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UNH remains in playoff fight

By Allen Lessels

DURHAM – Junior quarterback Max Brosmer delivered once again, the defense clamped down with a second-half shutout and the University of New Hampshire football team won consecutive games for the first time this year with last Saturday’s 45-15 triumph at Stony Brook.

It’s on to Rhode Island, a team that has lost two straight games and desperately needs a win. The Rams are 4-4 overall and 3-2 in Coastal Athletic Association play and lost at UAlbany, 35-10, last Saturday and at home to Richmond, 24-17, the week before.

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UNH, 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the league, and Rhode Island play at Meade Stadium in Kingston on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Wildcats have three November games remaining in the regular season, two at home, after that.

They play Villanova on Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. and Maine at the same time on Nov. 18 in Wildcat Stadium. Sandwiched between those games is a contest at Monmouth on Nov. 11.

Rhode Island, Villanova and Monmouth are all battling, along with UNH, for NCAA FCS Division I playoff spots.

“New Hampshire’s a good football team and arguably has two of the best football players in FCS,” said Stony Brook coach Chuck Priore after Brosmer passed for 335 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a 9-yard score on a fake field goal against his team.

The other piece of UNH’s one-two offensive punch – senior running back Dylan Laube – ran for one touchdown and caught a scoring pass against Stony Brook.

Brosmer and Laube are at or near the top of several statistical categories in the country. Both are also moving into lofty ground in UNH football history.

Brosmer leads FCS in passing touchdowns with 21 and in “points responsible for per game” with 20.9, and is second in passing yards per game at 321.4 yards.

Laube is tops in all-purpose yards at 216 per game and second in total touchdowns with 14. Laube has seven of UNH’s rushing touchdowns, shares the team lead with five TD receptions and has also scored on a 100-yard kickoff return and a 58-yard punt return.

Equally impressive as his 21 passing TDs, is that Brosmer has thrown only one interception, which has helped the Wildcats take the lead in turnover margin in the league at plus-7.

An offensive line that has held opponents to 10 sacks (one more than league leaders Hampton, Towson and William & Mary), Brosmer’s extensive film preparation and a fleet of talented and unselfish receivers are among several factors that have led to UNH scoring 39.4 points a game, fourth best in the country, said head coach Rick Santos.

Brosmer, 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds, commands the show.

“For him, it’s continue to go out there and live one game a time,” said Santos, who knows a thing or three about putting up eye-popping numbers. “I know the stats are racking up and it’s fun to be a part of it. But at the same time, what we’ve done previously in the season is no indication of how we’re going to be in the next game and he knows that. He knows that and he’s not going out there trying to break records. He’s just trying to put the best version of himself on tape every single Saturday.”

Brosmer’s best version of himself has him closing the gap on the program’s most prolific passers.

Going to Rhode Island he sits at No. 6 in all-time passing yards with 7,502. Sean Goldrich (2012-15) is just ahead with 7,536 at No. 5 and a guy named Ryan Day (1998-2001) is at No. 4 with 7,670. Bob Jean (1985-88) is at No. 3 with 7,742 yards and R.J. Toman (2007-10) at No. 2 with 8,015.

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