Edwards Passes for 3 TDs, 'Cats Win Opener at Stony Brook

Thursday, September 2

Stony Brook, N.Y.

6 PM

University of New Hampshire

1-0 , 1-0

Stony Brook

0-1 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

New Hampshire

Stony Brook

Tight end Kyle Lepkowski battled for his first career touchdown catch in the first period.

9/2/2021 10:52:00 PM | Football

Box Score

McDonnell Collects CAA Victory No. 99

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Sophomore quarterback Bret Edwards (Lowell, Mass.) tossed his first three career touchdown passes and the University of New Hampshire football team rode a huge start by its defense to a 27-21 win over Colonial Athletic Association rival Stony Brook on Thursday night in Kenneth Lavalle Stadium.

The victory marked the 99^th career CAA win for UNH coach Sean McDonnell, who was coaching just his second game in more than 1,000 days. McDonnell is the league's active leader in CAA regular season victories and only two coaches have ever reached the 100-mark.

The Wildcats take on Towson, another CAA opponent, in their home opener in Wildcat Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 11 for Salute to Service Day, presented by Service Credit Union. Season and single game tickets for any of the five UNH regular season home games are available at www.unhwildcats.com.

Edwards connected with sophomore tight end Kyle Lepkowski (Adamstown, Md.) for his first TD pass in the opening quarter and later hit senior Brian Espanet (Hopedale, Mass.) for two scores. The second score put UNH up 27-0 early in the third period.

They held off a Stony Brook rally from there.

Edwards completed 17 of his 25 passes for 233 yards in his second career start. He took over the starting job when sophomore Max Brosmer (Roswell, Ga.) suffered a season-ending knee injury during pre-season camp.

The defense helped stake UNH to a 20-0 lead at the half. Besides keeping Stony Brook off the scoreboard, that unit came up with three turnovers in the second period, two of which set Edwards and the offense up inside the Stony Brook 6-yard line.

Senior safety Pop Bush (Nocatee, Fla.) led the defense with 10 tackles, three of them for loss. He also intercepted a pass and returned it 65 yards, caused a fumble that led to the first UNH score in the second period and had a quarterback sack on a 4^th down play from the Wildcat 5-yard line.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Zedane Williams (Springfield, Mass.) recovered the fumble that Bush caused and redshirt freshman cornerback Jonathan Collins Jr. (Williamstown, N.J.) picked off a pass and returned it 26 yards to set up another UNH touchdown.

McDonnell coached UNH in the one game it played last March before the season was called because of COVID-19. He sat out the 2019 for medical reasons as he battled cancer.

CATCH THE 'CATS

UNH's Salute to Service game againbst Towson on Saturday, Sept. 11 is the first of five home games.
Season tickets and individual game tickets are available at www.unhwildcats.com.
Wildcat football league and home games may be viewed on FloSports, which may be accessed through www.unhwildcats.com.
The Wildcats play James Madison in their Homecoming contest on Oct. 2 at 3:30 p.m.
They resume their in-state series against Dartmouth in Wildcat Stadium on Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. for Family Weekend.
Richmond is in Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. for Halloweekend.
UNH closes out the regular season with its rivalry game against Maine in the Border Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket on Nov. 20 at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats play Sept. 18 at Lafayette, Sept. 25 at Pittsburgh in their FBS game, Oct. 23 at Elon, Nov. 6 at UAlbany and Nov. 13 at Rhode Island.

1^st QUARTER

Sophomore tight end Kyle Lepkowski (Adamstown, Md.) made a nice catch on an Edwards throw to open UNH's scoring for the year for a TD with 5:55 left in the period.
It was the first career TD pass for Edwards and first career TD catch for Lepkowski.
A two-point conversion try was no good and UNH led 6-0.

2^ND QUARTER

The UNH defense came up with a pair of quick turnovers that the offense turned into TDs for a 20-0 lead at the half.
A Sean Lehane (Milford, Mass.) punt pinned Stony Brook deep midway through the period.
Bush forced a fumble that Williams recovered on the Stony Brook 4.
Edwards rolled left and pitched to junior Sean Coyne (Portsmouth, R.I.) who scored on the first play.
Jordan Conn's (Woodbridge, Conn.) conversion kick made it 13-0 with 8:37 left in the half.
Two plays later, Collins picked off a Tyquell Fields pass and returned it to the Stony Brook 5-yard line.
Edwards hit Espanet for a 3-yard TD pass and the lead was 20-0.

3^RD QUARTER

Edwards and Espanet connected for a 64-yard score to put the 'Cats up 27-0 with 8:37 left in the third period.
Stony Brook answered with a pair of scores.
The first was a 3-yard run by Ty Son Lawton with 6:15 left in the period.
After UNH lost a fumble, Fields hit Kahlil Newton for a 41-yard TD.

4^th QUARTER

Fields scored on a 17-yard keeper to cut UNH's lead to 27-21 with 3:03 left in the quarter.
The Stony Brook defense forced a punt to give the offense one more chance.
The Seawolves marched from their own 44-yard line.
They got as far as UNH's 19-yard line where the Wildcat defense held its ground and took over on downs.

'CAT NIPS

Espanet led the Wildcats with five catches for 100 yards and the two scores.
Junior Carlos Washington Jr. (Clinton, Md.) had 16 carries for 63 yards and caught two passes for 32 yards.
Sophomore Dylan Laube (Westhampton, N.Y.) carried nine times for 20 yards and went 54 yards with a pass reception.
Redshirt freshman safety Noah Stansbury (Orange, N.J.) had seven tackles.
Junior defensive tackle Niko Kvietkus (Southington, Conn.) had assists on a pair of quarterback sacks.
UNH had 359 yards of total offense on 60 plays.
Stony Brook had 378 yards on 77 plays.
UNH rushed for 126 yards and Stony Brook for 123.