Not only was it coming off of Saturday's upset of then No. 4 William & Mary, but the student body returned to campus and classes started. On top of that the much anticipated Michigan game looms on Sept. 18, presenting ample potential for loss of focus.
But the Minuteman coach was pleased with what he saw.
Read the whole story in the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Fresh off upset, UMass plays host to Holy Cross
AMHERST - University of Massachusetts football coach Kevin Morris was curious how his team would react this week preparing for Saturday's 6 p.m. game against Holy Cross at McGuirk Stadium.
Not only was it coming off of Saturday's upset of then No. 4 William & Mary, but the student body returned to campus and classes started. On top of that the much anticipated Michigan game looms on Sept. 18, presenting ample potential for loss of focus.
But the Minuteman coach was pleased with what he saw.
"Tuesday is a tough practice because you're coming off the first game of the year and you're trying to get in rhythm of a regular game week. Then we started classes," he said. "But we had a pretty good practice. I thought they handled it pretty well. I told guys the reason we won the game was because of our maturity, doing things right and paying attention to details."
Senior center John Ihne hoped Saturday's win was just the start of a good stretch.
"Winning game one is good, but it's getting a series of wins that means everything. That's the most important thing," Ihne said. "When we came out Sunday, everybody took it in stride. Everybody kept grinding it out. Even after a big win like that everybody was focused and looking to Holy Cross."
Junior receiver Julian Talley agreed.
"There's a little pressure on us to get this W coming off a big win against William & Mary," he said. "We have to prepare for Holy Cross. We can't take anyone lightly. Guys are realizing we can be a good team as long as we keep focusing and playing hard."
Morris said nobody was looking ahead to the Wolverines.
"Our guys are totally focused on Holy Cross," Morris said. "We're not thinking about Michigan at all."
The Crusaders present plenty to be focused on. Holy Cross is the defending Patriot League champs and advanced to the Championship Subdivision playoffs last year before falling to eventual national champion Villanova.
Holy Cross was ranked No. 25 in the Sports Network preseason poll, but fell to the top spot in the also receiving votes as a handful of unranked teams with big wins, including UMass, moved into the top 25.
The Crusaders were sharp in their opening game, defeating Howard 38-7. Holy Cross' biggest question entering the season was how it would fare without standout quarterback Dominic Randolph, who graduated after last season. Senior Ryan Taggert, Randolph's replacement, was sharp in his debut completing 17 of 29 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Fifth-year senior Bill Edger was his favorite target. Edger caught seven passes for 124 yards and all three TDs.
Morris compared him to William & Mary QB Mike Callahan, who played well against UMass in his first career start as a fifth-year senior.
"Taggert looked very good. It looked like he's been playing for years," Morris said. "He's similar to the Callahan kid. Not a lot of reps, but he's a kid that understands the system. It's the same offense. He came in and did a great job in game one and picked up where Randolph left off."
Holy Cross used to dominate the series between the two Bay State schools, but the Minutemen have won seven straight games against the Crusaders to hold a narrow 22-21-5 edge in the all-time series that began with a 4-0 HC win in 1897.
"It's an old school rivalry. We've informed our guys of the history of the event and we're playing it up this week," said Morris, who hoped that the excitement of last week's win combined with the night game would create a good atmosphere. "I think it's fantastic. That's why we have the turf and the lights to play at night. Hopefully they'll come out and support the guys after a great game one."
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