Hunt/Melville Interviews  

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DURHAM, N.H. – Playoff football looks great on Colgate.
 
The Raiders outlasted New Hampshire 27-20 to record their first FCS playoff victory since 2003.
 
Head coach Dan Hunt had his Colgate squad prepped and ready here Saturday night, and the Raiders made the most of their second chance this season against the Wildcats.
 
James Holland scored a career-high four touchdowns – one in each quarter. The sophomore capped scoring drives of five, 11, 10 and 17 plays.
 
Those last two TD marches helped Colgate completely dominate the third quarter to the tune of 12 minutes and 44 seconds of ball possession and a 155-22 yardage edge.
 
Colgate's final touchdown – a 2-yard burst by Holland – capped a 17-play, 81-yard drive that took 10:34 off the clock. The Raiders led 27-6 with 12:16 remaining.
 
But UNH would not go away, as the Wildcats rallied for 14 quick points in the final period.
 
The Wildcats really looked to be in business when they hopped on a Colgate fumble and took over at the Raider 43 with 4:29 to play, trailing 27-20.
 
But four plays later, Colgate staved off UNH's last real threat when Tyler Castillo picked off a deflected Wildcat pass. The Raiders managed a key first down and then held on for their first playoff win since the historic 2003 run to the national championship game.
 
New Hampshire entered the game 47-5 at home since the start of the 2007 season.
 
Colgate advances to meet No. 5-seeded James Madison (9-2) next Saturday in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Kickoff is 1 p.m.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 27, New Hampshire 20

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improved to 8-4 with its sixth straight win and eighth in the last nine games.
• New Hampshire's season finished at 7-5.

Facts & Figures
• This was Colgate's fifth NCAA playoff victory and first since 2003. It snapped a four-game postseason losing streak.
• It also was the program's second road win in the FCS playoffs, and first since a 36-24 triumph at Florida Atlantic in the 2003 national semifinals.
• Colgate finished with a balanced 189 rushing yards and 188 passing yards, compared to UNH's 90 yards rushing and 309 passing.
• UNH had first-half scoring drives of 14 and 12 plays, but the Raiders held them to field goals both times.
• Colgate's tackling was exceptional. New Hampshire completed 41 passes for 309 yards, but very few of those yards came after the catch and Colgate made the hosts work for every inch.
• Holland's four-TD game was the first for Colgate since 2012, when Gavin McCarney rushed for four at Yale and Jordan McCord turned the trick against both Holy Cross and Lafayette.
 
Third-Quarter Dominance
• Colgate's eight points scored in the third quarter were a season high.
• Before this game, the Raiders had managed just 21 points in 11 games during the third period. They scored seven at Cornell on Oct. 2 and then seven apiece in consecutive weekends against Lafayette and Lehigh.
• This night, Colgate took the second-half kickoff and marched 77 yards in 10 plays, consuming 5:02.
• Holland's 1-yard TD was followed by Jake Melville's two-point conversion pass to Thomas Ives, and the Raiders led 20-6.
• Colgate this season has converted two successful two-point PATs, and both have come against New Hampshire.
• After allowing a UNH first down on the ensuing possession, Colgate forced a punt and regained the ball at its 19-yard line.
• Colgate proceeded to not only run the final 7:43 off the third-quarter clock, but the Raiders spilled this drive another 2:44 into the fourth.
• Melville kept for 3 yards on fourth-and-2 at the UNH 5, and then Holland carried it over on the next play. Bowman's kick made it 27-6.
• Colgate for the quarter ran 22 plays to five for New Hampshire.
 
More Key Info
• Melville completed 12-of-17 for 188 passing yards.
• His only interception this season was Sept. 26 at Holy Cross, and he leads the NCAA FCS division with just the one pick.
• Melville's current streak of passes without an interception has reached 197, and he has thrown just one pick in his last 354 pass attempts dating to last season.
• Melville's completions went to six different receivers.
• John Maddaluna III had three for 81 and Alex Greenawalt three for 25. Ives posted a career-high two catches for 36 yards in addition to his PAT conversion.
• Holland rushed 23 times for 95 yards, while Melville added 15 for 66. It was Holland's best rushing game since he carried 24 times for 141 yards at Holy Cross.
• In addition to Castillo's interception, the first-year cornerback also covered a fumble on UNH's final play of the game.
• Kyle Diener led all tacklers with 10, pushing his season total to 109. Charles Cairnie and Chris Morgan added eight apiece, with Morgan recovering a first-quarter fumble that led to six points.
• There were no sacks in the game for either team.
 
Turning Point
• The play of the game might have been a pick that wasn't.
• On Colgate's first offensive snap of the second half, Melville overthrew John Quazza on a quick slant and the ball landed directly in the hands of a surprised UNH defensive back.
• But the potential game-changing interception was dropped, and Colgate proceeded to march another nine plays for a touchdown that made it 20-6.
• Colgate went on to possess the ball for 12:44 of the third period and outgained New Hampshire 155-22.
 
From the Sources
• Colgate head coach Dan Hunt: (Press conference statement) "We're just really happy to have gotten this win. This team works really hard. I just told them in the locker room that the best part of this win is we get to work together for another week."
 
Listen to the rest of the postgame press conference with Coach Hunt, Jake Melville, James Holland and Kyle Diener HERE.
 
• Colgate wide receiver Thomas Ives: (On his contribution) "It's exciting. It's great to take part in the offense. Everybody has their role, and I was able to fulfill mine today."
 
Listen to the rest of Ives' comments HERE.
 
• Colgate linebacker Kyle Diener: (On the defense) "It feels good. We did a great job against their run. They got some momentum going in that second half and were able to pass on us a little bit, but we bowed up when we had to and we played well."
 
Listen to the rest of Diener's comments HERE.
 
• Colgate cornerback Tyler Castillo: (On his interception) "I just read the quarterback's eyes and the ball popped right in my hands. I tried to do what I could with it. A lot of people say we play soft coverage, but that's part of our defensive scheme. We'll give up the underneath routes because we know we have 11 people swarming to the football."
 
Listen to the rest of Castillo's comments HERE.
 
• Colgate tailback James Holland: (On his four touchdowns) "Down on the goal line it's just hard-fought yards. It's whoever wants it more. Our line does a great job of giving me a crease, and I just take advantage of what they give me."
 
Listen to the rest of Holland's comments HERE.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance inside Cowell Stadium was 3,303.
• Colgate is the last Patriot League team standing, after Fordham lost 50-20 at Chattanooga.
• Road teams won three of Saturday's eight first-round playoff games. In addition to the Raiders, Western Illinois won 24-7 at Dayton and The Citadel rallied past Coastal Carolina, 41-38.
 
Up Next
• Colgate takes on another Colonial Athletic Association member next Saturday in fifth-seeded James Madison.
• The Dukes are 9-2 and finished in a three-way tie for the CAA championship.
• The Raiders and Dukes have never met in football.
• Kickoff is 1 p.m., with the telecast once again carried via ESPN3 and the ESPN College Extra package.