On a windy and rain-soaked field, senior kicker Tom Manning kicked a school record 54-yard field goal with 10 minutes left to play and a 44-yarder with 5:36 to play to lead the UNH football team to an 18-10 Colonial Athletic Association victory over Hofstra University at Shuart Stadium on Saturday evening.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the CAA, while Hofstra falls to 4-4 and 2-3 in the conference.
Manning’s 54-yard field goal broke UNH’s all-time record of 53 yards set by Dave Taggart.
On the next Hofstra drive, the Pride were forced to punt, but the snap sailed over the punter’s head and into the endzone where it was downed for a safety, giving UNH a 15-7 lead with 8:30 to play.
After Manning’s third field goal of the day stretched the Wildcat lead to 11, Hofstra’s Henry Greco kicked a 38-yard field goal with 2:34 to play to cut the lead to 18-10. A successful onside kick gave Hofstra the ball on their own 46-yard line. The Pride marched to the UNH 6-yard line before quarterback Cory Christopher overthrew his intended receiver Everett Benjamin in the endzone with 38 seconds left to end the comeback bid.
In UNH’s opening drive of the second half, junior quarterback R.J. Toman scrambled left and threw a 40-yard touchdown to sophomore Mickey Mangieri who managed to catch the ball and keep his feet in bounds to complete the circus catch, giving the Wildcats a 10-0 lead.
Hofstra bounced back with a long drive of their own, culminating in a 3-yard touchdown run by Christopher to cut the deficit to three.
In the first half, the only scoring came after UNH senior defensive lineman Jordan Long recovered a fumble on the Hofstra 22-yard line, setting up a 30-yard Manning field goal.
Hofstra dominated the first half on paper, holding possession for 21:04 compared to UNH’s 8:56 and outgaining the Wildcats 143-72, but three costly turnovers prevented them from putting any points on the board.
Toman finished the game 14 of 21 for 148 yards and the one TD to Mangieiri. Senior Chad Kackert led the Wildcats’ ground game with 10 carries for 75 yards.
Defensively, linebackers Devon Jackson and Sean Ware led UNH in tackles with 11 and 10, respectively, while senior cornerback Ryan Hinds had an interception and senior defensive lineman Kyle Maroney recorded two sacks and forced two fumbles.
UNH returns home on Oct. 31 vs. Northeastern. Game time is 12 p.m. at Cowell Stadium.


Be the first to comment on this article!