National Honors Roll in For Upcoming Opponent

No surprise but New Hampshire has been named the I-AA team of the week by The Sports Network after drilling Northwestern of the Big 10. Matt Dougherty points out something that was easy to overlook in the UNH win: "While offensive explosions led by (Ricky) Santos and (David) Ball are commonplace, a terrific effort by the New Hampshire defense against a top I-A offense made the difference in the second half of the 34-17 victory." ... I'm still struck by the parallels between the UNH football team and the Cinderella University of Vermont basketball team that featured TJ Sorrentine in the Ricky Santos role, small-town Vermonter Taylor Coppenrath in the David Ball role and Syracuse in the Northwestern role. ...

Had a chance to chat with former Dartmouth coach Joe Yukica yesterday and he agreed the upcoming visit by UNH will bring arguably the most hyped team to Hanover since Heisman hopeful Ed Marinaro brought an unbeaten Cornell team here in '71. There have been a few other teams come through in the intervening years that might have been just as good, but they certainly didn't have a Big 10 victory on their resumes. ... Speaking of UNH, probably the best thing that could have happened to the Wildcats was Montana State's loss to Division II Chadron State one week after beating Colorado. ... Final UNH note: Santos is one of five USA Today nominees for the national player of the week along with Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis among others. Voting for the award can be done here. ... Final UNH note II: his from the Birmingham News: "How to save the Big East? Let New Hampshire in!" Ouch.

It's Yale preview time in the Columbia Spectator, which writes, "Yale coach Jack Siedlecki will rely on a seasoned group of players on offense and defense to help carry the team early ..."

From a web update of the Daily Dartmouth:

The Dartmouth Board of Trustees voted Saturday to endorse the newest revision to the controversial proposed Alumni Association constitution by a margin of 14 to three. The endorsement, which was reported to alumni in an e-mail Sunday, represents the first official departure from the College's previously neutral stance on the constitution.

Casey Cramer is listed as having played in the Tennessee Titans' opener. He's listed as a tight end.

A friend covering Division I-AA Norfolk State for the first time this year writes about the historically black school's white transfer quarterback. It's an interesting story that's less about color than about the winding road some football players take before they find a home. It's a worthwhile read.