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#13/13 UMASS (6-3, 3-2) vs. RV/RV MAINE (6-3, 3-2)
Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008 • 12 p.m.
McGuirk Stadium • Amherst, Mass. (17,000/FieldTurf)
TV: Comcast SportsNet
(Gary Tanguay & Andy Gresh)
Radio: WRNX (100.9 FM - Flagship)
WCRN (830 AM), WATD (95.9 FM), WCAP (980 AM)

UMass Hosts Maine In Pivotal CAA Match-up
• The teams tied for second place in the CAA North face-off on Saturday at McGuirk Stadium as No. 13/13 UMass hosts Maine at 12 Noon. The game pits a pair of schools fighting for FCS playoff berths with UMass (6-3, 3-2 CAA) winning its last two games by a combined 91-7 score and Maine (6-3, 3-2 CAA) taking its last four games in a row. The game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet with Gary Tanguay and Andy Gresh calling the action.

• Saturday is senior quarterback Liam Coen's 23rd birthday. The signal-caller comes off the most accurate passing game in his career, going 15-of-17 (88.2 percent) for 241 yards and three touchdowns in his final college game in his homestate of Rhode Island last Saturday, in the 49-0 win. Coen leads all active passers in FCS with 88 career touchdowns. He also stands 18th all-time in career passing yards in FCS with 10,541. Coen became the 21st passer in FCS/I-AA history to throw for more than 10,000 passing yards with his 389 against Bryant (10/25) in a 42-7 win at McGuirk Stadium.

• UMass is ranked for the 53rd week in a row (every week since the first week of the 2005 season) in the Sports Network media poll. The Minutemen are just one of five programs in the nation to have been ranked every week since that point. They are joined by Montana, New Hampshire, Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois. This week the Minutemen are 13th in both the Sports Network poll and the FCS Coaches Poll.

• UMass has won four of their last five games after beating Bryant and Rhode Island in its last two games. After back-to-back wins vs. Delaware (17-7) and at Northeastern (28-24) in early October, the Minutemen had their 16-game home winning streak snapped last Saturday against No. 9 Richmond, 30-15. It was UMass' first home loss since Oct. 29, 2005.

• The Minuteman defense has returned to its form over the last five weeks after a tough start to the 2008 against some of the finest teams in the nation (including FBS No. 2 Texas Tech and FCS No.1 James Madison). In its last five games, starting with its 17-7 win over Delaware (10/4), UMass allowed just 13.6 points per game while giving up just 260 yards per game. Those numbers are a stark contrast from the first four games, when UMass allowed 41.5 points per game and 422.2 yards per game. With the improved defense, UMass is giving up just 137.8 rushing yards and 122.2 passing yards in the last five games. The first four games yielded 206 rushing yards and 216.2 passing per game.

• Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the UMass Sports Network with Josh Maurer, in his first season as the new "Voice of the Minutemen." Former kicker Matt Goldstein will handle the color commentary, while Adam Frenier will be covering the sidelines. The pregame show begins at 11:30 a.m. (ET) on WRNX (100.9 FM), the flagship of the network. It will also be carried by WCRN (830 AM), WATD (95.9 FM) and WCAP (980 AM) in the central and eastern parts of Massachusetts. The game can also be heard live online at UMassAthletics.com.

UMass-Maine Series History
• UMass holds a 40-13-1 lead in the all-time series which began in 1909. The 40 wins are the third-most against any team after Rhode Island (46) and New Hampshire (42).

• The Minutemen have defeated the Black Bears six years in a row and in nine of the last 10 seasons. Last season, UMass pounded the Black Bears, 38-7 in Orono as built a 21-0 lead just 5:07 into the game. Recent Baltimore Ravens practice squad signee Matt Lawrence ran for three touchdowns and 176 yards. Tony Nelson had his first-career 100-yard game with 104 yards on 18 carries.

• The last two games between the teams in Amherst, have been one-point affairs. In the last game at McGuirk, No. 3 UMass topped No. 19 Maine to clinch the conference championship with a 10-9 victory in Amherst on Nov. 11, 2006. Maine's kicker Devin McNeill missed an extra point after the Black Bears scored to make it 10-9 with 1:44 left in regulation. Chris Koepplin kicked the decisive 35-yard field goal just five seconds into the fourth quarter giving UMass a 10-0 lead. It was the second time in three years the UMass-Maine game was decided by an extra point miss by the Black Bears. In 2004, UMass blocked an extra point in overtime for a 35-34 victory. Those games sandwiched by a UMass 35-14 win in Orono in 2005.

• UMass holds a 22-3-1 advantage for games played in Amherst with five wins in a row at home. Maine last won in Amherst in 1996. At McGuirk Stadium, UMass is 18-3 vs. Maine.

• UMass holds an 18-10 advantage for games played in Orono, with wins in four of the last five games. All-time UMass is 18-9 at Alfond Stadium.

• From 1991-96, every game between the Minutemen and the Black Bears was decided by eight points or less, then from 1997-2001, the closest game was decided by 21 points. In the last three years, all of the games have been decided by 10 points or less.

• Head coach Don Brown is 5-2 all-time vs. the Black Bears. He has won all four games against Maine since coming to UMass in 2004. Maine's head man Jack Cosgrove is 5-10 vs. UMass.

Connections Between UMass and Maine
• UMass does not have any players from the state of Maine. But Maine has four players from the Commonwealth in sophomore quarterback Adam Farkes (who started the first six games before being injured), who went to Buckingham, Brown & Nichols in Boston, sophomore linebacker Conor Keating (Milton, Mass.), freshman kicker Brian Harvey (Wayland, Mass.) and freshman linebacker Vinson Gibson (Cambridge, Mass.).

• The Minutemen do have three players who went to Bridgton Academy for a prep season in Maine including senior defensive lineman Shaun Allen, junior linebacker Josh Jennings, junior receiver Joe Sanford.

• UMass' director of football operations and former head coach Mike Hodges is a 1967 graduate of Maine and lettered in football twice helping the Black Bears to the 1965 Yankee Conference title.

About UMass Coach Don Brown
• The 2006 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and AFCA Region I Coach of the Year, Don Brown is in his fifth year at UMass and has a 42-17 (.712) record. All-time, he is in his 12th year as a head coach and has a 94-43 all-time mark, winning 68.7 percent of his games, 71.2 percent while at UMass. Brown moved to third on the career wins list at UMass with the season-opening win vs. Albany (8/30). He broke a tie with Bob Pickett (36-28) and Jim Reid (36-29-2). Next on the list is Mark Whipple, who went 49-26 in his six seasons (1998-2003).

Senior Class Ties Class Wins Record
• The 2008 seniors have tied the program record for most wins in a four-year period with the 49-0 win at Rhode Island (11/1). The 2008 seniors, led by captains quarterback Liam Coen, offensive lineman Sean Calicchio and cornerback Sean Smalls are 36-12 with three regular-season games left. Their next win will set the new school record. The record of 36 wins was set by the 2006 seniors, who went 36-14. Last year's senior class also went 36-14 in four years.

• The seniors are also seeking to lead UMass to the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row, which would set a new UMass mark. They are also looking for a third straight conference crown, which would be the first occurrence in the Yankee/Atlantic 10/CAA since Boston University in 1982-84. The last time UMass won three conference crowns in a row was from 1977-79, winning three Yankee Conference titles in a row.

• Prior to 2006, twice before UMass had 31 wins in a four-year span done from 2002-05 (31-16), 1998-2001 (31-19).

UMass Dominating FCS & CAA Foes
• UMass has a 29-5 record since the start of 2006, in games against FCS teams. UMass is 6-3 this season overall and 6-2 vs. FCS teams. The Minutemen finished 2007 at 10-3 overall, 10-2 vs. FCS opponents. Prior to the loss at Rhode Island on Nov. 3, 2007, UMass had won 17 games in a row against FCS teams in regular-season games. Since the 2006 opener, UMass is 29-8 overall, with three losses to FBS teams (Navy, Boston College and Texas Tech). In addition to the URI loss, the lone intra-division losses were to Appalachian State in the NCAA Division I Championship game in 2006, Southern Illinois in 2007 Quarterfinals, James Madison in 2008, the current No. 1 team in the nation and Top 10 Richmond in 2008. UMass began the 2007 season at 4-0 for the first time since 1986, losing to Boston College (which reached No. 2 in the polls), by a narrow 24-14 score in Chestnut Hill.

• The Minutemen are 18-3 in conference games over the last three seasons. The Minutemen finished at 7-1 in the CAA last season and were the last undefeated team in league play prior to the loss to Rhode Island. UMass went 8-0 in conference in 2006 (becoming the first undefeated team in league since Villanova in 1997).

McGuirk Magic
• UMass has been tough to beat in the friendly confines of McGuirk Alumni Stadium and have won 17 of its last 18 at home. Before losing at home to Richmond (10/18), UMass' 16-game home winning streak was the second-longest in FCS as only San Diego (28) had a longer one. In all of Division I football, it was tied for the third-longest streak, also behind Oklahoma (21). Since the start of the 1998 season, the Minutemen have gone 52-12 (.813) at home over the last 10 years, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 160-73-2 (.685). UMass went 6-0 at home last season after going a perfect 8-0 at home in 2006, setting the school-record for best record at home. They were also undefeated at home in 2003.

• Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home mark of 71-24 (.747) during that span. In 2003, UMass went 7-0 at home to set the former record for most home victories in the 43-year history of McGuirk Stadium.

• UMass has won 21 of its last 23 games at home after the Richmond loss and dropping the 2005 home regular-season finale to New Hampshire on Oct. 29. They are 28-4 dating to 2003.

Coen's Super Senior Season
• Senior quarterback and Walter Payton Award Candidate Liam Coen has emerged as one of the top signal callers in the nation. Now in his fourth year as a starter, he is in the midst of re-writing the UMass passing record book. After three seasons with the Minutemen, Coen is listed on more than 30 passing lists for career, single-season and single-game.

• Coen became the 21st passer in NCAA FCS history with 10,000 career passing yards and now stands 18th all-time with 10,541. He broke the mark in the first quarter against Bryant (10/25), when he threw for 389 yards in just over a half of football. Towson's Sean Schaefer went over the mark earlier this season and leads all active FCS passers with 10,706. Prior to Schaefer, New Hampshire's Ricky Santos was the last with 10,000 career passing yards. There have been 50 passers in FBS with 10,000 career yards.

• Coen's 85 career passing touchdowns ranks 18th on the career FCS list. He can zoom up the chart. With just five more he would be 14th.

• Coen is first on the career active touchdown passes list in FCS with a UMass record 85 passes. Coen is third to Texas Tech's Graham Harrell (119) and Missouri's Chase Daniels (88) on the overall Division I list including both FBS and FCS. Harrell is also the career active leader in passing yards (14,303) and completions (1,253). Coen is fourth (10,541) and sixth (780) on those lists among all of Division I. He ranks second in all of FCS in those categories to Towson's Sean Schaefer.

• Coen is also second in FCS career active leader in the following statistics: touchdowns responsible for (88) and yards per offensive play (7.73).

• Heading into the Texas Tech game on Sept. 20, Coen was the active career leader in passing efficiency with 153.53 mark including both FCS and FBS of players with more than 20 games. He is now fifth on the list at 154.58. His mark of 163.82 this season is seventh in the nation.

• Coen became UMass' career passing leader with 191 yards vs. New Hampshire (11/10/07). He now has 10,541 yards breaking the 10,000-yard plateau against Bryant (10/25/08) on a 35-yard pass to Jeremy Horne four minutes into the game. Coen passed Todd Bankhead (7,018) with an 8-yard pass to Ian Jorgensen in the third quarter of the New Hampshire game last season. Coen became UMass' career touchdown passing leader on Oct. 27, 2007 in the 48-34 win at William & Mary. He tossed four scoring strikes at Hofstra (11/17/07) to pass Bankhead's 51 and Coen took over as the all-time completion leader that same game with 22, moving him ahead of Bankhead's 561. He now has 85 career touchdown passes and 780 completions to own both of those records.

• Coen is UMass' career leader in pass efficiency (154.58), completion percentage (64.4), yards per attempt (8.56) and total yards per play (7.73).

• The Rhode Island native has started the last 46 games in a row with UMass holding a 35-11 record in those games since he drew his first start against Albany on Sept. 17, 2005. Of those 11 losses, four games been to FBS teams, so Coen is 35-7 against FCS teams.

• In 2008, he ranks seventh in NCAA in pass efficiency (163.82) on 156-of-242 for 2259 yards with 19 passing touchdowns and just six interceptions.

• In just nine games, pass efficiency (163.82) is best in a single-season, touchdowns (19) is seventh, yardage total (2,259) ranks as eighth-best single season at UMass. Completions (156) mark is ninth-best season.

• Coen threw for 300 or more yards three times this year with 395 at Holy Cross (9/6), 339 at #7 James Madison (339) and 389 vs. Bryant (10/25). Coen now has 11 career 300-yard passing games.

• The signal-caller has 19 TD passes this season, with three in each of the first three games and a career-high tying and UMass school-record tying five against Bryant. He has 12 career games with three or more TD passes and five games with four or more TD passes.

• After his final college game in his homestate of Rhode Island, Coen was named the CAA Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 3 and was awarded the New England Writers Golden Helmet on Nov. 5. He nearly set the UMass record for completion percentage in a game with 88.2 against URI completing 15-of-17 for 241 yards and three touchdowns in just over a half of action. Tim Day still holds the record at 89.4 (17-of-19), set in 2004 at Delaware State.

• Week two was huge for Coen, who was named the Sports Network National Player of the Week, ECAC Player of the Week, CAA Offensive Player of the Week and captured the Golden Helmet as the top player in New England. Coen threw for 395 yards, going 25-for-37 including three passing touchdowns. The Newport, R.I., native also ran for a one-yard score in the first quarter. The Walter Payton Award candidate tallied his ninth-career 300-yard passing game, as well as his ninth-career 3TD game. Coen's 25 completions rank 12th most in UMass' single-game record book, while his 395 yards through the air were the sixth-best single-game total in school history.

UMass Turns To Nelson
• With the graduation of CAA first team selection Matt Lawrence, the bulk of the ball-carrying workload falls on the shoulders of junior Tony Nelson. Nelson replaces Lawrence, who is currently on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, after piling up 1,585 yards on 318 carries and scoring 16 touchdowns in 2007.

• Nelson is third in the CAA in rushing with 97.1 yards per game. He has 874 yards, on 172 carries and nine touchdowns.

• He gained 100 yards in four games this season and ranks 25th in FCS in average per game. He piled up a career-high 175 yards on 37 carries at Northeastern (10/11). Nelson ran for 163 yards on 23 carries in the win over #16 Delaware (10/4). That includes his 109-yard game at #7 James Madison (9/13). Nelson also scored two touchdowns for the second week in a row with the pair at the Dukes. Nelson had his third game of the year with multiple scores at Rhode Island (11/1).

• Nelson was a stud in his first game as a starter at tailback as he gained 171 yards, a then-career-best vs. Albany (8/30). Nelson scored two touchdowns including a 64-yard rush, the longest running play by a Minuteman since R.J. Cobbs' 84-yard run in 2002. Nelson earned the first New England Football Writers Player of the Week Award after the Albany game.

• Nelson followed that up with a 82-yard, two-touchdown effort at Holy Cross (9/6), in a game that the Crusaders were clearly stacking the line to try to stop the run.

Receivers Step It Up
• Coming into the season, there was a lot of talk about the Minutemen and their big holes to fill at wide receiver in 2008 after graduating a pair of 1,000-yard pass-catchers in All-CAA selections J.J. Moore and Rasheed Rancher. Additionally, Michael Omar also graduated after a 44-catch season, so UMass needed to replace its top three wideouts.

• Entering the season, UMass' receivers had a combined 18-career receptions, 12 by Jeremy Horne, four by Joe Sanford, and one each by Victor Cruz and Ke'Mon Bailey.

• Well there are bigtime answers including an all-time record performance by Cruz. At #7 James Madison (9/13), Cruz set a school-record with 262 receiving yards on a school-record tying 13 receptions. That yardage mark is fourth-most in conference history. Cruz was amazing in the second half as over the final 30 minutes, he had 11 catches for 248 yards. Through his first 10 1/2 games at UMass, Cruz had eight catches for 129 yards.

• Cruz leads UMass in catches with 56 receptions for 923 yards. He is first in the CAA in yards per game with 102.6, which is tied for seventh in the NCAA. He is also first in the CAA in receptions per game and 18th in the nation with 6.22.

• Cruz is just 77 yards for becoming the sixth receiver in UMass history with 1,000 yards in a single season. Last year the Minutemen had a pair of 1000-yard receivers for the first time in J.J. Moore (1,100) and Rasheed Rancher (1,007). Cruz is already seventh in single-season yards with 923. He is also seventh in single-season catches with 56.

• Cruz had his second huge game in the win at Northeastern (10/11), as he had 10 catches for 139 yards. Both were his second double-figure catch game and 100-yard game. He grabbed three balls for 93 yards against Bryant (10/25) for his third-most yards in a game this year. That was followed by a seven-catch, 129-yard performance at Rhode Island (11/1) to go with two touchdowns in the 49-0 win.

• Just behind Cruz on the list is Horne, who has 39 catches for 719 yards. He is second to Cruz in the CAA in receiving yards per game at 79.9, which is 34th in the NCAA. Horne is 10th in the league in catches per game at 4.3. Horne, one of Coen's go-to targets in the early going, had his breakout performance at Holy Cross (9/6) where he set career-highs in catches (10), yards (172), touchdowns (2), and long reception (47). Horne has his second 100-yard receiving game against #16 Delaware (10/4) with eight catches for 114 yards including a 40-yard bomb on the first series of the game.

• Playing on his 22nd birthday against Bryant (10/25), Horne piled up 182 receiving yards, the fourth-most in a game in UMass history to set a new career high. As part of the big day, Horne scored three touchdowns (16, 21, 54) to become the first UMass player with three TD catches since Brandon London's school record four in 2006.

• In the season opener against Albany, Horne led the way with four catches for 37 yards including a game-icing 17-yard TD in the fourth quarter. Horne played his first year at Syracuse before transferring and caught 12 balls last season for 146 yards and scored three touchdowns. He showed a knack against top competition in 2007, scoring touchdowns against Boston College (9/29/07) and #4 Southern Illinois in the NCAAs (12/1/07).

• Redshirt freshman Julian Talley has 15 catches for 195 yards. Talley logged CAA Football Rookie of the Week honors after teaming with Coen, in the Minutemen's 45-42 win on the road at Holy Cross (9/6). The Winslow, N.J., native had four catches for 71 yards against the Crusaders. Talley also had four catches at Northeastern (10/11) for 68 yards.

• Sanford, who came to UMass as a quarterback in 2006 after a year at Virginia, has 13 catches for 140 yards this season including a touchdown against Holy Cross (9/6). will be vying for one of the wideout spots as well. A big target at 6-3, 208 lbs., he is also one of the team's top stalk blockers and a force on special teams as well. He caught two passes for 31 yards at Holy Cross (9/6), including his first TD catch of the season. Sanford saw action in all 13 games in 2007, catching four balls for 71 yards, two of which for touchdowns.

A Defense That Won't Be Denied
• UMass' defense has been one of the nation's best over the last four seasons. This year, the defense was much-maligned early on for allowing some big days by opponents. But a quick check shows Texas Tech is the No. 2 team in FCS with the nation's top offense in all of football and James Madison is No. 1 in FCS football with one of the top offenses in the division.

• The Minutemen got on track in a major way against one of the top teams in FCS history, Delaware (10/4). UMass held the Blue Hens to just 167 yards of total offense in a 17-7 win. Most impressive was that UMass allowed just 88 total yards following a game-opening 79-yard drive. In the second half, UMass gave up just 63 total yards and the Blue Hens completed just one pass for five yards.

• Over the last five games, UMass has allowed just 260 yards per game after giving up more than 400 on average in the first four games. UMass has allowed its opponents to just 13.6 points in the last five games, which is on par with the recent years when UMass allowed just 13.3 points in 26 games in 2005-06.

• With the improved defense, UMass is giving up just 137.8 rushing yards and 122.2 passing yards in the last five games. The first four games yielded 206 rushing yards and 216.2 passing per game.

• Last year, the Minutemen were tough against the run and the pass, ranking 13th in the country in both pass efficiency defense (115.62) and rushing defense (115.62), numbers that ranked first and second, respectively, in the conference. In 2007, UMass ranked 13th in the country and first in the CAA in total defense in 2007, allowing 309.62 yards per game. UMass ranked first in the conference and 15th nationally in scoring defense last year, allowing just 19.15 points per game.

Jennings Leads Top Tacklers
• This season, the defense's top tackler has been middle linebacker Josh Jennings, who tops the team with 80 tackles to rank third in the CAA with 8.9 tackles per game. That mark also ranks 46th in the NCAA. He also has a team best 6.5 TFLS for 20 yards. Jennings has been honored as the CAA's Defensive Player of the Week three times (Sept. 1, Oct. 6 and Nov. 3). Most recently he earned his third honor and moved to a front runner for CAA Defensive Player of the Year when he picked off two passes including one for a 40-yard TD return at Rhode Island (11/1).He racked up a career-best 16 tackles against #16 Delaware (10/4) to earn his second accolade. Jennings grabbed a share of the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week honor after making a career-high 13 stops in the Minutemen's 28-16 win over Albany (8/30) in Amherst, Mass. The New Britain, Conn., native also snagged his first career interception and returned it three yards.

• Behind Jennings is fellow linebacker George Byrd, who has started every game at WILL. Byrd has 60 tackles and is tied with Jennings with 6.5 TFLs for 10 yards.

• The SAM linebacker has been manned by both senior Andrew Resende-Gomes, who has 34 tackles and junior Anthony Rouzier, who has 24 stops. Rouzier has been limited due to a knee injury.

Decorated Secondary
• UMass shaped up to possess perhaps the best defensive backfield in all of FCS with senior captain All-American and NFL prospect Sean Smalls leading the way. Smalls was injured on Oct. 25 against Bryant with a cracked hip and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. The cornerback joins Jeromy Miles and Courtney Robinson as preseason All-CAA selections and preseason All-Americans by various publications.

• In 2007, the group played a leading role in UMass holding its opponents to the lowest passing efficiency (107.98) in the CAA and also their run support helped the Minutemen be the second-toughest team to run on in the conference (115.62 yds/g).

• Smalls was a preseason All-American by many media outlets and has 20 tackles and two pass break-ups in 2008 prior to being hurt. After an incredible junior campaign that saw him rack up 49 tackles, half a sack, and two interceptions, including a 90-yard return for touchdown vs. Towson (9/5/07), Smalls received several awards, including: Sports Network Honorable Mention All-American, All-CAA first team and New England Writers All-Star.

• A junior, Miles returns for his second season after transferring from Navy in 2007. Miles is third on the team in tackles with 57 this season. He has two interceptions including a game-sealing 52-yard runback for a touchdown against #16 Delaware (10/4). At Northeastern (10/11), he also made the game-sealing play with a fumble recovery lost by Husky quarterback Anthony Orio with 1:30 left in a 28-24 victory. A preseason All-American by Draft Consensus, Miles recorded 67 tackles last year from his free safety position, good for fourth on the team. He also had 10 passes defended and forced four fumbles, second-most in the CAA.

• The senior Robinson has 20 tackles in 2008 and a team-high nine pass break-ups to rank tied for third in the CAA. Robinson was actually named All-CAA last season twice, as a first team cornerback and as a third team kick returner. He recorded three interceptions last season.

• The newcomer to this year's starting unit is strong safety Brian Ellis, a converted linebacker. Overall in 2008, Ellis is fourth in tackles on the team with 56 . Ellis showed strong in his first game as a starter in as he racked up a career-best 10 tackles against Albany (8/30). He has at least four tackles in every game this season.