The New Hampshire Wildcats have had somewhat of an up and down season behind all-everything QB Ricky Santos who had struggled somewhat early on trying to find replacements for Ball, Brown & co. to throw to. Yesterday, the tougher-than-expected URI Rams had them on the ropes in the first half before a low hit on fine Jr. option QB Derek Cassidy and the ongoing shoulder problems for star Jr. FB Joe Casey finally caught up with the underdogs. Cassidy went out with an ankle injury and did not return. At the time (and at the half) URI was up 24-21, and their defense had been playing very well against UNH's aerial circus (which has yet to be complemented this year by anything resembling a running game). UNH exploded in the second half, outscoring URI 28-12 the rest of the way. Santos wound up with this stat line: 24 of 30, 419 yards, 5/0. He is the odds-on favorite in my book to repeat for the Payton Award.


SCOUTING SUMMARY:

College: New Hampshire Conference: Colonial Athletic Columnist: Steve Martin

Game Notes
Ricky Santos 2 6' 1.1" 215 4.70 QB 2008: He can be unstoppable at this level of college football, but I still get the feeling his NFL success will pretty much just parallel David Ball's. He just isn't big enough to take the pounding at the next level or see over 6'6" linemen. The NFL will totally take away the running aspect of his game which helps to make him so successful in the CAA. He's a gutsy gunslinger though, and even though he was having some trouble early on with accuracy in the rain, he may be a great AFL QB some day. GRADE: Positive

Jeff Pammer 31 6' 0.0" 210 4.65 S 2008: A tough, in-the-box type who is also athletically limited as far as projecting him to the next level. Plays very hard, and will sell out to make tackles, but he would have to be covered up for in pass D at the next level. GRADE: Sightly positive

Husain Karim 53 5' 9.4" 220 4.70 LB 2008: A tackling machine, who also lacks big-league potential because of his size. He has a better shot at sticking (think STs) than his teammates though, I think. GRADE: Positive


College: Rhode Island Conference: Colonial Athletic Columnist: Steve Martin

Game Notes
Jerell Jones 5 5' 8.0" 170 4.64 HB 2008: A tough little jitter bug who also catches the ball and returns punts and kicks. Versatility gives him a shot at a camp look, but that's about it. GRADE: Neutral

Nick Levy 58 61' 0.0" 280 4.90 DT 2008: A Mike-Ruth clone (without the roids) who gives great effort and has a knack for the sack. If he can gain weight without losing speed and flexibility he could make a camp roster because of his guts and determination. GRADE: Positive



Other Notes:
UNH: Jr. DT Marvin Wright (6'1", 265) was in on a ton of tackles and is relentless. I think he MIGHT have a shot at a conversion (FB? ILB?) and will be in camp next year if he continues to play like he did against URI. Senior WR Keith Levan is a nice college wideout. Soph TE Scott Sicko (yep, that's his real name) has a shot to be drafted some day.

URI: Senior LOT Mark Stolte is tiny for OT, but is quite a player. If there was a league for 265-pound offesnive linemen, he'd be all pro. URI has a stable of juniors who could all be in camps in the summer of 2009 (this group took Army to overtime, and has been the core of a URI team that is much better than their 1-7 record). Junior QB Derek Cassidy may be the best of the bunch. But running FB Joe Casey is also solid, as is RB Jimmy Hughes and WR Sean Leonard.

Wow... Nick Levy must really lose the leverage battles at 61 feet tall!

I saw quite a bit of UNH last fall and I agree with all of your assessments of the players. I love Ricky Santos, but he's just not anything more than a clipboard carrier in the NFL.