Santos: Believers yet?

[UNHknowledge]

Ok, so lasy year I posted that Ricky would be a Heisman candidate before he's all done. Everyone on this site thought that I made the stupidest post in the history of this site. Ricky still has at least 18 games left in his career and is approaching Steve McNair type career stats. He is also 2-0 against BCS I-A opponents in his career. So I'm sticking with my last year prophecy and am eager to see Ricky (a guy that was only offered a scholarship by UNH) continue to be the underdog and hush his naysayers.

[Dane96]

No offense to Ball and the rest of UNH...BUT SANTOS IS THAT TEAM!!!

How good are his NFL prospects (not will he get drafted...I think he most definately will). Is this a guy who will make a team as a backup.

He has the size, the moxie, and the arm....

[UNH_ORACLE]

Paul Chapman is that Team!!

[Dane96]

While he may build guys...he doesnt play the game...come on...keep the thread on point.

Players don't look to Paul Chapman on the field.

[Ronbo]

I hope we don't have to play you, you'll crush us.

[Mr. C]

Do you seriously think Ricky Santos is a Heisman candidate? Do you really think he is the best QB in college football? For him to be worthy of the Heisman, that's what he would have to be. Let's get back to reality here. Personally, if I was sending in my Payton Award ballot today, David Ball would be listed No. 1, with Santos probably No. 2. Ricky is the best QB in I-AA, but saying he should be a Heisman candidate to stretching credibility. Beating Northwestern and Rutgers isn't exactly toppling Southern Cal and Ohio State.

[Pards Rule]

And I'm sure the Brady Quinn contingent would have an issue with Ricky as Heisman. He's exceptional but you know this is a media event and ND is a media darling.

[UNHknowledge]

Do you seriously think Ricky Santos is a Heisman candidate? Do you really think he is the best QB in college football? For him to be worthy of the Heisman, that's what he would have to be. Let's get back to reality here. Personally, if I was sending in my Payton Award ballot today, David Ball would be listed No. 1, with Santos probably No. 2. Ricky is the best QB in I-AA, but saying he should be a Heisman candidate to stretching credibility. Beating Northwestern and Rutgers isn't exactly toppling Southern Cal and Ohio State.

YES! he is worthy and yes he is THE BEST player in I-AA. Now slow down, I didn't say he is going to WIN the Heisman this year. I said he deserves to be a candidate before he is all done.

[Uncle Buck]

Santos is a proven winner, Ball is just flat out unreal with some of his catches, the compliment each other perfectly and that's why they win. Both will have a great shot at the next level, IMO though, Ball is more of a lock.

[Mr. C]

And I'm sure the Brady Quinn contingent would have an issue with Ricky as Heisman. He's exceptional but you know this is a media event and ND is a media darling.
If I had a Heisman vote (I'm not a member of the Football Writers Association), Brady Quinn wouldn't not be on my ballot. I despise the Notre Dame PR machine. Funny how just a week ago, people already had them in that BCS "national championship" game.

I did champion Steve McNair's candidacy for the Heisman in a column back in 1994 and took Keith Jackson to task for some rather condescinding comments he made about I-AA.

[Pards Rule]

Is Ball a senior? Hmmm, not far from NH to Philly! He would look good in midnight green!

[Mr. C]

Santos is a proven winner, Ball is just flat out unreal with some of his catches, the compliment each other perfectly and that's why they win. Both will have a great shot at the next level, IMO though, Ball is more of a lock.
You said it. My sentiments, too.

[Blue Hen Nation]

Ok, so lasy year I posted that Ricky would be a Heisman candidate before he's all done. Everyone on this site thought that I made the stupidest post in the history of this site. Ricky still has at least 18 games left in his career and is approaching Steve McNair type career stats. He is also 2-0 against BCS I-A opponents in his career. So I'm sticking with my last year prophecy and am eager to see Ricky (a guy that was only offered a scholarship by UNH) continue to be the underdog and hush his naysayers.

While I would love to see it, I don't think it will ever happen.

[Pards Rule]

And I would like to have Santos in midnight green too! I believe better than Garcia!!

[Pard4Life]

Why is this even a question? Santos is insane... don't want to play UNH in the next few seasons...

[UNHknowledge]

As for Dave Ball being No. 1 over Ricky...u're just wrong. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Dave Ball, I played with these guys. But QB is the hardest position in football and nobody does it better than Ricky. As a reciever Dave is limited to only catching the ball. At QB Ricky can throw and run and trust me...this is not a 2 man show. Ricky distributes the ball to EVERYONE. Keith Levan is currently the leading reciever for UNH and was 2nd last year. If you play UNH and only worry about Dave Ball you're going to have a problem.

[Pards Rule]

Well, if the Eagles continue with the crap they performed yesterday, Ricky could be the #1 pick for the Birds!

[Mr. C]

As for Dave Ball being No. 1 over Ricky...u're just wrong. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Dave Ball, I played with these guys. But QB is the hardest position in football and nobody does it better than Ricky. As a reciever Dave is limited to only catching the ball. At QB Ricky can throw and run and trust me...this is not a 2 man show. Ricky distributes the ball to EVERYONE. Keith Levan is currently the leading reciever for UNH and was 2nd last year. If you play UNH and only worry about Dave Ball you're going to have a problem.
You have your opinion. I have mine and it's one shared by a lot of folks who vote for the Payton, by the way. No doubt that Ricky Santos is the top QB in I-AA. But David Ball is simply a better player. We will be seeing Ball playing in the NFL. It's doubtful we'll be saying the same of Santos. And NO ONE is saying that UNH is one dimensional. Don't take offense where none is given. The Wildcats are a great team and I'd love nothing more than seeing them matchup with the defending national champs sometime this year to see those App State DBs match up with Ball and company and see Marques Murrell going up against Santos.

[Mr. C]

By the way everyone, Ricky Santos is a JUNIOR. He has two years left. And please, on the No. 1 stuff, Santos is not projected as a high NFL draft choice.

[Cap'n Cat]

Dude needs to lead the team past the quarterfinals in the playoffs, too.

[UNHknowledge]

You have your opinion. I have mine and it's one shared by a lot of folks who vote for the Payton, by the way. No doubt that Ricky Santos is the top QB in I-AA. But David Ball is simply a better player. We will be seeing Ball playing in the NFL. It's doubtful we'll be saying the same of Santos. And NO ONE is saying that UNH is one dimensional. Don't take offense where none is given. The Wildcats are a great team and I'd love nothing more than seeing them matchup with the defending national champs sometime this year to see those App State DBs match up with Ball and company and see Marques Murrell going up against Santos.

Fair enough..and yes I agree that Dave will be a better NFL player. But that doesn't mean that Ricky shouldn't be considered for heisman this year or the next. I mean look at Jason White...he won and isn't even on an NFL roster.

[UNH_ORACLE]

Paul Chapman for Heisman!!

[Sam Adams]

Ricky Santos is the best 1AA QB I've seen in 20 yrs, IMHO he is the best College QB I have seen this year in 1A, 1AA, D2 or D3. And yes he is only a Junior.

I don't really care what the so called experts think or where he is projected to be drafted because quite frankly the so called experts are frequently wrong and highly touted qbs from football factories are frequently busts. Joe Montana was a 3rd Rd Draft pick and that is who Santos reminds me of.

Ball is also a very good football player and is deserving of all the accolades. But Santos is something else, if you haven't seen this kid play football do so. The fact that this kid from Bellingham MA was overlooked by UMass is a tremendous source of embarrassment each and every year when he lights us up.

[Ronbo]

Till someone surpasses this season then NO ONE is greater than Dave Dickenson. Beat his 1995 season and you are the best. If you don't you are good but not the best.

1995

15 games, National Championship, Walter Payton Winner.

431 for 624, 69% compeletion percentage

5676 yards

51 TD's

11 ints.

[igo4uni]

Till someone surpasses this season then NO ONE is greater than Dave Dickenson. Beat his 1995 season and you are the best. If you don't you are good but not the best.

1995

15 games, National Championship, Walter Payton Winner.

431 for 624, 69% compeletion percentage

5676 yards

51 TD's

11 ints.

Not a bad year. :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

[Mr. C]

Boy, the accolades are getting a little silly here for Ricky Santos. Saying he's the best QB in I-AA in the last 20 years covers quite a few good QBs, some who have gone on to accomplish great things. I've covered I-AA for 14 seasons and was aware of what was going on around I-AA since the division started. Why don't we let Ricky Santos complete his junior and senior years before we try to figure out his place in history. Now it's fair to talk about David Ball in terms of history, because he is closing in on some pretty head records owned by someone named Jerry Rice. But I'm not ready to go there will Santos yet.

What I will say is Steve McNair is the best overall QB I've seen at this level and he went on to have a solid NFL career, which has to count for something. In terms of option QBs, Tracy Ham is the guy that everyone else must be measured by (like Jerry Rice is for receivers). Dave Dickenson was terrific and still is in the CFL. Rich Gannon had quite a career at Delaware and in the NFL. Kurt Warner only had one year as a starter at Northern Iowa, but he was a two-time MVP in the NFL. There are many other to consider too. Neil Lomax had an incredible career, running the Mouse Davis Run & Shoot for Portland State and was another NFL star. For me, Santos has a way to go to be mentioned with this crowd.

[Mr. C]

Not a bad year. :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:
Just looking at my NCAA record book, Dave Dickenson is the all-time career passing efficiency leader for I-AA (166.3 for a minimum of 400 completions). He was fun to watch.

[Mr. C]

Till someone surpasses this season then NO ONE is greater than Dave Dickenson. Beat his 1995 season and you are the best. If you don't you are good but not the best.

1995

15 games, National Championship, Walter Payton Winner.

431 for 624, 69% compeletion percentage

5676 yards

51 TD's

11 ints.
Winning the national championship by leading the final drive in the last seconds would be tough to top for a finish to a career.

[UNHWildCats]

Till someone surpasses this season then NO ONE is greater than Dave Dickenson. Beat his 1995 season and you are the best. If you don't you are good but not the best.

1995

15 games, National Championship, Walter Payton Winner.

431 for 624, 69% compeletion percentage

5676 yards

51 TD's

11 ints.

Santos will never near those numbers, because unlike some teams like Grambling, New Hampshire wont leave him in the game after half time if the game is over like the Stony Brook game.

[Mr. C]

Are you saying that Montana padded Dave Dickenson's numbers by leaving in lopsided games? Proof?

I think one of the things the Griz fans are pointing out is that Dickenson not only put up numbers, but also won a national championship.

[UNHWildCats]

no. I wasnt suggesting his numbers were padded, I was however suggesting Bruce Eugene's were.

[Mr. C]

Gotcha. We are in agreement on Eugene (though the folks sippin the Tiger Koolaid have plenty of excuses for that). Neil Lomax's numbers are somewhat skewed like that, too, though he was one of the best ever in I-AA.

[UNH 40]

Starter goes down, back-up steps in and becomes unbelievable. Sounds kind of like what happened with the best QB in the NFL Tom Brady. This kid, Santos is truely amazing, and has many of the same charactoristics as the future hall of famer. He is cool under pressure, has a great arm that is devistatingly accurate, he works extremely hard, and most importantly is a winner in every sense of the word, on and off the field. He could play for any college team in the land and be tremendous. For example switch the roles of Kafka, (Northwesterns QB) and Santos and you have an entirely different outcome of UNH's 34-17 win. You would also have a much better northwestern team with Santos at the helm.

Its pretty clear cut folks in 2 + years he has throw for over 7,400 yds, 74 TD's, completed 70% of his passes and only thrown 14 picks. Those are Hiesmen eligable numbers I don't care what division you play in. Another stat that doesn't hurt him is against D I-A opponents he is an incredible 48 of 64 for 591 yds, 7 TD's and not a single pick. If his numbers continue to improve he is undoubtably a Hiesman canidate.
Great point UNH Knowledge it should have been brought up earlier.

[Ronbo]

Santos will never near those numbers, because unlike some teams like Grambling, New Hampshire wont leave him in the game after half time if the game is over like the Stony Brook game.

Dave put up those numbers and was removed from the games in the middle of the 3rd quarter in most games. He seldom saw much time in the 2nd half.

[AppGuy04]

no. I wasnt suggesting his numbers were padded, I was however suggesting Bruce Eugene's were.

and the voters saw that too, which is why he never won the Payton

[UNH 40]

Are you saying that Montana padded Dave Dickenson's numbers by leaving in lopsided games? Proof?

I think one of the things the Griz fans are pointing out is that Dickenson not only put up numbers, but also won a national championship.


Does the name Paul Horning ring a bell? He won the Heisman on a team that only won three games. Whether or not you win the Heisman or recieve votes has nothing to do with winning a national championship.

[UNH 40]

Does anyone remember Joe Dudek the tailback from Plymouth State College in Plymouth, NH. He scored 54 TD's in a season for a division three team and finished 5th in the Heisman voting. If he can get votes Santos is plenty good enough to recieve them.

[Mr. C]

Does the name Paul Horning ring a bell? He won the Heisman on a team that only won three games. Whether or not you win the Heisman or recieve votes has nothing to do with winning a national championship.
Hornung was one of the most undeserving Heisman winners of all-time (keep in mind that a Green Bay Packers fan, who watched him play in the NFL is saying this). Hornung's Heiman was the result of the Notre Dame publicity machine and quite a bit of racism. Many voters refused to vote for a fellow from Syracuse named Jim Brown, because Brown was black. Legendary writer Dick Schaap was so upset by the voting that year that he told the Downtown Athletic Club that he would never vote for the Heisman again.

This isn't about whether Ricky Santos is good enough to receive Heisman votes, or about how many yards he throw for, or other stats. Do you really think he is one of the top 10 players in college football right now? That's how many slots there are on a Heisman Trophy ballot. I admire a former teammates going to bat for your guy, but there is no way I could say he deserves to be considered as one of the very best in college football.

[melloAggiesousa]

I saw him against UC Davis last year. When he's on, he's almost unstoppable. We had him bottled up for 3.5 quarters, and then he brought UNH back to win the game.

Now, if our QB was on like he was against Montana State last Saturday, we probably would have won the game...but he wasn't, and that's the difference.

[Pard4Life]

Does anyone remember Joe Dudek the tailback from Plymouth State College in Plymouth, NH. He scored 54 TD's in a season for a division three team and finished 5th in the Heisman voting. If he can get votes Santos is plenty good enough to recieve them.

When was this? The only recent non I-A recieveing Heisman votes that I can recall is Steve McNair...

[Sam Adams]

Gordie Lockbaum was a freak of a RB who played for Holy Cross in the 1980s and placed third for the Heisman in I believe 87 or 88. The highest finish ever for a non 1A player. So there is precedent here.

As to Santos, I have absolutely no doubt that there are other great 1AA QBs in the past 20 yrs and I've enjoyed seeing many of them. In my judgment Santos is the best I've seen play. IMHO Santos is one of the top college QBs at any level right now. I agree that he has a long way to go - after all he is just beginning his JR season. Kid has 2 seasons left. Do yourself a favor - go and watch him play and enjoy yourself because he's something else on a football field. No need to argue this into the ground - we're all entitled to an opinion. Go see & judge for yourself : ).

Can anybody recall any other 1AA QB single handedly destroying a Big 10 team on its home field as a Jr (5TDs)?

[UNHknowledge]

Gordie Lockbaum was a freak of a RB who played for Holy Cross in the 1980s and placed third for the Heisman in I believe 87 or 88. The highest finish ever for a non 1A player. So there is precedent here.

As to Santos, I have absolutely no doubt that there are other great 1AA QBs in the past 20 yrs and I've enjoyed seeing many of them. In my judgment Santos is the best I've seen play. IMHO Santos is one of the top college QBs at any level right now. I agree that he has a long way to go - after all he is just beginning his JR season. Kid has 2 seasons left. Do yourself a favor - go and watch him play and enjoy yourself because he's something else on a football field. No need to argue this into the ground - we're all entitled to an opinion. Go see & judge for yourself : ).

Can anybody recall any other 1AA QB single handedly destroying a Big 10 team on its home field as a Jr (5TDs)?

Thank you Sam Adams for giving props where they're due. I tried telling people last year and they thought I was crazy. Like you said, the best thing to do is WATCH him play. He hasn't dissapointed in his last 20+ starts. His worst game was the UC Davis game and he still marched us down the field with time winding down to win it for us.

[mikebigg]

Do you seriously think Ricky Santos is a Heisman candidate? Do you really think he is the best QB in college football? For him to be worthy of the Heisman, that's what he would have to be. Let's get back to reality here. Personally, if I was sending in my Payton Award ballot today, David Ball would be listed No. 1, with Santos probably No. 2. Ricky is the best QB in I-AA, but saying he should be a Heisman candidate to stretching credibility. Beating Northwestern and Rutgers isn't exactly toppling Southern Cal and Ohio State.

No but it's toppling two legit DIA teams from two legit BCS conferences. I haven't had a chance to watch Santos play but I will keep track of him this year. Is he originally from the state of New Hampshire?

[rcny46]

No but it's toppling two legit DIA teams from two legit BCS conferences. I haven't had a chance to watch Santos play but I will keep track of him this year. Is he originally from the state of New Hampshire?


He's actually from Bellingham,Massachusettes.

[Mr. C]

Gordie Lockbaum was a freak of a RB who played for Holy Cross in the 1980s and placed third for the Heisman in I believe 87 or 88. The highest finish ever for a non 1A player. So there is precedent here.

As to Santos, I have absolutely no doubt that there are other great 1AA QBs in the past 20 yrs and I've enjoyed seeing many of them. In my judgment Santos is the best I've seen play. IMHO Santos is one of the top college QBs at any level right now. I agree that he has a long way to go - after all he is just beginning his JR season. Kid has 2 seasons left. Do yourself a favor - go and watch him play and enjoy yourself because he's something else on a football field. No need to argue this into the ground - we're all entitled to an opinion. Go see & judge for yourself : ).

Can anybody recall any other 1AA QB single handedly destroying a Big 10 team on its home field as a Jr (5TDs)?
I have seen him play numerous times as a freshman and a sophomore and met and interviewed him at The

[Mr. C]

As to Santos, I have absolutely no doubt that there are other great 1AA QBs in the past 20 yrs and I've enjoyed seeing many of them. In my judgment Santos is the best I've seen play. IMHO Santos is one of the top college QBs at any level right now. I agree that he has a long way to go - after all he is just beginning his JR season. Kid has 2 seasons left. Do yourself a favor - go and watch him play and enjoy yourself because he's something else on a football field. No need to argue this into the ground - we're all entitled to an opinion. Go see & judge for yourself : ).

Can anybody recall any other 1AA QB single handedly destroying a Big 10 team on its home field as a Jr (5TDs)?
I have seen him play numerous times on TV as a freshman and a sophomore and met and interviewed him at The Sports Network awards banquet in Chattanooga last December. Real nice kid, along with everything else. You could tell he was real disappointed that UNH had been beaten by UNI in the playoffs.

I don't know that Santos "single-handedly" beat Northwestern. He had lots of help. I heard as much props given to the Wildcat defense as I did Santos and David Ball in the Northwestern win.

[Stang Fever]

I agree that he can make the ballot. but for the people comparing the '80s to now are crazy. the media hype for these things are out just flat out crazy. if you are not in I-A you can not finish in the top 5. you can make the ballot but never come close to winning it. i dont care if reggie bush played at any I-AA school and did double what he did. he would not win it simple as that.

[*****]

http://www.daveyobrien.com/

The Davey O’Brien Foundation today (August) announced its preseason watch list for the 2006 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award®, presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback. The 2006 watch list is made up of 34 candidates, including 19 seniors, 12 juniors and three sophomores representing 11 conferences.

Babb, Jerry, Louisiana-Lafayette
Ballard, Jeff, TCU
Beck, John, BYU
Booty, John David, USC
Brennan, Colt, Hawaii
Brink, Alex, Washington State
Brohm, Brian, Louisville
Carney, Shaun, Air Force
Cox, Brandon, Auburn
Edwards, Trent, Stanford
Getsy, Luke, Akron
Harrell, Graham, Texas Tech
Haugabook, Omar, Troy
Horvath, Phil, Northern Illinois
Johnson, Brian, Utah
Kolb, Kevin, Houston
Leak, Chris, Florida
Marks, Clint, MTSU
Meyer, Bret, Iowa State
Padrick, Josh, FIU
Palko, Tyler, Pittsburgh
Palmer, Jordan, UTEP
Quinn, Brady, Notre Dame
Rowe, Jeff, Nevada
Russell, JaMarcus, LSU
Smith, Paul, Tulsa
Smith, Troy, Ohio State
Stanton, Drew, Michigan State
Tate, Drew, Iowa
Taylor, Zac, Nebraska
Weatherford, Drew, Florida State
White, Pat, West Virginia
Wright, Kyle, Miami
Zabransky, Jared, Boise State

-----Original Message-----
Why isn't New Hampshire QB Ricky Santos on this list?

-----Original Message-----
We do not include I-AA in our preseason watch list; however, as I mentioned, our criteria regarding the winner does not specify that the player has to be from I-A.

Semifinalists will be announced in early November as voted on by the O’Brien Selection Committee, made up of a nationwide panel of sportswriters, commentators and former O’Brien Award winners.

Sportswriters, Commentators:
Terry Bowden, ABC Sports
Bob Griese, ABC Sports
Keith Jackson, ABC Sports
Dan Jenkins, Author and sportswriter
Verne Lundquist, CBS
Dennis Dodd, CBS SportsLine
Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune
Richard Cirminiello, College Football News
Pete Fiutak, College Football News
Brian Curtis, College Sports TV
John Henderson, Denver Post
Lee Corso, ESPN
Ron Franklin, ESPN
Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN
Bruce Feldman, ESPN The Magazine
Pat Forde, ESPN.com
Ivan Maisel, ESPN.com
Joe Schad, ESPN.com
Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Steve Richardson, FWAA
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star
Don Borst, Lindy’s Football Annuals
Jordan Burchette, Maxim Online/CSTV
Jeff Shain, Miami Herald
Dick Weiss, New York Daily News
Lenn Robbins, New York Post
Mike Kern, Philadelphia Daily News
Tim Griffin, San Antonio Express-News
Stewart Mandel, si.com
Vahe Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Andy Bagnato, The Arizona Republic
Brian Davis, The Dallas Morning News
Steve Hatchell, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, Inc.
Tom Dienhart, The Sporting News
Matt Hayes, The Sporting News
Kelly Whiteside, USA Today
Steve Wieberg, USA Today

Previous Winners:
Troy Aikman
Brad Banks
Michael Bishop
Todd Blackledge
Earl Campbell
Kerry Collins
Eric Crouch
Ty Detmer
Doug Flutie
Joe Hamilton
Chuck Long
Peyton Manning
Jim McMahon
Donald McPherson
Billy Sims
Mike Singletary
Vinny Testaverde
Gino Torretta
Charlie Ward
Andre Ware
Chris Weinke
Jason White
Danny Wuerffel
Steve Young
Vince Young

[Mr. C]

Gordie Lockbaum was a freak of a RB who played for Holy Cross in the 1980s and placed third for the Heisman in I believe 87 or 88. The highest finish ever for a non 1A player. So there is precedent here.
Gordie Lockbaum of Holy Cross was the last player in I-AA to play both ways on a regular basis until this season in I-AA. That is why he got so much attention as a I-AA player. Lockbaum also was a great DB and also played some WR. He finished third in 1987.Daniel Bettis of Appalachian State is an All-American tight end and is also seeing some action at DE this season as well. He started both ways in ASU's season opener against North Carolina State. Rasheen Mathis of Bethune-Cookman on some occasions would play WR during his Buchanan Award-winning season to go with his CB play, but he never was a starter on offense. Just came in for special situations.

Steve McNair had a highly-publicized campaign for the Heisman during his senior year in 1994 at Alcorn State and finished third behind Rashaan Salaam (remember him, Bear fans?) and Ki Jana Carter with 982 votes (Salaam had 1,400, Carter 1,080). There was little doubt that McNair was the best QB in college football tht year.

[Mr. C]

Hey Ralph, Ricky Santos might not be on the Davey O'Brien list, but one former I-AA QB is — Florida International's Josh Padrick.

[*****]

Hey Ralph, Ricky Santos might not be on the Davey O'Brien list, but one former I-AA QB is — Florida International's Josh Padrick.Yep, he of the 2-10 2003 FIU team. Much more deserving than Santos FOR SURE. xlolx