH put together an impressive drive that started at its own 25 yard line at 10:45. After a defensive personal foul advanced the ball to the CU 42, Lupoli escaped pressure in the backfield for an 11-yard gain. On 4th-and-7 from the CU 28, Lupoli's 10-yard run extended the drive. The Wildcats moved backwards, however, and a 42-yard field goal attempt by Jason Hughes (Atkinson ,N.H.) had plenty of leg but ricocheted off the right upright to keep the score 14-0 at 5:56. The drive was 11 plays, 50 yards and consumed 4:49.
* Colorado immediately extended the advantage to 21-0 on a 6-play, 75-yard drive highlighted by a 53-yard pass play. On 2nd-and-goal from the UNH 6, Kyle Evans won the race to the left pylon for the TD at 3:57.
* On UNH's ensuing possession, Lupoli went into a throwing motion and attempted to bring the ball down, but it came out of his hand, was ruled a fumble and returned 14 yards for a TD by Davion Taylor and a 28-0 lead at 2:36 -- just 81 seconds after Evans' rushing score.
* The Wildcats then quickly advanced the ball to the CU 42, but the drive stalled on 4th-and-4 when the combination of Lupoli and O'Connor could not connect on an underneath crossing pattern.
* The Buffaloes, with 1st-and-10 at the UNH 12, called timeout with 17 seconds remaining in the quarter. Rick Ellison (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) broke up a pass on second down, and then Horn beat the receiver to the front-left pylon to record an interception in the end zone with four seconds on the clock.
* CU outgained New Hampshire 234-75 in the first half.
3rd QUARTER
* The Buffaloes received the opening kickoff and scored on the first play from scrimmage, a 75-yard run by McMillian down the left sideline. It gave the Buffs a 35-0 lead at 14:48, and it marked the first 70+ run from scrimmage allowed by UNH since Oct. 24, 2015.
* The Wildcats' defense directly converted its second interception of the game into six points when Lacey intercepted Sam Noyer's pass at the CU 15 and ran into the end zone untouched at 6:56. Mitch McPike (Birmingham, England) kicked the ensuing PAT to make it 35-7.
* CU's James Stefanou kicked a 19-yard field goal at 3:27 to end a 9-play, 73-yard drive and gave the home team a 38-7 lead.
* UNH had a quick reply, however, as Lupoli completed an 11-yard pass to Evan Gray (Centreville, Va.) out of the backfield, and then connected on a 71-yard TD pass to O'Connor to trim the deficit to 38-14 with 2:38 on the clock.
4th QUARTER
* CU extended the lead to 45-14 on a 15-yard TD run by Alex Fontenot at 4:24. The scoring drive was 9 plays, 43 yards.
The final total offensive yards was 491-270.
'CAT NIPS
• Drew Sanborn (Amherst, N.H.) punted six times for an average of 49.7 yards. He recorded a career long of 60 in the third quarter and also booted a 59-yarder. Sanborn pinned CU inside the 20 four times.
* This marked the second consecutive week Horn thwarted an opponent's drive in the red zone with an INT in the end zone.
* Lacey's pick-6 was the second of his career. He had a 44-yard INT return for a score Nov. 19, 2016 at Maine.
* UNH's defense had a pick-6 in last year's NCAA second round win at Central Arkansas -- 56 yards by Horn.
* It was the first TD reception of the season and 17th career for O'Connor.
* Sean Coyne (Portsmouth, R.I.) was UNH's top rusher with three carries for 21 yards.
Drew Sanborn recorded a career-high punt of 60 yards in the third quarter at the University of Colorado)
OFFICIAL UNH GEAR:
Check out UNHShop.com for the latest in official UNH Wildcats' merchandise.
.png&type=webp)
