#19 UNH Football Falls to #23 UT Martin in FCS First Round

Saturday, November 30

Durham, N.H.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

UT Martin

Photo by: Maya Grainger

11/30/2024 6:49:00 PM | Football

Box Score

DURHAM, N.H. – Grad student Ryan Toscano (Bedford, N.H.) made a career-high 18 tackles and senior Caleb Mead (Willow Grove, Pa.) scored a touchdown on a 95-yard kickoff return, but the 16^th-seeded and 19^th-ranked University of New Hampshire football team was defeated 41-10 by 23^rd-ranked UT Martin in Saturday afternoon's FCS first round playoff game at Wildcat Stadium.

Mead amassed a total of 190 all-purpose yards with four kickoff returns for 154 yards as well as five carries for a team-high 36 rushing yards. The 95-yard kickoff return was UNH's longest play of the season.

Wande Owens (Cooksville, Md.) also recorded double-digit tackles with 10 and Flex Ruiz (Orlando, Fla.) finished with four tackles, including a strip-sack.

UT Martin was led offensively by Kinkead Dent, who completed 17 of 26 passes for 246 yards and rushed 10 times for 56 yards with a two-yard TD run. Patrick Smith, with 15 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown, led a balanced rushing attack that churned out 236 yards.

UNH, which took a four-game winning streak into the postseason, ends the season at 8-5. UT Martin improves to 9-4 and advances to play top-seeded Montana State University.

FIRST QUARTER

Rashad Raymond rushed up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown to give the Skyhawks a 7-0 lead at 6:59.
Mead returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to bring the game to a 7-7 at 6:45.

SECOND QUARTER

A 30-yard field goal attempt was good by Jaren Van Winkle at 13:50 to put the visitors back on top, 10-7, at 13:50.
Smith's three-yard TD run capped a 6-play, 81-yard drive that extended UT Martin's lead to 17-7 at 10:38.
UNH quarterback Seth Morgan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) intended a pass down the right sideline to Logan Perez (Sewell, N.J.), but it was intercepted by JaMichael McGoy at the goal line to end UNH's scoring threat.
The Skyhawks marched 80 yards in seven plays as Dent scored on a quarterback keeper to push the margin to 24-7 at 2:36.
Van Winkle's 36-yard field goal with 13 seconds on the clock sent UT Martin into halftime with a 27-7 advantage.

THIRD QUARTER

UNH's defense stopped UT Martin on fourth down on the opening drive of the second half.
Nick Mazzie (Boxford, Mass) connected on a 41-yard field to bring the Wildcats within 17 of the Skyhawks, 27-10, at 6:42.
On UNH's next possession, the Wildcats were stopped on fourth down and UT Martin converted excellent field position from the UNH 39 into a 4-yard touchdown run by Trevonte Rucker for a 34-10 lead at 12:46 of the fourth quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

Glover Cook's 1-yard TD run capped the scoring at 7:07.

UNH NOTEBOOK

Toscano finished as UNH's leading tackler for the third consecutive season with a personal best of 118 in 2024.
Toscano increased his career total to 331, which is tied for No. 6 on UNH's all-time leaderboard with Hugo Souza (2007-10).
Toscano's 18 tackles are the most by a Wildcat since Nov. 12, 2011, when Matt Evans made 19 stops against Towson University.
This marked Toscano's fourth consecutive game with 10+ tackles; he made 57 tackles in that span.
He made 10+ tackles in a game six times overall this season and 10 career.
Owens also had six games with 10+ tackles this season.
Owens also topped 100 tackles this year with 111.
It is the first time multiple 'Cats have recorded 100+ tackles in the same season since 2013.
Mead's kickoff return TD was the first by a 'Cat since he had an 87-yarder Nov. 4, 2023 against Villanova.
It was also the longest kickoff return by a Wildcat since Dylan Laube's record-tying 100-yard TD at Delaware on Sept. 23, 2023.
Morgan completed 14 of 35 passes for 71 yards; he threw an interception and was sacked for times.
Morgan ends the season with 244 completions, which ranks 10^th on the Wildcats' list of single-season superlatives.
Caleb Burke (Johnstown, Pa.) had three catches for a team-high 23 yards. He now has 101 career receptions.
Logan Tomlinson (Manchester, Conn.) caught four passes for 16 yards to finish the season with 80 catches, which is tied for No. 7 on the program's all-time list with Terrance Fox, who recorded that number in 2010.
Myles Thomason (Montclair, N.J.) had a team-high five catches for 22 yards. He also ran the ball six times for 14 yards.
This was New Hampshire's 18^th FCS playoff appearance. The Wildcats have 16 appearances the past 20 years (excluding the COVID season of 2020-21).