New Hampshire Wildcats
CAA
New Hampshire made a late push to make the playoffs. They had to win their last four games against Rhode Island, Richmond, Albany and Maine in order to make it and that is exactly what they did. After some tough losses to teams like Stony Brook and Delaware, the Wildcats and Coach Sean McDonnell proved that they have a team deserving of their 12th consecutive playoff appearance.
2015 Record: 7-4, 5-3
Coach: Sean McDonnell
Big Wins: 9/12 at Colgate (26-8), 11/7 Richmond (30-25)
Bad Losses: 9/19 at Stony Brook (6-31), 10/24 at Delaware (14-31)
Strengths:
When New Hampshire was struggling it was because quarterback Sean Goldrich was injured or coming off of his injury. The quarterback got hurt against Colgate in the second game of the season, suffering a high ankle sprain. A few weeks later Goldrich was back, but he was not at his best in losses to William & Mary and Delaware, throwing three interceptions and just one touchdown in those two games. But Goldrich is back to his old ways now and hitting receivers Jordan Powell, Jared Allison, Dalton Crossan and Amechie Walker consistently. The Wildcats leaned more heavily than expected on running back Dalton Crossan this year and, for the most part, the junior has responded. He picked up the slack and turned into a workhorse in games against Elon and Colgate when Goldrich was out. And by the end of the year, UNH has been quite balanced and has an effective running game they can call on when the passing attack needs a little help.
Weaknesses:
The problem New Hampshire has had time and time again in 2015 is their rush defense. Many teams in the CAA have just run all over the Wildcats defense, most notably William & Mary, who totaled 325 yards on the ground. The following week Delaware rushed for 284 yards. Those were the two games when Goldrich wasn’t playing well following his injury, but he could have had the game of his life and UNH still would have struggled allowing the opposition to control the game on the ground that effectively. The run defense allows well over 200 yards per game and that will be the undoing of UNH in the playoffs. The defense does have talent, most notably in the secondary in the form of Casey DeAndrade. Cam Shorey and Jullian Turner spearhead a line that is very good at getting to the quarterback, but not so good at stopping the run.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Dalton Crossan, RB, 840 yards
Passing: Sean Goldrich, QB, 1,558 yards
Receiving: Jordan Powell, TE, 445 yards
Tackles: Casey DeAndrade, DB, 70
Sacks: Cam Shorey, DE,7.5
Interceptions: Patrick Mensah, DB, 3
2015 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 158.0 (59th in nation, 6th in conference)
Passing Offense: 194.7 (69, 6)
Total Offense: 352.7 (76, 5)
Scoring Offense: 24.5 (73, 4)
Rushing Defense: 213.4 (105, 12)
Pass Defense: 184.3 (22, 3)
Total Defense: 397.7 (73, 9)
Scoring Defense: 23.1 (43, 7)
Turnover Margin: 0.50 (27, 3)
Sacks: 2.70 (18, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 2.30 (72, 8)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
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 11/14
