Shrine Camp: Day 1
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
New Hampshire coach Ken Sciacca had plenty of good things to say after the first day of practice for this year's Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl -- and a lot of them were about Vermont.
Sciacca said his No. 1 concern entering this year's game is slowing down Vermont's passing game.
"We're gonna take the best kids we can find and put them on defense," Sciacca said. "This is a very challenging offense for us to deal with. They throw the ball all over.
"I know they don't have the quarterback going to Holy Cross (Max Librizzi), but they have some good kids. They have some outstanding receivers and we can only rush four guys. Usually the best way to slow down a passing game is with pressure. It's pretty hard to do that with four guys."
New Hampshire had one full practice and one light practice Thursday, and is scheduled to have three practices Friday.
"We'll focus on defense in the morning, offense in the afternoon and the kicking game in the evening," Sciacca said. "We did not hit (Thursday), but we're gonna hit all day (Friday)."
This is the eighth time Sciacca has coached in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, and his third time as New Hampshire's head coach. He guided New Hampshire to victories in 1979 and 2003.
When asked what Vermont players stood out on film, Sciacca mentioned two receivers from Essex High School: Pat Nee and Kevin Jenco. Nee and Jenco made 107 receptions for 1,672 yards and 23 TDs last season.
"I know you don't usually say this when it's New Hampshire versus Vermont, but they have the edge in this matchup," Sciacca said. "This is one of the most talented teams I've coached, but this is the best Vermont talent I've seen."
Footnotes
Both teams are practicing at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden. ... Sciacca said either Tom Poitras (Bow) or Connor Lyons (Trinity) will serve as New Hamphshire's placekicker. ... Friday is Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl media day. ... Souhegan's Steven Jellison, New Hampshire's Mr. Football for the 2009 season, is being used primarily as a fullback. ... New Hampshire will have a scrimmage Saturday. ... This year's game will be played Aug. 7. ... New Hampshire Football Report will have updates from training camp each day following New Hampshire's final workout.
