DURHAM - Chances are good you've heard this story recently. The one about the young quarterback from California who is taking over for a legend. University of New Hampshire football Coach Sean McDonnell has certainly heard it. Asked yesterday at the team's media day if it was only natural to compare his new quarterback, Californian R.J. Toman, to his old one, the record-shattering Ricky Santos, McDonnell chuckled.

"Sure, ask the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers right now," McDonnell said. "Is it that same kind of thing? For the University of New Hampshire it is."

Just like in Green Bay, there is a charged anticipation tinged by intrigue that is surrounding the UNH program. It can be summed up in one question. What will life hold after Ricky?

"Ricky was that guy that you knew would come through, you knew he'd be ready and you knew he'd have the troops ready," senior defensive back John Clements said. "R.J. is soft spoken, but he knows how to get the job done. With a couple games under his belt he'll be just fine. We all miss Ricky to death and the things he did, but its R.J.'s time now."

Toman, a sophomore, actually has a couple games under his belt. After Santos went down with a shoulder injury last year against undefeated and national runner-up Delaware, Toman came in and, more than just manage the game, led the Wildcats to a 35-30 win. He then started the next game against an overmatched Iona and did what he was supposed to, direct a 49-21 blowout. That taste of experience provides Toman, his teammates and McDonnell some confidence that yes, the 'Cats will be okay without Santos.

"The thing I can sit here and feel good about is the kid has already been on the field, he's already been in the hot water," McDonnell said.

But McDonnell, and the rest of the coaching staff and team for that matter, stressed that Toman is not Santos. Never will be. That's not to say he can't be as successful, though that would be a staggering accomplishment, it's simply to say he must be himself and to emphasize the fact that the burden to fill the void left by Santos doesn't all fall on Toman's shoulders.

Receiver Mike Boyle can chew up the big chunks of yardage and make the highlight-type plays Santos did during his time in Durham. Running backs Chad Kackert and Bobby Simpson can also help fill the playmaking and yardage void, so can tight end Scott Sicko, a preseason All-Conference selection. The four five-year seniors on the offensive line can fill the leadership void at crunch time along with the rest of the senior class.

"I think the players we have can provide some very exciting stuff if we put everything together," Toman said. "I wouldn't compare it to last year or anything. I'd say its new. I'd say we're a different team. So we're going to be our own offense."

"You've got to understand there are five other guys on that offense that we can get the ball to and they can do things with it," McDonnell said. "(We tell Toman) 'Make your reads, distribute the ball and make the play. Let it all come to you instead of trying to make things happen.' Ricky worked that really well early in his career."

A major reason why Santos worked it well and why McDonnell simply wants Toman to "make the play" is because of UNH's offensive system - the Wildcats' variation on the spread offense. The spread has taken over college football thanks, in some part, to UNH and former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who took the system to Oregon and had the Ducks humming toward a national title bid until, ahem, his quarterback, Dennis Dixon, went down with an injury.

But unlike Oregon backup Brady Leaf, a drop-back passer who lost three straight games after replacing Dixon, Toman is perfectly suited for the spread, which is why Kelly recruited him. Toman is athletic (more than Santos, according to everyone at UNH), he can improvise and he's smart. Plus, he's been groomed for this transition for three years now.

In some ways, the system has been the biggest star in Durham during the 'Cats recent run of success. And that system isn't going anywhere just because Santos is in Montreal playing for the Alouettes.

"We're going to do what we know and what our kids know," offensive coordinator Sean Devine said. "It's still wide open and fast. We want to play up tempo and no huddle and do those things."

Yes, the question of life after Santos looms over Durham. But the Wildcats have been preparing answers for some time now. They might not be at the point of reloading instead of rebuilding, but they're certainly not lowering the expectations that rose steadily under Santos.

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