New Hampshire Wildcats
CAA
There were some highs and lows for New Hampshire this season. They lost at home to Dartmouth and a couple weeks later beat William & Mary. Later in the season, the Wildcats fell at home to James Madison and Albany. With that loss to Albany, UNH entered the final regular season game in a must win situation against Maine. That was basically a playoff game since Maine needed a victory to make the playoffs as well. But it was UNH who extended their playoff streak with a crucial 24-21 victory.
2016 Record: 7-4, 6-2
Coach: Sean McDonnell
Big Wins: 10/1 William & Mary (21-12), 11/19 at Maine (24-21)
Bad Losses: 9/17 Dartmouth (21-22), 11/12 Albany (25-36)
Strengths:
Running back Dalton Crossan has only rushed for six touchdowns this season, but the senior back eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark on the ground. The offense relies heavily on Crossan to establish the ground game and he usually does it quite well. Trevor Knight is just in his first year as the full-time quarterback and the sophomore has had some tough outings so the more help Crossan can give Knight, the better. On the year, Knight has completed just 57.38 percent of his passes and has thrown ten interceptions with 14 touchdowns. At this point in his career, Knight is not the most consistent quarterback New Hampshire has ever had, but as long as the run game is solid, the pass game can be very dangerous.
Weaknesses:
The youth and inexperience continues on the defensive side of the ball. Like with Knight, the young defense has had some great moments as well, but their lack of experience could be an issue in the playoffs. Safety Pop Lacey is just a freshman, but leads the team with 66 tackles. Fellow freshman Prince Smith has turned into the biggest playmaker in the secondary, intercepting five passes on the season. Casey DeAndrade is the experienced member of the secondary and one of the best defensive backs in the CAA. The opposition usually avoids DeAndrade and if Smith is not ready to handle a lot of the action coming his way, UNH could be in trouble.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Dalton Crossan, RB, 1,005 yards
Passing: Trevor Knight, QB, 1,645 yards
Receiving: Neil O’Connor, WR, 596 yards
Tackles: Pop Lacey, S, 66
Sacks: Kyle Reisert, DE, 4.5
Interceptions: Prince Smith, CB, 5
2016 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 169.8 (45th in nation, 5th in conference)
Passing Offense: 193.6 (80, 5)
Total Offense: 363.4 (75, 4)
Scoring Offense: 26.1 (63, 3)
Rushing Defense: 142.2 (42, 4)
Pass Defense: 218.0 (57, 10)
Total Defense: 360.2 (42, 6)
Scoring Defense: 21.9 (28, 4)
Turnover Margin: 0.20 (52, 7)
Sacks: 1.60 (86, 7)
Sacks Allowed: 2.80 (95, 11)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2015 First Round Lost to Colgate
2014 Second Round Defeated Fordham
2014 Quarterfinals Defeated Chattanooga
2014 Semifinals Lost to Illinois State
2013 First Round Defeated Lafayette
2013 Second Round Defeated Maine
2013 Quarterfinals Defeated Southeastern Louisiana
2013 Semifinals Lost to North Dakota State
2012 Second Round Lost to Wofford
2011 Second Round Lost to Montana State
2010 Second Round Defeated Bethune-Cookman
2010 Quarterfinals Lost to Delaware
2009 First Round Defeated McNeese State
2009 Quarterfinals Lost to Villanova
2008 First Round Defeated Southern Illinois
2008 Quarterfinals Lost to Northern Iowa
2007 First Round Lost to Northern Iowa
2006 First Round Defeated Hampton
2006 Quarterfinals Lost to Massachusetts
2005 First Round Defeated Colgate
2005 Quarterfinals Lost to Northern Iowa
2004 First Round Defeated Georgia Southern
2004 Quarterfinals Lost to Montana
1994 First Round Lost to Appalachian State
1991 First Round Lost to Samford
*all team stats through 11/12
