UNH scrimmage set for Sunday

DURHAM – The University of New Hampshire football team opens the 2019 season with a game at Holy Cross on Sept. 7.

The Wildcats play their home opener two weeks after that – on Sept. 21 – against the University of Rhode Island in Wildcat Stadium (6 p.m.). How the Wildcats might look come their opening games will be determined in part by what happens Sunday morning.

UNH plays its annual Blue-White game Sunday to close out fall camp at Wildcat Stadium on Sunday at 10 a.m. The scrimmage will be followed by a barbecue for season ticket members featuring a meet & greet with coach Sean McDonnell and his coaching staff.

Season tickets, starting at $99, will be sold at Sunday’s games. Group tickets starting at $9 and individual game tickets for UNH’s five games in Wildcat Stadium this year will also be available Sunday and by calling 603-862-4000 or at www.unhwildcats.com.

McDonnell and Co. will use the final scrimmage to help set up the team’s depth chart heading into final preparations for Holy Cross. Here are a few of the spots to keep an eye on in Sunday’s workout, positions the coaches will be paying particular attention to:

• Since Trevor Knight ended his multi-year reign as starting quarterback last November, the battle for the starting job has been on. Redshirt freshman Bret Edwards and true freshman Max Brosmer, who enrolled in school last winter and was with the team through spring football, have emerged as the front-runners for the job.

  Saturday’s scrimmage will certainly play a role in the decision, but this is one that may extend close to game-time of the opener. Heck, it may last even longer than that.

  Sophomore Tommy Herion, the only quarterback on the roster with collegiate experience, is slotted behind the top two at the moment and is being pushed by classmate Stephen Hedberg.

• Senior Michael Balsamo, who started as a safety as a redshirt freshman, moved up and has been a regular at linebacker the last two seasons and is the leader of that group.

  Opportunities for playing time at linebacker abound after Balsamo and this is a spot where younger players – including freshmen such as Oleh Manzyk, Zedane Williams and Ryan Toscano – will no doubt get a chance to shine.

  Redshirt freshman J.J. Jerome had an impressive scrimmage the other night and senior Cameron Brusko and senior Nelson Thomas are among others in the mix.

• Who’s catching those passes thrown by whomever gets to throw them?

  Senior Malik Love is back after missing almost all of last season to injury and that’s reassuring. Beyond that, the grabs are, well, up for grabs.

  Redshirt freshman Charles Briscoe III and freshman Griffin Helm have been among those earning early kudos from coaches and guys such as senior Mike Vailas, sophomore Benyeal Hill Jr. and Brian Espanet are looking for playing time as well. Sophomore C.J. Turner and redshirt freshman Symir Blacknall have been slowed by injury.

• Here’s something to watch just for fun: Check out the defensive secondary of safeties Pop Lacey and Evan Horn and cornerbacks Prince Smith, Jr. and Isiah Perkins.

  Horn’s a junior and the rest are seniors and between them they’ve started a ton of games and made a ton of big plays over the course of the last three seasons and they intend to make a case for themselves as one of the units in not only the Colonial Athletic Association but the FCS.

  Consider this: UNH tied for the national lead in the FCS in passes intercepted and returned for touchdowns last year with four. Horn had a pair of pick-sixes and Lacey had one.

WILDCAT NOTES

FloFootball.com Offers Special Rate for CAA fans

• As part of a new digital partnership between CAA Football and FloSports, UNH is scheduled to have eight games streamed live on FloFootball.com in 2019. Fans are able to sign up via the special CAA pricing rate of $12.50/month or an annual subscription for $95.88 ($7.99/month). FloFootball will broadcast more than 50 games involving CAA teams this season. In addition, UNH and CAA football information can be found on the FloFootball blog.

Subscribe to FloFootball Here

Here are the eight (five home, three away) UNH football games scheduled to be streamed by FloSports in 2019 (times/dates/opponents subject to change):

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