UNH coach Ricky Santos growing his legacy in New England

New Hampshire coach Ricky Santos led the Wildcats to their first Division 1AA/FCS playoff victory at Georgia Southern as the team’s quarterback on Nov. 27, 2004.

Santos will attempt to score a second postseason victory as UNH’s first-year head coach when the No. 16 Wildcats (9-3) take on No. 6 Holy Cross (11-0) in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday (noon) at Fitton Field in Worcester. Both teams attained their current rank in the FCS Coaches Poll.

Holy Cross, which captured its fourth straight Patriot League title, drew a first-round bye, while UNH beat Fordham 52-42 on Nov. 26 in Durham, N.H. Holy Cross beat Fordham 53-52 in overtime at home on Oct. 29.

“Ricky certainly understands the strengths of his team and plays to them really well,” said Holy coach Bob Chesney, the 2022 Patriot League Coach of the Year. “He is obviously one of the best coaches in the country, we all know that.

“I think watching him do what he has done from Columbia to now here, it’s impressive to watch. It’s an honor just to compete on the field against him. He’s legend up here as a quarterback and a coach and everything that comes with it.”

Santos, who played scholastically for Bellingham High School, still owns all the significant passing records at UNH. During his run from 2004-07, Santos led the Wildcats to four straight Division 1AA-FCS appearances. He completed 1,024 passes for 13,212 yards and 123 touchdowns.

Santos has done great work with Wildcats’ quarterback Max Brosmer, a 6-2, 214-pound sophomore from Roswell, Ga. Brosmer has appeared in 12 games and completed 242 of 364 passes for 2,912 yards and 25 touchdowns.

The Wildcats are more than a passing show. Tailback Dylan Laube has rushed for 1,153 yards on 228 carries for a 5.1 yards per carry average and 15 touchdowns. Laube has caught 44 passes for 446 yards and two touchdowns and is one of the best punt and kick return specialists in FCS.

New Hampshire has scored 367 points for a 30.58 points per game average with 226 first downs.

“You watch that young man (Brosmer), he is so efficient with the ball,” said Chesney. “He is on time and he understands the full offense and he understands where to go with the ball based on coverages.

“If he gets into a little trouble, he finds that running back pretty quick.”

The Crusaders has an offense that can match the Wildcats blow for blow over four quarters. Holy Cross racked up 430 points in 11 games for a 39.09 points per game average, good for fifth in FCS, with 2,006 totals rushing yards and 2,441 through the air.

Holy Cross dual threat quarterback Matthew Sluka was a first team All-Patriot League and All-New England selection and for good reason. He completed 135 of 224 passes for 2,301 yards and 25 touchdowns with three interceptions. He led the Crusaders in rushing with 918 yards and eight touchdowns. Sluka rushed for over 100 yards in four games.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/KRhj9rq