CHARGER FOOTBALL IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
2011 COACHES
November 29, 1997 - New Haven 49, Slippery Rock 21 The second-ranked Chargers defeated No. 7 Slippery Rock 49-21 to advance to the semifinals for only the second time in school history. UNH amassed 523 yards of total offense as wide receiver Elvert Eden caught seven passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Cazzie Kosciolek completed 16 of 30 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns, while Don Highsmith ran for 134 yards on 29 carries. Highsmith was the first running back this season to rush for over 100 yards against Slippery Rock.
2011 OUTLOOK 2010 REVIEW HISTORY & RECORDS
On O nD De Decem December ece cem e 13, 1997 the University of New Haven football team tte ea e am beca b became c ca the first college from Connecticut and the smallest es e s stt sc scho hoo ho oo o o to ever compete for the NCAA Division II football school tit tti tle e Photo: Players huddle during the 1997 National title. Ch C Championship h ha ham am game in Florence, Alabama.
THE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN • 2011 CHARGER FOOTBALL
2011 PLAYERS
December 6, 1997 - New Haven 27, UC Davis 25 The No.2 ranked University of New Haven football team defeated UC Davis 27-25 in the NCAA Division II national semifinals in front of 4,712 at the Yale Bowl. It was the first semifinal win for New Haven. “This is the greatest win in UNH history,” head coach Tony Sparano said. Davis took a 3-0 lead on a Ray Hill 31-yard field goal just 3:48 into the game. New Haven’s Adam Roman, a junior wide receiver from Laguna Hills, Calif., scored the next three touchdowns to give the Chargers a 21-3 lead. Roman, who finished the day with six catches for 96 yards, scored on an receptions of eight and 65 yards, then returned a punt 82 yards for his third touchdown. Davis (9-5) dominated the statistics, led by junior quarterback Kevin Daft who completed 43 of 64 passes for 468 yards (all school and DII playoff records) and three touchdowns. The Aggies totaled 575 yards of total offense, but committed four turnovers. With :23 left in the game, Daft completed a 1-yard pass to Wes Terrell on a 4th and two. Terrell was stopped just short of the first down by Dennis Burney and Jason Pacourek (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.). New Haven quarterback Cazzie Kosciolek completed 11 of 26 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Don Highsmith rushed for 105 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. It was the fifth straight game Highsmith rushed for 100 yards or more. December 13, 1997 - Northern Colorado 51, New Haven 0 UNH was the first school from Connecticut to play in a college football title game and was the smallest school enrollment wise to ever play for the DII football title. New Haven won the coin toss and elected to kick off. The Chargers stopped Northern Colorado on their first three plays, setting up a 4th and 2 from the UNC 36. Dirk Johnson faked a punt and ran 39 yards. Two plays later, Corte McGuffey connected with Dillon Micus on a 20-yard touchdown pass. It was only the second time all season that an opponent had scored first against New Haven. Northern Colorado sacked Cazzie Kosciolek seven times, the most sacks UNH had allowed all season. New Haven also lost three fumbles, the most it had lost all season.
CHARGER FOOTBALL
POSTSEASON HISTORY
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