Back in Durham, the Wildcats will renew a rivalry that has been dormant for 27 seasons, welcoming Holy Cross (2-1) for the kickoff of a four-year home-and-home series, a boon for the region, but also a trickle-down effect of UMass’s move up to the Mid-American Conference next year.
“This game made too much sense, playing a program in the region, like New Hampshire, rather than jumping on a plane and traveling a thousand miles to play someone else,’’ said Holy Cross coach Tom Gilmore, who worked with McDonnell when they were young assistants at Columbia in 1989.
The result is an intriguing nonconference matchup featuring prolific attacks with a pair of poised fifth-year seniors at quarterback. The Crusaders’ Ryan Taggart has tossed 201 consecutive passes without an interception (his last pick was Oct. 16 at Dartmouth), and Kevin Decker was magnificent in the Wildcats’ upset last week at Richmond, running for a pair of scores and throwing for two more, including a clinching 47-yarder to redshirt freshman R.J. Harris with 2:45 left.
The signal-callers sat early on, understudies to terrific playmakers, the 6-foot-2-inch, 214-pound Taggart to Dominic Randolph, and the 6-2, 205-pound Decker to Ricky Santos and then R.J. Tolman. Taggart and Decker are tied for 13th in the FCS in total offense (284 yards per game).
“They have a similar skill set, and either quarterback could play in either system … they both have strong arms, they are accurate, and they can also beat you with their feet,’’ said Gilmore, noting that Decker is at the controls of a “scoring machine.’’
Taggart, said McDonnell, “puts [Holy Cross] in a position to win football games. You watch his eyes, he gets the ball to the receivers he’s supposed to get the ball to.’’
Decker, the Globe’s three-time Class C Player of the Year at the Brunswick School, said the Wildcats have been buoyed by pulling out two close wins in hostile environments.
