Over The Pylon

It’s easy to potentially take for granted the New Hampshire Wildcats. On paper they’re an FCS team, and by nature, any FBS school worth its weight in bratwursts should theoretically be better, more talented, and able to blow them off the field. Ask Virginia and Duke how that FCS talent pool is.

For the Wildcats, they come in at 1-0 after a season opening victory over St. Francis, PA. They rush the ball well, gaining 185 over SFPA, and are led by a junior RB in Sean Jellison. He went for 125 and a score in Saturday’s game, as well as catching a TD pass. UNH jumped to an early 21-0 lead, and sort of cruised the rest of the way, so don’t let the 24-14 final fool you. The offense for UNH was shut down in the second half, nine scoreless positions to be exact.

Defensively, the star so far has been Hugo Souza. The junior strong safety tallied six tackles (five solo), two pass breakups, recovered a fumble and blocked a 45-yard field goal attempt to spearhead the defensive effort against SFPA.

When the rubber hits the road for Ball State in this game, it’s a chance for redemption. Most of the national media and the people around the MAC have had a good chuckle at the expense of the Cardinals and their fall from last season’s grace at the hands of North Texas. They need to show up, deliver, and play like the FBS talent they have.

Scouting New Hampshire:
. . . New Hampshire is coming off a fifth straight winning season and second straight Colonial Athletic Association North Division Championship
. . . UNH was picked to win the North Division of the CAA in this year’s preseason poll conducted by the league
. . . The Wildcats were 10-3 in 2008
. . . UNH enters the season ranked eighth in both of the major Football Championship Subdivision polls after finishing No. 7 or No. 8 in most national polls a year ago
. . . The Wildcats defeated Army in 2008, giving the program four straight wins over Football Bowl Subdivision schools
. . . New Hampshire has also defeated Rutgers (2004), Northwestern (2006) and Marshall (2007).

Filed under: Ball State, FCS |