UNH still building an offensive line
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
University of New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell may have found some answers during Saturday's Blue/White scrimmage, but he certainly didn't find all of them.
Plenty of question marks remain on an unproven offensive line that must replace four starters from the 2008 season. Senior center Tom Neill is the only returning starter.
"Offensive line right now is still a work in progress," McDonnell said. "(Dan) Larkin, Neill and I think Jayson Elmore are three of the guys who have the upper track to start. I think we're all pretty sure Larkin and Neill are gonna start. Elmore from Day 1 to Day 15 has probably been our most consistent offensive lineman in the spring. I'm talking about effort. I'm talking about assignment. I'm talking about playing. I really like what he has done. He's up to 270 pounds right now. Hopefully he can put another five or 10 on over the summer. I think he'll be fine because the kid plays so hard.
"We have another pool of guys after that that you have to figure out. It's been really tough to evaluate Seth Price this spring because he's had torn cartilage and missed a lot early. He fought through a lot of it with some torn cartilage and played for us. I'm really pleased how he toughed it out.
"We have Chris Zarkoskie, another kid who played a lot of snaps for us this spring and got better. And then George Pecoraro. Those six guys right now are somewhere in the top numbers for who's gonna be the five starters."
Will Moher, Mickey DiLima and Josh Lane are among the other players competing for playing time on the offensive line. Moher played at Manchester West, and Lane suited up for Pinkerton Academy. DiLima (shoulder) and Lane (ankle) battled injuries during spring practice.
"A lot of these kids toughed it out and practiced an awful lot with nagging injuries, so I didn't get to see them at their full pace," McDonnell said. "We have to get them all healthy this summer."
Pressure? What pressure?
Finding a way to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks has been a priority for the UNH defense during the offseason.
The Wildcats recorded 13 sacks in 13 games last season, and finished tied for ninth among Colonial Athletic Association teams in that category. Richmond led the league in sacks with 36 in 16 games.
"We had 13 sacks as a defense last year and we realize that's not gonna cut it to be the best," defensive end Brian McNally said. "We're starting to feel a little bit better, but we still have a lot of work to do.
"If you can get off the ball, that's the first battle. Everything else will be easy after that. That's what we have to keep working to get better at."
McNally, who was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association's Defensive Rookie of the Year after the 2008 season, led UNH with 2 1/2 sacks last season.
Senior linebacker Sean Ware said pressure on the quarterback was what he was looking for in Saturday's scrimmage.
"I think statistically against the run and the pass last season we (fared) pretty well against that, we just didn't get as much pressure on the quarterback as we'd like to," Ware said. "I think today we handled that well.
"Defensively we have a lot of guys returning, and we're looking to build off of last season."
McDonnell reveals backup plan
R.J. Toman entered and exited spring practice as the team's starting quarterback, and Matt Welch, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound redshirt freshman, appears to have solidified his spot as the backup QB.
Welch, who played at Lowell (Mass.) High School, completed 8-of-11 pass attempt for 90 yards in Saturday's Blue/White scrimmage.
"I thought Matty Welch in the last week of practice did some really nice things," McDonnell said. "I try to judge them on how they get us in the end zone, and I thought Matty toward the middle, toward the end of spring separated himself a little bit (from) Josh Vick.
"I think Welch has a slight edge right now and that's probably how it's going to be going into camp. I was encouraged by Vick, and I like (Mike) Roberto too."
Faces in the crowd
Former UNH coach Bill Bowes, University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly, former UNH quarterback Ricky Santos and former UNH wide receiver David Ball were among those in attendance Saturday.
