Ball Ties Rice for Touchdown Catches

David Ball of New Hampshire had three receptions for touchdowns Saturday in a 56-14 victory over Dartmouth and tied the Division I-AA record of 50 career receptions for touchdowns set by Jerry Rice.

“I’m sure it’s going to sink in some time,” said Ball, who was more concerned with his third-quarter fumble that led to Dartmouth’s first touchdown.

With a chance to pass Rice early in the second half, Ball was open in the end zone, but quarterback Ricky Santos went to Aaron Brown instead for a 24-yard scoring pass that gave New Hampshire, the top-ranked team in Division I-AA, a 42-7 lead.

Ball, who raised his hands in celebration, sat out the rest of the game, putting sole possession of the record on hold for another week.

Ball said he grew up idolizing Rice, who caught 50 passes for touchdowns from 1981 to ’84 at Mississippi Valley State. He went on to set NFL records with 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards receiving and 197 touchdown catches.

“The most exciting thing about being mentioned with him is I’m happy people view me as they view him,” Ball said. “There are a lot of people who view him not only as a great football player, but as a great teammate and a great person. A lot of what set him apart was his character on and off the field.”

-- Peter Yoon

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Catching Rice

New Hampshire receiver David Ball tied the I-AA career TD mark held by Jerry Rice:

*--* TD Player School 50 Jerry Rice Miss. Valley State 50 David Ball New Hampshire 46 Erik Kimble Eastern Wash.

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Source: www.unhwildcats.com