University of New Hampshire Athletics
Freshman defensive end Josiah Silver tacked four sacks on to his impressive season Saturday at URI.
11/15/2021 10:50:00 AM | Football, UNH Insider
Freshman Standout Adds 4 More Sacks, 'Cats Eye Maine and Musket
DURHAM, N.H. – University of New Hampshire junior receiver Brian Espanet gets a kick out of watching his teammate, freshman defensive end Josiah Silver, play football.
"I tell JoJo all the time he's my favorite player on the team," Espanet said Saturday outside the team's locker room at the University of Rhode Island. "If I could get a Josiah Silver jersey, I would. He's so fun to watch. I'm so happy for him. He's such a good kid."
Silver wreaked havoc in the URI backfield all day and finished with four quarterback sacks – two of them causing fumbles that the Wildcats recovered – and keeps rising in the Colonial Athletic Association and national rankings.
He's up to 10.5 sacks for the season - three shy of the UNH single season record set by Bryan McNally in 2010 - with one game remaining.
Coach Sean McDonnell's Wildcats face Maine on Saturday in Wildcat Stadium at 1 p.m. for Senior Day in the annual Border Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket. The game is presented by Buffalo Wild Wings.
Fans can purchase tickets at UNHWildcats.com/Tickets or by calling the UNH Wildcats box office at 603-862-4000 (Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm).
UNH struggled again against Rhode Island and fell, 28-3, for their seventh consecutive defeat. The Wildcats are 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the CAA going into the finale.
Rhode Island improved to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the league and plays at Elon on Saturday with an eye on nailing down a spot in the FCS playoffs for the first time since 1985.
At 6-3 and 227 pounds and out of Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va., Silver was a Wildcat bright spot Saturday as he has been all season.
"Going into the game Coach Mac had us write down someone we were going to play this game for," Silver said. "I just wanted to play for my dad, who hasn't got to see me play football because he's been in jail since my freshman year (of high school). Since I started playing, I just wanted to make him proud. Going into this game I just wanted to have a good game so I could make him proud so he could hear about it and when he gets out, he can see it for himself."
Silver's mother watches each game and relays the details to his father when they talk.
"He calls me once a week and we talk about it, too," Silver said. "He asks me how I'm doing."
Silver's play has been impressive.
He was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Monday morning for his efforts against URI.
It was the second straight game in which he caused a pair of fumbles.
He sacked URI quarterback Kasim Hill once in the opening period Saturday and once in the third.
He sacked him two more times on UAlbany's first two possessions of the fourth quarter, each time causing a fumble. The first was recovered by grad student defensive lineman Duval Paul and the second by sophomore linebacker Oleh Manzyk.
Silver has five forced fumbles for the year, which is tied for third best in all of the FCS.
He led the team in tackles with 11 on Saturday and has a team-best 68 for the season.
His average of 1.05 sacks per game is tied for seventh best in the country and he is one of only two freshmen in the country who has more than seven sacks for the season.
Late last month, Silver was named to the watch list for the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award, which honors the best freshman in the nation at the FCS level.
He may be a bit biased, but Espanet likes his teammate's chances. "I don't know who's going to win the Jerry Rice Award for the best freshman player, but if it ain't Josiah Silver, I think the thing is rigged. He's so deserving of it and he's such a great guy and teammate."
Silver's focus is solidly on Maine in his first time around in the rivalry.
"We talk about beating the team up north," he said. "I've heard how big the rivalry is, I've just never seen it for myself. I'm hyped to play in this big rivalry and see what everyone's talking about. Hopefully we can keep the musket up in the locker room."
That could take at least of the sting out of what has been a tough season.
"It means a lot," Silver said. "If we beat Maine, last game of the year, end on a good note, keep the musket, beat the rival. That's how I want to end it."
HOME AGAIN
- The Wildcats close out the season Saturday against Maine in Wildcat Stadium at 1 p.m.
- It's a Border Battle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, for the Brice-Cowell Musket.
- Tickets for home games are available by calling the UNH Box Office at 603-862-4000 or at www.unhwildcats.com.
- UNH's home games may be viewed on NBCSports Boston and at www.FloFootball.com.
NEXT UP
- Maine is 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the CAA.
- The Black Bears are coming off a 35-10 win at Massachusetts, an FBS school, on Saturday.
- The have gone 1-1 against FBS teams this season with a 41-14 setback at No. Illinois in the fifth game of the season.
- Maine's CAA wins have been against William & Mary, 27-16, Albany, 19-16, and Rhode Island, 45-24.
- The Black Bears lost their first two games at Delaware, 34-24, and James Madison, 55-7, and also lost to Elon and Stony Brook.
- After missing seven games with an injury, quarterback Joe Fagnano returned and led Maine past UMass.
- He completed 16 of his 27 passes for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
- The Black Bears rushed for three touchdowns, two by Elijah Barnwell, who carried 16 times for 84 yards.
- Devon Young caught eight passes for 78 yards, including one of the TDs.
- Maine had 157 yards rushing and 209 passing for a total of 366.
- The Black Bears held UMass to 184 yards rushing and 113 passing for 297.
- UMass completed 14 of its 31 passes for those 113 yards.
- Fagnano has completed 44 of his 74 passes with two interceptions and four touchdowns.
- Derek Robertson has completed 121 of his 238 passes for 1,504 yards with 12 TDs and four interceptions.
- Freddie Brock averages 5.3 yards per carry and has 627 yards and six scores rushing.
QUOTABLE
"The thing that I try to keep in mind is – I watched "The Last Dance" with MJ – and he said just to keep in mind the people who laid the groundwork. Play hard for the alumni who made us a winning program. Guys like me, I think, watch Neil O'Connor and Kieran Presley and watch David Ball highlights on YouTube. How hard those guys played. I try to think of the alumni and all the guys who put us in this position to give us this target on our back."
Junior receiver Brian Espanet
"We just had too many penalties. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot."
Freshman defensive end Josiah Silver
"Just go out and play a clean, hard game and do the little things that we have been very accustomed to doing over a long period of time. It starts with looking at the ball and it starts with tackling the ball. Playing hard. Like I told the kids. we've got one thing to play for and that's the musket next week. We've got the University of Maine our archrival."
UNH coach Sean McDonnell on what he wants to see Saturday
UNH BY THE NUMBERS
- The Wildcats won the last game against Maine, 28-10, on Nov. 23, 2019.
- The teams opened the season against each other in 2018 and Maine won, 35-7, in Orono.
- Thanks in large part to Silver, UNH is third in the CAA in quarterback sacks with 27.
- McNally also owns the school career record for sacks with 27.5.
- Redshirt freshman Sean Lehane made his second field goal of the year against Rhode Island, a 21-yarder in the first quarter.
- Sophomore quarterback Bret Edwards has completed 160 of his 258 passes for 1,568 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.
- Edwards was injured in the third quarter against URI after scrambling and being tackled.
- Junior Tommy Herion, who was planning to be a graduate assistant coach this season, replaced him.
- Brody McAndrew, the backup to Edwards, is injured.
- Herion completed five of his 15 passes for 50 yards and had an interception.
- Redshirt freshman's Aidan Cadogan averages 41.3 yards on his 38 punts, second-best in the CAA.
- Silver leads the Wildcats with 68 tackles.
- Redshirt freshman linebacker Ryan Toscano is next with 63.
- Redshirt freshman Noah Stansbury has 55 and sophomore linebacker Bryce Shaw 54.
- Espanet has caught 31 passes for 406 yards and six touchdowns.
- Junior Sean Coyne has 34 catches for 319 yards and three scores.
- Sophomore Kyle Lepkowski has 25 catches for 297 yards and a TD.
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
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