DURHAM – The announcement came Monday. But the full explanation came Wednesday as to how Coach Sean McDonnell decided sophomore Trevor Knight would be the University of New Hampshire’s starting quarterback for Saturday’s season opener at San Diego State.
“Both kids (Knight and senior Adam Riese) were neck and neck the whole way through,” McDonnell said. “You just keep watching the whole tape and what I saw is Trevor has the ability to escape, Trevor has the ability to make things happen when things break down, has the ability to run the ball better on some of the quarterback run things that we’re doing, and it was just stuff that’s been good to our offense over the years. He does it better than Adam.”
Knight, who is from Amherst and went to Nashua South, saw limited playing time last year, appearing in six games and going 10-for-19 for 124 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Riese, a captain, definitely had more experience with three starts in 10 appearances last year (54-for-79 for 513 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions), but McDonnell believes Knight’s mental game grew enough during the offseason to offset that experience differential. And the coach knows Knight has the physical edge.
“It was a really difficult decision, but what it basically comes down to is Trevor’s legs and athleticism and overall arm strength,” McDonnell said.
Knight said he had a goal of becoming a starter by this year and he’s excited for the opportunity. But it’s still sinking in.
“It’s unreal,” Knight said. “It really is a dream come true playing for the home state out in San Diego. It’s crazy.”
He’s getting ready for the craziness with extra preparation.
“Last year I was only a freshman and I had a couple guys ahead of me. I would look at some stuff and I’d be ready to play, but not as intense as I am right now,” Knight said. “I’m watching extra film every night for like two hours or so, so it’s definitely a different feel.”
It’s not the decision Riese wanted, but both McDonnell and Knight said they expect the senior will get some snaps this year. And Riese is still handling his business as one of the Wildcats captains.
“How’s he handled it? Just the way I thought he would,” McDonnell said of Riese. “Disappointed, but he went out on the field, he’s a great leader, on last Friday, Sunday, Tuesday and he’s captain of this team and the kid knows his responsibility. I expect nothing less of him and I’m getting just what I thought out of the kid.”
Some teams might be divided by a quarterback controversy. But these Wildcats are used to having two quarterbacks – Sean Goldrich and Andy Vailas split time and rotated from 2012-14 – and they’re ready to support whoever is under center this year.
“The two kids that were fighting for it, they both can do the job and they both have done the job throughout the camp,” senior captain, cornerback and All-American Casey DeAndrade said. “I don’t know what the deciding factor was, but we’re all ready to have Trevor as our guy and we’re proud that he did his job enough to earn the job.”
McDonnell called San Diego State the best team UNH has, “ever played, going back to ‘74, whoever we played back then.”
The Aztecs went 11-3 last year, won the Mountain West Conference and finished the year with a 42-7 victory against Cincinnati in the Hawaii Bowl, their 10th straight win.
In 2015 SDSU ranked No. 1 in the FBS in turnover margin (+22), was No. 2 in interceptions (23), No. 5 in total defense (287.3 yards per game allowed) and No. 7 in scoring defense (16.4 points per game allowed). Seven starters return from that unit, including cornerback Damontae Kazee, who was the MWC Defensive Player of the Year.
“They fly around, they blitz a lot, they play a lot of man coverage and they pretty much lock some people down,” Knight said. “They just fly around and hit people mostly, that’s what we see.”
The offense likes to hit people, too. San Diego plays with an old-school, power offense featuring senior running back Donnel Pomphrey, who is the reigning MWC Offensive Player of the Year. Pomphrey ran for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns on 319 carries last year and is the FBS active leader in rushing yards (4,272), rushing touchdowns (45) and 100-yard games (22). He’s also just 318 yards shy of breaking Marshall Faulk’s SDSU career rushing record.
“(Pomphrey) is probably the best kid that I’ll ever face in college and he’s going to be a big challenge,” DeAndrade said. “And everything else. The whole entire team. I haven’t really seen a flaw yet, so hopefully we’ll find one, but I don’t think we’re going to be very successful finding a flaw, so we’re just going to have to play hard. And the good thing for us is there’s not much for us to lose. Just got to cut it loose and have some fun.”
Concord’s Andrew Lauderdale will be one of the key cogs on an offensive line that figures to be a strength for UNH. Lauderdale (6-foot-6, 291 pounds) started at right tackle last year and will move to left tackle this season. He’ll be joined on the o-line by seniors Tad McNeely (center) and Curtis Nealer (right guard), junior Will McInerny (right tackle) and redshirt freshman Nick Velte (left guard), who is filling in for senior Alexander Morrill, the Lebanon product and three-year starter who may miss significant time with a hip injury.
Northwood’s Nick Derocher, a redshirt sophomore who went to the Tilton School, figures to be in the mix this year at tight end, but he will miss the first week as he recovers from a minor knee injury. And Merrimack Valley grad Ivan Niyomugabo is the No. 3 quarterback.
“He’s earned it and gotten better as the camp has gone along…Ivan has done a good job,” McDonnell said. “His growth will be very similar to Trevor’s. This year will be a year’s learning experience for him.”