Saturday’s annual spring Blue/White football scrimmage not only marked the start of the collegiate football season, but also the first real test for the football team, which starts its regular season on Sept. 4 against Central Connecticut State at Cowell Stadium.
The Blue/White game is traditionally a contest between the Wildcat defense and the Wildcat offense. The first team squares off against the second.
The yearly tradition is the first open competition that fans can attend at Cowell Stadium, and closely resembles a regular season game, minus set quarters, kickoffs and full contact on quarterbacks.
Captains for the upcoming season are quarterback R.J. Toman, running back Sean Jellison, defensive back Dino Vasso, and linebacker Devon Jackson (all seniors).
Toman, who led the team last year with 2181 yards, 15 touchdowns and a 54.4 completion percentage in 12 games played, said that so far it has been a great spring, and as a team the Wildcats have improved since day one of practice.
“I think that we worked really hard together as one like we preached all winter break,” Toman said. “You see a lot of the guys are starting to come together and playing with some attitude. It’s really impressive and a lot of fun to see.”
One of the big questions heading into the summer and fall workouts for the team is at quarterback, as junior Kevin Decker saw successful time last season, and has had a great spring thus far. According to UNH head coach Sean McDonnell, both Toman and Decker are starter-eligible, and that he won’t name a starter until fall practices start.
“It’s a close battle at the quarterback position,” McDonnell said. “Kevin Decker did some really nice things at quarterback, and R.J. as it worn on got better and better. I saw him scramble at the end and do some runs. It’s a good position to be in with two kids that are really good quarterbacks.”
Either way, the Wildcats will have a solid duo behind center during the upcoming season.
The biggest offensive question for the Wildcats, as it was last season, is the health of the offensive line. Last year freshman Chris Zarkoskie sat out a majority of the season with frequent injuries, and lost to graduation was former captain and center Tom Neill. But health shouldn’t be a big concern once fall practices roll around and the team has had time to recuperate.
The offense also welcomes back senior wide receiver Terrance Fox, who was suspended during the 2009 campaign. Fox will serve as one of the top receivers as well as return situations.
“I was happy to see Terrance Fox,” McDonnell said. “I think he’s got ability that’s going to help us on the perimeter. He’s pretty dynamic when he’s got the ball in his hands, and I think everybody really is excited about having him back in the program.”
McDonnell said that Fox, during the down year, was back in school on his own. He worked out with the strength coach on his own, and then began working out and lifting with the team during the season. Fox returned to practice before the Maine game last season and all throughout the playoffs. He returns this upcoming season as a senior eager to get back out on the field.
“I’m trying to be a part of this team and take it as far as it can go,” Fox said. “My goal is just getting to the championship, I want to take a championship home my senior year. [Watching the game] was very tough and I definitely missed [the game] a lot.”
Defensively, the Wildcats are building off of a stellar year led by the senior captains Jackson and Vasso. Jackson led the team in tackles last season with 98, and Vasso second on the team with five interceptions. Despite losing middle linebacker Sean Ware to NFL free agency, UNH has the key players and talent to be atop the CAA Conference statistically on defense yet again.
“We’ve been trying to set the tone by tackling well, getting good angles and other things that coach Mac has talked about,” Vasso said. “[Being a top-ranked defense in the CAA] means a lot, but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t come out and have a good fall camp and then lead into the season.”
The Wildcats open their season against CCSU on the fourth, and then travel the following weekend to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers at Heinz Field. Later on in the season, UNH will meet CAA rival UMass at New England’s Gillette Stadium on Oct. 23. The Homecoming matchup will be against Richmond at Cowell Stadium on Oct. 9., and the season closes out at home against Towson Nov. 20.
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