UNH offense hits the ground running
Frank Coppola
nhfootballreport.com
DURHAM -- The stars of yesteryear certainly turned out for the University of New Hampshire football team's annual Blue/White scrimmage on Saturday.
Former Wildcat heroes Ricky Santos and David Ball were joined in the crowd by Oregon coach Chip Kelly, who oversaw the record-setting Santos/Ball era during his lengthy tenure as UNH's offensive coordinator.
But as UNH showed last season, when it went 10-3 and averaged over 35 points per game, the high-scoring days in Durham are far from over. Even without all that star power.
"We're going to look to pick up the pace and even play a little faster this year," said junior running back Sean Jellison, of Amherst. "We're a high-powered offense and we thrive on playing fast and wearing down the defense."
Jellison did his share of that on Saturday, rushing for a game-high 70 yards on 14 carries in a game that ended with a 31-21 score. The former Souhegan High School standout showed why most observers -- including UNH coach Sean McDonnell -- are expecting big things from him next season. Jellison is penciled in as the No. 2 running back on UNH's depth chart, behind only senior Chad Kackert.
"I thought Sean Jellison ran very well, he's got great vision," said McDonnell. "We tried to get him and Kackert on opposite teams, give them both a chance to run the football a little bit."
nhfootballreport.com
DURHAM -- The stars of yesteryear certainly turned out for the University of New Hampshire football team's annual Blue/White scrimmage on Saturday.Former Wildcat heroes Ricky Santos and David Ball were joined in the crowd by Oregon coach Chip Kelly, who oversaw the record-setting Santos/Ball era during his lengthy tenure as UNH's offensive coordinator.
But as UNH showed last season, when it went 10-3 and averaged over 35 points per game, the high-scoring days in Durham are far from over. Even without all that star power.
"We're going to look to pick up the pace and even play a little faster this year," said junior running back Sean Jellison, of Amherst. "We're a high-powered offense and we thrive on playing fast and wearing down the defense."
Jellison did his share of that on Saturday, rushing for a game-high 70 yards on 14 carries in a game that ended with a 31-21 score. The former Souhegan High School standout showed why most observers -- including UNH coach Sean McDonnell -- are expecting big things from him next season. Jellison is penciled in as the No. 2 running back on UNH's depth chart, behind only senior Chad Kackert.
"I thought Sean Jellison ran very well, he's got great vision," said McDonnell. "We tried to get him and Kackert on opposite teams, give them both a chance to run the football a little bit."
Jellison appeared in 10 games last season and finished as the Wildcats'
third-leading rusher with 223 yards on 43 carries, a 5.2 average. With
the departure of leading rusher Bobby Simpson, Jellison knows he'll be
asked to carry a bigger load in the near future.
"I'm ready to step in and fill in where Bobby was last year when Chad needs a breather or if they just want to rotate us as much as possible," said Jellison. "I'm really excited to finally get a good chunk of playing time."
Jellison's effort on Saturday was impressive given the uncertainty that surrounds UNH's offensive line. The Wildcats lost four of five starters from last season, with senior Tom Neill the only returnee.
Still, Jellison seems unfazed.
"There's definitely been an improvement with the offensive line," he said. "That was one of our biggest question marks coming into this year, but I think the young guys have stepped up real well all spring and answered a lot of questions."
Among those sharing the backfield load with Jellison was Plymouth's Shawn Sweeney, a redshirt freshman who was eager to get on the field after sitting out last season. Sweeney also made a good impression, gaining 43 yards on nine carries.
"My whole life I've been a competitor, so when I got a chance to come out here in the spring I wanted to take advantage of it," said Sweeney. "We worked hard all offseason, and this was the day I've been waiting for. It was nice to be on the field and get some reps."
Sweeney said he still needs to work on his speed and balance, as well as after-contact rushing yards, in order to further impress his coaches. He knows that sitting out last season may prove beneficial in his development.
"What really helped me was being a scout team player," he said. "I've been going against the first-team defense since last fall. You've got to learn quick."
Sweeney and Jellison will be vying for playing time in a backfield that also includes redshirt freshmen Kenny Howard (who sat out with an injury on Saturday) and Dontra Peters (who had a pair of rushing touchdowns).
Whoever gets the carries in the long run will probably help maintain the Wildcats' habit of making life miserable for opposing defenses.
"We're going to score lots of points," said Jellison. "It's going to be fun."
"I'm ready to step in and fill in where Bobby was last year when Chad needs a breather or if they just want to rotate us as much as possible," said Jellison. "I'm really excited to finally get a good chunk of playing time."
Jellison's effort on Saturday was impressive given the uncertainty that surrounds UNH's offensive line. The Wildcats lost four of five starters from last season, with senior Tom Neill the only returnee.
Still, Jellison seems unfazed.
"There's definitely been an improvement with the offensive line," he said. "That was one of our biggest question marks coming into this year, but I think the young guys have stepped up real well all spring and answered a lot of questions."
Among those sharing the backfield load with Jellison was Plymouth's Shawn Sweeney, a redshirt freshman who was eager to get on the field after sitting out last season. Sweeney also made a good impression, gaining 43 yards on nine carries.
"My whole life I've been a competitor, so when I got a chance to come out here in the spring I wanted to take advantage of it," said Sweeney. "We worked hard all offseason, and this was the day I've been waiting for. It was nice to be on the field and get some reps."
Sweeney said he still needs to work on his speed and balance, as well as after-contact rushing yards, in order to further impress his coaches. He knows that sitting out last season may prove beneficial in his development.
"What really helped me was being a scout team player," he said. "I've been going against the first-team defense since last fall. You've got to learn quick."
Sweeney and Jellison will be vying for playing time in a backfield that also includes redshirt freshmen Kenny Howard (who sat out with an injury on Saturday) and Dontra Peters (who had a pair of rushing touchdowns).
Whoever gets the carries in the long run will probably help maintain the Wildcats' habit of making life miserable for opposing defenses.
"We're going to score lots of points," said Jellison. "It's going to be fun."
