By: Jack Greven
The Tribe will head north for their furthest road trip of the season as they head to New England to take on the New Hampshire Wildcats.
William & Mary is coming off its best performance of the season, rallying from a double-digit deficit for the third time this year to defeat Elon 26-21. New Hampshire is also coming off a win, defeating Campbell 24-10.
Despite facing off annually between 2008 and 2017, this will be their first matchup in eight years. Let’s take a look at this week’s opponent:
New Hampshire Wildcats
Conference: CAA
2025 Record: 4-4
New Hampshire has been a force in the CAA and FCS ranks throughout the 21st century, making the playoffs in 14 consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2017 and in two of the past three years. They were CAA co-champions alongside William & Mary in 2022, as both teams went 7-1 in conference play.
After reaching the postseason last year, 2025 has been a mixed bag for the Wildcats and fifth-year head coach Ricky Santos. At 4-4, it’s worth noting that three of their losses came against FBS or ranked FCS opponents—meaning they’ve generally won the games they were favored to win and lost the ones they were not.
While New Hampshire’s offense has been relatively consistent (scoring between 19 and 29 points in all but one game), their outcomes have hinged on defensive performance. The Wildcats have allowed just 10.5 points per game in wins and 34 points per game in losses.
Defensively, New Hampshire ranks among the top three in the CAA in points allowed, yards allowed, defensive efficiency, and interceptions. Offensively, however, the Wildcats sit near the bottom of most categories. One of their biggest issues has been third-down conversions, where they rank 12th in the conference at 33.6%—well below William & Mary’s fourth-place mark of 42.7%.
Offense
New Hampshire is led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Matt Vezza, who has had a solid year in his first season as the starter. His passing numbers—1,578 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions through eight games on just under a 60% completion rate—don’t jump off the page, but his rushing ability has been a major factor. Vezza has run for 367 yards and 6 touchdowns, including three runs of 30+ yards, proving capable of extending plays and picking up chunk gains.
The Wildcats’ backfield is anchored by senior Myles Thomason, who has handled over 75% of the team’s tailback touches. He’s produced 383 rushing yards and a touchdown on 115 carries, while also adding 20 receptions for 163 yards and another score through the air. Most of the remaining run plays feature Vezza on designed quarterback keepers.
The UNH receiving corps has been deep and balanced, with six players recording at least 11 receptions and 125 yards. Graduate Chase Wilson leads the group, ranking fifth in the CAA in receiving yards (547) and fourth in receptions (38). He’s a dangerous deep threat to watch. Senior Caleb Burke isn’t far behind with 33 catches for 403 yards, while senior Casey McKinney, redshirt junior Josh Fillion, and junior tight end Peyton Strickland have combined for 40 catches and 444 yards.
Last week, the Tribe defense did an excellent job limiting the CAA’s top rushing attack in Elon. While quarterback Landen Clark rushed 22 times for 83 yards, William & Mary kept his gains short—his longest run went for just 13 yards. The Tribe will need a similar effort to contain Vezza, while also preventing deep shots to Wilson, who averages 14.4 yards per reception.
Defense
Defense has been New Hampshire’s strongest unit this season, thanks to solid depth across all levels. Redshirt freshman linebacker Trevor Berry has been everywhere, leading the team with 56 tackles in his first season. Graduate safety Duncan Moreland is second with 40 tackles, along with an interception and a pass breakup.
Junior cornerback Darren Burton II has been a disruptive playmaker, tallying 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble. Graduate transfer defensive tackle Justice Akinmoladun leads the team with 4 sacks and anchors the interior alongside young edge rushers DJ Johnson and Jordan McAllister—a trio that has combined for 14.5 tackles for loss.
For the Tribe, it will be key to keep finding ways to get the ball to Deven Thompson after his two-touchdown performance last week. He ranks third in the CAA with 19.8 yards per reception and continues to make plays whether he’s open or tightly covered.
William & Mary also needs to avoid early deficits—they’ve led after the first quarter just once this season. Continued discipline will be critical as well: the Tribe rank first in the CAA and third nationally in fewest penalty yards per game (31.0).
This should be another tight matchup as the Tribe look to earn their first road win and complete a perfect October.
Let’s Go Tribe!
Photos Courtesy of Tribe Athletics
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