Durham N.H.- The most incredible time of year officially commenced for football fans of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (1-0). The built-up anticipation of the off-season led to a day trip to the newly division one Stonehill College Skyhawks (0-1).
Junior quarterback Max Brosmer gave the Skyhawks a very warm welcome as he threw for a career-high five touchdowns to five different receivers. This impressive stat did not only name Brosmer as the CFPA FCS National Performer of the Week but it also played a huge part in the Wildcats’ 51-17 win.
There is more credit to be given for the 51 points on the UNH side of the scoreboard. For example, how about senior running back Dylan Laube scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter (one punt return TD, one recieving TD, one rushing TD).
TOUCHDOWN! Dylan Laube with a 58-yard TD return and Nick Mazzie kicks the PAT to extend our lead to 13-0.
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— New Hampshire Football (@UNH_Football) September 2, 2023
TOUCHDOWN! Max Brosmer with his 2nd TD pass & Dylan Laube with his 2nd TD score on this 23-yard pass play.
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— New Hampshire Football (@UNH_Football) September 2, 2023
TRIPLE THREAT! Punt return TD. Receiving TD. And now an 11-yard rushing touchdown for Dylan Laube!!!
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— New Hampshire Football (@UNH_Football) September 2, 2023
On the defensive side of the ball, junior defensive tackle Nathan Kapongo led the squad with six tackles (one tackle for loss).
“Defensively, there were a couple of adjustments we had to make at the end of the first half,” Kapongo said, “but other than that everything went smoothly and as expected.”
The Wildcats left Stonehill with a boatload of confidence but they are now forced to come back down to earth having just one week to prepare for their FBS opponent of the season, Central Michigan (0-1).
Head coach Rick Santos spoke on the team’s mindset and how this year’s FBS matchup will differ from their last one.
“The theme of the week is ‘Be Us’” Santos noted, “…so for us, it’s just playing our brand of ball and understanding the pressure is completely on them. Our goal is to play harder than them and wreak havoc.”
Santos also mentioned that he thought he got the team “a little too hyped up” before last year’s game against Western Michigan which led to their poor performance in the early moments.
Central Michigan is led by red-shirt first-year Bert Emanuel Jr. who is a true dual threat. After game one versus the Michigan State Spartans (1-0), Emanuel Jr. finished as the team’s passing and rushing leader.
“Five or six times he [Emanuel Jr.] scrambled in that game [vs. Michigan State] and the defense had him dead to rights but he found a way to evade them,” Santos said, “So we’re going to have to have a game plan where we’re gonna have to spy him and put a net around him. But at the end of the day, he is a dynamic weapon.”
https://twitter.com/MACSports/status/1697753049522188700?s=20
The Central Michigan defense’s leading tackler is sophomore linebacker Kyle Moretti. Moretti finished last season with 95 tackles and seven and a half tackles for a loss (one fumble recovery). He continued his success against the Spartans with a team-leading 14 total tackles and a pass breakup.
You can watch all the action take place on ESPN+ at 1:30 p.m. to see if this Wildcat team can beat an FBS opponent for the first time in six years (2017 vs. Georgia Southern).
https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/49511cd6-043d-4929-8eab-619bb7778f58
