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Advance: UNH/UT Martin

By Allen Lessels

DURHAM – The home game was a bonus.

The members of the University of New Hampshire football program knew that thanks to their late-season surge, capped by Saturday’s 26-9 win over Maine, they were in good shape for earning an at-large bid to the 24-team FCS tournament.

So when they gathered in their locker room just after noon Sunday morning and first put the Brice-Cowell Musket – the trophy that goes to the New Hampshire — Maine victor – back in its spot and then settled in to watch the tournament selection show on ESPNU, they were not too worried.

Nineteen minutes after the show started, the room erupted when “No. 16 New Hampshire” flashed on the screen.

Midst the uproar, head coach Rick Santos turned to strength and conditioning director Paul Chapman, who has been a part of more than a few of these, for assurance: “At home, right?”

Chapman responded with a big grin: “Oh, yeah.”

Soon after, the Wildcats had their assignment.

They face the University of Tennessee-Martin in the first round of the tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Wildcat Stadium.

“Being at home adds to it,” said senior captain and wide receiver Logan Tomlinson. “You can’t beat that surprise. It’s a great surprise. Like Christmas morning.”

The Wildcats take an 8-4 overall record into the playoffs and finished 6-2 in the Coastal Athletic Association. They are one of four CAA teams in the field with Richmond, Rhode Island and Villanova.

The Skyhawks are also 8-4 and they were 6-2 in the Big South/Ohio Valley Conference. They are joined in the playoff field by their league-mates Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State.

The winner of the game will play at undefeated Montana State, the top seed in the tournament, on Dec. 7 in the Round of 16.

That’s a concern for another day for either UNH or UT Martin.

The Wildcats and Skyhawks are two of the most battle-tested, and hottest, teams in the tournament.

UT Martin started the season 1-3 and won seven of its last eight games to qualify. The Skyhawks lost to Tennessee Tech 10-9 on Nov. 16. They held off Lindenwood, 33-26 in overtime, last Saturday to earn their spot.

After falling to 4-4 with back-to-back losses to Rhode Island and Villanova to end October, the Wildcats had to win out. They followed up a fierce rally (down 30-10 early in the fourth quarter) against Stony Brook for a 31-30 victory. Cornerback-turned-running back Caleb Mead sparked the win at Maine.

Both teams feature stingy defenses. UNH is allowing 20.9 points a game and UT Martin is giving up 23.3. The Skyhawks are tied for fourth in the country with 18 interceptions and are one of only two teams that has returned four interceptions for TDs.

Linebacker Chris Hunter has five interceptions and linebacker Tevin Shipps has returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

CAA Defensive Player of the Year Josiah Silver led a group of four Wildcats – along with fellow senior defensive end Flex Ruiz and grad student safety Wande Owens – named league first-team All-Star selections along with junior kicker Nick Mazzie. But Silver was injured in the Maine game and his playing time may be limited.

Grad student linebacker Ryan Toscano, Tomlinson and grad student quarterback Seth Morgan made the second team.

UT Martin averaged 31.8 points a game to lead he Big South/OVC in scoring. Running back Patrick Smith, who played at Vanderbilt, is 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds and has rushed for 1,123 yards at 5.8 yards per carry and has 13 touchdowns.

Quarterback Kinkead Dent, 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, is in his second year after transferring from Mississippi. He’s passed for 19 touchdowns with seven interceptions and has run for six scores.

The Skyhawks are making their third appearance in the playoffs, their first since 2021.

Santos credited former head coach Sean McDonnell and his staff for laying the foundation and said he is especially proud of the resolve and the leadership of the seniors that have guided his team to the playoffs for the second time in the last three years and 16th time since 2004.

“You’re 4-4 and basically the playoffs started a month early for us,” he said. “To go undefeated in November so far has been tremendous. I think it shows a lot about our program and who we are. Sixteen out of 20 seasons in the postseason, that’s pretty special and I think you can put that against anybody in the country in terms of our legacy. . . . For this to come to fruition the way it has, I’m really proud of them and we’ve got to go seize the opportunity.”

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