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http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2007-09-19-newhampshire-santos_N.htm
New Hampshire rides high aboard sizzling Santos
Enlarge By Jeff Gentner, AP
New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos is attempting to become the first player to win the Walter Payton Award consecutively.
By Andy Gardiner, USA TODAY
When Ricky Santos led Division I-AA New Hampshire to a 48-35 win at Marshall last weekend, it was the third time the senior quarterback carried the Wildcats past a I-A team.
It also continued a career that had an improbable start but could end with Santos being the first to win consecutive Walter Payton Awards as the premier player in what is now known as the Football Championship Subdivision.
Santos has thrown for five touchdowns and run for two this season as UNH (1-1) has moved to 10th in the coaches' poll. For his career, the numbers explode:
•10,882 passing yards, a completion rate of 68% and 104 touchdowns.
•1,254 rushing yards and 23 TDs.
•A 31-10 record with three consecutive trips to the NCAA playoffs.
At his current pace, Santos would finish first in I-AA annals in career completions, second in passing yards behind only Steve McNair and third in touchdown passes.
"I never expected this," Santos says. "Not anything close."
After a redshirt year, Santos began fall practice of his first official season fourth on the depth chart. By the time the Wildcats opened against defending national champion Delaware, transfers and injuries had boosted Santos to second.
"I was psyched to watch an incredible football game and learn from our starting quarterback, Mike Granieri, who was a great guy and a preseason All-American," Santos remembers. "Then we ran an option play, Mike got hit on his knee and he didn't get up."
With that play late in the second quarter Santos was catapulted into a job he has not relinquished. He completed 10 of 11 passes against Delaware, though he didn't know most of the plays. He won the game with a fourth-quarter touchdown throw.
Santos has kept on winning. He was awarded last year's Payton Award after throwing for 3,125 yards and 29 touchdowns and running for 12 more scores. A second Payton is within reach.
"That's not really something I think about because to me, the Payton Award is a team award," Santos says. "What I want is to get New Hampshire to the championship game."
Santos' individual achievements have helped transform UNH from a .500 program to a perennial playoff team. In his first three seasons the Wildcats are 10-3, 11-2 and 9-4, reaching the second round of the 16-school playoffs each time.
But that's where the merry-go-round has stopped, with losses to Montana (47-17), Northern Iowa (24-21) and Massachusetts (24-17).
"We made three bad plays against Montana (in 2004), and two years ago it was a couple of late fumbles against Northern Iowa," Santos says. "Last year UMass got us twice on fourth-down conversions late in the game. We don't have to change much, just make a play at the right time."
UNH coach Sean McDonnell will look to Santos to make those plays.
"The challenge for Ricky and the whole program is consistency, not on a weekly basis but a yearly basis," McDonnell says. "After spring ball I told him he had to work harder, and he looked at me like I was a little bit crazy.
"But he's gone from good to great, and now he has to go from great to wherever he wants to go. The expectations for him are so high that he has to do more."
Santos will have to do more this year without David Ball, his best friend and a two-time All-American who has landed on the Chicago Bears' practice squad after breaking Jerry Rice's I-AA records for receiving yards and touchdown catches.
"I try to spread the wealth, but looking back, I think I can do a better job of it. Without Dave I need to step my game up another level," Santos says.
Massachusetts coach Don Brown, whose team is a slight favorite ahead of the Wildcats to win the Colonial Athletic Association, believes Santos will make the transition easily.
"Ricky has always had a great understanding of the UNH system and has always been good at spreading the wealth," Brown says. "He still has plenty of targets … The thing people overlook is his ability to run the ball out of their spread offense. I think you will see more of that this season."
McDonnell challenged Santos, named captain by his teammates, to be an even more vocal leader and serve as the liaison between players and coaches.
"He wants national success in the form of a championship for the University of New Hampshire," McDonnell says. "He would give up all the personal stuff, the Payton Award, everything for a chance to make that happen."
Santos says that is his focus.
"It's a long road, and making the playoffs from this league is no guarantee by a long shot," he says. "It's going to be a tough trip, but I'm looking forward to getting another chance because this is my last one."
New Hampshire rides high aboard sizzling Santos
Enlarge By Jeff Gentner, AP
New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos is attempting to become the first player to win the Walter Payton Award consecutively.
By Andy Gardiner, USA TODAY
When Ricky Santos led Division I-AA New Hampshire to a 48-35 win at Marshall last weekend, it was the third time the senior quarterback carried the Wildcats past a I-A team.
It also continued a career that had an improbable start but could end with Santos being the first to win consecutive Walter Payton Awards as the premier player in what is now known as the Football Championship Subdivision.
Santos has thrown for five touchdowns and run for two this season as UNH (1-1) has moved to 10th in the coaches' poll. For his career, the numbers explode:
•10,882 passing yards, a completion rate of 68% and 104 touchdowns.
•1,254 rushing yards and 23 TDs.
•A 31-10 record with three consecutive trips to the NCAA playoffs.
At his current pace, Santos would finish first in I-AA annals in career completions, second in passing yards behind only Steve McNair and third in touchdown passes.
"I never expected this," Santos says. "Not anything close."
After a redshirt year, Santos began fall practice of his first official season fourth on the depth chart. By the time the Wildcats opened against defending national champion Delaware, transfers and injuries had boosted Santos to second.
"I was psyched to watch an incredible football game and learn from our starting quarterback, Mike Granieri, who was a great guy and a preseason All-American," Santos remembers. "Then we ran an option play, Mike got hit on his knee and he didn't get up."
With that play late in the second quarter Santos was catapulted into a job he has not relinquished. He completed 10 of 11 passes against Delaware, though he didn't know most of the plays. He won the game with a fourth-quarter touchdown throw.
Santos has kept on winning. He was awarded last year's Payton Award after throwing for 3,125 yards and 29 touchdowns and running for 12 more scores. A second Payton is within reach.
"That's not really something I think about because to me, the Payton Award is a team award," Santos says. "What I want is to get New Hampshire to the championship game."
Santos' individual achievements have helped transform UNH from a .500 program to a perennial playoff team. In his first three seasons the Wildcats are 10-3, 11-2 and 9-4, reaching the second round of the 16-school playoffs each time.
But that's where the merry-go-round has stopped, with losses to Montana (47-17), Northern Iowa (24-21) and Massachusetts (24-17).
"We made three bad plays against Montana (in 2004), and two years ago it was a couple of late fumbles against Northern Iowa," Santos says. "Last year UMass got us twice on fourth-down conversions late in the game. We don't have to change much, just make a play at the right time."
UNH coach Sean McDonnell will look to Santos to make those plays.
"The challenge for Ricky and the whole program is consistency, not on a weekly basis but a yearly basis," McDonnell says. "After spring ball I told him he had to work harder, and he looked at me like I was a little bit crazy.
"But he's gone from good to great, and now he has to go from great to wherever he wants to go. The expectations for him are so high that he has to do more."
Santos will have to do more this year without David Ball, his best friend and a two-time All-American who has landed on the Chicago Bears' practice squad after breaking Jerry Rice's I-AA records for receiving yards and touchdown catches.
"I try to spread the wealth, but looking back, I think I can do a better job of it. Without Dave I need to step my game up another level," Santos says.
Massachusetts coach Don Brown, whose team is a slight favorite ahead of the Wildcats to win the Colonial Athletic Association, believes Santos will make the transition easily.
"Ricky has always had a great understanding of the UNH system and has always been good at spreading the wealth," Brown says. "He still has plenty of targets … The thing people overlook is his ability to run the ball out of their spread offense. I think you will see more of that this season."
McDonnell challenged Santos, named captain by his teammates, to be an even more vocal leader and serve as the liaison between players and coaches.
"He wants national success in the form of a championship for the University of New Hampshire," McDonnell says. "He would give up all the personal stuff, the Payton Award, everything for a chance to make that happen."
Santos says that is his focus.
"It's a long road, and making the playoffs from this league is no guarantee by a long shot," he says. "It's going to be a tough trip, but I'm looking forward to getting another chance because this is my last one."
