Four New Hampshire Wildcats were named to the 2011 Division I FCS All-New England Football Team on Tuesday, led by linebacker Matt Evans, who was voted the Gold Helmet Award winner as the region's FCS player of the year.
On Saturday, the four award-winning Wildcats will attempt to lead New Hampshire past Montana State in the second round of the FCS playoffs at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana (3 p.m., ESPN3, ESPN Gameplan).
Evans led the nation in tackles (154), tackles per game (14.0), solo tackles (88) and solo tackles per game (8.0) on his way to becoming the fifth New Hampshire player to win the Gold Helmet Award. He's also a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the nation's top FCS defensive player.
The other three New Hampshire players named to the All-New England Team were senior quarterback Kevin Decker, senior defensive end Brian McNally and sophomore offensive lineman Ricky Archer. Decker completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 3,072 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. McNally, a preseason All-American, accumulated 7.5 sacks. Archer started all 13 games, anchoring an offense that led the Colonial Athletic Association with 441.1 yards per game.
New Hampshire (8-3) will be looking to hand Montana State (9-2) its first home loss of the season.