Banner day by UNH, Bentley, Stonehill
N.E. FOOTBALL
It was a banner week for record-setting performances in New England college football highlighted by a trio of upset victories: New Hampshire, which is ranked No. 18 in FCS, pulled the rug from under seventh-ranked Elon; Bentley handed previously unbeaten Assumption its first loss; Stonehill snapped a long string of frustration with its first win against AIC in 22 tries.
Like death and taxes, you can usually count on the Durham ’Cats to get hot this time of year.
Wildcats coach Sean McDonnell once again has UNH (7-3, 5-2 Colonial Athletic Association) in prime position to extend its 13-year streak of NCAA playoff appearances thanks to Saturday’s 16-6 win over Elon (8-2, 6-1).
The Phoenix came in averaging 24 points per game, but the UNH defense, led by junior linebacker Jared Kuehl (six tackles, sack, fumble recovery) and senior defensive tackle Rick Holt (six tackles, fumble recovery), forced three turnovers and limited Elon to 31 rushing yards.
On offense, UNH junior quarterback Trevor Knight, who was the previous week’s Gold Helmet Award winner, hit 32-of-42 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown. UNH next faces lowly Albany (3-7, 1-6 CAA) and a win almost assures the Wildcats of an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs.
“I haven’t seen them on tape yet, but I’ve watched them over the year and they’re a very good defensive team,” said McDonnell about Albany. “They fly to the football and they tackle well and pressure the quarterback.
“We’ve got to go play on the road and that’s always tough.”
On to Worcester, where Bentley freshman receiver Austin Ryan of Foxboro combined with freshman quarterback Stephen Sturm to deliver the first six-win campaign of coach Bill Kavanaugh’s four seasons guiding the Falcons (6-4, 6-3 Northeast-10) with a stunning 35-31 upset of No.8 Assumption (9-1, 8-1).
Ryan made eight catches for a program-record 284 receiving yards and scored four touchdowns. Four of his catches total went for 50-plus yards. He ended his rookie season with 16 touchdown grabs, which is the program’s most since 2004, and his 1,237 yards are third-most in team history.
In 41⁄2 games since replacing the injured Mack Lowrie, Sturm has completed 74 percent of his passes for 1,370 yards with 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Sturm amassed a 189.0 passefficiency rating and guided the Falcons to 153 points.
As for Stonehill, senior quarterback Matt Foltz capped a record-breaking career by connecting on 29-of40 for 278 yards and touchdown as the Skyhawks halted an 0-for-21 skid against the Yellow Jackets with a thrilling 38-27 victory. Foltz finished the season with 2,458 passing yards, eclipsing the school’s single-season standard of 2,266 set by Logan Meyer in 2013. Foltz added career marks with a 61.8 percent completion rate and 7,300 passing yards.
Maine attraction
Maine-based Husson improved to 9-1 with a 4212 win against Mount Ida. The Eagles’ 14th straight win on their Bangor home field clinched their second straight Eastern College Football Conference title.
Husson, which went 7-0 in the league, will face NEWMAC champ Springfield (10-0) in the first round of the NCAA Division 3 tournament on Nov. 18.
Husson’s senior running back John Smith, who might be the best-kept secret in all of New England college football, rushed for 287 yards and five scores. That left Smith just 83 yards shy of 2,000 rushing yards on the season.
In addition to Smith’s legwork, Eagles quarterback Cory Brandon of Pembroke completed 15of-22 passes, including an 18-yard scoring strike to Ty Bassett of Dracut.
Vailas catchs up
Despite a 31-20 loss to Colby, senior Nick Vailas, from Boston and out of Bedford High School, set a Bowdoin single-game mark with 230 receiving yards on 14 receptions. His one-day catch total matched the school record of Pat Noone in 2009 . . . .
The NCAA announced playoff brackets for Div. 2 and Div.3. In addition to the above-mentioned HussonSpringfield matchup, New England Div. 3 games include: Plymouth State (9-1, 7-1 MASCAC) visits SUNY Brockport (10-0); Commonwealth Coast Conference-champion Western New England (8-2) faces Delaware Valley (10-0) in Doylestown, Pa.
In Div. 2, Assumption will host California (Pa.) in Worcester.