'Cats will carry momentum into postseason
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
The University of New Hampshire's 27-24 triumph over the University of Maine on Saturday answered one question, but raised another.
The victory erased any doubt about whether or not UNH (9-2 overall, 6-2 Colonial Athletic Association) will make the NCAA tournament's 16-team field, which will be announded Sunday at 3 p.m. What's still unknown is if the Wildcats will be awarded a home game for the tournament's first round.
"You're gonna rest really easy tonight as a coach, and probably as a player, understanding that there should be no question that you should be in the national championship tournament," UNH coach Sean McDonnell said. "The next question is: Should we get an opportunity of host a home game? We been in the top 10 in the country all year. I think it's just something this team deserves for the way they've played this year.
"The good thing is, knowing our guys and knowing our coaches, we're not really gonna be too upset if we go on the road. We're gonna go someplace, we're gonna play. We'll be excited wherever we go play."
Maine (5-6, 4-4) led 24-17 after three quarters, but Tom Manning kicked a 52-yard field goal with 13:46 left in the fourth and then UNH received a 5-yard touchdown run from running back Chad Kackert with 2:26 to play.
The touchdown was set up by a 41-yard pass from quarterback R.J. Toman (14 of 26 for 146 yards) to Joey Orlando. Toman said he called an audible at the line of scrimmage.
Kackert finished the game with a team-high 86 yards rushing on 19 carries.
"We gave them the ball back with too much time on the clock," Maine coach Jack Cosgrove said. "They took advantage of it. They're going to the playoffs. That's a great football team. I'd like to think that we're pretty damn close to them right now."
Maine converted 15 of 23 third-down-conversion attempts. UNH was 2 of 12.
"We were getting ourselves into holes where where we weren't getting any yards on first and second down," Toman said. "On third and long there's only so many plays you can dial up."
Maine quarterback Chris Treister completed 29 of 48 passes for 303 yards. He was intercepted twice. It was Treister's second collegiate start.
Fomer quarterback Mike Brusko caught 13 of Treister's passes for 119 yards.
"As good a game as the UNH-Maine rivalry can be," McDonnell said.
Second chance
Manning had to make his 52-yard field goal twice. His first kick was nullified when McDonnell called a time out a split second before the ball left the ground.
McDonnell said he called the time out because he feared his team was going to get a delay-of-game penalty.
"It was a great play by that kid," McDonnell said. "I walked right out to the huddle and said, 'Tom, I screwed up. Tommy, gotta save my tail.' He went out there and banged another one. He pulled me out of a hole today and I really appreciate what that kid did.
"I was on the phone with the defensive coordinator talking about the calls, talking about the next drive and everything like that and I looked up and saw 3, 2, 1 and I didn't see the ball being snapped and I panicked. As I looked up I didn't want him to miss having that chance. I could lie to you and say I was thinking about doing something else, but I wasn't."
Bad reception
UNH appeared to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter when Toman hooked up with Mickey Mangieri for what looked like a 40-yard touchdown pass, but the officials ruled that Maine's Trevor Coston gained possession of the football as both players were falling to the ground in the end zone.
"(The official) said he bobbled it," McDonnell said. "He said he didn't have control of it -- he bobbled it and when he came down with it the Maine guy came down with (the ball). And I asked him, 'Are you 100 percent sure? He said 100 percent sure. We'll see it on film (Sunday)."
