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UNH Presser Points

PRESSER POINTS

News and notes from University of New Hampshire head coach Rick Santos’ press conference Wednesday in advance of UNH’s game at Albany on Saturday night (7):

— Albany was picked to finish 12th out of 13 teams in the Colonial Athletic Association’s preseason poll.

— The Wildcats are coming off a 31-21 victory over Monmouth. Albany opened with a 69-10 loss at Baylor.

— “Offensively we need to do a better job (of avoiding) pre-snap penalties,” Santos said. “That got us a little bit. … On the defensive side we need to buckle down in the red area. We have to make sure we hold them to field goals, which we didn’t do (against Monmouth).”

— Santos on Albany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger, a transfer from Albany: “Their quarterback is extremely athletic. Completion percentage probably wasn’t what they wanted it to be, but it was obvious on tape that he has big-play ability with his legs. He doesn’t just escape (with) the run. He escaped three or four times with his eyes down the field. So he’s got good mobility, good pocket vision.”

— Santos said Joey Eichman, a safety from Merrimack, may not be able to play Saturday. “Joey Eichman’s banged up a little bit with some knee tendonitis, so he’s gonna be a game-time decision to see if he goes. So that’s going to put a little added pressure on Noah Palm, and then Brendan Tighe, one of our young guys, is going to have to step up if Joey can’t go. Other than that I think we’re healthy.”

— Albany has won the last three games against UNH.

— Albany running back Todd Sibley, a transfer from Pitt, was held to 18 yards on nine carries in the loss to Baylor.

— Santos on UNH’s philosophy with regard to the transfer portal: “Part of it is positional need, so for us forecasting our roster for the next couple years and seeing what we have in the freshman and sophomore class — who we think is going to be a special player versus us losing an impact player. And then maybe there will be a gap year before one of the guys on the roster in going to be ready. If we feel like we need to turn the roster over quickly and get an immediate impact then we’re going to have to live in the transfer portal more than we have in the past. The key thing with that and the fine line is we want to make sure we don’t bring in enough guys where it’s going to deter from what our culture is. We want to make sure foundationally we recruit and develop young men in our program and give them the opportunity to play, but at the same time we understand it has to be part of your recruiting philosophy or you’re going to be left behind because more and more student-athletes are transferring these days.”

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