UNH FOOTBALL - NATION-LEADING 8 STRAIGHTNCAAAPPEARANCES
2011 GAME SUMMARIES UNH 45, Richmond 43
UNH 39, Holy Cross 32
Game Three • September 24, 2011 Robins Stadium • Richmond, Va. UNH (2-1, 1-0) RICH (3-1, 0-1)
0 10
28 10
7 3
10 20
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Game Four • October 1, 2011 Cowell Stadium • Durham, N.H. 45 43
1st 12:47 RICH Barnette 1-yd pass from Corp (Kamin kick) 0-7 2:44 RICH Kamin 36-yd field goal 0-10 2nd 14:12 UNH Harris 19-yd pass from Decker (MacArthur kick) 7-10 11:03 UNH Vines 60-yd INT return (MacArthur kick) 14-10 10:23 UNH Decker 18-yd run (MacArthur kick) 21-10 7:31 RICH Kamin 45-yd field goal 21-13 5:54 UNH Evans 31-yd INT return (MacArthur kick) 28-13 4:02 RICH Gaskins 6-yd run (Kamin kick) 28-20 3rd 13:33 UNH Decker 12-yd run (MacArthur kick) 35-20 6:42 RICH Kamin 37-yd field goal 35-23 4th 14:57 UNH MacArthur 23-yd field goal 38-23 10:45 RICH Gaskins 13-yd run (PAT failed) 38-29 6:20 RICH Edwards 9-yd pass from Corp (Kamin kick) 38-36 2:45 UNH Harris 47-yd pass from Decker (MacArthur kick) 45-36 :28 RICH Gaskins 1-yd run (Kamin kick) 45-43
INDIVIDUAL WILDCAT LEADERS
RUSHING UNH - Dontra Peters 9-64 yds, Kevin Decker 9-48 yds, 2 TD PASSING UNH - Kevin Decker 22-32-2, 239 yds, 2 TD RECEIVING UNH - R.J. Harris 12-120 yds, 2 TD
TEAM STATISTICS
UNH RICH First Downs................................... 19 31 Rushes/Yardage............................. 25/129 34/124 Passing Yardage............................ 239 351 Pass Comp./Att./INT..................... 22/33/2 35/50/2 Total Offense................................. 368 475 Punts/Average............................... 4/42.8 2/39.0 Fumbles/Lost................................ 0-0 1-1 Penalties/Yards.............................. 13/106 7/55 RICHMOND, Va.– R.J. Harris hauled in 12 catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns, including a 47-yarder late in the fourth quarter, to help 11th-ranked UNH hold off No. 5/7 Richmond, 45-43, on Saturday at Robins Stadium in the CAA opener for both schools. UNH improved its record to 2-1 (1-0 CAA) by earning its first victory in Richmond since 1994. The Spiders fell to 3-1, 0-1 in the league. Kevin Decker threw for two TDs and ran for two more, completing 22 of 32 passes for 239 yards and rushing for 48 yards on nine carries. Dontra Peters accumulated 261 all-purpose yards (64 rushing, 56 receiving, 141 kick return). Matt Evans and Randi Vines each returned an interception for a touchdown, and Chris Beranger amassed a career-high 17 tackles. Decker hit Harris on a post pattern for a 47-yard TD to stake the Wildcats to a 45-36 lead with 2:45 left. Richmond RB Kendall Gaskins (16 rushes-81 yards-3 TDs) scored on a one-yard rush for his third score of the game with 28 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to 45-43, but Chris Chandler successfully recovered the ensuing onside kick to preserve the victory. Tre Gray collected 16 receptions for 194 yards, and Aaron Corp completed 35 of 50 passes for 351 yards and two TDs in the losing effort. The Wildcats, who fell behind 10-0 after one quarter, seized their first lead with 11:03 left in the half when Vines intercepted a deflected pass and jaunted 60 yards untouched for a TD, staking the ‘Cats to a 14-10 lead. It marked Vines’ second career pick-six; he previously returned an INT 30 yards for a score against Central Conn. State on Sept. 4, 2010. UNH forced another turnover on the ensuing kickoff when Chris Setian jarred the ball loose from Tremayne Graham and Chris Houston recovered the fumble on the Spiders’ 31. Three players later, Decker called his own number and zipped in for an 18-yard TD, pushing UNH’s lead to 21-10 with 10:23 left in the half. Richmond drew to within 21-13 when Will Kamin drilled a 45-yard FG with 7:31 left in the half. The Wildcats registered their second pick-six of the game when Evans returned an INT 31 yards with 5:54 left in the second, staking UNH to a 28-13 lead. It was the second career pick-six by Evans, who tallied a 25-yarder versus Towson on Nov. 20, 2010. Richmond’s final scoring drive of the first half was ignited by a 76-yard kickoff return from Wayne Pettus to the UNH 13. Facing a 4th-and-3 from the 6, the Spiders lined up for a field goal, only to direct snap to Gaskins, who sprinted around the right end for a TD and a 28-20 deficit. Peters took the opening kickoff of the second half 70 yards, a career high, to the Richmond 26. The ‘Cats capitalized on the short field when Decker rushed for his second score of the contest, this time from 12 yards out to build UNH’s advantage to 35-20 with 13:33 left in the third. UNH reclaimed a 38-23 lead when Mike MacArthur hit a 23-yard FG on the first play of the fourth. Richmond’s response was Gaskins’ second rushing TD of the game, a 13-yard carry with 10:45 left that narrowed the gap to 38-29. Trailing 10-0, UNH got on the board with 14:12 left in the second quarter when Decker lofted a 19-yard touchdown pass to Harris in the left corner of the end zone to conclude a nine-play, 90-yard drive.
WWW.UNHWILDCATS.COM
HC (2-2, 1-0) UNH (3-1, 1-0) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
8:29 3:23 9:06 6:46 2:18 0:00 10:22 7:53 11:36 9:53 2:30 1:10
UNH HC HC UNH HC UNH UNH HC HC UNH HC UNH
3 7
10 11
6 7
13 14
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Giansante 27-yd pass from Decker (MacArthur kick) Macomber 33-yd field goal Fess 3-yd pass from Taggart (Macomber kick) Mangieri 31-yd pass from Decker (Decker rush) Macomber 26-yd field goal MacArthur 25-yd field goal Orlando 5-yd pass from Decker (MacArthur kick) Taggart 10-yd run (PAT failed) Mistretta 35-yd pass from Taggart (PAT failed) Setian 1-yd run (MacArthur kick) Taggart 13-yd run (Macomber kick) Mello 60-yd pass from Decker (MacArthur kick)
32 39 0-7 3-7 10-7 10-15 13-15 13-18 13-25 19-25 25-25 25-32 32-32 32-39
INDIVIDUAL WILDCAT LEADERS
RUSHING UNH - Dontra Peters 18-104 yds PASSING UNH - Kevin Decker 23-31-0, 352 yds, 4 TD RECEIVING UNH - Justin Mello 2-107 yds, TD, Mickey Mangieri 6-102 yds, TD
TEAM STATISTICS
HC UNH First Downs................................... 30 22 Rushes/Yardage............................. 30/119 40/204 Passing Yardage............................ 412 352 Pass Comp./Att./INT..................... 40/57/1 23/32/0 Total Offense................................. 531 556 Punts/Average............................... 5/36.2 5/38.6 Fumbles/Lost................................ 0-0 2-2 Penalties/Yards.............................. 5/56 5/38 DURHAM, N.H.- Kevin Decker passed for career highs of 352 yards and four touchdowns, the final one a 60-yard strike to Justin Mello with 1:10 remaining in the game, to propel No. 7/9 UNH to a 39-32 victory over Holy Cross before 8,307 fans at Cowell Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 CAA) notched their third straight victory and made it seven consecutive wins in home openers. The Crusaders (2-2, 1-0 Patriot League) saw their two-game winning streak snapped in the first meeting between the two New England FCS schools since 1984. Decker went 23 of 31 and threw his four scoring passes to four different receivers. Mello eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career, tallying two receptions for a team-leading 107 yards. Mickey Mangieri, seeing his first game action since Dec. 5, 2009, posted career bests with six receptions for 102 yards and a TD. Dontra Peters recorded his first 100-yard rushing game of the year, gaining 104 yards on 18 carries. Chris Beranger made a team-high 12 stops for his third double-digit tackle performance in four games while Matt Evans made it four straight games in double-figure tackles with 11 stops. Ryan Taggart completed 40 of 57 passes for 412 yards and two TDs, but he was intercepted by Manny Asam in the first, snapping his school record of 209 consecutive passes without an INT. Taggart also rushed 12 times for 55 yards and a pair of TDs. Kyle Toulouse amassed 13 receptions for 110 yards and Gerald Mistretta added six catches for 136 yards to lead the Crusaders. UNH snapped a 32-32 tie when Decker found Mello down the right sideline for a 40-yard score, which was the sophomore receiver’s first career TD catch. Holy Cross moved the ball to the UNH 33 on its final possession, but the last-ditch effort fell short when Taggart’s pass intended for Jon Smith in the UNH end zone was batted away as time expired. The Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 8:29 left in the first when Decker hit Jimmy Giansante for a 27-yard score. Holy Cross tallied its first points with 3:23 remaining in the first courtesy of a 33-yard field goal from John Macomber to trim New Hampshire’s lead to 7-3. The Crusaders moved in front, 10-7, for its only lead on a three-yard TD pass from Taggart to Mike Fess (11 catches, 95 yards, TD) with 9:06 left in the half. The ‘Cats seized the lead right back on a 31yard Decker-to-Mangieri TD followed by Decker’s full-extension leap over the goal line on the successful two-point conversion for a 15-10 lead with 6:46 to go in the half. UNH took an 18-10 lead to the locker room when Mike MacArthur kicked a 25-yard FG on the final play of the half. The Wildcats’ biggest lead of the afternoon came on Decker’s third scoring strike of the day, a five-yard pass to Joey Orlando with 10:22 to play in the third for a 25-13 lead. Holy Cross responded with an 87-yard scoring drive that culminated in Taggart’s 10-yard TD run with 7:53 left in the third. The Crusaders cut the deficit to 25-19, but Macomber’s PAT failed. The Crusaders saw an opportunity to take the lead go by the boards after a second missed PAT with 11:36 left in the game. Moments earlier, Mistretta caught a 4th-and-3 pass and raced 35 yards to the end zone, tying the score, 25-25. UNH reclaimed the lead, 32-25, when Chris Setian (eight rushes-64 yards, TD) bruised his way in for a one-yard TD run with 9:53 left in the fourth. The score was set up by Decker’s 47-yard pass to Mello down to the Holy Cross 1. Taggart once again brought the Crusaders even at 32-32 by scampering in for a 13-yard TD. his second of the game, with 2:30 left in the contest.
2012New UNIVERSITY OF 2009 Hampshire Football 44• 44 •
NEW HAMPSHIRE FOOTBALL