The
Daily Hampshire Gazette has its weekly CAA notebook leading off with pair of honors for UMass' Blacksburg natives. Junior linebacker and captain Tyler Holmes was the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week, while place kicker/punter Caleb Violette was the special teams' player of the week.
Also of interest, Vautour mentions how UMass' past two head coach will oppose each other this Saturday:
WHIPPLE vs. BROWN - UMass' previous two football coaches will square off against each other this weekend when Miami hosts Maryland. Mark Whipple, who led the Minutemen to the 1998 Division I-AA Championship, is the Hurricanes' offensive coordinator, while Don Brown, who led UMass to the 2006 FCS title game, is the Terrapins' defensive coordinator.
There were quite a few UMass connections in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday in Miami's 24-19 loss to Virginia. Former UMass reserve quarterback Spencer Whipple, Mark's son, saw action for the 'Canes. When starting quarterback Jacory Harris was injured, Spencer Whipple played the remainder of the first half. He struggled completing 2 of 6 passes and was intercepted twice before being lifted for freshman Stephen Morris. On the other sideline, Virginia's head coach is Mike London, the father of former UMass standout wide receiver Brandon London. His defensive coordinator is Jim Reid, who was the head coach at UMass from 1986-1991.
