Seven observations from the New Hampshire spring game

Posted By on April 26, 2024

By Ryan Barry
NEFJ Correspondent

DURHAM – A chilly evening in Durham, New Hampshire was the setting for the 2024 UNH Spring Football Game between Team Wild and Team Cats.

As many spring games seem to move away from the traditional quarter format, UNH Head Coach Ricky Santos set up three full quarters of running clock alternating quarterbacks between both squads. The game concluded with an alternating overtime style format with units taking over from the 25-yard line.

The final “winner” of the game may have been difficult to decipher from the stands, but it still provided several memorable moments for Wildcat fans to walk away with.

Here are seven standout moments and interesting tidbits from tonight’s game at Wildcat Stadium.

1. Morgan impresses in Wildcat debut

Transferring in from Shepherd University in the winter, Seth Morgan took the majority of the first team reps throughout the evening and looked incredibly confident doing so. Without prior knowledge he’d just arrived on campus in January, you’d have thought he’d been with the Wildcats for some time.

Morgan found wide receiver Joey Corcoran on an impressive 41-yard touchdown pass early on in the game, drawing big praise from the crowd and sideline.

He also looked confident in the red zone with a five-yard touchdown pass to Myles Thomason, as well as a 25-yard touchdown pass in the back of the endzone during the overtime period to Zachary Kim.

2. Kleinpeter and Vezza had their moments, but struggled early on

Spring game performances can be difficult to judge when players move around with different units, which could be why both Barry Kleinpeter and Matt Vezza, two returnees from last year’s quarterback, had their issues early in the game.

After Kleinpeter went three-and-out on his first possession, Mezza took over and instantly threw an interception on a very underthrown ball. Mezza stayed out on offense and immediately fumbled the ball on a low snap.

As the game went on the two of them settled down, connecting on a few good balls and showing off their running skills. Kleinpeter in particular demonstrated his speed on a number of occasions by breaking out of broken pockets and picking up extra yards.

3. Santos not ready to name a starter yet

Santos gave a lot of praise to the work that Morgan has put in since arriving on campus, but was quick to note there isn’t a number one guy yet.

“I think the competition will still bleed into fall camp,” said Santos. “Right now I feel like he (Morgan) is proving he’s looking more varsity ready, but I also like what the young guys have done.”

Specifically about Kleinpeter, Santos is excited about what he can bring to the field, even if he’s not sure about him being the first quarterback out of the gate.

“Really excited about Barry Kleinpeter, the guy’s an overall football player,” noted Santos. “I don’t know if he’s shown enough that he’s going to be the starting quarterback, but we have to find a way to get him on the field, he’s a very physical runner.”

4. Pass catches with lots of questions

Returnee Joey Corcoran was by far the best receiver on the field tonight, hauling in Morgan’s big touchdown and finding space for some solid catches throughout the game.

Alongside Logan Tomlinson, who missed tonight’s game after rolling his ankle in camp, the duo should make a good one-two punch come the fall.

Josh Fillion and Dylan Evans had a few nice catches, as did Zachary Kim who had an impressive catch in the end zone during the overtime period. This group, along with Caleb Burke, will need to take a huge step this season.

The tight ends looked confident which was a major plus, with Colby Ramshaw and Peyton Strickland, both New Hampshire natives, getting open and making some nice receptions.

5. Secondary shines with two interceptions

The secondary came to play and made life difficult for pass catchers throughout the game.

Safety Jackson Stone nabbed Mezza’s early interception and had a few pass break-ups, while safety Duncan Moreland perfectly followed the eyes of Kleinpeter in the red zone and picked him off for a 97-yard touchdown return.

Cornerbacks Jonathan Collins Jr. and Brady Madigan also had a few noteworthy pass breakups that frustrated quarterbacks throughout the evening.

6. Front seven makes life difficult for the offense

Josiah Silver, who was announced as one of the captains for the 2024 season, led a strong charge in the trenches during the game.

Speaking after the game, he was pleased with the performance after a good spring.

“If we want to get back to how we were in the past, I think our defense needs to take bigger steps,” said Silver. “I think we did that this spring, and I’m excited about our defense.”

Linebacker Brandon Perkins made a stop that got the entire unit fired up late in the overtime period by sprinting towards the sideline to deny Caleb Burke a chance at a first down.

7. Brosmer on hand to watch former team

Something you find in the FCS more than the FBS is the degree to which teams/coaches are happy for their guys that transfer up a level.

For Max Brosmer, the Wildcats’ starter for the past two seasons who drew all-conference and all-american honors, the love is very much there between him and his former team in Durham.

While he may be off to Minnesota to test his skills amongst the Big Ten’s elite, he was a welcome presence on the sideline for the game that the whole program seems to be proud of.

The Wildcats will take some time off before getting together in the summer before opening up their 2024 season with a Thursday night trip to the University of Central Florida.