University of New Hampshire Athletics
Elijah Lewis (55) and his defensive linemates will be out to slow the Great Danes on Saturday. (Helene Bartsch photo)
11/15/2019 4:03:00 PM | Football, UNH Insider
'Cats Take on Great Danes Saturday, Return Home to Face Maine on Nov. 23
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire football team closes out the regular season with an always-huge game against bitter rival Maine a week from Saturday on Nov. 23 in Wildcat Stadium.
Just how much more important the game will be than usual – and what additional ramifications it may carry – hinges in large part on how things turn out this Saturday afternoon in upstate New York.
The Wildcats, coming off a tough loss at No. 2 James Madison last weekend, take a 5-4 overall record and 4-2 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association into Saturday's 1 p.m. game against UAlbany in Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. The Great Danes are 6-4 overall and also 4-2 in the league.
"We can't dwell (on JMU)," said junior defensive tackle Elijah Lewis. "We have two games left and we can still make the playoffs."
That's the bottom line. For both teams.
If the Wildcats can knock off the Great Danes this weekend, the ante gets upped in a major way for next week's finale against Maine.
Not only would UNH and Maine be vying for the Brice-Cowell Musket and Border Battle bragging rights on the team's Senior Day, at least UNH would be playing for a spot in the Division I FCS tournament. If Maine picks up a win over Rhode Island this Saturday, the Black Bears will need a victory in the finale to make the playoffs, too.
Group tickets, with an option featuring all-you-can-eat barbecue seating in the Touchdown Tents adjacent to the south end zone, and individual tickets are available for the Maine game by CLICKING HERE or by calling 603-862-4000. Group tickets start at $9. All UNH Border Battles against Maine this season are being presented by Buffalo Wild Wings.
For the moment, Albany, featuring one of the most explosive quarterbacks and offenses in the CAA and country, is all that matters. Just like New Hampshire and Maine, Albany hopes to win its final two games and make the playoffs.
UNH faced Albany quarter Jeff Undercuffler, 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, last year and he's still only a redshirt freshman. Because of a new NCAA rule instituted for last season, he was able to play in four games that year and still retain the year of eligibility.
Undercuffler played the whole game last year in Durham and passed for a TD, but the Wildcats won, 24-10. Safety Evan Horn intercepted one of Undercuffler's passes in Albany's end zone for UNH's final score of the game to seal the victory.
Last season, Undercuffler passed for four TDs and had five passes intercepted in his four games.
This year, he's passed for a school-record 31 touchdowns, the best total in all of the FCS, and has thrown seven picks.
"He's definitely better," Lewis said. "If we give him time, he's going to make his plays, for sure. We've got to be in his face at all times."
Senior receiver Juwan Green has 1,306 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, which is best in the league.
"The quarterback's smart," Santos said. "He gets the ball out of his hand. He has a very quick release. He has a couple of dynamic playmakers on the perimeter who can go get it. I think in the last four games they've taken like 40 shots over 15 yards down the field. It's a good challenge for us."
On the ground, UAlbany has an attack led by junior Karl Mofor who leads the CAA in rushing yards at 92.1 yards a game.
On defense, senior Eli Mencer is disruptive from his end spot and leads the league in tackles for loss with 18.5 and is second in sacks with 10.5.
UNH had a successful first quarter against James Madison, but struggled after that and fell, 54-16.
"For us, getting humbled like that is not necessarily a bad thing, if you can learn from some of the mistakes," said Santos, who was happy with how the team responded at practice.
One key Saturday will be whether freshman quarterback Max Brosmer and the offense can stay on track and move the ball on first and second downs and stay out of third and long situations as much as possible.
The Wildcats put the JMU game in the past quickly.
"We have two more games left, we've still got the playoff hopes, let's run with that," said senior running back and captain Evan Gray. "Let's stick with that. That's what I want to do. That's what I want to give back to this program. Get back to what we're doing. That's what I want to leave."
Bring on the Great Danes.
"Good, bad or indifferent, you can't let one game define your season," Santos said. "We're not going to allow that to happen. Even when we won four games in a row we wanted the guys to know it still wasn't good enough. We had to get better. You lose one game in a row, that's it. It's only one. We've still got some really good football ahead of us."
HOME AGAIN
WILDCAT NOTES
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
Just how much more important the game will be than usual – and what additional ramifications it may carry – hinges in large part on how things turn out this Saturday afternoon in upstate New York.
The Wildcats, coming off a tough loss at No. 2 James Madison last weekend, take a 5-4 overall record and 4-2 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association into Saturday's 1 p.m. game against UAlbany in Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. The Great Danes are 6-4 overall and also 4-2 in the league.
"We can't dwell (on JMU)," said junior defensive tackle Elijah Lewis. "We have two games left and we can still make the playoffs."
That's the bottom line. For both teams.
If the Wildcats can knock off the Great Danes this weekend, the ante gets upped in a major way for next week's finale against Maine.
Not only would UNH and Maine be vying for the Brice-Cowell Musket and Border Battle bragging rights on the team's Senior Day, at least UNH would be playing for a spot in the Division I FCS tournament. If Maine picks up a win over Rhode Island this Saturday, the Black Bears will need a victory in the finale to make the playoffs, too.
Group tickets, with an option featuring all-you-can-eat barbecue seating in the Touchdown Tents adjacent to the south end zone, and individual tickets are available for the Maine game by CLICKING HERE or by calling 603-862-4000. Group tickets start at $9. All UNH Border Battles against Maine this season are being presented by Buffalo Wild Wings.
For the moment, Albany, featuring one of the most explosive quarterbacks and offenses in the CAA and country, is all that matters. Just like New Hampshire and Maine, Albany hopes to win its final two games and make the playoffs.
UNH faced Albany quarter Jeff Undercuffler, 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, last year and he's still only a redshirt freshman. Because of a new NCAA rule instituted for last season, he was able to play in four games that year and still retain the year of eligibility.
Undercuffler played the whole game last year in Durham and passed for a TD, but the Wildcats won, 24-10. Safety Evan Horn intercepted one of Undercuffler's passes in Albany's end zone for UNH's final score of the game to seal the victory.
Last season, Undercuffler passed for four TDs and had five passes intercepted in his four games.
This year, he's passed for a school-record 31 touchdowns, the best total in all of the FCS, and has thrown seven picks.
"He's definitely better," Lewis said. "If we give him time, he's going to make his plays, for sure. We've got to be in his face at all times."
Senior receiver Juwan Green has 1,306 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, which is best in the league.
"The quarterback's smart," Santos said. "He gets the ball out of his hand. He has a very quick release. He has a couple of dynamic playmakers on the perimeter who can go get it. I think in the last four games they've taken like 40 shots over 15 yards down the field. It's a good challenge for us."
On the ground, UAlbany has an attack led by junior Karl Mofor who leads the CAA in rushing yards at 92.1 yards a game.
On defense, senior Eli Mencer is disruptive from his end spot and leads the league in tackles for loss with 18.5 and is second in sacks with 10.5.
UNH had a successful first quarter against James Madison, but struggled after that and fell, 54-16.
"For us, getting humbled like that is not necessarily a bad thing, if you can learn from some of the mistakes," said Santos, who was happy with how the team responded at practice.
One key Saturday will be whether freshman quarterback Max Brosmer and the offense can stay on track and move the ball on first and second downs and stay out of third and long situations as much as possible.
The Wildcats put the JMU game in the past quickly.
"We have two more games left, we've still got the playoff hopes, let's run with that," said senior running back and captain Evan Gray. "Let's stick with that. That's what I want to do. That's what I want to give back to this program. Get back to what we're doing. That's what I want to leave."
Bring on the Great Danes.
"Good, bad or indifferent, you can't let one game define your season," Santos said. "We're not going to allow that to happen. Even when we won four games in a row we wanted the guys to know it still wasn't good enough. We had to get better. You lose one game in a row, that's it. It's only one. We've still got some really good football ahead of us."
HOME AGAIN
- UNH plays its final game of the regular season at home against Maine in the Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m.
- It's also Senior Day for the Wildcats.
- There will be a Service Credit Union scarf giveaway to the first 1,000 fans.
- Group tickets, including all-you-can-eat barbecue end zone seating in the Touchdown Tents, and individual tickets are available by calling 603-862-4000 or at www.unhwildcats.com.
- Group tickets start at $9.
- The Maine-UNH Border Battle games this year are presented by Buffalo Wild Wings.
- Buffalo Wild Wings steps up to make sure Wildcat fans have the ultimate place to watch the games, eat wings, and get rewarded at select New Hampshire restaurants when the Wildcats win.
- Visit UNHWildcats.com/borderbattle for details and participating locations.
WILDCAT NOTES
- Albany has won three of its last four games.
- The Great Danes won at Delaware, 21-17, last Saturday.
- New Hampshire, Albany and Richmond are all 4-2 in CAA play.
- Richmond plays at James Madison on Saturday.
- Villanova is 4-3 in the league and 7-3 overall.
- Senior punter Drew Sanborn was hurt in the JMU game and will miss the Albany game.
- Junior kicker Jason Hughes will do the punting.
- Hughes has hit 13 of his 16 field goal attempts.
- Brosmer has completed 140 of his 245 passes (57.1 percent) for 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions.
- Sophomore Carlos Washington Jr. has rushed 121 times for 545 yards and three scores.
- Gray has carried 89 times for 594 yards and two TDs.
- Senior Malik Love leads the receivers with 34 catches for 393 yards and a score.
- Sophomore Brian Espanet has 21 catches for 297 yards and five TDs.
- Redshirt freshman Dylan Laube has 17 catches for 297 yards and three scores.
- Horn leads the team with four interceptions.
- Sophomore safety Pop Bush leads the team with 58 tackles.
- Horn is next with 55.
- Sophomore defensive end Gunner Gibson is tops with eight tackles for loss.
- Freshman linebacker Oleh Manzyk and sophomore defensive tackle Niko Kvietkus lead the team with four sacks each.
- The Albany defense has collected 22 turnovers with 15 fumble recoveries and seven interceptions.
- The Great Danes have scored four defensive touchdowns.
- The UNH defense has 14 takeaways with one fumble and 13 picks.
- The Wildcats have two defensive touchdowns.
- Albany had a plus-seven turnover margin.
- The Wildcats are minus-one.
- Santos was named interim head coach Aug. 26 when Sean McDonnell took 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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