2017 UNH Football. Spring Prospectus

Transcription

1 2017 UNH Football Spring Prospectus

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3 UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FOOTBALL QUICK FACTS 2016 NEW HAMPSHIRE RESULTS (8-5 Overall, 6-2 Colonial Athletic Association) Sept. 3 at San Diego State L 0-31 Sept. 10 HOLY CROSS W Sept. 17 at Dartmouth L Sept. 24 at Rhode Island* W Oct. 1 #19 WILLIAM & MARY* W Oct. 7 at Elon* W Oct. 15 #6 JAMES MADISON* L Oct. 22 at Towson* W 21-7 Oct. 29 #20 STONY BROOK* W Nov. 12 ALBANY* L Nov. 19 at Maine* W Nov. 26 #15 LEHIGH W Dec. 3 at #5 James Madison L * CAA conference game NCAA D-I FCS playoff game 2017 NEW HAMPSHIRE FOOTBALL QUICK FACTS AND CONTACT INFORMATION Location...Durham, NH Founded Enrollment...15,900 President... Dr. Mark Huddleston Athletics Director...Marty Scarano Head Football Coach...Sean McDonnell Career Record/Years /19th year Record at School/Years /19th year Nickname... Wildcats Colors...Blue and White Started Football Stadium...Wildcat Stadium Seating Capacity... 11,015 Stadium Surface...FieldTurf Affiliation...NCAA, FCS Conference... Colonial Athletic Association 2016 Record Overall, 6-2 CAA Lettermen Returning (23 off., 24 def., 3 spec.) Lettermen Lost (11 off., 5 def., 0 spec.) Offensive Starters Returning...5 Offensive Starters Lost...6 Defensive Starters Returning...7 Defensive Starters Lost...4 Specialist Starters Returning...2 Specialist Starters Lost...0 Football Contact Information Mike Murphy Office Phone...(603) Mike Murphy Cell Phone...(603) Murphy s ...mike.murphy@unh.edu Doug Poole Office Phone...(603) Doug Poole Cell Phone...(603) Poole s ...doug.poole@unh.edu Press Box Phone...(603) Football Office...(603) UNH Athletics Web Site NEW HAMPSHIRE SCHEDULE (Times/Dates Subject to Change) Aug. 31 MAINE* 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at Georgia Southern 6 p.m. Sept. 16 at Holy Cross TBA Sept. 23 RHODE ISLAND* 3:30 p.m. Sept. 30 BRYANT 6 p.m. Oct. 14 at Stony Brook* TBA Oct. 21 TOWSON* 2 p.m. Oct. 28 at James Madison* TBA Nov. 4 at William & Mary* TBA Nov. 11 ELON* 2 p.m. Nov. 18 at Albany* TBA * CAA conference game 2017 Wildcat Team Information Letterwinners Returning (50): Offense (23): Trevon Bryant (RB), Jeff Carter (OL), Nick Derocher (TE), John DiCaro (TE), Jerickson Fedrick (RB), Brandon Gallagher (WR), Donald Goodrich (RB), Evan Gray (RB), Dayne Herron (OL), Clayton Jimerson (OL), Jake Kennedy (OL), Trevor Knight (QB), Malik Love (WR), Nick Lubischer (WR), Justin Malone-Woods (TE), Matt Matulis (OL), Mike McGuinness (OL), Will McInerny (OL), Ivan Niyomugabo (QB), Neil O Connor (WR), Kieran Presley (WR), Matt Torrey (TE), Nick Velte (OL). Defense (24): Michael Balsamo (S), Mike Boryeskne (DE), Cameron Brusko (LB), Sean Burns (DT), Marquis Carr (CB), Quinlen Dean (LB), D Andre Drummond-Mayrie (S), Rick Ellison (S), Odaine Franklyn (DT), Rick Holt (DT), Jae Wuan Horton (DE), Josh Kania (DE), Jared Kuehl (LB), Pop Lacey (S), Elijah Lewis (DT), Nick Marino (S), Geno Miller (S), Isiah Perkins (CB), Kyle Reisert (DE), Cody Rothwell (S), Robbie Schumacher (DE), Matt Sherlock (S), Prince Smith, Jr. (CB), Ryan Sosnak (DT). Specialists (3): Morgan Ellman (K/P), Max Pedinoff (P/K), Drew Sanborn (P/K). Other Returners (34): Offense (17): Jack Carroll (OL), Joey Carroll (WR), Jack Cavallaro (TE), DeUnte Chatman (RB), Michael Hershman (WR), Brendan Hill (TE), Jason Hughes (WR/K/P), Sam Kowal (OL), Nick Lorden (WR), Christian Lupoli (QB), Colin Maguire (OL), Matt Mascia (OL), Kyle Phipps (RB), Will Pollard (QB), Tyreak Richardson (OL), Anthony Rizzo (WR), Noah Robison (OL), Mike Zaloga (OL). Defense (15): Dean Adams (S), Alonzo Addae (CB), Riley Ammerman (DE), Cyrus Boone (DT), Jacob Bradshaw (DT), Aidan Brown (CB), Brian Carter (DE), Shawn Cavallaro (CB), Jodens Didie (CB), Steven Harper (LB), Evan Horn (S), Jackson Housman (LB), Patrick Kaplan (DT), Carson Leary (LB), Nelson Thomas (S). Specialists (2): Mitch McPike (K/P), Hayden Middleton (K/P). Total Lettermen Lost (16): Offense (11): Mark Accino (WR), Garette Craig (WR), Dalton Crossan (RB), Rory Donovan (WR), Andrew Lauderdale (OL), Tad McNeely (OL), Curtis Nealer (OL), Anthony Pante (WR), Jordan Powell (TE), Adam Riese (QB), Kyon Taylor (WR). Defense (5): DeVaughn Chollette (LB), Casey DeAndrade (CB), Ryan Farrell (LB), Kevin McNally (LB), Cam Shorey (DE). Specialists (0). Offensive Starters Returning (5): Dayne Herron (OL), Trevor Knight (QB), Malik Love (WR), Will McInerny (OL), Neil O Connor (WR). Offensive Starters Lost (6): Dalton Crossan (RB), Rory Donovan (WR), Andrew Lauderdale (OL), Tad McNeely (OL), Curtis Nealer (OL), Jordan Powell (TE). Defensive Starters Returning (7): Michael Balsamo (S), D Andre Drummond-Mayrie (S), Rick Holt (DT), Jae Wuan Horton (DE), Pop Lacey (S), Prince Smith, Jr. (CB), Ryan Sosnak (DT). Defensive Starters Lost (4): DeVaughn Chollette (LB), Casey DeAndrade (CB), Ryan Farrell (LB), Cam Shorey (DE). Specialist Starters Returning (2): Morgan Ellman (K), Max Pedinoff (P). Specialist Starters Lost (0):

4 Final 2016 Depth Chart WILDCATS OFFENSE LT 75 ANDREW LAUDERDALE (Sr., 6-6, 291) 76 Clayton Jimerson (R-Fr., 6-5, 277) LG 74 WILL McINERNY (Jr., 6-7, 305) 63 Nick Velte (R-Fr., 6-3, 291) C 53 TAD McNEELY (Sr., 6-2, 292) 73 Jake Kennedy (Jr., 6-3, 317) RG 67 CURTIS NEALER (Sr., 6-3, 309) 77 Jeff Carter (R-Fr., 6-2, 275) RT 66 DAYNE HERRON (So., 6-4, 291) 74 Will McInerny (Jr., 6-7, 305) TE 87 JORDAN POWELL (Sr.. 6-3, 250) 11 Nick Derocher (So., 6-1, 247) QB 14 ADAM RIESE (Sr., 6-1, 210) 18 Trevor Knight (So., 6-0, 201) RB 27 DALTON CROSSAN (Sr., 5-11, 204) 8 Trevon Bryant (Jr., 5-8, 185) WR 81 RORY DONOVAN (So., 6-5, 210) 84 Jelani Greene (Fr., 6-0, 178) WR 82 NEIL O CONNOR (So., 5-11, 192) 83 Kieran Presley (So., 6-0, 187) WR 1 MALIK LOVE (R-Fr., 5-10, 178) 23 Garette Craig (Sr., 6-0, 166) WILDCATS DEFENSE DE 80 CAM SHOREY (Sr., 6-5, 260) 95 Josh Kania (R-Fr., 6-3, 241) DT 72 RICK HOLT (Jr., 6-4, 299) 92 Sean Burns (R-Fr., 6-1, 269) DT 71 RYAN SOSNAK (So., 6-2, 296) 55 Elijah Lewis (Fr., 6-1, 277) DE 91 JAE WUAN HORTON (So., 6-2, 243) 97 Kyle Reisert (So., 6-2, 239) LB 49 RYAN FARRELL (Sr., 6-1, 231) 58 Jared Kuehl (So., 6-1, 222) LB 56 DeVAUGHN CHOLLETTE (Sr., 6-0, 239) 54 Quinlen Dean (R-Fr., 6-0, 227) CB 28 CASEY DeANDRADE (Sr., 5-11, 216) 45 Marquis Carr (Jr., 5-11, 182) SS 15 MICHAEL BALSAMO (R-Fr., 6-0, 205) 26 Geno Miller (Jr., 5-11, 199) WS 16 RICK ELLISON (R-Fr., 5-11, 197) 4 D Andre Drummond-Mayrie (Jr., 6-0, 207) FS 40 POP LACEY (Fr., 6-0, 194) 24 Nick Marino (Jr., 5-10, 196) CB 46 PRINCE SMITH, JR. (Fr., 5-10, 176) 9 Isiah Perkins (R-Fr., 6-0, 189) WILDCATS SPECIALISTS KO 38 MORGAN ELLMAN (Jr., 6-0, 199) 93 Max Pedinoff (Jr., 6-0, 229) PK 38 MORGAN ELLMAN (Jr., 6-0, 199) 93 Max Pedinoff (Jr., 6-0, 229) P 93 MAX PEDINOFF (Jr., 6-0, 229) 10 Drew Sanborn (R-Fr., 6-0, 191) KR 27 DALTON CROSSAN (Sr., 5-11, 204) 28 CASEY DeANDRADE (Sr., 5-11, 216) PR 28 CASEY DeANDRADE (Sr., 5-11, 216) 27 Dalton Crossan (Sr., 5-11, 204) H 14 ADAM RIESE (Sr., 6-1, 210) LS 49 RYAN FARRELL (Sr., 6-1, 231) SS 53 TAD McNEELY (Sr., 6-2, 292) DEPTH CHARTS Spring 2017 Depth Chart WILDCATS OFFENSE LT 66 DAYNE HERRON (Jr., 6-4, 307) 79 Noah Robison (So., 6-6, 267) LG 69 JACK CARROLL (R-Fr., 6-2, 284) 65 Mike McGuinness (So., 6-0, 276) C 73 JAKE KENNEDY (Sr., 6-3, 309) 70 Matt Mascia (R-Fr., 6-2, 284) RG 63 NICK VELTE (So., 6-3, 286) 77 Jeff Carter (So., 6-2, 272) RT 74 WILL McINERNY (Sr., 6-7, 305) 76 Clayton Jimerson (So., 6-5, 296) TE 85 JUSTIN MALONE-WOODS (So., 6-2, 232) 98 John DiCaro (Jr., 6-2, 238) QB 18 TREVOR KNIGHT (Jr., 6-0, 193) 12 Ivan Niyomugabo (So., 6-1, 209) RB 22 EVAN GRAY (So., 5-10, 222) 48 Donald Goodrich (Sr., 5-10, 200) WR 1 MALIK LOVE (So., 5-10, 178) 29 Brandon Gallagher (So., 5-10, 197) WR 82 NEIL O CONNOR (Jr., 5-11, 191) 31 Nick Lubischer (So., 5-10, 195) WR 83 KIERAN PRESLEY (Jr., 6-0, 195) 19 Nick Lorden (R-Fr., 6-4, 211) WILDCATS DEFENSE DE 91 JAE WUAN HORTON (Jr., 6-2, 241) 95 Josh Kania (So., 6-3, 239) DT 72 RICK HOLT (Sr., 6-4, 293) 68 Cyrus Boone (Jr., 6-2, 290) DT 71 RYAN SOSNAK (Jr., 6-2, 300) 55 Elijah Lewis (So., 6-1, 282) DE 97 KYLE REISERT (Jr., 6-2, 252) 94 Mike Boryeskne (Sr., 6-1, 225) LB 58 JARED KUEHL (Jr., 6-1, 233) 50 Cameron Brusko (So., 6-0, 198) LB 54 QUINLEN DEAN (So., 6-0, 230) 51 Steven Harper (R-Fr., 6-0, 213) CB 46 PRINCE SMITH, JR. (So., 5-10, 181) 6 Marquis Carr (Sr., 5-11, 182) SS 15 MICHAEL BALSAMO (So., 6-0, 205) 26 Geno Miller (Sr., 5-11, 187) WS 16 RICK ELLISON (So., 5-11, 197) 33 Evan Horn (R-Fr., 6-0, 195) FS 40 POP LACEY (So., 6-0, 195) 4 D Andre Drummond-Mayrie (Sr., 6-0, 212) CB 9 ISIAH PERKINS (So., 6-0, 183) 41 Alonzo Addae (R-Fr., 5-11, 184) WILDCATS SPECIALISTS KO 38 MORGAN ELLMAN (Sr., 6-0, 201) 93 Max Pedinoff (Sr., 6-0, 237) PK 38 MORGAN ELLMAN (Sr., 6-0, 201) 93 Max Pedinoff (Sr., 6-0, 237) P 93 MAX PEDINOFF (Sr., 6-0, 237) 10 Drew Sanborn (So., 6-0, 202) KR 82 NEIL O CONNOR (Jr., 5-11, 191) 83 KIERAN PRESLEY (Jr., 6-0, 195) PR 82 NEIL O CONNOR (Jr., 5-11, 191) H 18 TREVOR KNIGHT (Jr., 6-0, 193) LS 58 JARED KUEHL (Jr., 6-1, 233) 31 Nick Lubischer (So., 5-10, 195) SS 97 KYLE REISERT (Jr., 6-2, 252) 60 Jacob Bradshaw (R-Fr., 6-1, 266)

5 NUMERICAL ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/High School/Previous School) 1 Malik Love WR So. Alcoa, Tenn./Alcoa/Holderness School 4 D Andre Drummond-Mayrie S Sr. Lawrence, Mass./Central Catholic 5 Christian Lupoli QB R-Fr. East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame 6 Marquis Carr CB Sr. Naples, Fla./Golden Gate/Berkshire School 7 Jodens Didie CB So. Malden, Mass./Malden 8 Trevon Bryant RB Sr. St. Augustine, Fla./Pedro Menendez 9d Isiah Perkins CB So. Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown 9o Will Pollard QB R-Fr. Intervale, N.H./Kennett 10 Drew Sanborn P/K So. Amherst, N.H./Bishop Guertin 11 Nick Derocher TE So. Northwood, N.H./Tilton School 12 Ivan Niyomugabo QB So. Penacook, N.H./Merrimack Valley 13d Dean Adams S So. Medfield, Mass./Medfield 13a Jason Hughes WR/K/P R-Fr. Plaistow, N.H./Timberlane 15 Michael Balsamo S So. Atkinson, N.H./Central Catholic 16 Rick Ellison S So. Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita 17 Michael Hershman WR Jr. Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield 18 Trevor Knight QB Jr. Amherst, N.H./Nashua South 19 Nick Lorden WR R-Fr. Milford, N.H./Bishop Guertin 20 Jerickson Fedrick RB Sr. Salem N.H./Salem/Choate Rosemary Hall/UMaine 21 Aidan Brown CB R-Fr. Quincy, Mass./North Quincy 22 Evan Gray RB So. Centreville, Va./Westfield 23 Anthony Rizzo WR R-Fr. Ashburnham, Mass./Cushing Academy 24d Nick Marino S Sr. Hudson, N.H./Bishop Guertin 26 Geno Miller S Sr. Fort Washington, Md./Bishop Ireton 27 Mitch McPike K R-Fr. Birmingham, England 28 Hayden Middleton K/P Jr. Dover, N.H./St. Thomas 29 Brandon Gallagher WR So. Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham 30 Shawn Cavallaro RB Jr. Hanover, N.H./Hanover 31 Nick Lubischer WR So. Red Bank, N.J./Red Bank Catholic 32 Cody Rothwell S Sr. Merrimac, Mass./Pentucket 33 Evan Horn S R-Fr. Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest 34 Nelson Thomas S R-Fr. Edison, N.J./Bishop George Ahr/Kent School 35 Jack Cavallaro TE R-Fr. Hanover, N.H./Hanover 37 Kyle Phipps RB R-Fr. Linden, N.J./Linden 38 Morgan Ellman K/P Sr. Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood 39 Matt Sherlock S So. River Edge, N.J./Bergen Catholic 40 Pop Lacey S So. Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic/Kent School 41 Alonzo Addae CB R-Fr. Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary/Peddie School 42 DeUnte Chatman RB R-Fr. Houston, Texas/Summer Creek/Loomis Chaffee 43 Jackson Housman S R-Fr. Weare, N.H./Bishop Guertin 44 Riley Ammerman DE R-Fr. Malvern, Pa./Malvern Prep 46 Prince Smith, Sr. DB So. Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep 47 Carson Leary LB R-Fr. Brandon, Vt./Otter Valley 48 Donald Goodrich RB Sr. York, Maine/Cheverus 50 Cameron Brusko LB So. Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty 51 Steven Harper LB R-Fr. Roselle, N.J./Hudson Catholic 54 Quinlen Dean LB So. Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt 55 Elijah Lewis DL So. New Castle, Del./William Penn 57 Colin Maguire OL R-Fr. Fayetteville, Ga./Starr s Mill 58 Jared Kuehl LB Jr. Plymouth, N.H./Plymouth Regional 59 Odaine Franklyn DT Sr. White Plains, N.Y./White Plains/Proctor Academy

6 NUMERICAL ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/High School/Previous School) 60 Jacob Bradshaw DL R-Fr. Damascus, Md./Damascus 61 Patrick Kaplan DT R-Fr. Franklin, N.H./Franklin 62 Matt Matulis OL So. Boynton Beach, Fla./Park Vista 63 Nick Velte OL So. Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas Institute 64 Mike Zaloga OL Sr. Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy 65 Mike McGuinness OL So. Farmingdale, N.J./Howell 66 Dayne Herron OL So. Oak Harbor, Wash./Oak Harbor/Salisbury School 67 Tyreak Richardson OL R-Fr. Deerfield, Mass./Deerfield Academy 68 Cyrus Boone DT So. Stockton, Calif./Lincoln 69 Jack Carroll OL R-Fr. Oakton, Va./Gonzaga College 70 Matt Mascia OL R-Fr. East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow 71 Ryan Sosnak DT Jr. Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park 72 Rick Holt DT Sr. Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth 73 Jake Kennedy OL Sr. Amherst, N.H./Souhegan 74 Will McInerny OL Sr. Bedford, N.H./Bedford 76 Clayton Jimerson OL So. San Diego, Calif./Madison 77 Jeff Carter OL So. Jericho, Vt. /Mount Mansfield 78 Sam Kowal OL R-Fr. Asbury, N.J./North Hunterdon 79 Noah Robison OL So. Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy/Coastal Carolina 82 Neil O Connor WR Jr. Leominster, Mass./Leominster 83 Kieran Presley WR Jr. Amherst, Mass./Loomis Chaffee 85 Justin Malone-Woods TE So. San Diego, Calif./Serra/Loomis Chaffee 86 Joey Carroll WR R-Fr. Waltham, Mass./Waltham 88 Matt Torrey TE Jr. Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire Academy 89 Brendan Hill TE So. Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield 91 Jae Wuan Horton DE Jr. Stafford, Va./North Stafford 92 Sean Burns DT So. Milford, Mass./Milford 93 Max Pedinoff K/P Sr. Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North 94 Mike Boryeskne DE Sr. Sparta, N.J./Sparta 95 Josh Kania DE So. Milton, Ga./Cambridge 96 Robbie Schumacher DE So. Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay 97 Kyle Reisert DE Jr. Plymouth, N.H./Plymouth Regional 98o John DiCaro TE Jr. Dallas, Texas/Shelton/Salisbury School 99 Brian Carter DE R-Fr. Port St. Lucie, Fla./St. Edward s Coaching Staff Head Coach: Sean McDonnell Defensive Coordinator/DBs: John Lyons Offensive Coordinator/QBs: Ryan Carty Wide Receivers/Special Teams Coordinator: Michael Ferzoco Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator: Alex Miller Safeties: Scott James Defensive Line: Peter McCarty Linebackers: Garrett Gillick Assistant Defensive Line: Kyle McAllister Tight Ends: Chris Zarkoskie Running Backs: Chris Setian Assistant A.D., Football Ops./Recruiting Coordinator/NFL Pro Liaison: Bobby Callahan Strength & Conditioning: Paul Chapman Athletic Trainers: Jon Dana, Cindy Michaud

7 2017 SPRING FOOTBALL OUTLOOK Compiled by UNH Insider Allen THE CAPTAINS The captains are in place. Four seniors center Jake Kennedy, running back Trevor Bryant, running back Donald Goodrich and safety D Andre Drummond-Mayrie have been elected captains by their teammates. They re four kids that I think have done a great job in taking over the leadership role since January, four kids that have emerged, McDonnell said. The good thing is there s a different style from each kid. I think Bryant and Goodrich are very vocal and lead by energy and effort. Kennedy and Drummond, I think, are guys that are well respected for how they go about doing their daily business here, the work they do on the team. The different styles and four captains are good, the coach said. It s needed, McDonnell said. Not one or two guys can do it anymore. Last year we were very fortunate that the three guys we had were well respected by the whole team because of how they did everything. Casey DeAndrade, Ryan Farrell and Adam Riese led the Wildcats to an 8-5 season, a 13th straight appearance in the FCS tournament the longest mark in the country - and a first-round win over Lehigh in Wildcat Stadium. They did such a great job and set the bar so high, Drummond-Mayrie said. We know we have to raise that bar. Like coach Mac always says, great players, great teams, don t rise to low expectations. The goals of chasing a CAA title, tournament berths and a national championship never change, nor does the pressure that comes with those pursuits. The playoff streak is a big part of our tradition here. Kennedy said. But the bigger part of our tradition is the biggest game is the next one. So we re taking it one step at a time. Coach Mac puts us through a lot of rigorous, strenuous, stressful situations to create some pressure on us and I think we ve handled adversity pretty well. We ve still got to improve. There s a lot of room to improve, especially between April 29 and July 30. Bryant suffered a knee injury in practice a couple of weeks ago, is due for surgery in May and will likely not be able to play this fall. It (being elected captain) is definitely an honor, but I think it s going to be a challenge as well, Bryant said. Dealing with this injury and also having to lead the guys at the same time. I think it s going to force me to become more mature mentally, become stronger. Just going through this myself is going to make me be a better athlete and a better leader for my teammates. The captains are looking forward to the season ahead. I m excited to get ready for this year, Goodrich said. I m excited about the team that we have. I m really looking forward to the season coming up. I think we ve got a lot of young talent right now. I m excited about Trevor (Knight) coming back. He s going to be a great talent again. I think he s going to really open up this year. Goodrich awaits the opener for another reason, too. I m also just excited to start off with Maine, Goodrich added. That s going to be an exciting game. I m from Maine, too, so that makes the rivalry a little bit more real for me. We took some steps forward in the spring. We definitely still have some work we ve got to get rolling on, but overall it was a good spring for us. QUARTERBACKS Trevor Knight, in his first season as starting quarterback, came on strong as the 2016 progressed. Head coach McDonnell and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Carty are looking for continued improvement from the junior as preseason camp opens in late July and the 2017 season begins. It s the good thing about playing a young quarterback, Carty said. He got a lot of game-time reps last year. He got put in a lot of situations that were good for his development and good for our team s development. Hopefully we can keep him healthy and keep him progressing the right way. I don t see any reason we shouldn t expect a very good season from Trevor. Knight competed with Adam Riese last year and won the starting job. The competition these days is for the backup job behind him. Redshirt freshman Christian Lupoli has closed the gap on sophomore Ivan Niyomugabo in that race, McDonnell stated earlier this spring. Redshirt freshman Will Pollard is the other quarterback on the roster. Hopefully by the end of spring, and in particular by the end of fall camp, we need a backup, Carty said. We ll see how that all shakes out. You look at the history of our quarterback position. There s not many years where we ve played one kid for 11 to 15 games. We ve got to make sure we have some solid depth. Trevor s been good, McDonnell said. I m always wanting more from him, as you do from every starting quarterback. When he s had time to throw the football, has had time to get it off, he knows where it s going and has been accurate. Some of Knight s improvement last year showed up in turnover numbers. He threw for eight touchdowns, but also had eight interceptions, in his first six games of the season. In his last six, he passed for six scores and was intercepted just twice. Trevor s been improving for probably over a year now, Carty said. (Last spring) he was concentrating on being a better pocket passer and staying in the pocket when he had one. When he got to the point where he needed to go make a play, that was never something that he needed work on. He s an extremely athletic, fast and explosive type of player. Leading the offense and the team come into play as well. That s also something he s been working on and we ve been working on, Carty said. I think a lot of that is time and experience and maturity as far as becoming a better leader and becoming somebody that leads. I think right now in the skill group there s not a ton of old guys on our team, particularly on the offense. So he s got to be one of those guys. He s been a starter for a year and he s at the position that s in the forefront of things. He needs to be that guy that guys look to when things are going poorly and that guys count on when things need to get picked up. WIDE RECEIVERS & TIGHT ENDS Last year, they combined for 117 catches, 1,354 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Neil O Connor and sophomore Malik Love are back to lead UNH s crew of receivers into the 2017 season. Love had a team-high 59 catches for 520 yards and a score a year ago. O Connor had 58 catches for a team-leading 834 yards and six TDs. The meat of our production comes back at the receiving positions, said Michael Ferzoco, the assistant coach who works with wide receivers. Neil obviously had a tremendous year and Malik was very productive in the slot. They re two guys who are very smart. They re savvy. They know how to play the game and they can play multiple positions for us, inside and outside. Malik Love has had an outstanding spring so far, running routes and competing, McDonnell said. He s done a really nice job catching the ball. Done a really nice job running the ball. Every time we put him in position to do something with the football, he s been productive. Love, O Connor and the rest will look to generate more big plays. We ll look for them to expand on that this year and hopefully add some more X-play potential with their games and we can get some home runs, Ferzoco said. Malik has a knack for catching the ball in traffic and being able to maneuver his body around safeties and linebackers to find open windows, Ferzoco added. Unfortunately he played most of the year last year nicked up so you didn t get a chance to see some of his big-play ability. It s showing up this spring. O Connor averaged 14.4 yards a catch last season. He s very smooth and has a great ability to track the ball in the air and come down with it, Ferzoco said. He had a lot of deep ball catches last year on the sidelines or on the perimeter. He s also a player that knows how to find open windows and get to open spaces and make himself a good target for the quarterback. Neil has a way of weaving in and out of traffic and not getting tackled by the first defender. The Wildcats are also looking to people like junior Kieran Presley, injured most of last season, and sophomore tight end Justin Malone-Woods, for big plays. Kieran s probably our most explosive receiver, Ferzoco said. If we re able to keep him healthy, we should have a pretty good group, especially with the young guys that are coming along. Malone-Woods leads the tight end group. We have three or four guys who are really rolling right now, said as-

8 2017 SPRING FOOTBALL OUTLOOK Compiled by UNH Insider Allen sistant coach Chris Zarkoskie, who works with the tight ends. Justin came back to us from wide receiver so that s exciting. He s been playing really well with the starters. He s a fast guy. He s a long body. He s not afraid to stick his nose in there in the run game. He works really hard at it. With his speed and explosion he can be a threat down the field. Juniors John DiCaro, Nick Derocher and Matt Torrey, sophomore Brendan Hill and redshirt freshman Jack Cavallaro are also battling for playing time at tight end. Redshirt freshman Nick Lorden is one of the young wide receivers who has been impressive this spring. Sophomores Nick Lubischer and Brandon Gallagher are also in the mix. RUNNING BACKS Two-hundred ninety-five. Assistant coach Chris Setian wrote the number on the board at running backs meeting this spring. All the guys see that big number, that 295, there, Setian said. Everyone wants a piece of that. The 295 represents the number of times Dalton Crossan, a standout senior running back a year ago, got his hands on the ball last season; he rushed 233 times for 1,281 yards, caught 42 passes for 266 yards and returned 20 kickoffs for 430 yards. Big numbers. Big production. Those carries and catches are up for grabs heading into The running back group took a hit midway through the spring when senior Trevon Bryant went down with a knee injury during practice. He is scheduled to have surgery in May and will miss the 2017 season. His loss shuffles the depth chart at running back. Sophomore Evan Gray moves up and is penciled in as the starter. Seniors Donald Goodrich and Jerickson Fedrick are listed as backups. In addition, redshirt freshman DeUnte Chatman was switched from linebacker to running back after the Bryant injury. Gray had 14 carries for 66 yards and an impressive touchdown last season when he broke free for a 22-yard score in UNH s FCS playoff win over Lehigh. It was explosive and it was fast, Setian said. He s big and he s deceptively quick. He s got great feet in the hole. He s got things to work on just like everybody else. We re really excited about him. He s really smooth. He has good hips. And what he can do is re-accelerate his feet in the hole. If he can continue to do that, it s going to be a really bright future for him. Goodrich has been a standout on special teams and has contributed on offense as well throughout his career. Donald Goodrich is a do-it-all guy, Setian said. He is a leader on special teams, a leader in our offense. He s probably one of the more experienced guys we have. He s another guy that we can trust and put him in any different sort of spot. At H-back, at running back. We can put him out wide. We can have him lead block. We can give him the ball. We can throw him the ball. On special teams, he s everywhere. He s the first one down the field on kickoffs. He takes control of the punt team. He s a very vocal guy for us. We can put him out there and know he s going to get there and he s going to be in the right spot. Fedrick, who played at Salem (N.H.) High School, transferred in from Maine a year ago. When he gets downhill and moving fast it s hard to tackle him, Setian said. He gets hit and then he still goes for six yards. It s flashes of really good downhill, tough football. He needs to continue to strive for that. Chatman had been impressive on the defensive side of the ball, too. It will be good to get him more days back there (at running back), McDonnell said. I know he s talented. He s just got to get in the groove and figure out what s going on. Out of high school he was an outstanding running back. In prep school he was an outstanding running back. A resident of Houston, Chatman spent a prep year at Loomis Chaffee in Windsor, Conn. He rushed 92 times for 1,132 and 16 TDs at Loomis Chaffee. He also had 76 tackles with 34 for loss, including 16 sacks. When he came last year, we didn t need a running back, McDonnell said. He s a terrific linebacker. He was really gifted on the defensive side. When you take a step back and look, we ve got a freshman coming in who s a good player but we wanted to see what DeUnte could do in six practices rather than wait til the fall to make the switch, so we did it right now. OFFENSIVE LINE The Wildcats took a hit or four, to be more exact on the offensive line. Gone are Andrew Lauderdale, Tad McNeely, Curtis Nealer and Alexander Morrill, all of whom were multiple-year starters. Offensive line coach Alex Miller and the Wildcats have spent the offseason and spring rebuilding the unit, a process that will continue through the summer and into preseason camp come August. There are a couple of big returning starters senior Will McInerny and junior Dayne Herron to help the process along. Herron has moved from right tackle to left tackle and McInerny is at right tackle on the depth chart. Between Herron and McInerny on the depth chart, senior Jake Kennedy is penciled in at center, sophomore Nick Velte is at one guard spot and redshirt freshman Jack Carroll at the other. We ve got a little bit of experience, but we don t have that three-year starter or anything like that coming back, Miller said. We ve got a lot of work to do. It s one of those things with the offensive line: If you re willing to put the work in it will come out the other side. But these guys have a lot of work to do ahead of them. Herron, McInerny and Kennedy bring the most size and experience to the group. McInerny, 6-foot-7 and 305 pounds, and Herron, 6-foot-4 and 307, started last season. Kennedy, 6-foot-3 and 309 pounds, was named one of the team s captains. Dayne s got a good tackle body, Miller said. He s got long arms. He s extremely athletic. He s a former basketball player. Those are the guys that we usually like taking at tackle with our zone operation and stuff like that. His athleticism, his effort, that s something that sets him apart. He s got to continue to work on his technique. But I think last year that s what kept him starting for 10 games: He gave great effort and just kind of kept attacking things. That s something he s got to continue to do. McInerny started 11 games last season and five as a sophomore, sometimes at guard and sometimes at tackle. Will s a big guy, Miller said. He can play inside and outside so he gives us a little flexibility. If we get better depth inside, we ll probably play him at tackle. But if we have a little more depth at tackle, maybe we ll play him at guard. His versatility is good right now as we kind of work out the kinks with the young guys. Kennedy has fit in nicely at center. The good thing for Jake is he had Mike Coccia and Tad McNeely, All American, All-Conference guys ahead of him, so he s kind of seen how to practice and how to carry himself and the responsibility and the pressure we put on the center in our offense, Miller said. He s done a pretty good job. He had a decent offseason and he s been solid this spring That helps us that he s come in and been kind of solid through the middle there. Velte and Carroll are among the youngsters of the group. Velte started five games last year as a redshirt freshman. Carroll worked on the defensive side and dealt with a foot injury last fall. Nick s a smart kid and he was able to pick the offense up really well, Miller said. As a young kid, it s usually the other way. They re trying to figure out the offense, so they re not playing with good confidence and technique. He s a pretty smart kid, an engineering student. He picked it up really well. I think he was able to play a little freer and focus on some technique. Carroll s been a welcome addition to the offense. He s been a pleasant surprise, Miller said. He s a former rugby player in high school so he s a pretty athletic kid. He can play with a base really well and use his power in his hips. It s not like he was playing offensive line. Basically every practice is something new. He s a tough kid. He s a strong kid. He reminds me a lot it s not just because he has the same number of Morrill when he came in as a freshman. He was a D-tackle for half a year and came over, but just kind of kept attacking things and eventually it worked itself out. If he keeps doing that, I think we ll be fine. Redshirt freshman Matt Mascia and sophomores Noah Robison, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, Jeff Carter, Mike McGuinness and Clayton Jimerson are among the others in the mix, pushing for starting jobs and minutes. You ve got a lot of moving parts, Miller said. But we ve got to keep

9 2017 SPRING FOOTBALL OUTLOOK Compiled by UNH Insider Allen putting these guys in situations and scenarios to see who can come out the other side. Ultimately I think over the years what has made us good is the pressure we apply to our kids during practice almost makes the game a little easier at times. The more we can add that pressure, as long as they continue to meet it, they ll be OK in the long run. DEFENSIVE LINE One of the goals for UNH s defense a year ago was to shore up its efforts against the run. Thanks in large part to the men in the middle first-time starters Rick Holt and Ryan Sosnak the Wildcats were able to do that. Holt, 6-foot-4 and 293 pounds and now a senior, and Sosnak, 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds and a junior, are back to anchor the defensive line from their tackle spots again. In the interior, Holt and Sosnak have done a real good job of getting better at the things that we asked them to get better at, McDonnell said. We talked about gap control. Talked about bull rushing. We talked about using hands and staying in and the integrity of the defense and both the kids have done a real good job with that. Holt leads the returning defensive linemen with 27 unassisted tackles and 20 assisted for a total of 47. Sosnak had totals and his 39-yard return of a fumble for a touchdown against Towson University was one of the defensive highlights of the season. Sophomore Elijah Lewis and junior Cyrus Boone, who missed all of last season with a foot injury, look to be part of the rotation as well. At defensive end, the Wildcats need to replace the production and leadership of Cam Shorey, who led the team with 10 tackles for a loss and was recently named the Colonial Athletic Association Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year for football. Juniors Jae Wuan Horton and Kyle Reisert saw the most time of those returning at defensive end and sophomore Josh Kania was very productive when he got his chances. The No. 1 thing you notice about Jae Wuan is just his effort, said assistant coach Kyle McAllister, who works with the defensive ends. It was very apparent right from the get-go even when he was a freshman on scout team. Everything he did he was always running around. His work ethic was unbelievable. That makes it easy as a coach when a guy works that hard, wants to compete wants to get better, wants to learn. Reisert is out of the same mold. Kyle works as hard as anyone I ve ever seen, McAllister said. I m as proud of him as I am of anyone in the group, from where he started to where s he s gotten to, being a big contributor and being someone the younger guys really look up to. You talk about how great he is as a student. The fact he s had a 4.0 in mechanical engineering for all this time here so far. But also the fact, despite that and how much time he has to put into that, he is still able to do all the things he does on the football field. Both those guys it just starts with how hard they work and how much they love the game. Everything else kind of snowballs after that. Riesert had 36 tackles with a team-leading 4.5 sacks and Horton had 28 tackles and four sacks. Kania made 37 tackles with 2.5 sacks. Josh is one of the more physical guys we have up front, McAllister said. And he s done a great job of picking up our defense pretty quickly. Senior Mike Boryeskne, who has been slowed much of his career by injuries, and redshirt freshman Brian Carter are also in the picture for playing time at defensive end. So, too are sophomore Robbie Schumacher and redshirt freshman Riley Ammerman. The defense improved from last in the league at 199 yards allowed rushing in 2015 to fourth at in The mission for 2017 is to continue that improvement, get more of a pass rush and to cut down on allowed. Holt and Sosnak will be called upon again. Those two guys did an outstanding job last year, said Pete McCarty, the assistant coach in charge of defensive tackles. They did a great job in the run game. I ve told both of those guys that I anticipate a higher level of play from them. They re a year older and a year older being smart, too. I think they have to be the leaders in the forefront for young guys. Lewis, who played as a true freshman last year, is one of the young players. Redshirt freshmen Jacob Bradshaw and Patrick Kaplan and sophomore Sean Burns are among the others. The biggest thing is we want to be able to get a third and a fourth guy in there so those other two guys (Holt and Sosnak) can be taken off the field and not fear we re going to get a significant dropoff, McCarty said. LINEBACKERS Linebackers DeVaughn Chollette and Ryan Farrell both started every game of their senior year in The good news for the 2017 football team is that the two players who backed them up junior Jared Kuehl and sophomore Quinlen Dean not only got a lot of playing time as reserves but were very productive in their roles. Kuehl was part of a regular rotation at linebacker and was fourth on the team with 60 tackles last season. He returned an interception for a touchdown and forced a couple of fumbles. Dean was involved in 38 tackles, forced and recovered a couple of fumbles and had a breakout game against Stony Brook. Right now, Jared Kuehl and Quinlen Dean are doing really good things, McDonnell said. They re both athletic as all get-go. They get to the ball. Both of them are good-sized linebackers. Both can run. Both have picked up and taken to the coaching very, very well. Garrett Gillick coaches the UNH linebackers and he s been impressed by his two leaders as well the linebackers overall. I think they re a talented group, Gillick said. They re probably as athletic as any kids I ve had, including freshman Stephen Harper. Harper redshirted last season and is part of the linebacking group with sophomore Cameron Brusko and classmates Jackson Housman and Carson Leary. Kuehl got off to a fast start last season as he tied for the team lead with 10 tackles in the season opener at San Diego State. Two games later, he picked off a pass against Dartmouth and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown. Jared s a guy that s very slippery inside, Gillick said. He makes people miss. He s got great feet. He uses his hands really, really well. That allowed him last year to get involved in some packages that maybe got him on the field a little earlier. Jared s a kid who has progressed each year in the program, whether it s in the weight room, during mat drills or just even physically putting on weight. He came back this spring at 240 pounds. One of the things that was impressive was he didn t really lose any of his mobility and his athleticism. He just has a knack to rush the passer. Kuehl does well in school and that spills over onto the field, Gillick said. He s been able to pick up the defense relatively quickly for a kid who really hasn t played a whole lot of snaps, the coach said. I think the thing with him is the intelligence he brings on the field and his ability to find the football, whether it s blitzing or running through gaps or in pass coverage, he does a real good job. Dean had three interceptions last season. Two of them came in a win over No. 22 Stony Brook in Wildcat Stadium on Oct. 29. With Quinlen it was funny because you watched his high school highlight tape and he really was a kid who just rushed off the edge, Gillick said. He had something like 30 sacks in high school just standing on the edge and running people down. For us, it was hard to evaluate him and see whether he could play linebacker. He went to an all-star game and they stood him up and he moved around and you could see he had the ability to do some of those things. Dean proved it shortly after he got on campus. He got here and he was very athletic, Gillick said. I think the first play he ever had in one of our thuds he picked off a pass and scored a touchdown. I think with him, he s long and he just had to learn the defense. He and Jared have done a real good job picking up schemes and understanding what we want from them, which then allows them to get on the field and make plays. Brusko, Harper and the others will try to follow their lead. It s just really a matter of who are the next two guys, Gillick said. It s up for grabs. Now that we ve got most of our stuff in it s a matter of who s going to pick it up faster and who s going to put stuff on tape. Jobs are won in the spring so I think those guys have a challenge ahead of them to see who s

10 2017 SPRING FOOTBALL OUTLOOK Compiled by UNH Insider Allen going to come into camp being that third guy that we re looking for. It always works itself out. DEFENSIVE BACKS The coaches knew going into last season that they were going to be working with a young and inexperienced group in the defensive backfield And then their group got a whole lot younger and less experienced. By the third game of the season, cornerback Prince Smith, Jr. and safety Pop Lacey a pair of true freshman had entrenched themselves in the starting lineup. At times, the Wildcats were playing Smith, Jr. and Lacey alongside redshirt freshmen safeties Michael Balsamo and Rick Ellison with senior cornerback Casey DeAndrade. With the graduation of DeAndrade, the Wildcats are looking at a defensive backfield that is still young, but much more experienced than a year ago. The depth chart, which lists two cornerbacks and the three safeties in UNH s defensive backfield, has five sophomores, including Isiah Perkins at cornerback. It s extremely rare that a true freshman steps in and plays regular time in the UNH defensive backfield. Lacey and Smith, Jr. both did it and were very productive last season. At times they were outstanding and then at times... that happens, said John Lyons, the defensive coordinator who works specifically with cornerbacks. When we broke down we were inconsistent. You just have to keep trying to eliminate those types of plays. Both kids have a good understanding of what we re doing. There s a lot of things going on back there and a lot of things that have to happen at once. Everybody s got to be on the same page and make sure we re playing things the proper way. Lacey led UNH in tackles with 82. Smith, Jr. had five interceptions, the most for a Wildcat since 2011 and the third best in the Colonial Athletic Association. Smith, Jr. was the CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year. Lacey was All-CAA Third Team. Both players have improved as they ve gotten more familiar with the defense and what the team is trying to accomplish, Lyons said. Prince really plays hard, Lyons said. He s very quick, very explosive as far as his ability to change direction. I think he likes the challenge of being out there and playing a man one on one. That type of thing doesn t bother him, where some guys kind of back away from that, he doesn t. He never panics. He s patient. If the receiver is ahead of him he s going to run and play him. He keeps his composure that way. Lacey served as the quarterback of the secondary. Pop is a tremendous athlete, said assistant coach Scott James, who works with the safeties. He s intelligent, both on and off the field. He s engaging with his teammates, he s engaging with his coaches. He has a great football IQ, so giving him things, whether its new assignments, new adjustments, whether it s giving him new focus points as an individual, it s easy for him to wrap his head around it, it s easy for him to grasp. He doesn t lose sight of how it all works together. Lyons and James and the rest of the staff are excited about the defense overall and the young backfield including Balsamo, Ellison and Perkins in particular. Redshirt freshman safety Evan Horn draws high praise from the coaches, too, and is expected to play a key role, as is redshirt freshman cornerback Alonzo Addae. Seniors D Andre Drummond-Mayrie, Geno Miller, Marquis Carr and Nick Marino add valuable leadership and experience to the mix. We have some pretty good competition at cornerback, Lyons said. At the safety spot, all of those guys played, which is a big plus because they re all better than they were. The group has impressed overall. Last year was certainly a unique year, in that we played so many freshmen as a defense, James said. That experience has lent itself to this year where we re seeing a lot of growth, fast growth in formation recognition, schematic recognition, it can put a lot more on their plate. The best thing about the group is that they are engaged in what we re doing, they re easy to coach, they manage themselves in terms of motivation. It s a tremendous group. SPECIAL TEAMS Head coach McDonnell figures his team has the best of both worlds when it comes to the kicking game in 2017: The Wildcats have experienced guys back at kicker and punter, and they also have players to compete with them. Senior Morgan Ellman is back as the kickoff man and field goal kicker and classmate Max Pedinoff is the punter. Both have experience, both did a good job for us last year, McDonnell said. The good thing is we ve got returning starters. The even better thing is we ve got guys pushing them and making them a little bit better. McDonnell is seeking more production out of his kickers and special teams. We re looking for improvement in those areas and the kids worked really hard in the offseason and have gotten better, McDonnell said. Pedinoff has pushed Ellman as a kicker and, in turn, sophomore Drew Sanborn has been pushing Pedinoff as a punter. That s the great thing about competition, McDonnell said. Drew Sanborn played a little bit last year. Talented kid. He s got to keep working at it. He s going to give Max a run for his money at the punting position. At the kicking position, I ve been very, very pleased with the way Pedinoff has kicked this spring. He s been very accurate, hit some long kicks, done a nice job. Sophomore Mitch McPike adds depth to the kicking spot and has turned it into a three-way competition and redshirt freshman Jason Hughes has joined the picture as well. Ellman made all five of the field goals he attempted as a sophomore and last year made seven of his 10 field goal attempts with a long of 40 yards. He was 38-for-40 on his conversion kicks. We ve got to improve, McDonnell said. That s the thing. It s not just field goals. It s kickoffs. We ve got to get the ball kicked deeper and we ve got to get the ball kicked higher, so we can cover better. All this stuff works together. Pedinoff averaged 38.4 yards per punt on his 62 kicks and knocked 19 of them inside the 20-yard line. Field position is a huge, huge part of the game, McDonnell said. One of the things I think we did extremely well last year was punt the ball inside the 10-yard line. Max had a real good feel for it. Drew had two of them in the Elon game when he played. It was really good to see that. The Wildcats lost two of the best punt and kickoff returners in the Colonial Athletic Association DeAndrade and Crossan to graduation. That one s going to be very interesting because you don t know until they get in the heat of the battle, McDonnell said. For the punt returners, I think Malik Love and I think Pop Lacey have done a really nice job of catching the ball and making us feel comfortable. Neil O Connor s back there. But you don t really know until the bullets start flying in the game. With kickoff return, there s a lot of young guys that I think will be pretty good, McDonnell added. I think Kieran Presley will be good at it. I think DeUnte Chatman with his speed might be pretty good at it. We ve got to find out through next fall what the guys are doing, if they understand how to hit it and go and then get into a game and see what happens. It s hard to simulate. There are at least a couple of other aspects to special teams as well. Who s blocking for the returners? McDonnell quipped. How much better are we going to get up front, staying on blocks and making sure there are some holes for these guy to run through. Then there s the matter of getting the ball to the punters and kickers. The other thing that we never talk about is snappers, McDonnell said. We had a guy, Ryan Farrell, last year that snapped for four years and didn t have a bad snap. (Junior) Jared Kuehl, (redshirt freshman) Evan Horn, (sophomore) Nick Lubischer will be battling for the starting long snapping thing. Kuehl s got a little bit of a heads up on that. In the short snapping, I feel really good with (junior) Kyle Reisert and (redshirt freshman) Jacob Bradshaw. Those guys go unnoticed, but they re really important.

11 HEAD COACH SEAN McDONNELL Sean McDonnell 78 in his 19th season as head coach of his alma mater in The native of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., has a career record of (.629 winning percentage) that includes an conference mark (.612). He has guided the Wildcats to 13 consecutive winning seasons with six double-digit win totals and the Cats have advanced to the NCAA Division I FCS tournament each of those 13 years, which is the longest active streak in the nation. McDonnell s collegiate accolades include Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year ( ), AFCA National Coach of the Year (2014), AFCA District Coach of the Year ( ), CAA Coach of the Year ( ), New England Football Writers Coach of the Year ( ) and Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Head Coach of the Year ( ). UNH extended is nation-leading active streak of consecutive playoff appearances to 13 years in the 2016 season. The Cats christened Wildcat Stadium against Holy Cross on Sept. 10 and fireworks lit up the Durham sky following a victory. New Hampshire went 6-2 the last eight games of the regular season with victories against William & Mary and Stony Brook, both of whom were nationally ranked. UNH went on to defeat Lehigh, 64-21, in an NCAA first round game and ended the year with an 8-5 overall record that included 6-2 in the CAA. The 2015 Wildcats rallied to win their final four games to extend their playoff streak to 12 years. The winning streak included an upset of No. 5 Richmond (30-25) and a convincing 22-6 defeat of rival Maine in the final regular-season home game in the 79-year history of Cowell Stadium. The Cats recorded victories in their final 15 regular season games in Cowell Stadium, which gave way to Wildcat Stadium in UNH put together a staggering streak of 162 straight weeks ranked in the STATS FCS Top 25, a streak that began Sept. 6, 2004, and lasted until Oct. 12, On Dec. 15, 2014, McDonnell became the third two-time recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award (FCS National Coach of the Year). It marked the fourth Coach of the Year accolade in 14 for McDonnell, who was also honored as AFCA Region Coach of the Year, New England Coach of the Year and CAA Coach of the Year. Coach Mac guided the 2104 Wildcats to their second consecutive national semifinal appearance with a 12-2 record that included school records for most wins in a season and consecutive wins (12), as well as five wins against nationally-ranked teams, including four in the Top 10. The Wildcats posted a perfect 8-0 record in the CAA to claim their third league championship under McDonnell ( ) and first outright title since In 2013, McDonnell was honored by the Joe Yukica-New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation with the Andy Mooradian Award for his contributions to amateur football. That season UNH won multiple playoff games (three) in a single season for the first time in program history en route to the Wildcats first appearance in the FCS semifinals. The Cats recorded five wins against nationally-ranked foes, including three vs. the Top 10, to finish with a 10-5 overall record as well as a 6-2 CAA mark for the third consecutive year. New Hampshire recorded a six-game win streak for the second consecutive season and went a perfect 6-0 at home. After a 1-3 start, the 2013 season turned when Coach Mac s Wildcats went for and converted a 2-point PAT with 14 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to defeat 12th-ranked Villanova, UNH closed the regular season with a convincing 24-3 win at Cowell Stadium against fourthranked Maine to retain the Brice-Cowell Musket before recording playoff wins against Lafayette (45-7 at home), eighth-ranked Maine (41-27) and seventh-ranked Southeastern Louisiana (20-17). The 2012 Wildcats earned a share of the CAA championship the second in Coach Mac s career (2005) with a 6-2 league mark. The Cats compiled an 8-4 overall record that included an NCAA second-round game at Wofford. McDonnell reached coaching milestone victory No. 100 with a win against Georgia State at the Georgia Dome on Oct. 6, Senior linebacker Matt Evans became the school s all-time tackle leader (460) when he surpassed Steve Doig on Nov. 3, 2012, in Coach Mac s first career victory against William & Mary (28-25). Evans had his No. 52 retired at the team awards banquet in March 2013, and fellow senior Chris Zarkoskie (OL) was the recipient of the CAA s inaugural Chuck Boone Leadership Award. The 2011 Wildcats matched a school record for the second straight year by knocking off five ranked opponents en route to an 8-4 mark, including 6-2 in the CAA. The Cats put a bow on their rivalry with Massachusetts by knocking off the Minutemen, 27-21, in the second Colonial Clash at Gillette Stadium, which was also the 74th and final scheduled meeting between the longtime rivals. UNH reclaimed the Brice-Cowell Musket with a defeat of Maine in the regular-season finale and came within a blocked PAT of forcing overtime in a playoff loss at Montana State. Junior linebacker Matt Evans became the first Wildcat to ever be named the nation s top defensive player when he won the Buck Buchanan Award, and senior quarterback Kevin Decker was crowned the CAA Offensive Player of the Year. In 2010, McDonnell s Wildcats collected victories against five ranked opponents, a University record, en route to an 8-5 campaign. UNH advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA postseason for the sixth time in seven years after dispatching Bethune-Cookman, 45-20, in a second-round encounter before suffering a 16-3 quarterfinal loss at eventual national championship game participant Delaware. McDonnell was feted as the 2010 Division I FCS Coach of the Year by the New England Football Writers, his third such honor (2005, 08). During the course of the 10 campaign, the Cats earned their 12th straight home victory a school record- by shutting out No. 11 Richmond, 17-0, on Homecoming. Two weeks later, UNH made history by topping No. 12 UMass, 39-13, in the inaugural Colonial Clash at Gillette Stadium. The game was witnessed by 32,848 fans, the largest football crowd in CAA history. UNH finished 10-3 in 2009 and won its second straight CAA North Division championship. The Wildcats continued to be giant killers by knocking off an FBS opponent for the fifth straight time, securing a hard-fought triumph at Ball State. Previous FBS opponents to feel the wrath of the Wildcats during the amazing upset run were Army (2008), Marshall ( 07), Northwestern ( 06) and Rutgers ( 04). UNH was the only team to defeat eventual FCS national champion Villanova (28-24) on Homecoming. The Wildcats also posted an impressive win on the road at McNeese State, defeating the Cowboys, 49-13, in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. New Hampshire notched a 10-3 record in 2008, including a defeat of Southern Illinois in the first round of the NCAAs before a quarterfinal-round setback at Northern Iowa. UNH finished the season ranked No. 7 in most national polls, and McDonnell was honored as the New England FCS Coach of the Year for the second time. In 2007, the Wildcats were 7-5 overall and just narrowly missed upsetting No. 1 Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAAs, losing on a last-minute TD, 38-35, at the UNI Dome. The Wildcat offense, ranked 16th in the nation, averaged over 400 yards per contest. The Wildcats were ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation in 2006 and finished the season ranked sixth after defeating Hampton in the first round