 |
|
Football
UMass Football Office
131 Commonwealth Ave 8 Boyden Gym Amherst, MA 01003   
|
|
#4 UMass Travels To William & Mary For First Time Since 2003
Oct. 22, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
#4/4 UMASS (6-1, 4-0) vs. WILLIAM & MARY (4-3, 2-2)
#4 UMass Travels To W&M For First Time Since 2003 • The Minutemen stand at 6-1 overall and are ranked No. 4 in all major polls of FCS. They stand at 4-0 in the CAA. UMass and No. 6 James Madison are the only undefeated teams in conference play, both at 4-0. UMass is 19-3 over the last two seasons, with two losses to FBS teams (Navy and Boston College). They suffered the lone inter-division loss to Appalachian State in the NCAA Division I Championship game last season. UMass began the 2007 season at 4-0 for the first time since 1986, losing to Boston College, the current second-ranked team in FBS, by a narrow 24-14 score in Chestnut Hill. • William & Mary is 4-3 this season, coming off its bye week. The Tribe has surpassed its win total from last season, when it went 3-8. W&M has alternated wins and losses in its last five games, winning at Maine (21-20) in its most recent game on Oct. 13. That followed a 63-24 loss at Villanova on Oct. 6. Their other wins came at VMI (63-16), Liberty (48-41 in overtime) and Towson (27-22).
• Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the UMass Sports Network with Bob Behler returning for his ninth year as "Voice of the Minutemen." Former kicker Matt Goldstein will handle the color commentary. The pregame show begins at 12:30 p.m. on WRNX (100.9 FM), the flagship of the network. The game can also be heard live online at UMassAthletics.com. An in-stadium feed can be heard on 103.9 FM. There will not be live streaming video or live stats, so other than travelling to Williamsburg, you will have to listen on the radio or online.
Coen Seeks School Records • Coen is also just 316 yards from tying Bankhead as the school's most prolific passer in history. He comes into the William & Mary game with 6,702 yards, while Bankhead had 7,018 in 1998-99.
UMass-William & Mary Series History • Last season, UMass posted a 48-7 victory, for the largest margin of victory in the series history on Oct. 7, 2007. It was the first meeting in Amherst since 2001. • UMass has won four of the last five games in the series including both meetings in Williamsburg, in 1999 (25-16) and 2003 (24-14). • Prior to last year, the road team won the previous two meetings. UMass won 24-14 at Zable Stadium on Oct. 11, 2003. The Tribe captured a 31-10 decision on Sept. 1, 2001 at McGuirk Stadium. • The 2000 game on Aug. 31, at McGuirk was the first-ever night football game at UMass as lights were imported for the game, a 36-16 UMass victory. UMass has since hosted three more night games. • William & Mary won the first two contests in 1990 and 1993, in addition to claiming victories in 1996 and 2001. UMass posted back-to-back victories in the series in 1994 and 1995, then once again won two straight in 1999 and 2000. • The schools first played in the opening round of the 1990 NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs, with the Tribe winning 38-0 in Williamsburg. UMass-William & Mary Connections • UMass has five players from the state of Virginia: sophomore WR Ke'Mon Bailey (Richmond, Va.), junior LB Darrlyn Fenner (Hampton, Va.), senior DB Brandon Freeman (Ruther Glen, Va.), sophomore WR Joe Sanford (Charlottesville, Va.) and junior DB Sean Smalls (Richmond, Va.). Only Fenner, Sanford and Smalls are expected to make the trip on the travel team. • William & Mary has just one Bay State native in senior LB T.J. O'Neill from Duxbury, Mass. He went to Tabor Academy.
Coen On Payton List; Hatchell On Buck List
Coen Re-Writing UMass Record Book • Coen is UMass' career leader in pass efficiency (153.25), completion percentage (64.9), yards per attempt (8.53) and total yards per play (7.56). Through seven games, Coen is 113-of-170 for 1511 yards with 15 touchdowns and a 66.5 completion percentage. Coen has completed 69 percent of his passes over the last five games. • He is on the verge of becoming UMass' career passing yardage leader. Coming into the William & Mary game, Coen (6,702) needs 316 yards to tie the all-time mark held by Todd Bankhead (7,018). With his 272 passing yards against Holy Cross (9/1) in the opener, Coen moved to second in career passing yards in becoming UMass' second 6,000-yard passer.Coen also moved to second in career completions vs. Holy Cross. He now has 505. Only Bankhead (561) has more. He is also second in career attempts to Bankhead (933) with 778. • Coen had his fifth-career 300-yard passing game with 355 against Villanova (10/13). For his performance, he earned his third career New England Football Writers Golden Helmet, which he received on Oct. 16. • With his 15 TDs this season including his second-career four-TD game at Colgate (9/8), Coen is tied for first on the career TD passing list with 51 with Bankhead. • When looking at the career numbers among all active NCAA quarterbacks, Coen ranks in the top 10 in eight categories. He is second in career total offense yards per play (7.62), sixth in career pass efficiency (153.25), seventh in TD passes (51), eighth in passing yards (6,702), eighth in completion percentage (64.91) and 10th in passing yards per game (209. 4). • This season, Coen ranks second in the CAA and eighth in the NCAA in passing efficiency with a 164.37 mark. He was sixth last year in the NCAA after leading most of the season. • The Rhode Island native has started the last 31 games in a row with UMass holding a 25-6 record in those games since he drew his first start against Albany on Sept. 17, 2005. Of those six losses, three games been to FBS teams, so Coen is 25-3 against FCS teams. • Last year, Coen was 217-of-334 for 3016 yards with 26 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions in 15 games. He had a sparkling 65.0 completion percentage. His season marks ranked on the UMass all-time single-bests as follows: completion percentage (first), pass efficiency (first), yards (third), completions (fourth), touchdowns (third). • Coen tied the UMass record for TD passes in a game with five at Towson (10/14). He completed 21-of-27 for 303 yards. His huge game led to numerous honors: New England Football Writers Golden Helmet, A-10 Offensive Player of the Week and the I-AA.org Weekly All-Stars of the four best players in the nation.
A Defense That Won't Be Denied • Since week one (when they allowed 30 points to Holy Cross), UMass has allowed just 92 total points (15.3 per game) . After a slow start to begin 2007, UMass buckled down starting with the second half at Colgate (9/8) of Week 2. The Minutemen allowed just seven points and limited the Raiders to just 82 total yards in the final 30 minutes. Most impressively, Colgate's All-American tailback Jordan Scott was held to just 11 yards in the second half after 92 in the first 30 minutes. • In the win over Towson (9/15), UMass limited the Tigers to just 22 yards on the ground while piling up five sacks and three interceptions. • Again at Maine (9/22), the defense was stellar with its best defensive showing, limiting the Black Bears to just seven points and a total of 243 net yards. Through the air, Maine only had 67 yards passing. It was the seventh time in 19 games, that UMass held an opponent to single-digits. • Playing against FBS team Boston College (9/29), UMass held the Eagles to their fewest points of the season in a 24-14 decision. UMass also limited the Eagles' Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Ryan to a season-low 204 passing yards. • In the second half against Northeastern (10/7), UMass blanked the Huskies, giving up just 90 yards. The Minutemen held tailback Maurice Murray to just 89 yards, as he came into the game averaging more than 120 per game. • Last season, six of UMass' 15 opponent were held to single-digits, most recently allowing nine against Maine (11/11). UMass blanked Towson, 35-0, on Oct. 14, for the first shutout by the Minutemen in over a year, when they beat Northeastern on Oct. 8, 2005. UMass posted a 7-0 win at Northeastern on Oct. 28 for their second whitewash of the season. It is the first time since 1979 that UMass had shutouts of two conference games during the season. The Minutemen allowed just seven points in three games last season, against Colgate (9/2), Stony Brook (9/23) and William & Mary (10/7). Until the NCAA final, UMass did not allow any team to score more than 21 points in a game last season. Navy and Villanova scored 21 in back-to-back weeks in September. Until the final on Dec. 15, only New Hampshire in the regular-season on Nov. 4 scored 20 points. • Over UMass' record 12-game win streak in 2006, the Minutemen dominated those 12 opponents, winning by a combined score of 338-144 (an average score of 28-12). That streak included back-to-back 48-7 wins over Stony Brook on Sept. 23 and William & Mary on Oct. 7, both at McGuirk Stadium. UMass outscored the 12 opponents 235-87 in the first half alone (average 20-7).
Senior Captain Linebackers Lead D • Hatchell has been one of the top tacklers in the nation over the last two years. He has 10 or more tackles in three of the seven games this season (Holy Cross, Maine and Northeastern). He has led or tied for the team lead in tackles in 20 of the last 33 games. In 2006, he racked up 134 tackles, second in the conference. He ranked fifth in the league in tackles per game at 8.93 and 44th in the nation. • Hatchell has 13 career 10-tackle games, and UMass is 10-3. • Hatchell is currently fourth in career assisted tackles with 176. Next on the list is Vito Perrone (199). In his career, Hatchell has 308 total tackles. He surpassed the 300-tackle mark with a team-high 12 tackles against Northeastern (10/20). He is 17 away from 10th on UMass' career list where Matt Tulley had 325 from 1988-1991. • Walker teams with Hatchell for a dynamic 1-2 punch. Walker has 292 career tackles with a team-high 68 stops this season. He has led the team in three of seven games, giving him seven career games with double-figure tackles. He racked up a season-best 14 tackles against Villanova (10/13). Walker was honored as the Co-UMass Athlete of the Week after the Colgate (9/8) game where he topped the team with 10 tackles along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery as Colgate drove to UMass' 1-yard line and a TFL. In 2006, he had 131 last season, third in the conference. Walker had 94 assisted tackles last season to rank as the fourth-best single-season mark. Walker tied UMass' single-game tackles record with 24 against Delaware in 2004. • Sophomore Josh Jennings has been a monster of late as he piled up a career-high 12 tackles against Villanova (10/13). After a slow start, Jennings has moved to fifth on the team in tackles with 39 tackles.
Defensive Line Creates Chaos • The major tackler for loss on the defensive side is Burris, who makes his name with stops behind the line of scrimmage. Burris leads the CAA with 9.0 sacks and leads in TFLs with 11.5 this season. He ranks tied for third in the nation in sacks and tied for 12th in tackles for a loss. • Burris has moved to sixth in career sacks with 22.5. With his 9.0 sacks this season in seven games he is already tied for 10th-most sacks in a single-season. Four others have 9.0 sacks. Todd Rundle had 9.5 in 1985 while three others had 10.0 to rank sixth. • Burris has three sacks in a game twice this season, most recently vs. Northeastern (10/20). He began 2007 with a career-high three sacks against Holy Cross including a pair in the fourth quarter. Burris now has 41.5 career TFLs and 22.5 career sacks. Coming into 2006, he was the leading returning tackler for loss in the conference with 16 for 69 yards last season. He was the top player in terms of returnees in sacks with 8.5. Burris has 41.5 career tackles for loss of his 191 career stops (22 percent of his tackles). • Hanson has emerged with a career-high 13 tackles against Villanova (10/13). He is now third on the team in tackles with 42. Collier also set a career-high with 10 tackles vs. Villanova as did Harrington with nine. Collier recovered two fumbles against Northeastern (10/20).
UMass Turns To Lawrence & Nelson • Lawrence has piled up 797 yards in his first seven games as the starting tailback with more than 100 in five of the first seven games. He is fourth in the CAA in rushing and 15th in the nation with 113.9 per game. He has gained over a 100 in each of the last two games, with 110 vs. Northeastern (10/20). Lawrence was big in the 4OT win over Villanova (10/13). After a slow start, he gained 45 yards in the overtime sessions and scored two touchdowns. He redeemed himself, after he fumbled to end the first extra session. Despite gaining, just 64 yards at Boston College (9/29), it was the most by any Eagles' opponent this season. Lawrence had a career-best 176 yards at Maine (9/22) as he scored a career-high three touchdowns. He was named the UMass Athlete of the Week for his performance which included a career-long run of 62 yards. He broke out for 153 yards in the opener against Holy Cross (9/1). He also scored two touchdowns in a game for the first time in his career on runs of 1 and 28 yards. At Colgate (9/8), Lawrence gained 113 yards on 19 carries. Lawrence played most of last season as a fullback. Lawrence had 174 rushing yards last season and entered his senior year with 450 yards, a mark he passed in three games. • Nelson has been a great early on gaining 309 yards on 56 carries, a 5.5-yard average. He has his first-career 100-yard game with 104 at Maine (9/22). That included a career-best 61-yard run in the fourth quarter. At Colgate (9/8), he picked up 70 yards on seven carries. Nelson gained 55 in the opener against Holy Cross (9/1) on nine carries. Last season, Nelson played in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2006, as he gained 235 yards overall in 47 carries. Nelson had a career game against William & Mary with three touchdowns on Oct. 7, 2006 as he was named the conference Rookie of the Week.
Moore Catches For J.J. • Moore has risen to second in career catches in UMass history with 149. He moved past former teammate Brandon London (who was in the UMass locker room to congratulate him) with seven catches against Northeastern (10/20). Moore is also closing in on London on the career receiving yardage list. Moore enters the William & Mary game with 1,942. London, who is on the New York Giants practice squad, had 2,022. • Moore had a great receiving game in the opener against Holy Cross (9/1), as he had a career-best 163 yards on nine catches. The 163 receiving yards ranked as the seventh-best single-game yardage total in UMass history. He was awarded the New England Writers Golden Helmet after that big day. • Moore also gained 100 yards against Villanova (10/13) with 138 on seven catches vs. the WIldcats. He also caught the two-point conversion in the fourth overtime to give UMass to 32-24 win. • Moore had a strong season in 2006 with 46 catches for 594 yards and four touchdowns. Moore was off to the best start in the nation in 2005 before breaking his ankle in the fifth game. He was tops in the nation with 26 catches in the first four games. • Moore set a UMass record when he caught 13 passes in the loss at Colgate in 2005. Moore broke the record of 11 set by Tim Berra (Yogi's son) in 1973 and later tied by Jimmy Moore in 1998 and twice by Adrian Zullo in 1999. • Rancher is second to Moore in catches and yards in 2007 with 24 receptions for 467 yards.Rancher is on the verge of 10th place on career receiving yards with 1,254. He is behind DeShon Hardy (1,359). • Rancher had a career day with new highs of eight catches and 155 yards vs. Villanova (10/13). He reached 1,000 yards in receiving at Maine (9/22). Against Towson (9/15), he made an amazing bobbling circus catch for a 35-yard touchdown, which Coach Brown called one the best he's seen in 30 years of coaching. • Rancher had 22 catches for 362 yards last season. He is the holder of the second and third longest catches in UMass history, 89 yards vs. Stony Brook in 2006 and 84 yards at Delaware in 2005.
More Moore History • A third-team all-conference punt returner in 2006, Moore ranks 10th in career punt return average with 8.3 per return with his 15 returns for 131 yards in 2007. He had 30 returns for 244 yards last season.
Robinson Makes History In Opener • Robinson, who was an All-Conference second-team kickoff returner last season, can tie the UMass career and season records for kickoff returns for scores in a season with one more as Dent had a pair in 1978 as did Phil DeRose in 1964. • Robinson has 375 yards in 2007 added to 489 as a sophomore in 2006, giving him 864, making him ninth in career kickoff return yardage in just 22 career games. Next on the list is Tony Williams with 891 from 1991-94.
No Smalls Feat • This season, Smalls is leading the CAA in passes defended with nine, on eight pass break-ups and one interception. Smalls has just 30 tackles, as teams have been tenative in throwing at him. Smalls scored his first career touchdown on a 90-yard interception return for a score against Towson (9/15). • Joining Smalls in the secondary is junior strong safety Michael Meggett, who is starting for the first time in his career and has the most tackles amongst the DBs with 37. He also has five passes defended with his first career interception against Northeastern (10/20). • At free safety, sophomore Jeromy Miles has been impressive in his first season as a transfer starter from Navy. Miles has 28 tackles and six passes defended. He is fifth in the CAA in that category. He leads the league in fumbles forced with three. Miles had his best game against Villanova in the 4OT thriller. He made four pass break-ups, all in the end zone, preventing Wildcat scores.
Keep On Kicking Koepplin • Koepplin has missed just three kicks of any type this season with 7-of-10 on field goals and making all 26 PATs for 47 points. • He has boomed kickoffs for a tremendous 65.3 yard average including 11 touchbacks from the new 30-yard line kickoff mark. • In his first year at UMass after being a junior college transfer from Nassau C.C., Koepplin was an all-conference second team kicker. He tied the school record for field goals in a season with 16, set the school record for point after touchdowns with 51 and set the record for kick scoring in points with 99. • In his final year at UMass, Koepplin ranks on several career charts with just one-plus season under his belt. Koepplin stands fifth in career field goals with the single-season tying 16 last year and seven more this year for 23. Next on the list is Eric Oke with 26. • His career field goal percentage of 69.6 (23-of-33) ranks second all-time to Doug White (77.1). He is also fourth in career PATs with the 77 (51 last year and 26 this year). Koepplin is also first in career PAT percentage with a mark of 98.7 percent (77-of-78). He passed George Papoutsidis, who was 96.9 percent (31-of-32). • Koepplin has eight field goals at UMass of 40 or more yards after the 48-yarder vs. Holy Cross, a 40-yarder against Towson (9/15) and 45-yard kick at Maine (9/22).
5 Strong: O-Line Of Protection • Senior All-American Matt Austin anchors the line, he has 37 career starts in 41 games overall. Austin has started in four different positions on the line: right tackle, left tackle, left guard and center. In 2007, he started once at left guard and the last five games at center. Austin has been part of an offensive line that has led of been tied for the league lead in fewest sacks allowed in each of the last three years. UMass allowed just 16 sacks in 15 games in 2006, 1.07 per game, tops in the league, 14th in the nation. • After 13 sacks this season, UMass has allowed just 50 sacks in 45 games since 2004. • Along with Austin, UMass is looking to senior Nick Diana, giving UMass a pair of preseason all-conference performers. With Austin moving to center, he swapped with Diana, who returned to left guard after playing the Holy Cross game at center. Diana, a second-team all-conference player last year is joined by senior Chris Hopkins, a former tight end, who started the final 14 games of 2006. Junior Sean Calicchio mans right tackle, where he started in 2006, but broke his arm in the first game of the season. After missing 11 games in a row, Calicchio returned in the NCAA Quarterfinals and played in the final three playoff games. Sophomore Vladimir Ducasse, who played in three games in 2006, is starting at left tackle.
McGuirk Magic • Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home mark of 67-23 (.744) during that span. In 2003, UMass went 7-0 at home to set the former record for most home victories in the 40-year history of McGuirk Stadium. • UMass has won 16 of its last 17 games at home after dropping the 2005 home regular-season finale to New Hampshire on Oct. 29. They are 23-3 dating to 2003.
Transfer Of Power, I-A Players Join
Syracuse Impact
Quartet of Captains In 2007
Looking Back At 2006 • The UMass football team captured the 2006 Lambert Trophy, symbolic of the team top team in the East, presented by the ECAC. The Minutemen were the winners in the I-AA/FCS Division. • To advance to the NCAA final, UMass topped Lafayette, 35-14 in the first round; conference rival New Hampshire, 24-17 in the NCAA Quarterfinals and won at hostile Montana, 19-17 in the NCAA Semifinals.
Preseason Polls UMass Favorite To Win CAA • The Minutemen, who earned a record 20 All-Conference honors in 2006, placed a total of seven on the Preseason All-Conference squad this season. Offensive linemen Matt Austin and Nick Diana, join tight end Brad Listorti to represent UMass on the offensive side of the ball. Defensive lineman David Burris, as well as Charles Walker and preseason All-American Jason Hatchell, both linebackers, represent UMass in the defensive front. Cornerback Sean Smalls is the seventh Minuteman selected to the preseason squad. Preseason All-Americans • The College Sporting News has named two UMass seniors to their its pre-season All-America football team. Hatchell was selected to the first team, while Austin was chosen for the second team. UMass was one of 19 schools with multiple players chosen. • Listorti has been named a Preseason All-American by Street & Smith's. Listorti heads into the 2007 season as one of the top tight ends in the nation. UMass is No. 12 in the preseason national poll. |
|
       
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||
 |
 |
