University of New Hampshire Athletics
10/27/2021 3:54:00 PM | Football
CHICAGO -- Josiah Silver (Hampton, Va.), a freshman defensive end on the University of New Hampshire football team, was one of 22 players named Wednesday to the Watch List for the 2021 Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the national freshman of the year in FCS Football.
Silver leads the Wildcats in sacks with 6.5 on the season. That total is tied for second in the CAA and he ranks No. 16 in the nation in sacks per game (0.93). In the conference, Silver is behind only Nate Lynn of William & Mary, who has 10.5 sacks on the year.
Not only has Silver pressured the QB by racking up the sacks, he is third in the CAA in tackles for loss with a team-high nine.
Silver's season high in tackles came in UNH's game at Elon (Oct. 23). He recorded nine tackles (two solo, seven assists) during this game to lead not only the team, but all players, in total tackles. He was all over the field at Elon, where he recorded a game-high 1.5 sacks and had a career-high and 2.5 tackles for loss, which led the Wildcats.
Silver earned Honorable Mention for the National Freshman Player of the Week award following his performance at Elon.
Silver has been outstanding all season for the Wildcats, and one of his best performances was Homecoming against No. 5 James Madison University. In a CAA matchup that was a hard fought 23-21 loss for the Wildcats, he recorded six tackles with a game-high two sacks for a loss of 13 yards. In the second half, Silver came up huge for the Wildcats by forcing a fumble when he sacked JMU redshirt senior quarterback Cole Johnson that was recovered by UNH. The fumble recovery led to a scoring drive that gave the Wildcats a 21-17 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Other notable performances from Silver came in UNH's game at Lafayette, where he led all players in sacks yet again with two for a total loss of nine yards. Against Dartmouth, Silver made plays all over the field as he had seven total tackles (four solo, three assists), and he recorded one of the three sacks in the entire game. When UNH traveled to FBS foe Pittsburgh of the ACC, Silver finished the game with two tackles.
The Rice Award, now in its 11th season, is named for the legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver, who was a star at Mississippi Valley State University and in the NFL. The award is chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors.
To be eligible for the Rice Award, a freshman can't have surpassed four games played in one previous academic year – similar to the NCAA's regular redshirt rule. More players can join the watch list before a 50-member, national media panel selects the winner following the regular season.
Silver leads the Wildcats in sacks with 6.5 on the season. That total is tied for second in the CAA and he ranks No. 16 in the nation in sacks per game (0.93). In the conference, Silver is behind only Nate Lynn of William & Mary, who has 10.5 sacks on the year.
Not only has Silver pressured the QB by racking up the sacks, he is third in the CAA in tackles for loss with a team-high nine.
Silver's season high in tackles came in UNH's game at Elon (Oct. 23). He recorded nine tackles (two solo, seven assists) during this game to lead not only the team, but all players, in total tackles. He was all over the field at Elon, where he recorded a game-high 1.5 sacks and had a career-high and 2.5 tackles for loss, which led the Wildcats.
Silver earned Honorable Mention for the National Freshman Player of the Week award following his performance at Elon.
Silver has been outstanding all season for the Wildcats, and one of his best performances was Homecoming against No. 5 James Madison University. In a CAA matchup that was a hard fought 23-21 loss for the Wildcats, he recorded six tackles with a game-high two sacks for a loss of 13 yards. In the second half, Silver came up huge for the Wildcats by forcing a fumble when he sacked JMU redshirt senior quarterback Cole Johnson that was recovered by UNH. The fumble recovery led to a scoring drive that gave the Wildcats a 21-17 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Other notable performances from Silver came in UNH's game at Lafayette, where he led all players in sacks yet again with two for a total loss of nine yards. Against Dartmouth, Silver made plays all over the field as he had seven total tackles (four solo, three assists), and he recorded one of the three sacks in the entire game. When UNH traveled to FBS foe Pittsburgh of the ACC, Silver finished the game with two tackles.
The Rice Award, now in its 11th season, is named for the legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver, who was a star at Mississippi Valley State University and in the NFL. The award is chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors.
To be eligible for the Rice Award, a freshman can't have surpassed four games played in one previous academic year – similar to the NCAA's regular redshirt rule. More players can join the watch list before a 50-member, national media panel selects the winner following the regular season.
Players Mentioned
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Sunday, October 04
Saturday, September 19
Sunday, September 13