DURHAM – Senior quarterback Trevor Knight completed 10 of his 14 passes for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns and the defense came up with three interceptions as the University of New Hampshire football team closed out fall camp with a scrimmage in Wildcat Stadium on Thursday afternoon. The No. 1 offense went against the No. 2 defense and the No. 1 defense opposed the No. 2 offense for the most part in the scrimmage.
Sophomore safety Evan Horn picked off a pass and returned it 50 yards for the last touchdown of the scrimmage. Junior safety Matt Sherlock and freshman defensive back Bobby DeMeo had the other interceptions. Portsmouth’s Christian Peete, a freshman defensive back, led the defense with eight tackles while redshirt freshman safety Pop Bush and junior linebacker Cameron Brusko had six tackles each.
“This defense can be great. I saw a lot of juice and everybody was flying around having a good time. Our first defense was looking very good. Getting starters back is always good and we can build off where we left off last season,” senior defensive end and captain Jae’Wuan Horton said. “Today we were looking for execution and making sure everybody’s on the same page and the first defense did that. We held the two offense … I don’t think they even got a first down during the first half of the game. We came out and executed and did what we wanted to do.”
Senior wide receiver Kieran Presley led the team with five catches for 64 yards and scored on a 17-yard pass from Knight. Junior tight end Justin Malone-Woods caught Knight’s first TD pass for 8 yards. Senior All-American wide receiver Neil O’Connor and junior wide receiver Malik Love did not play.
“We need Kieran to help with Love and O’Connor and the tight ends and the other guys to be able to give us threats that can get in open space and be in one-on-one coverage,” UNH Coach Sean McDonnell said. “(Presley) is a very talented kid. Now he’s got to put it all together and play. He got close at the end of last year. He’s had a heck of a camp and I hope he continues to grow on it. … It’s been a tough run for him (health-wise). He’s had a good run since spring. He’s one of the few receivers who stayed healthy all spring. We’re expecting big things from him if he stays healthy.”
All told, 14 different players caught passes from five UNH quarterbacks. Stephen Hedberg, a redshirt freshman quarterback from Dover, had the other passing touchdown on a 14-yard connection with freshman tight end Kyle Lepkowski, who had three catches for 60 yards.
Freshman wide receiver Charles Briscoe III caught four passes for 25 yards.
“I was also pleased with the offensive line,” McDonnell said. “They’ve been taking a lot of heat for over a year here from me. Today I thought with everything going on they did a really good job protecting the quarterback with the matchups that we had.”
Redshirt freshman running back Carlos Washington, Jr., scored the lone rushing touchdown on a 1-yard run and had four carries for 33 yards. Freshman Dylan Laube had seven carries for 55 yards, and Jacob Post, a freshman from Plaistow, carried nine times for 34 yards.
The Wildcats, ranked in the top 10 in several national NCAA Division I FCS polls, will now aim their focus toward their season opener at Colonial Athletic Association rival Maine on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. UNH opened last year with a 24-23 win over Maine at home.
Maine and New Hampshire compete each season for border-state bragging rights as well as the historic Brice-Cowell Musket.
“This is the last go around,” Horton said. “It’s exciting. Over the next week there’s going to be a lot of focus from the team, just making sure everybody’s on the same page when we go down to Maine.”
UNH has six home games on the schedule this season, starting against Colgate on Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. on Youth Football Night.
(Allen Lessels is the UNH Insider and can be reached at Allen.Lessels@unh.edu)