Santos and Wildcats are automatic

November 20, 2005|Associated Press

Ricky Santos passed for 354 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 116 yards and three scores as top-ranked New Hampshire clinched the Atlantic 10's automatic berth in the Division 1-AA playoffs with a 59-47 win over Maine yesterday in Durham, N.H.

The Wildcats (10-1, 7-1) held a 31-28 halftime lead, but pulled away in the third quarter when Santos threw TD passes of 20, 6, and 27 yards to David Ball. Ball had eight receptions for 76 yards.

New Hampshire's sixth consecutive win snapped Maine's three-game winning streak and gave the Wildcats the Brice-Cowell Musket, presented to the victor of the annual game, for the third straight year. The teams combined for 1,110 yards of total offense.

Ball finished the regular season with 18 touchdown catches, breaking the school record of 17 he set last year. Santos's 33 regular-season touchdown passes broke the school record of 31 that he set last season.

Santos completed 30 of 46 passes and his 116 yards on 18 carries was a career best.

Maine (5-6, 3-5) trailed, 52-28, after three quarters but Ron Whitcomb threw three TD passes in the fourth to make it closer.

Whitcomb finished 36 of 60 for 363 yards and five touchdowns, four to Kevin McMahan. Arel Gordon was the Black Bears' leader in both rushing, with 90 yards, and receiving, with 14 catches for 85 yards.

UNH led, 10-7, after one quarter, then both teams scored 21 points in the second. Santos scored on runs of 2, 7, and 24 yards, while McMahan caught a pair of touchdown passes and Montell Owens ran for a score for the Black Bears.

Richmond 41, William & Mary 7 -- Stacy Tutt rushed for three touchdowns as the host Spiders rolled over the Tribe.

Richmond (8-3, 7-1) has scored 41 points or more just three times in the 115-game series. The Tribe (5-6, 3-5) ended the season with four straight losses.

In the first half, the Spiders powered to a 34-0 lead, holding William & Mary to 20 yards of total offense and no first downs. Tutt had scoring runs of 1 and 5 yards, Joseph Fore had a pair of field goals, and Tim Hightower and David Freeman ran for touchdowns.

The Tribe scored on their first possession of the second half. Quarterback Jacob Phillips connected with Elliott Mack for a 15-yard touchdown. William & Mary accounted for 75 of its 107 yards of total offense during that drive.

Hightower finished with 111 yards on 20 carries. Tutt completed 17 of 25 passes for 197 yards and rushed for 92 yards on 17 carries.

Delaware 38, Villanova 13 -- Quarterback Sonny Riccio ran for 90 yards and four touchdowns as the Blue Hens romped on the road.

Riccio scored on runs of 23 and 6 yards in the second quarter and the Blue Hens' defense forced a pair of fumbles by Villanova quarterback Frank Jankowski, setting up Riccio's other two scoring runs in the fourth quarter.

Omar Cuff added 125 rushing yards and one touchdown for Delaware (6-5, 3-5).

Matt Dicken and DeQuese May each scored on 2-yard runs for Villanova (4-7, 2-6). Brian Hulea had 13 tackles for the Wildcats to become Villanova's all-time leader with 431.

James Madison 55, Towson 14 -- At Harrisonburg, Va., Maurice Fenner and Raymond Hines each scored two touchdowns as the Dukes coasted.

Fenner ran for touchdowns of 3 and 45 yards in the first quarter for James Madison (7-4, 5-3). Hines ran for a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a 1-yard score in the third.

Tony LeZotte set a team record with a 100-yard interception return in the second quarter.

Sean Schaefer threw two touchdown passes for the Tigers (6-5, 3-5), but was intercepted three times.

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