Gibson Rushes for 101 Yards in FCS First Round Loss at South Dakota State

Saturday, November 29

Brookings, S.D.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

8-5 , 6-2

South Dakota State

9-4 , 4-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

New Hampshire

South Dakota St.

Photo by: Katie Beaudrot

Gibson Rushes for 101 Yards in FCS First Round Loss at South Dakota State

11/29/2025 5:31:00 PM | Football

Box Score

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Sophomore running back Denzell Gibson (Bellwood, Ill.) rushed for 101 yards but the 22^nd-ranked University of New Hampshire football team was defeated by 16^th-ranked South Dakota State, 41-3, in an NCAA first round playoff game Saturday afternoon at snowy Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

Sophomore quarterback Matt Vezza (Elmhurst, Ill.) completed 10 of 22 passes for 48 yards and had nine carries for 34 yards. Junior tight end Peyton Strickland (Goffstown, N.H.) was the top target with three catches for 15 yards.

Sophomore kicker Nick Reed (Harrison N.Y.) scored UNH's only points on a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Senior defensive tackle Tim Bonagura (Fremont, N.H.) led the Wildcats with a career-high eight tackles. Grad student Justice Akinmoladun (Grandview, Mo.), another defensive tackle, also recorded a career high of seven tackles.

Sophomore cornerback Sean Webb (San Diego, Calif.) finished with an interception and three tackles.

UNH , which received an at-large bid to the NCAA tourney on the heels of a five-game winning streak, ends the season at 8-5 overall record that included 6-2 in CAA Football.

SDSU, the No. 14 seed in the FCS playoffs, improves to 9-4 and advances to the NCAA second round. The Jackrabbits were led offensively by Chase Mason, who completed 16 of 20 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, and Julius Loughridge, who had 100 yards rushing and a TD on 16 carries.

FIRST QUARTER

South Dakota State won the coin toss, elected to receive and drove 75 yards in nine plays to take a 7-0 lead on a one-yard run by Loughridge at 11:10. Loughridge had four rushes for 37 yards, including a long of 27, on the drive.
Josiah Johnson's one-yard TD run up the middle capped a 13-play, 88-yard that consumed 7:44 and gave the Jackrabbits a 14-0 lead at 1:04.

SECOND QUARTER

SDSU extended the lead to 21-0 at 11:26 of the second quarter when Mason's pass to the back-right corner of the end zone was tipped by Malik Diaby (Tolland, Conn.) but caught by Alex Bullock.
Reed kicked a 30-yard field goal at 2:53 to end a 15-play, 63-yard drive that was extended by a pair of fourth-down conversions, lasted 8:33, and trimmed the deficit to 21-3.
On 4^th-and-1 at the UNH 34 of that drive, Gibson broke through the left side of the line for a 26-yard gain to advance the ball to the SDSU 40. Gibson converted another 4^th-and-1, this time with a two-yard gain to the SDSU 16.
The Jackrabbits answered with a 42-yard TD pass from Mason to Jack Smith to take a 27-3 lead at 1:51.

THIRD QUARTER

SDSU advanced to the UNH 39 on its first drive of the third quarter, but Webb intercepted the ball at the UNH 4 to give possession back to the Wildcats at 5:26.

FOURTH QUARTER

On a drive that started at 2:41 of the third quarter, Mason found Coleman Kuntz on the right side for a 16-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Jackrabbits a 34-3 lead at 14:54.
Andrew Gustad's two-yard TD reception capped the scoring at 3:05.

UNH NOTEBOOK

UNH received an at-large bid to advance to the FCS playoffs for the second consecutive year and third time in four years under head coach Rick Santos.
The Wildcats have a 15-19 all-time record in 19 NCAA FCS playoff appearances.
Reed extended his school record for field goals made in a season to 25.
Gibson eclipsed his previous career high of 90 rushing yards established at Bryant University on Nov. 15.
Webb has two career interceptions – the NCAA first round at SDSU and last week's regular-season finale against the University of Maine.
Bonagura bested his previous high of four tackles that he recorded three times.
Akinmoladun surpassed his previous high of five tackles set Nov. 15 at Bryant.
UNH was 4-for-5 on fourth down conversions.