New Hampshire Football Report
Home / College / Turnovers key in UNH victory

Turnovers key in UNH victory

DURHAM – Cornerback Prince Smith, Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa.) and linebacker Quinlen Dean (Greenbelt, Md.) were part of a strong defensive performance that led the University of New Hampshire football team to a 43-14 win over No. 20 Stony Brook on Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Stadium.

Dean, a redshirt freshman, and Smith, a true freshman, each had a pair of interceptions. Dean also forced a fumble that he recovered. Smith grabbed his first interception on Stony Brook’s second play of the game and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown.

The Wildcats shut down Stony Brook’s running game, collected five turnovers and turned four of them into touchdowns. The fifth stopped a Stony Brook drive at the end of the first half.

UNH improved to 6-3 overall and 5-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Wildcats handed the Seawolves their first CAA loss. Stony Brook is 5-3 and 4-1.

Sophomore quarterback Trevor Knight (Amherst) completed 13 of his 27 passes for 144 yards and a career-best three touchdowns and also ran for a score.

COMING UP

  • The Wildcats are off next Saturday, Nov. 5.
  • UNH returns to Wildcat Stadium to face Albany on Saturday, Nov. 12 at noon.
  • The Wildcats close out the regular season with a game at Maine on Nov. 19 at 1 p.m.

1st QUARTER

  • Senior running back Dalton Crossan (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) scored on a 9-yard pass from Knight to cap UNH’s first possession.
  • Smith picked off a Joe Carbone pass on Stony Brook’s second play of the game and returned it 43 yards for a TD.
  • Sophomore Neil O’Connor (Leominster, Mass.) passed to sophomore Kyle Reisert (Plymouth, N.H.) for a two-point conversion and it was 15-0 less than five minutes into the game.
  • Steve Marino caught a 9-yard pass from Carbone for a Stony Brook TD with 1:33 left in the period.

2ND QUARTER

  • The teams played a scoreless second period.
  • Smith picked off another Carbone pass to close out Stony Brook’s final possession of the half.

3RD QUARTER

  • UNH outscored Stony Brook 21-7 to extend its lead to 36-14.
  • Dean’s two interceptions each set up a touchdown and so did a 91-yard kick return by senior cornerback Casey DeAndrade (East Bridgewater, Mass.)
  • Knight connected with O’Connor for an 18-yard TD pass with 13:35 left in the period.
  • Knight scored on a 1-yard run with 6:26 left.
  • Stony Brook’s Carbone threw a 38-yard TD pass to Tim Keith with 3:21 left.
  • After DeAndrade’s kick return, Knight passed to Malik Love (Alcoa, Tenn.) for a 6-yard TD with 3:04 left.

4TH QUARTER

  • Crossan scored the only points of the period on a 14-yard run with 6:56 to play.
  • Dean forced the fumble and made the recovery that set up the drive that resulted in Crossan’s score.

‘CAT NIPS

  • The Wildcats led all of FCS in touchdowns scored by the defense coming into the game.
  • Smith’s interception for a score was the defense’s sixth score this year and third in the last two games.
  • Smith now has five interceptions for the season.
  • Dean’s interceptions were his first two
  • The defense scored a pair of TDs in last week’s 21-7 win at Towson.
  • Six is the most defensive touchdowns in a season by the Wildcats since the 2008 team also had six.
  • The defense held Stony Brook to 103 yards rushing.
  • The Seawolves averaged 161.9 yards a game coming into the game.
  • Junior Stacey Bedell was averaging 86.4 yards a game. He had 12 carries for 15 yards Saturday.
  • Stony Brook had 268 yards of total offense to UNH’s 219.
  • DeAndrade collected 160 yards on three kick returns.
  • Knight completed 13 of his 27 passes for 144 yards and a career-best three scores.
  • Crossan carried 12 times for 68 yards and scored touchdowns on a run and a pass reception.
  • Love caught six passes for 51 yards.
  • O’Connor caught four for 39.
  • Senior linebacker Ryan Farrell (Westwood, Mass.) led the Wildcats with 10 tackles.
  • Dean was next with nine tackles.
  • Redshirt freshman safety Michael Balsamo had eight tackles.
  • Sophomore defensive tackle Ryan Sosnak (Bethel Park, Pa.) had one of two quarterback sacks.
  • Defensive end Reisert had the other.
  • Junior Max Pedinoff (Newtown, Pa.) averaged 39 yards on four punts and put two inside the 20-yard line.
  • Attendance was 5,029.

TEAM STATS
Rushing: UNH 33-75. SB 44-103.
Passing: UNH 13-27-144-0 3 TDs. SB 19-31-144-4 2 TDs.
Total Offense: UNH 60-219. SB 75-268.
1st Downs: UNH- 14. SB 14.
Time of Possession: UNH 24:19. SB 35:41.
Penalties: UNH 4-31. SB 6-60.
Turnovers: UNH 1. SB 5.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: UNH – Crossan 12-68. SB – Jordan Gowins 12-30.
Receiving: UNH- Love 6-51. SB – Tim Keith – 5-82, 1 TD.
Passing: UNH- Knight 13-27-144, 3 TDs. SB – Carbone 19-31-165, 2 TDs.
Tackles: UNH- Farrell 7-3-10. SB – Tyrice Beverette 5-2-7.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login