UNH travels to W&M for CAA matcup with Tribe

It's never easy when a team has to travel as far as Virginia to play a conference football game that has serious implications. It makes it even tougher when the opponent is William & Mary, a CAA powerhouse that has a record identical to that of the Wildcats.

With two games remaining in the regular season, and the FCS playoffs still wide open for any team to snatch up the top spots, UNH heads down to Williamsburg, VA, for a battle with the fifth-ranked Tribe. Historically, New Hampshire has not had much success against William & Mary, as the Tribe hold a 10-2 lead in the all-time series. 

But being an underdog is something that UNH head coach Sean McDonnell attributes to being on the road, and although the Tribe are ranked higher than the Wildcats, he is sure they are aware of the impact of this game.

"This team has gone up, and according to statistics played a tougher schedule," McDonnell said. "They have one blip against Villanova, and they had 500 yards in that game. We're really going to have to play extremely well in a difficult place where I'm sure it'll be packed. One, it's going to be exciting, and two, it'll be challenging. We're looking forward to both of those things."

William & Mary has certainly played a tough schedule this year, opening the season with FBS giant Virginia, a game in which the Tribe came away with a 26-14 victory. They have also shut down national contender James Madison University, holding them to a mere three points just a month ago. 

The keys for UNH begin on the defensive side of the football. William & Mary bring experience at the quarterback position with senior R.J. Archer, who leads his team with 13 passing touchdowns and has completed 174 of 274 pass attempts this season for 1,829 yards. 

But according to coach McDonnell they like to mix in as much of the running game as possible, as sophomore Jonathan Grimes leads the team in rushing with 786 yards and six touchdowns. Grimes was last year's CAA rookie of the year. 

"They have a great mix," McDonnell said. "When you look at them on tape, it's always 55 [percent] and 45 [percent], or 53/47. They're balanced in everything they do. Their quarterback, Archer, is a really good player. He's really stepped up this year, and he's big and he's athletic. And of course Grimes is a hell of a running back. They have a very balanced offense."

UNH defensive end Kyle Maroney said that this game is a big opportunity for the Wildcats to prove themselves against a real contender.

"We get another chance to play a very good football team," Maroney said. "It's a chance to basically show everyone what we're made of on the national stage. Stopping the run is big for the D-line, and then pressuring their quarterback is another challenge. We made a few mistakes last weekend, so we're really working to try and clean it up this week."

Tribe tight end Rob Varno, as coach McDonnell said, is very similar to UNH tight end Scott Sicko. He's big and very athletic, with the great ability to make the catch in any type of coverage.

Offensively for UNH, the key is to get the running game established early against a team that is giving up an average of about 65 yards a game, and is only allowing 13.6 points-per-game. Junior quarterback R.J. Toman said that the offense really needs to execute their assignments effectively against a very talented defense.

"They're a very consistent, very well-rounded defense," Toman said. "They blitz very well, their pass coverage is very good and they're a fast defense. They can present a lot of problems for an offense. But we're a confident football team, and we're going to be ready to go on Saturday."

The eighth-ranked Wildcats are averaging 34.9 points-per-game this year, and look to continue their offensive success this Saturday in Virginia. Game time is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.