UNH Steals from SMU Playbook for #1 Div. 1-AA Ranking

[MrMustang1965]

Durham- The Wildcat offense is a Frankenstein -a mix of philosophies stitched together to form a monster system. And that monster is a star.

"A lot of time in the papers me or (receiver) Dave (Ball) will get the credit or some of the other guys will get a lot of publicity," said University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos, the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the year. "But, truly, it's the system around us that puts us in the right position game after game and enables us to get the job done the way we have."

Nobody has gotten the job done better in Division I-AA this year. UNH (10-1) is the No. 1 team in the country heading into tomorrow's first-round playoff game against Colgate at Cowell Stadium in Durham. The Wildcats are ranked third in the nation in scoring (42.4 points per game), fifth in passing offense (300.4 yards per game) and sixth in total offense (470.82 yards per game).

If there were a ranking for outlandish innovation, UNH would top that list, too. The system's roots are in the spread offense - a wide-open, one-back, three-receiver attack. But it's so much more. The Wildcats play relentlessly fast in a constant no-huddle. They use a plethora of formations and a dizzying amount of pre-snap motion. They employ unbalanced lines, option rushing, wide receivers as running backs, tight ends as wide receivers and enough trick plays to make Houdini blush.

"I can't even imagine what people in the stands are thinking. I mean, I'm standing on the sideline or even involved in some of the plays and I think they're just crazy,"said redshirt freshman receiver Mike Boyle. "But they work out."

Boyle's incredulity can be forgiven. Though Santos leads the nation in completion percentage (71.1) and is fourth in total offense (311.6 yards per game), the sophomore admitted he had trouble understanding the system last season and the playbook had to be scaled back for him (UNH still finished 10-3 and reached the I-AA quarterfinals). But spending a few years in the system will make some sense of the crazy. Some.
"I believe our system is a pretty easy concept, but you have to be involved in it for a long time to see that," said senior tight end Jonathan Williams, who was named to the Atlantic 10 First-Team Offense along with Santos and Ball. "It seems crazy at times, but we know a little bit of the method behind the madness. A little bit."

Stealing body parts

UNH offensive coordinator/mad scientist Chip Kelly, a Manchester Central graduate, began concocting the madness in Durham when he became the offensive coordinator in 1999. That was the same year Sean McDonnell was promoted to head coach after serving as the offensive coordinator for five seasons.

When Kelly and McDonnell -who both played at UNH - took over in Durham, the Wildcats used a traditional I-formation offense. But they soon found out they couldn't lure the kind of fullbacks they needed to Durham to be successful in the I.

"So then what I needed to do was go out and research and find out what's the best way to be a one-back team," Kelly said. "It kind of evolved more from a personnel thing and what was out there more than wanting to just change what we're doing."

Kelly's travels have taken him to college football think tanks like Southern Cal, Michigan, Clemson and Northwestern, places where he started gathering parts for the monster. He and McDonnell call on their experience as defensive coordinators -"Having a thorough understanding of defensive football helps, because you're not guessing why teams are the playing a coverage, you know why they're playing a coverage," Kelly said. Kelly has even gone back in time, referencing single wing manuals and a 1950 Southern Methodist University playbook he keeps in his office.

"We'll steal from anybody," Kelly grinned. "We've got no problem with that."

By any means necessary

All that pilfering has created an offense that can do whatever it takes by taking whatever the defense gives. Last week against Maine, the Black Bears committed to stopping the passing game and shutting down running back John McCoy. So Santos ran for three touchdowns in the first half and finished with 116 yards on the ground. Maine turned its attention to stopping the ground game in the second half and Santos went to the air, throwing three third-quarter scoring passes to Ball, who leads the nation in touchdown catches (18) and is sixth in receiving yards per game (108.2).

"Part of the game for us is always a feeling out process in the first quarter like, 'What are these guys prepared to handle?'" Kelly said.

The diversity extends to the players themselves. At one point during the Maine game, there were three backs in the Wildcat backfield - but all of them had numbers in the 80s. Boyle and Aaron Brown are listed as receivers on the roster, and Williams as a tight end, but there they were lined up as running backs.

Boyle and fellow receiver Keith LeVan both have more than 100 yards rushing this season (150 for LeVan and 128 for Boyle). Brown, who was a high school quarterback like Boyle, has 89 rushing yards. Punter Matt Henry also plays receiver and has nine catches this season. Williams lines up on the end of the line, split wide or in the backfield.

With that kind of player and play diversity, UNH can set up in what seems like an endless number of formations. Throw in the constant motion and the monster system must get even scarier for opposing defenses.

"We have so many different looks that teams have to scout for and prepare for each week, I think that poses a big problem," Santos said. "And the truth is, we might not even run any of those. We might come up with something new."

Another thing that is nearly impossible for opponents to prepare for is UNH's pace. The no-huddle Wildcats are usually ready for the next play before everyone else in the stadium, including the officials.

"The refs are always standing over the ball and slowing us down and we're like 'Let's go, let's go, let's go,'" Williams said. "We actually practice much faster than we play. So it really feels like we're playing slower than normal."

It can't feel slow to the opponents, who often look winded and bewildered by the monster's pace.

"We pride ourselves on playing fast and not letting teams get lined up," Santos said.

The brains

While the players take pride in their tempo, the coaches boast of their team's intelligence.

"We pride ourselves in our kids'ability to understand the offense, to understand the philosophy behind it and to play smart out there,"McDonnell said.

Kelly said all of his offensive players are smart. "They love coming to our meetings," he said, "they're like sponges." But, like McDonnell explained earlier in the season, "it all starts with the trigger man," and that's Santos.

"Ricky is the prefect fit because he can assimilate things and knows what to do just like that," Kelly said as he snapped his fingers. "I tell him he's got to be like a point guard in basketball and just get the ball in the right kid's hands."

Considering his borderline absurd completion percentage of 71.1, Santos has apparently taken that point guard analogy to heart, and Kelly is quick to credit his quarterback and the rest of the team for his system's success. "I haven't set foot on the field in a long time," the coach said. But Santos defers to the monster and its mad scientist creator.

"Coach Kelly is definitely the mastermind. He's the chief. He's the commander," Santos said. "He's the guy that schemes up all these crazy plays that you see that gets everybody open. Without him, I don't think we could do half the stuff we're able to do."

With him, the Wildcats are able to stitch together half the stuff done in football programs across the country. And that's been a scary thing.

[BrianTinBigD]

I think we have found our new offensive coordinator. Imagine that they adapt the plays to the personnel and the defense. Single wing, veer, spread, run and shoot, one back, I, wishbone, pro set, Maryland I, power I, no back, and a little Wing T. I would love to see us adapt a little more to what we are good at and what the defense is bad at as opposed to sticking to the same plays that have failed all year.

[PK]

I think we have found our new offensive coordinator. Imagine that they adapt the plays to the personnel and the defense. Single wing, veer, spread, run and shoot, one back, I, wishbone, pro set, Maryland I, power I, no back, and a little Wing T. I would love to see us adapt a little more to what we are good at and what the defense is bad at as opposed to sticking to the same plays that have failed all year.

Have you not been watching the last three games???? Please crawl out of the cave you have been hiding in.

Seriously, we obviously still need to make some improvements, especially inside the red zone, but when the plays have been executed properly they have worked very well. 40 points against UTEP is far from "plays that have failed all year."

[ponygirl08]

hahaha - speaking of stealing....I was helping a friend move out of his dorm room, who he shared with a football player who is leaving after his first semester here to go play for Texas State, when I noticed his defensive(he's a linebacker) playbook laying on the floor. I asked my friend(another football player) if I could take it and he said go for it - i doubt he'd notice!
Not that I need the playbook for any reason - but we don't need it in the hands of anyone at Texas State...especially if we are going to be playing them in the next few years!!

[MrMustang1965]

hahaha - speaking of stealing....I was helping a friend move out of his dorm room, who he shared with a football player who is leaving after his first semester here to go play for Texas State, when I noticed his defensive(he's a linebacker) playbook laying on the floor. I asked my friend(another football player) if I could take it and he said go for it - i doubt he'd notice!
Not that I need the playbook for any reason - but we don't need it in the hands of anyone at Texas State...especially if we are going to be playing them in the next few years!!

And just who would that former roommate be? How about naming him?

[ponygirl08]

Well the one who is my friend is Tony Hawkins, and his roommate is Curtiss Powell(freshman, no playing time)

[smupony94]

MrMustang1965 read your article and who cares and I can't belive I even responded