NCAA FCS

UNH at

McNeese State

• When and where: Saturday (3 p.m.) at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, La.
• Team records: UNH is 9-2. McNeese State is 9-2.
• Noteworthy: UNH is making its sixth straight appearance in the NCAA playoffs. Only Montana (17 straight) and Southern Illinois (seven straight) have more current consecutive playoff appearances. McNeese State has appeared in the playoffs in six of the past nine seasons. ... This is the first meeting between the schools. ... The winner will face either Villanova (10-1) or Holy Cross (9-2) in the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals. ... UNH is ranked 10th in The Sports Network Top 25. McNeese State is No. 8. ... UNH is 3-1 in its last four road playoff contests. ... UNH tight end Scott Sicko moved into ninth place on the school's all-time receptions list in Saturday's win over Maine. Sicko now has 151 career catches and is within striking distance of No. 8 Chris Braune (155) and No. 7 Calvin Jones (158). ... Junior quarterback RJ Toman is sixth on UNH's passing list with 5,315 yards. Toman needs 35 yards to pass Jim Stayer and 111 yards to move past Matt Griffin and into fourth place. ... UNH is ranked third among FCS teams with a 25.35-yard average on kickoff returns. Chad Kackert (16 returns, 23.9 average) and Dino Vasso (nine returns, 27.8 average) are the Wildcats' top returners. ... UNH kicker Tom Manning is tied for sixth in FCS with 1.64 field goals per game. ... UNH's 20 interceptions are third in the country. ... McNeese State has won six straight games to close the regular season. The Cowboys opened the season with three straight wins before suffering back-to-back losses against FBS opponent Tulane (42-32) and fellow Southland Conference member Stephen F. Austin (16-13). Stephen F. Austin also received a playoff berth. ... McNeese State averages 37 points per game, second in FCS, and is ranked fifth in rushing offense and total offense. The Cowboys have a balanced attack, running for an average of 223.6 yards per game and throwing for 219.4 yards per game. ... McNeese quarterback Derrick Fourroux is a double threat for the Cowboys, throwing for 2,307 yards and 20 touchdowns while also rushing for 607 yards and five touchdowns. Toddrick Pendland is McNeese's top runner with 992 yards and 17 TDs. Fourroux spreads his passes among several targets, as eight receivers have at least 170 yards each and nine have touchdown receptions. ... Fourroux holds McNeese State all-time records for total offense, passing yards, passes completed, quarterback rushing yards and rushing and passing TDs combined. Pendland has scored 46 touchdowns this season, a single-season McNeese record. Pendland is the top FCS scorer with 11.80 points per game and is one of 20 finalists for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the top FCS offensive player. ... McNeese State's Matt Viator is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually to the top FCS coach. ... McNeese State reached the Division I-AA championship game in both the 1997 and 2002 seasons. ... UNH is one of four Colonial Athletic Association teams in the playoffs, joining Richmond, William & Mary and Villanova.

                                                                       -- Capsule compiled by Ed Flaherty