Forget four straight losses, and never mind the fact that the chance for an Atlantic 10 championship and a Division I-AA playoff birth has gone by the wayside. Push the nightmares of a month’s worth of atrocious offensive performances away, and don’t consider the lack of size on defense that has been exploited to an unacceptable degree in recent games.

For the Massachusetts football team, none of these various aspects that have contributed to one of the worst stretches in recent memory should be allowed to play a factor this weekend. When UMass travels to Cowell Stadium in Durham, N.H. on Saturday to face No. 7 New Hampshire at 12 p.m., there’s only one thing that each of the Minutemen can do to have a chance to finally end their troublesome skid: Just play football.

“We know that our chances to do what we wanted to do this season aren’t there anymore, and I just want the guys to go out and play,” UMass coach Don Brown said. “I told the guys to get away Monday and just not worry about football, and when we get back we’ll be ready to play. Play the way we’re capable of playing, go out, let it rip, have fun and just fly around. That’s what it’s all about, and it’s why you do all the practicing and the weightlifting, to go out and play.

“The bottom line is that it’s still the game that we all love, and that’s enough to play for right there.”

Considering the season that the upstart Wildcats are having, Brown’s team must come to play if it has hopes of upsetting what has evolved into an offensive juggernaut. After raising eyebrows with an impressive win at the home of defending National Champion Delaware on opening night, redshirt freshman quarterback Ricky Santos, a native of Bellingham, has continued to put up flashy numbers.

Since stepping in for starter Mike Granieri, who injured his knee against Delaware and is out for the season, Santos has led UNH to four wins in five games, including a 35-24 victory over Division I-A Rutgers and a combined 96 points in his teams’ last two wins over Dartmouth and Villanova.

“He’s done a tremendous job up there,” Brown said of Santos. “He’s got a strong arm and a lot of confidence, and he moves around well in and out of the pocket.

“It’s tough to come in as a freshman like he has, but he has adapted well to what they’re trying to do, and he’s played quality football.”

Numbers-wise, what Santos has been able to do in his first year as a starter has been impressive. He currently leads the Atlantic 10 in total offense at over 327 yards per game, and is second to Northeastern’s Shawn Brady in passing efficiency at a whopping 169.9. Additionally, he’s completed almost 70 percent of his passes for 1546 yards and 16 touchdowns, while being intercepted just twice and averaging over 300 yards through the air per game.

However you add it up, defending Santos will certainly be a tall order for UMass.

“I’m not sure [if UMass matches up well with UNH], I just don’t know that answer,” Brown said. “It all depends on when we get in the game and see how the matchups go, and then evaluate it from there.

“Santos has a lot of great receivers. I think Ball is a top-rate receiver in this league, and he’s going to try and make things happen. It’s up to us to make plays and keep that from happening.”

On the other side of the coin, UMass enters the game with a quarterback situation that is anything but settled. After starting the season on fire in leading the Minutemen to two consecutive wins, junior Tim Day has struggled mightily in his team’s four consecutive losses, scoring an anemic offense to just 35 points in the four games.

What has been most disheartening for UMass fans, however, has been the fact that despite his team’s stellar play on defense that has presented the offense with numerous opportunities to win games, Day has not only been unable to capitalize, but has hardly come close at times.

Heading into this weekend, Brown will stick with Day under center. However the seed has been planted in his mind to consider lifting the redshirt from freshman quarterback Liam Coen in hopes of possibly getting the La Salle (R.I.) Academy product some game experience.

“We’re evaluating [the quarterback position], and we’re going to create competition there,” Brown said. “We’re going to do whatever we can to win. We’re going to look at tape and analyze what we think we need to, and take it from there.”

Despite Day’s troubles on offense, Saturday’s match up will undoubtedly come down to play on defense – an area where UMass is significantly banged up after the loss to JMU in which numerous key players went down within the unit. Out this weekend are starting defensive tackle Jason Leonard (separated shoulder) and outside linebacker Charles Walker (knee), who is the team’s leading tackler. Brown has said that Brad Anderson will slide over to fill Walker’s spot, while L.A. Love will move into the starting lineup in Anderson’s usual position.

Also questionable are starting cornerback R.J. Cobbs (sprained neck and sore ribs), reserve defensive back Julius Walker and defensive lineman Andrew Blumenthal.