Ricketti Has 155 Receiving Yards in 24-17 Loss at Merrimack - University of New Hampshire Athletics

Saturday, October 24

North Andover, Mass.

12 PM

University of New Hampshire

2-7 , 1-4

Merrimack

3-5 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
New Hampshire	10	0	7	0	17
Merrimack	0	10	7	7	24

Book Travel

Ryan Ricketti recorded career highs of 11 catches and 155 receiving yards at Merrimack

Photo by: Katie Beaudrot

10/24/2026 4:42:00 PM | Football

Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Ricketti (Rocky River, Ohio) caught 11 passes for 155 yards but the University of New Hampshire football team was edged 24-17 by Merrimack College in Saturday afternoon's non-conference game at Duane Stadium.

The 11 receptions and 155 receiving are both personal bests for Ricketti, who accounted for almost half of UNH's yards through the air.

Sophomore quarterback Tommy McLeish (Norfolk, Mass.), in his first career start, completed 27 of 44 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked three times and threw an interception.

Grad student safety Jackson Stone (Lebanon, N.H.) recorded a team-high 10 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Trevor Barry (Elma, N.Y.) and sophomore safety Cohen Cook (Somers Point, N.J.) both finished with eight tackles.

Merrimack quarterback AJ Hairston threw for 205 yards and a touchdown and also had 37 rushing yards, including TD scores of 3 and 8 yards, the latter of which proved to be the game-winning score midway through the fourth quarter.

Matthias Latham led the ground game with 105 yards on 21 carries.

UNH moves to 2-7 overall and Merrimack is 3-5.

UP NEXT

New Hampshire returns to action Nov. 7 (1pm) for Blue Out against Rhode Island.

CLICK HERE to buy tickets online or e-mail unh.tickets@unh.edu or call (603) 862-4000.

FIRST QUARTER

On the first drive, UNH opened with three consecutive McLeish completions for 59 yards to advance to the MC 11. The seven-play, 65-yard drive was capped by a Lucas Glassburn (Windermere, Fla.) 22-yard field goal that gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead at 10:52.
MC responded with a 14-play, 59-yard drive that consumed 7:22 off the clock but proved fruitless when Nicholas Araujo missed a 33-yard field goal wide right at 3:30.
UNH moved quickly across midfield on McLeish's 34-yard pass down the left sideline to Ricketti to set up 1^st-and-10 at the MC 40. On the next play, Perez broke alone behind the defense and McLeish hit him in stride at the goal line to extend the advantage to 10-0 at 1:03.

SECOND QUARTER

New Hampshire's defense held the Warriors to a 3-and-out on the first possession of the second quarter, but UNH's subsequent drive was stopped on an interception by Bertin Placide at the MC 47.
Araujo missed from 29 yards at 8:45 to keep the score 10-0 in favor of the 'Cats.
The Warriors trimmed the deficit to 10-7 at 1:55 when Hairston won the footrace to the left pylon on a 3-yard QB keeper.
Mike Ryan split the uprights on a 35-yard field goal on the last play of the half to tie the score, 10-10, heading into halftime.

THIRD QUARTER

Hairston connected with DeMarcus McElroy on a wheel route out of the backfield for a 30-yard TD to give MC a 17-10 lead at 9:11.
McLeish engineered a 10-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 12-yard TD catch by Colby Ramshaw (Londonderry, N.H.) – on 3^rd-and-goal – in the back of the end zone and momentum took him into the goal post, but Ramshaw held on for the score. Glassburn's PAT kick leveled the score, 17-17, at 4:40.
The Wildcats had extended that drive on a successful fake punt when Matt Guidebeck (North Reading, Mass.) lofted a punt to the right sideline to Drew Danson (Wrentham, Mass.) for a 27-yard gain on 4^th-and-5 to the MC 22.

FOURTH QUARTER

Hairston rolled out to the right and found an open running lane for a 7-yard touchdown to put the home team back in front, 24-17, at 7:53.
The Warriors began a drive, 1^st-and-10 from the MC 30, with 7:04 remaining and took a timeout facing 4^th-and-6 from the UNH 32 with 2:21 to play. Merrimack attempted to draw UNH's defense offside, but the 'Cats held their ground and MC punted after taking the delay of game penalty.
New Hampshire got the ball back 1^st-and-10 at the UNH 11 with 2:19 on the clock.
Kelly's 8-yard reception set up 1^st and 10 at the UNH 22 at 1:52.
Ricketti's 14-yard catch gave the 'Cats another first down at the UNH 36 at 1:35.
Facing 3^rd-and-3 with 1:18 to play, Thomason turned a quick out route into a 10-yard gain to the MC 47 to extend the drive.
A defensive pass interference penalty gave UNH first down at the MC 23.
Kelly's 5-yard catch moved the ball to the MC 18 and UNH called its last timeout with 45 seconds left.
Facing 3^rd and 5 at the MC 18 with 42 seconds to play, McLeish's throw to the front-left corner of end zone to Perez was broken up by a Warriors' defender.
On the next play, McLeish's throw to the front-right pylon took Fillion out of bounds and UNH lost the ball on downs with 31 seconds remaining.

UNH NOTEBOOK

The 27 completes, 44 attempts, 318 yards and two touchdowns all marked personal bests for McLeish.
McLeish completed a pass to seven different receivers.
Ramshaw leads all active 'Cats with eight TD receptions.
Joquez Smith (Tampa, Fla.) was UNH's top rusher with 16 yards on six carries.

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