UNH FOOTBALL - 6 STRAIGHT NCAA APPEARANCES, 26 ALL-AMERICANS
2010 SEASON PREVIEW
The University of New Hampshire football team is riding an unprecedented string of success over the past six years with six straight appearances in the NCAA FCS Playoffs, while advancing to the quarterfinals of the playoffs in five of those six years. During the same six-year timespan, the Wildcats have recorded an impressive 57-20 record under head coach Sean McDonnell, and not even FBS teams have been safe during this successful run, as all five faced by the Wildcats have fallen to the ‘Cats, including the likes of Ball State, Army, Marshall, Northwestern and Rutgers. Players have come and gone during the stretch, but now McDonnell will take his 2010 squad into battle against arguably one of the most difficult schedules any team in UNH history has faced. UNH will play Pittsburgh as its FBS opponent and take on every team in the CAA, except for Delaware, after the conference lost both Hofstra and Northeastern when both programs were cut at their respective schools. Throw in the likes of Central Connecticut and Lehigh as non-conference opponents and UNH football will have its work cut out for it in 2010. However, plenty of talent remains on the roster this season with 44 letterwinners returning for action this season and 14 starters back, including five on offense and seven on defense, giving the Wildcats plenty of experience to build this year’s version of the team around. Nobody on the schedule has a more experienced quarterback than senior R.J. Toman from Mission Viejo, Calif., and the Wildcats have tremendous experience returning in the trenches with four out of five linemen returning on both the offensive and defensive lines. Throw in the fact that UNH’s entire defensive backfield has seen quality playing time as a key reserve or starter, such as senior defensive back Dino Vasso and senior strong safety Hugo Souza, and the recipe is ready for another successful season in Durham. QUARTERBACK: The Wildcats return senior quarterback R.J. Toman to the fold and he is coming off another outstanding season as the starting field general, entering his third straight fall as the starter. In 2009, Toman completed 174 of 320 pass attempts for an average of 181.8 passing yards per contest. He also passed for 15 touchdowns last season and ran in four more for the Wildcats. An outstanding dual threat as a runner and passer in UNH’s spread offense, he has been one of the nation’s most productive quarterbacks. So far in his career, he has passed for 47 touchdowns and has compiled an amazing total of 5,601 passing yards, placing him fourth all-time at UNH heading into his senior season. Toman will be pushed this year by another up-and-coming quarterback in junior Kevin Decker. Decker saw limited action last season and passed the football 60 times, completing 33 for 380 yards and five touchdowns. His improvement has been steady over the past few seasons, giving UNH
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Sean Jellison two interchangeable players at quarterback if needed. RUNNING BACK: Senior running back Sean Jellison has patiently been waiting in the wings for his chance as the starter and this may be the year for the hard-working Granite-Stater. At 5-8, 210 pounds, he is a very tough, hard-nosed runner who has gained some experience every season. Last season was Jellison’s most productive as a Wildcat, seeing action in all 13 contests, carrying the football 97 times for 455 yards and scoring seven touchdowns on the ground for the Wildcats. He averaged 32.6 rushing yards per game and 4.4 yards per run. He was also effective as a receiver with 19 catches for 169 yards and one touchdown as UNH’s fourth most productive pass-catcher. Also returning this season at running back is sophomore Dontra Peters, who saw action in 12 games last season and carried the football 37 times for 207 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He and Jellison offer two different running styles as Jellison is more of a power runner and Peters provides more speed and quickness out of the backfield. Another back to keep an eye on is redshirt freshman Chris Setian from East Longmeadow, Mass. He has good size (5-8, 226) and speed at running back and adds very talented depth in the offensive backfield. The Wildcats will miss the services of graduated senior Chad Kackert, who rushed for 780 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was signed as a free agent by the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. WIDE RECEIVER: Over the past six years wide receivers have graduated and younger players have stepped up to fill the
2010 UNIVERSITY OF 2009 New Hampshire Football 10• 10 •
NEW HAMPSHIRE FOOTBALL