DURHAM – Last week Adam Riese came off the bench and quarterbacked New Hampshire to a 24-21 comeback win over rival Maine. This week Riese will likely be in the starting lineup when the No. 22/21 Wildcats (7-4) host Lehigh (9-2) for an FCS playoff first-round game kicking off at 2 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.
UNH needed Riese against Maine after starter Trevor Knight left the game late in the first quarter with a foot injury. Knight is healing, but not fast enough to return to the starting spot.
“(Knight’s) foot and his toe are getting better. Had the boot off yesterday and was out there doing a little bit and will do a little more today. I’m under the belief that he’ll probably be in the backup role for us,” UNH Coach Sean McDonnell said. “We’ll see how much more he goes today. But Adam is moving around freely, is ready to go, so we’ll see how that goes. But unless something crazy happens, (Knight) will be there for a backup position.”
Riese went 20-for-37 for 218 yards, a touchdown and an interception against Maine. He was sharper as the game wore on, going 7-for-16 in the first half (43.8 percent) and then 13-for-21 (61.9 percent) in the second half.
“There’s times after not being in there for a little bit that you’re a little jittery, a little shaky,” Riese said. “But I feel like you settle in after that and I did that more in the second half and that’s what I’m going to try to do this week, to play within myself and try to let the guys do their thing.”
Riese is a senior captain and has been named to the CAA Academic All-Conference Team four times. He played in 10 games last year, including three starts, as the backup for Sean Goldrich and put up very good numbers – 54-for-79 for 513 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. He lost the starting job this year in large part because of Knight’s running ability, but the injury negates some of that.
“One hundred percent Adam is better than 70 percent Trevor,” McDonnell said.
Riese’s most extensive action this year was against Maine and James Madison, when he went 13-for-21 for 198 yards and two touchdowns to lead UNH to 27 fourth-quarter points only to fall short, 42-39. Judging by that performance, and his effort against Maine, Riese has been practicing diligently despite being No. 2 on the depth chart.
“I’m going to prepare exactly the way I’ve been preparing all season,” Riese said. “Day in, day out just try to get better, try to build a chemistry with your guys on the field making sure we’re on the same page route running and protections and all that type of stuff.”
A question about Concord’s Andrew Lauderdale, the senior left tackle who was named to the CAA Third Team on Tuesday, led McDonnell to reveal some details about the selection process for the league’s postseason awards.
“You nominate kids that you think are the best players on your football team at certain positions to be an all-conference guy. You get six minutes to talk about all the guys you nominate on the phone call and you’ve got to make a case for them,” McDonnell said.
“Now, some things are very simple, like Neil O’Connor (the UNH receiver who was also named to the Third Team), Prince Smith (CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year), they have all the stats. For a lineman, you’ve got to earn that thing and here’s Andrew Lauderdale, who is a kid who has had no recognition before this year, and he ends up being an all-conference offensive linemen, it’s been a great journey for him … that says something about the kid.”
McDonnell heaped some significant praise on senior captain Casey DeAndrade, comparing him to UNH legends like quarterback Ricky Santos, receiver David Ball and linebacker Matt Evans.
“He’s been really special. In the line of Santos special, Ball special, Matt Evans special, where when the kid plays it’s all in and he gets everybody around him that way,” McDonnell said. “He makes you crazy sometimes because he wants to do everything instead of zeroing in on his little world, but also when you’ve got a guy like that you don’t want to reign him in too much because that’s a great thing to have.”
DeAndrade was named a CAA First Team cornerback for the third straight year on Tuesday and was named a Third Team punt returner and he won the Chuck Boone Leadership Award.
“We’re just so proud and privileged that another kid from New Hampshire won that award (Chris Zarkosie, the former UNH lineman and current tight ends coach, won the inaugural Boone Award in 2012),” McDonnell said.
McDonnell was named the recipient of the 2016 Jack Grinold Division I New England Coach of the Year by the New England Football Writers Association on Tuesday.
McDonnell has won this award six times, including five times in the last nine years. All told, McDonnell has received 17 coach of the year awards, including being named the national FCS coach of the year in 2005 and 2014.
After beating Maine, the Wildcats still had to hold their breath on Sunday to see if their string of consecutive playoff appearances would extend to 13 years. The revelation of the FCS bracket brought lots of excitement, and relief, to Durham, especially for the seniors.
“It’s a good feeling to keep a great tradition going and we’re really excited to be in the playoffs,” Riese said. “Once we saw our name up there it was pretty electric in the locker room. Very nervous and very quiet at first, but you know seeing our name pop up there, everything erupted.”
All of the ‘Cats were excited by their inclusion, but none more than senior captain Ryan Farrell, who stayed giddy all Sunday.
“Once we got to Monday and started preparing for Lehigh, I finally came down off the horse,” Farrell said, “but it was really an emotional weekend to say the least.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341, tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20.)