UNH torch has been passed

Toman takes over for prolific Santos

Quarterback R.J. Toman submitted a pair of solid performances for the Wildcats last season. (UNH photo)

DURHAM, N.H. - Like every California kid of imagination, R.J. Toman has an easygoing attitude, a love of the beach, and a crown of sun-struck blond hair. What's he doing quarterbacking the University of New Hampshire football team?

Toman, a redshirt sophomore from Mission Viejo, begins his first season as the starting quarterback tomorrow when the Wildcats visit Division 1 Army and he is very excited. "Nerves? Not so much," he said yesterday. "Right now, I'm just overridden with excitement. We've worked really hard for this Saturday."

Former UNH offensive coordinator Chip Kelly saw Toman when he was a high school player attending the Boston College football camp. Kelly was impressed with Toman's athleticism and demeanor, and convinced UNH coach Sean McDonnell to take a look. Problem was, Toman didn't start for his high school team until his senior year because he played behind Mark Sanchez (now QB for top-ranked USC), so McDonnell had nothing to look at. In the fall, when the first film of Toman quarterbacking his Southern California championship team came in, McDonnell made a quick decision.

"The minute we saw it, we made the offer," McDonnell said.

As for Toman, he had an itch to leave the sun-and-fun state. "I really wanted to get away from California, believe it or not," said Toman. "And I got just about as far as I could here at UNH."

When the 6-foot-1-inch, 195-pounder visited Durham, he found UNH was, academically, a great fit, and, he said, "It was obviously an opportunity to play college football - that's hard to turn down.

"Football was always a passion for me, and at the high school that I went to, football was the big dog. So if you were good at football, you could really prove yourself, you had opportunities to try and play elsewhere. And that was an enticement for working harder."

The Wildcats, ranked 15th in the nation in the Sports Network's Football Championship Subdivision poll, have 15 returning starters from last year's 7-5 team. What they don't have, for the first time in a long time, is quarterback Ricky Santos, the three-time Colonial Athletic Association MVP and UNH's all-time leading passer. Toman wastes no time worrying about comparisons.

"[The comparisons] will be there regardless of what happens, whether I do worse than Ricky or whether I do better," Toman said. "What's important to me is that I'm there to perform for my teammates."

Though the Wildcats certainly feel the loss of Santos, now on the inactive roster of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, there is an excitement in the program as the first game approaches; it is the unknown.

Toman is quick - faster than Santos - and he's ready to improvise. Toman slips neatly into the UNH spread offense. He has a lot of options: tight end Scott Sicko (51 receptions last season), wide receivers Mike Boyle (50 receptions last year, 78 career catches) and J.T. Wright (31 catches), and a trio of experienced running backs in Chad Kackert, Bobby Simpson, and Sean Jellison. Furthermore, he embraces the role of leader.

"I love that all eyes are on you and that the other 10 guys in the huddle are looking to you," Toman said. "I love to be there and make plays and help lead my team. We have a lot of great players in a lot of good spots. There should always be an option where we can adjust to what the defense is trying to do to us."

Toman played two important games last season, entering against undefeated Delaware when Santos injured his shoulder and leading UNH to a 35-30 victory. He threw for 98 yards and two touchdowns on nine pass attempts. The next week, he started against Iona, going 15 for 19 for 172 yards and one touchdown in a 49-21 victory. He ran for 111 yards on 20 carries last season. Now he's building on those experiences.

"He's taken to the mental aspect, the work ethic off the field, in the class and watching film, more than anything," said McDonnell. "Last year was a real big step for him when he came in in the Delaware game. The one thing I was so pleased about was that he was prepared. When he went into that game, we ran the plays we were running with Ricky, and he made some plays I don't know if Ricky would have made - he scrambled and made a couple. He had a nice escape on one pass, he put another one on the run, and he scrambled for another one. It showed that he was ready to go.

"That was a confidence-builder for a kid and a staff and a football program, seeing him go in in a big situation, against one of the top-ranked teams in the country, and get us a win out of the deal. It spoke volumes about his preparation."

Toman is a history major and hopes to go to graduate school. He loves teaching and coaching kids in the summer back at his high school. And all the time, he's thinking about how to move his offense.

"Sometimes I'll wake up in the morning, and that'll be one of the first things I think about before I try and roll over and hit the snooze button," he said. "What about this play, throwing it to this guy this way? All the little things come across your mind that way."

Yesterday's practice in Durham was conducted in heat and humidity, rain is likely for tomorrow's game at West Point, N.Y., and fall's chill and even winter's freeze are not far away. Toman, however, is ready to improvise.

"What I've learned is that the East Coast is a very beautiful place, much different than where I'm from," Toman said. "Coming out here with the winters and everything else, it really makes you appreciate back home a lot more.

"It's New Hampshire, we practice in the rain - I'm used to the wet. I used to think it was crazy to play in the rain, but it's a new experience and I've adjusted to it. Playing in the rain - if you're winning, it's awesome."

Barbara Matson can be reached at matson@globe.com.