University of New Hampshire Athletics
Let the tailgating begin: Football 'Cats face Elon for Homecoming at 3:30 Saturday in Wildcat Stadium.
10/3/2019 7:07:00 PM | Football, UNH Insider
'Cats Seek 3rd Straight Victory vs. Elon Saturday at 3:30
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire football team aims to complete a sweep of its three-game homestand and give itself a boost heading into a challenging stretch of tests ahead when it faces Colonial Athletic Association foe Elon University on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Wildcat Stadium.
That it's Homecoming Weekend in Durham just adds to the fun.
The Wildcats are all even with a 2-2 record and are 1-0 in the CAA and have nothing but league games remaining.
"Obviously the CAA is really tough, we know that and we have a gauntlet after this week of some really tough road games," said interim head coach Ricky Santos. "All we can do right now is focus on the present. That's defending our home turf."
All-you-can-eat barbecue seating in the Touchdown Tents just outside the south end zone of Wildcat Stadium is available for Homecoming and all home games by CLICKING HERE and by calling 603-862-4000.
There is a limited number of prime tailgating parking spots available for Homecoming as well and passes may be purchased at the Whittemore Center Box Office.
The football game is one of several featured athletic events on campus on a long and busy Homecoming Weekend.
The weekend kicked off with a women's hockey game Thursday afternoon against St. Lawrence. The Wildcats and Saints close out the two-game series Friday at noon at the Whittemore Center.
The field hockey team opens America East play with a game against Monmouth Friday at 4 p.m. on Memorial Field.
The men's soccer team, unbeaten and ranked No. 15 in the country, takes its 7-0-2 overall record and 1-0 mark in America East into a game against Stony Brook in Wildcat Stadium on Friday night at 7.
The men's hockey team closes things out Sunday at 5 p.m. with an exhibition game against Guelph at the Whittemore Center, followed by an autograph session with the players.
It's the only chance to catch the Wildcats at home this month. They open the season at Miami of Ohio with games on Oct. 11 and 12 and play their first five games on the road.
The 'Cats begin their home schedule with games against Boston College on Friday, Nov. 1 and Dartmouth College the next night. Both games are at 7 p.m.
After losing its first two games at Holy Cross and Florida International, UNH has collected wins over Rhode Island and Duquesne at home and is looking to make it three straight.
"It's always great to have Homecoming because we feel like this is such a special program where people come here and they've had a great experience," Santos said. "Obviously winning helps in the experience, being successful. With all the guys coming back and showing their support for the team, I think it's always good if we can put on a good show and ultimately win for everybody coming back, which would be nice.
Elon is 2-3 and received votes in the STATS Top 25 FCS poll this week after being ranked most of the season. The Phoenix lost at home to No. 2 James Madison, 45-10, last Saturday.
Manchester native Tony Trisciani, who did two stints as a Wildcat assistant coach, is in his first season as Elon's head coach. In his second run with UNH, Trisciani helped recruit Santos out of Bellingham, Mass. to Durham.
The Wildcats hope to add to their impressive home numbers Saturday.
Since 2008, they have a 57-10 record at home (.851 winning percentage), including a 38-7 (.844) mark against league teams.
They had won nine straight Homecoming game before falling to Stony Brook last season and they are 15-5 at Wildcat Stadium since it opened for the 2016 season.
An impressive performance by the defense led to last week's 23-6 win over Duquesne. Only a last-minute touchdown kept the unit from its first shutout of the season.
Not only did the Wildcats allow Duquesne only 10 total yards of offense in the first half and 50 yards rushing and 233 yards total for the game, but the defense came away with interceptions by senior cornerback Prince Smith, Jr. and sophomore safety Pop Bush.
What's more, the defense had a season-high five quarterback sacks. They group had four for the season going into the game.
"I felt we were pressuring the quarterback a lot better, causing the passes to be broken up or not going where the quarterback wanted," said senior defensive end Josh Kania. "We were doing a lot of power rushes, too, so even though we weren't getting there every play, we were causing him to not be able to step up in this throws."
Kania had a half a sack in the game and senior defensive end Brian Carter had a pair of them.
The Wildcats will be out for a little payback against the Phoenix. Elon was ranked No. 11 when the teams met last year. UNH was struggling and fell to 0-4 on the season with a 30-9 loss on Sept. 29 in North Carolina.
The Phoenix had 193 yards rushing in that game and 451 total yards of offense. UNH had 218 yards of offense, including 44 yards rushing, in last year's game.
So far this year, UNH is averaging 192.5 yards rushing a game and 395.8 total yards.
True freshman quarterback Max Brosmer and a balanced offense are coming along.
"Being inexperienced at the quarterback and receiver position, those are the two focal points right now," Santos said. "We've got to continue to grow. We've got to make plays down the field. We've got to not just be a team that's one dimensional. We know we can run the football. We know we can lean on three really good backs and some tough physical guys up front, but can we take the next step now and win the game through the air and get the ball in the end zone?"
The Wildcats scored once in three trips into the red zone against Duquesne last week and are last in the league in red zone offense.
"A lot of stuff's been self-inflicted," Santos said. "We've jumped offsides. A false start penalty last week. We've had some drops. I think we're doing the right things. I think it's just them getting more and more comfortable and getting some game reps under their belts, some more experience and they can understand they can take a deep breath when it's time to get down there and finish those drives off."
On the plus side, on their eight touchdowns this season – four by pass and four by rush – the Wildcats avoided the red zone altogether on three. Redshirt freshman running back Dylan Laube scored on an 86-yard pass play from Brosmer against FIU, senior Malik Love on a 78-yarder from Bromser against Rhode Island and senior running back Evan Gray on a 72-yard run against Duquesne.
In addition, Jason Hughes kicked a career-best three field goals, including a career-long 45-yarder against Duquesne. He's the first UNH kicker with three in a game since Mike MacArthur had three against Albany on Nov. 16, 2013.
HOME AGAIN
WILDCAT NOTES
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
That it's Homecoming Weekend in Durham just adds to the fun.
The Wildcats are all even with a 2-2 record and are 1-0 in the CAA and have nothing but league games remaining.
"Obviously the CAA is really tough, we know that and we have a gauntlet after this week of some really tough road games," said interim head coach Ricky Santos. "All we can do right now is focus on the present. That's defending our home turf."
All-you-can-eat barbecue seating in the Touchdown Tents just outside the south end zone of Wildcat Stadium is available for Homecoming and all home games by CLICKING HERE and by calling 603-862-4000.
There is a limited number of prime tailgating parking spots available for Homecoming as well and passes may be purchased at the Whittemore Center Box Office.
The football game is one of several featured athletic events on campus on a long and busy Homecoming Weekend.
The weekend kicked off with a women's hockey game Thursday afternoon against St. Lawrence. The Wildcats and Saints close out the two-game series Friday at noon at the Whittemore Center.
The field hockey team opens America East play with a game against Monmouth Friday at 4 p.m. on Memorial Field.
The men's soccer team, unbeaten and ranked No. 15 in the country, takes its 7-0-2 overall record and 1-0 mark in America East into a game against Stony Brook in Wildcat Stadium on Friday night at 7.
The men's hockey team closes things out Sunday at 5 p.m. with an exhibition game against Guelph at the Whittemore Center, followed by an autograph session with the players.
It's the only chance to catch the Wildcats at home this month. They open the season at Miami of Ohio with games on Oct. 11 and 12 and play their first five games on the road.
The 'Cats begin their home schedule with games against Boston College on Friday, Nov. 1 and Dartmouth College the next night. Both games are at 7 p.m.
After losing its first two games at Holy Cross and Florida International, UNH has collected wins over Rhode Island and Duquesne at home and is looking to make it three straight.
"It's always great to have Homecoming because we feel like this is such a special program where people come here and they've had a great experience," Santos said. "Obviously winning helps in the experience, being successful. With all the guys coming back and showing their support for the team, I think it's always good if we can put on a good show and ultimately win for everybody coming back, which would be nice.
Elon is 2-3 and received votes in the STATS Top 25 FCS poll this week after being ranked most of the season. The Phoenix lost at home to No. 2 James Madison, 45-10, last Saturday.
Manchester native Tony Trisciani, who did two stints as a Wildcat assistant coach, is in his first season as Elon's head coach. In his second run with UNH, Trisciani helped recruit Santos out of Bellingham, Mass. to Durham.
The Wildcats hope to add to their impressive home numbers Saturday.
Since 2008, they have a 57-10 record at home (.851 winning percentage), including a 38-7 (.844) mark against league teams.
They had won nine straight Homecoming game before falling to Stony Brook last season and they are 15-5 at Wildcat Stadium since it opened for the 2016 season.
An impressive performance by the defense led to last week's 23-6 win over Duquesne. Only a last-minute touchdown kept the unit from its first shutout of the season.
Not only did the Wildcats allow Duquesne only 10 total yards of offense in the first half and 50 yards rushing and 233 yards total for the game, but the defense came away with interceptions by senior cornerback Prince Smith, Jr. and sophomore safety Pop Bush.
What's more, the defense had a season-high five quarterback sacks. They group had four for the season going into the game.
"I felt we were pressuring the quarterback a lot better, causing the passes to be broken up or not going where the quarterback wanted," said senior defensive end Josh Kania. "We were doing a lot of power rushes, too, so even though we weren't getting there every play, we were causing him to not be able to step up in this throws."
Kania had a half a sack in the game and senior defensive end Brian Carter had a pair of them.
The Wildcats will be out for a little payback against the Phoenix. Elon was ranked No. 11 when the teams met last year. UNH was struggling and fell to 0-4 on the season with a 30-9 loss on Sept. 29 in North Carolina.
The Phoenix had 193 yards rushing in that game and 451 total yards of offense. UNH had 218 yards of offense, including 44 yards rushing, in last year's game.
So far this year, UNH is averaging 192.5 yards rushing a game and 395.8 total yards.
True freshman quarterback Max Brosmer and a balanced offense are coming along.
"Being inexperienced at the quarterback and receiver position, those are the two focal points right now," Santos said. "We've got to continue to grow. We've got to make plays down the field. We've got to not just be a team that's one dimensional. We know we can run the football. We know we can lean on three really good backs and some tough physical guys up front, but can we take the next step now and win the game through the air and get the ball in the end zone?"
The Wildcats scored once in three trips into the red zone against Duquesne last week and are last in the league in red zone offense.
"A lot of stuff's been self-inflicted," Santos said. "We've jumped offsides. A false start penalty last week. We've had some drops. I think we're doing the right things. I think it's just them getting more and more comfortable and getting some game reps under their belts, some more experience and they can understand they can take a deep breath when it's time to get down there and finish those drives off."
On the plus side, on their eight touchdowns this season – four by pass and four by rush – the Wildcats avoided the red zone altogether on three. Redshirt freshman running back Dylan Laube scored on an 86-yard pass play from Brosmer against FIU, senior Malik Love on a 78-yarder from Bromser against Rhode Island and senior running back Evan Gray on a 72-yard run against Duquesne.
In addition, Jason Hughes kicked a career-best three field goals, including a career-long 45-yarder against Duquesne. He's the first UNH kicker with three in a game since Mike MacArthur had three against Albany on Nov. 16, 2013.
HOME AGAIN
- Group tickets, including the all-you-can-eat barbecue end zone seating in the Touchdown Tents, and individual game tickets for UNH's home games are available by calling 603-862-4000 or by CLICKING HERE.
- Group tickets start at $9.
- Halftime at Homecoming is presented by Dr. Pepper and features two students competing for $7,500 in tuition payments.
- Fans are encouraged to wear pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
- UNH has two regular season home games remaining after Homecoming.
- The Wildcats face Villanova for STEM Day on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m.
- They meet Maine on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. for Senior Day in the battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket.
WILDCAT NOTES
- After Homecoming, UNH plays four of its next five games on the road.
- Five of the last six games are against teams that this week are ranked in the Top 25.
- The Wildcats play at No. 24 Stony Brook on Oct. 12 and at No. 19 Delaware on Oct. 19.
- Junior Davis Cheeks has completed 71 of 130 pass attempts (54.6 percent) for Elon for nine touchdowns with one interception.
- The Phoenix have turned the ball over only twice, which is fifth best in the nation.
- They average 23 points, 110.4 yards rushing and 188.8 yards passing for 299.2 total yards per game.
- Kortez Weeks has 17 catches for 219 yards and three TDs.
- Avery Jones has 14 catches for 231 yards and also has three scores.
- Sophomore Brian Espanet leads UNH with a pair of touchdown catches.
- Love leads receivers with 18 catches for 235 yards and a score.
- Four different players – Gray, Brosmer, Carlos Washington, Jr. and Laube - have the UNH rushing TDs.
- Gray has 30 carries for 321 yards, an average of 10.7 per carry.
- Bush and Smith are tied for the team lead in tackles with 29 each and senior linebacker Cameron Brusko is close behind with 27.
- Santos was named interim head coach on Aug. 26 when it was announced that Sean McDonnell was taking a leave of absence to deal with health issues.
- Santos was the quarterbacks coach at Columbia the last three seasons.
- A former UNH assistant coach, he rejoined the Wildcats last winter as associate head coach and quarterbacks coach.
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
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