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University of Massachusets Athletics
Football Caps Home Slate With Senior Day on Saturday
October 24, 2016 | Football
Minutemen to honor senior class before game against Wagner on Sat., Oct. 29
| University of Massachusetts Football Game Notes | |
| Game Nine | Massachusetts (1-7 FBS) vs. Wagner (4-3 FCS) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, Oct. 29 | 12 p.m. |
| Location | McGuirk Alumni Stadium; Amherst, Mass. Football Gameday A-Z | Traffic & Parking | Tailgating Policies | Student Parking |
| Series History | Massachusetts leads, 1-0. Last: UMass 77, Wagner 0; Nov. 14, 1931 |
| Live Statistics | Sidearm Sports |
| Watch Live | NESNplus | ESPN3 |
| Listen (Radio) | 105.5 FM WEEI (Western Massachusetts), 830 AM WCRN (Worcester) 95.9 FM WATD (South Shore), 1200 AM WXKS (Boston, Manchester, Providence) |
| Listen (Online) | WEEI Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Wagner | Northeast Conference |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Wagner |
| @UMassFootball | @CoachWhipUMass | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Football | UMass Athletics | |
| Tickets | UMass Ticket Central |
Minutemen Hit The Road To Old Dominion
University of Massachusetts football concludes the home portion of its schedule with a Sat., Oct. 29 game against Wagner at McGuirk Alumni Stadium with kickoff slated for Noon.
The meeting will mark the first between the teams since the 1931 season, when UMass routed Wagner, 77-0, on the strength of five touchdowns from all-time program great Lou Bush. The 77-point margin still ranks as the greatest point differential in a single game in Massachusetts football history and is now tied with a 77-0 victory over Northeastern on Oct. 9, 1999 for the team's biggest win.
UMass tussled with its third SEC opponent of the season in its last time out with a 34-28 loss at South Carolina. After trailing by as many as 20 points early in the second, Massachusetts mounted a furious comeback that fell one scoring drive short. Adam Breneman's 18-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-17 with 4:32 left in the game brought the Minutemen back within six points of tying. However, the Gamecocks kept control of the ball the remainder of the way via a grind-it-out drive that killed the remaining four-and-a-half minutes of play.
Breneman Added To John Mackey Award Watch List
Adam Breneman earned his way onto the John Mackey Award Watch list as part of the organization's midseason update on Oct. 12. Through eight games played, Breneman is first on the team in receptions (44) and receiving yards (484) and is second in touchdowns (4).
A favorite target of quarterback Andrew Ford, who Breneman played with in high school, the redshirt junior tight end averages 7.2 receptions per game during Ford's five starts at QB.
Breneman marks the fourth UMass tight end to appear on a John Mackey Award Watch List. Teammate Todd Stafford started the 2016 campaign on the preseason edition of the award's watch list. Jean Sifrin (2014) and Rob Blanchflower (2013) were previously lauded on the midseason watch lists as well.
Off To The Races
Marquis Young needed only 13 career games to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark. A sophomore, Young hit the four-digit mark during play at No. 25 Florida with his 13th rushing attempt of the game. Young used 165 career carries to go over the 1,000-yard mark, an average of 6.07 yards per attempt.
He is the first UMass running back to eclipse 1,000 career rushing yards during the FBS era. Only two Minuteman freshmen accumulated better first seasons with the team: Steve Baylark (1,177 yards; 2003) and R.J. Cobbs (1,067 yards; 2002).
The Cedar Cliff Connection
UMass quarterback Andrew Ford and tight end Adam Breneman played together previously as members of the Cedar Cliff High School football program in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
Ford made his first start for the Minutemen against FIU and targeted Breneman throughout the game, resulting in 10 receptions, 77 yards and one touchdown for the 6-foot-4 tight end. Over Ford's five starts at QB, Breneman averages 7.2 receptions and 76.6 yards per game.
Breneman is the all-time leading receiver in Cedar Cliff history and all-time leading tight end in Pennsylvania high school history (in all receiving categories).
Ford was the 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year, football's Mr. Pennsylvania and an Elite 11 QB as a senior. He set Cedar Cliff records in passing yards, touchdowns thrown and completion percentage.
Running Right Into The Record Book
Marquis Young has twice rushed for an 83-yard touchdown, doing so at No. 6 Notre Dame on Sept. 26, 2015 and again on Sept. 24, 2016 versus Mississippi State. Those rushing attempts tie Young for 10th all-time on the longest run from scrimmage by a Minuteman and make him one of only two UMass football players to appear twice on the list (Frank Alessio, 84 yards, twice, tied-sixth).
The Camera Adds Six Points
Bernard Davis caught a toe-drag touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against Mississippi State that was initially ruled to be incomplete due to Davis landing out of bounds. Following an official's review of the play, Davis was credited with the 19-yard score as replays showed Davis landed his left foot inches in-bounds before he and the Bulldogs' defender landed on the sideline.
It was Davis' second career touchdown pass and first since Sept. 25, 2013 against Maine. His previous touchdown also came at Gillette Stadium in the South endzone.
ESPN Top-10 Love For Williams
Jalen Williams' 31-yard juggling touchdown catch through the defense of two Mississippi State players while falling to the ground was tabbed the ESPN No. 4 Play of the Day on the night of Sat., Sept. 24. It was Williams' first of two touchdown receptions against the Bulldogs.
Making Sure The First Time Is Memorable
Sadiq Palmer's first collegiate reception went for a 19-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against Mississippi State. In 2016, Palmer is one of 20 players (11 wide receivers, six tight ends, one fullback, one running back, one quarterback) who had their first career catch go for six points. He is one of only four freshmen to do so.
Two With Two
UMass produced back-to-back games with multi-touchdown receivers against Mississippi State (9/24) and Tulane (10/1). Jalen Williams had two on three catches versus the Bulldogs before Andy Isabella scored on a pair of 12-yard receptions against the Green Wave.
The last time a pair of Minutemen had two or more touchdowns in back-to-back games was in 2014 when Jean Sifrin caught two TDs at Colorado (Sept. 6) before Rodney Milles scored twice against Vanderbilt (Sept. 13).
UMass added a third player with multiple touchdown receptions in one game when Adam Breneman caught two at South Carolina.
Depend On The Tight End
Tight end Adam Breneman caught 10 passes against FIU covering 77 yards and one touchdown. It is the most receptions by a UMass tight end since Rob Blanchflower caught 10 ball for 100 yards and one score versus Central Michigan on Nov. 23, 2012.
Breneman is first on the team in receptions (44) and receiving yards (484). In the last six games, Breneman averages 6.5 receptions and 69.0 yards per game.
Forcing The Issue
Led by three forced fumbles from Da'Sean Downey and two more by Ali Ali-Musa, UMass football has forced 11 fumbles in 2016, with eighth recoveries on those plays. Khary Bailey-Smith, Steve Casali, Colbert Calhoun, Basit Dennis and Sha-Ki Holines each have one.
UMass last had more forced fumbles in a single season in 2012 when the team caused 12.
I Got You The Ball!
Linebacker Steve Casali has three fumble recoveries through eight games played, representing all of Casali's career recoveries as well. It is tied for the 12th-most in a single season in team history. He had one each against FIU, Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech.
Randall Jette was the last Minuteman with as many fumble recoveries in a season when he had three in 11 games played and started during the 2013 season. The last UMass player with more than three in a single season was Kole Ayi with five during 1998.
Knock 'Em Downey
Linebacker Da'Sean Downey has 5.0 sacks on the year, the most by a UMass defender in one season during the team's FBS era. 2013 graduate student transfer Justin Anderson was the previous leader with 4.0 during his lone season at UMass.
Downey had a pair of sacks covering 18 yards lost against FIU. It made him the first Minuteman with multiple sacks in one contest since Kassan Messiah (2.0-14) at Bowling Green on Oct. 10, 2015. The last Minuteman with more sack yards in a single contest was Michael Hanson (2.0-23) at William & Mary on Oct. 27, 2007.
Downey also had a sack each against No. 25 Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
The Grizzled Veteran
Redshirt senior Khary Bailey-Smith is the only Minuteman with appearances in each of the team's five FBS seasons (2012-present). Three additional members of the squad were true freshmen during the inaugural year at the FBS level in Bernard Davis, Vondell Langston and John Robinson-Woodgett. Bailey-Smith made two appearances in 2015 before suffering a season-ending injury that allowed him to redshirt. Davis, Langston and Robinson-Woodgett each redshirted one year without seeing time during it.
