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Please note the quotes in bold from DL Marvin Wright and QB Santos. Time to prove '05 was no fluke!
Mike Zhe
By Mike Zhe
[email protected]
November 20, 2007 6:00 AM
DURHAM — Lazarus has nothing on these guys.
By most accounts, the University of New Hampshire football team's season was left for dead nine days ago, when a second straight loss saddled it with four defeats, typically the magic number that removes a team from Division I playoff contention.
The selection committee thought otherwise, which is why there was a Field House's worth of happy Wildcats late Sunday afternoon.
UNH (7-4) was a surprise qualifier for its fourth straight postseason. It received an at-large bid and will play a first-round game Saturday night in Cedar Falls, Iowa, against No. 1 Northern Iowa, which at 11-0 is one of three unbeaten teams in the nation.
It was the second straight year the eight-member selection committee selected a four-loss team as an at-large, after bypassing them the previous 10.
"I woke up this morning with the biggest pit in my stomach," said quarterback Ricky Santos. "I was more nervous today than I'd been before any game."
Five of the 16 teams selected were from the CAA, the first time a conference has ever placed more than four in the field and only the third time one league has placed more than three. As expected, automatic qualifier Massachusetts, co-champion Richmond, Delaware and James Madison were chosen.
The other seeds — who are guaranteed home games for at least two rounds — are No. 2 McNeese State, No. 3 Montana and No. 4 Southern Illinois. The UNH-Northern Iowa winner will play the winner of Delaware vs. Delaware State in the Dec. 1 quarterfinals.
UNH and Northern Iowa met here in the 2005 quarterfinals, when the Wildcats were the top playoff seed. The Panthers won that game, 24-21, jumping out to a 21-0 lead and eventually reaching the national championship game before falling to Appalachian State.
"Now it's time for us to go down there and disappoint them in their house," defensive lineman Marvin Wright said.
The Panthers, who won the Gateway Conference, play home games in the 16,000-seat UNI-Dome. It is believed to be the first time a UNH football team has played a game indoors.
Northern Iowa is led by senior quarterback Eric Sanders, like Santos one of 16 finalists for the Walter Payton Award. He's completed a whopping 76 percent of his passes for 2,237 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
The Panthers also have a 1,000-yard rusher in Corey Lewis. They are averaging 36.7 points and game and allowing just 13.2.
The Internet chat rooms are already filling up with critics saying the Wildcats are in way over their heads against the top-ranked team in the nation. But in their locker room, the mood was buoyant, the opponent almost an afterthought.
"I think we deserve to be in and we're definitely a team that can make some noise," said Santos.
McDonnell was planning to leave campus this morning on a recruiting trip. Instead, he and the players will hang around, practice today and celebrate the holiday together before hopping on a plane.
"We're having Thanksgiving in Durham for a fourth straight year, which is pretty incredible," he said.
Mike Zhe
By Mike Zhe
[email protected]
November 20, 2007 6:00 AM
DURHAM — Lazarus has nothing on these guys.
By most accounts, the University of New Hampshire football team's season was left for dead nine days ago, when a second straight loss saddled it with four defeats, typically the magic number that removes a team from Division I playoff contention.
The selection committee thought otherwise, which is why there was a Field House's worth of happy Wildcats late Sunday afternoon.
UNH (7-4) was a surprise qualifier for its fourth straight postseason. It received an at-large bid and will play a first-round game Saturday night in Cedar Falls, Iowa, against No. 1 Northern Iowa, which at 11-0 is one of three unbeaten teams in the nation.
It was the second straight year the eight-member selection committee selected a four-loss team as an at-large, after bypassing them the previous 10.
"I woke up this morning with the biggest pit in my stomach," said quarterback Ricky Santos. "I was more nervous today than I'd been before any game."
Five of the 16 teams selected were from the CAA, the first time a conference has ever placed more than four in the field and only the third time one league has placed more than three. As expected, automatic qualifier Massachusetts, co-champion Richmond, Delaware and James Madison were chosen.
The other seeds — who are guaranteed home games for at least two rounds — are No. 2 McNeese State, No. 3 Montana and No. 4 Southern Illinois. The UNH-Northern Iowa winner will play the winner of Delaware vs. Delaware State in the Dec. 1 quarterfinals.
UNH and Northern Iowa met here in the 2005 quarterfinals, when the Wildcats were the top playoff seed. The Panthers won that game, 24-21, jumping out to a 21-0 lead and eventually reaching the national championship game before falling to Appalachian State.
"Now it's time for us to go down there and disappoint them in their house," defensive lineman Marvin Wright said.
The Panthers, who won the Gateway Conference, play home games in the 16,000-seat UNI-Dome. It is believed to be the first time a UNH football team has played a game indoors.
Northern Iowa is led by senior quarterback Eric Sanders, like Santos one of 16 finalists for the Walter Payton Award. He's completed a whopping 76 percent of his passes for 2,237 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
The Panthers also have a 1,000-yard rusher in Corey Lewis. They are averaging 36.7 points and game and allowing just 13.2.
The Internet chat rooms are already filling up with critics saying the Wildcats are in way over their heads against the top-ranked team in the nation. But in their locker room, the mood was buoyant, the opponent almost an afterthought.
"I think we deserve to be in and we're definitely a team that can make some noise," said Santos.
McDonnell was planning to leave campus this morning on a recruiting trip. Instead, he and the players will hang around, practice today and celebrate the holiday together before hopping on a plane.
"We're having Thanksgiving in Durham for a fourth straight year, which is pretty incredible," he said.
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