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#22/20 UMASS (6-4, 3-3) vs. #13/12 UNH (7-2, 4-2)
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 • 12 p.m.
Cowell Stadium • Durham N.H. (8,000/FieldTurf)
TV: Comcast SportsNet
(Gary Tanguay & Andy Gresh)
Radio: WRNX (100.9 FM - Flagship)
WCRN (830 AM), WATD (95.9 FM), WCAP (980 AM)

• What many call the best college football rivalry in New England, No. 22/20 UMass travels to Durham to battle No. 13/12 New Hampshire in a crucial game as both teams still eye the NCAA postseason. The Minutemen stand at 6-4 overall, 3-3 in the CAA after a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to Maine last weekend at home. The Wildcats are 7-2 overall, 4-2 in the CAA, standing in a first-place tie with Maine. UNH comes off a 24-13 loss at Villanova last weekend.

• The game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet with Gary Tanguay and Andy Gresh calling the action with a 12:06 kickoff.

• 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 is ranked for the 54th 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 22nd in the Sports Network poll and 20th in the FCS Coaches Poll. New Hampshire is No. 13 in the media poll and No. 12 in the coaches poll.

• UMass has won four of their last six games, including back-to-back wins over Bryant and Rhode Island by a combined 91-7 score. After consecutive wins vs. Delaware (17-7) and at Northeastern (28-24) in early October, the Minutemen had their 16-game home winning streak snapped against No. 9 Richmond, 30-15 on Oct. 18. It was UMass' first home loss since Oct. 29, 2005.

• The Minuteman defense has returned to its form over the last six 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 six games, starting with its 17-7 win over Delaware (10/4), UMass allowed just 14.8 points per game while giving up just 275.3 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 164.2 rushing yards and 109.3 passing yards in the last six games. The first four games yielded 206 rushing yards and 216.2 passing per game.

The Series: UMass vs. New Hampshire
• UMass holds a 42-25-3 lead in the all-time series against New Hampshire after winning the last three games. Last year UMass easily handled UNH 27-7 in Amherst on Nov. 10, 2007. Back in 2006, UMass won both games against the Wildcats: a 28-20 win at Durham during the regular-season on Nov. 4, 2006 and 24-17 in the NCAA Quarterfinals in Amherst on Dec. 4, 2006.

• Last season, UMass football claimed the first CAA North title as senior Matt Lawrence rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns while Liam Coen became UMass' career passing yardage leader as the Minutemen celebrated Senior Day with a 27-7 win over rival New Hampshire. The defense was stellar as it posted eight sacks and limited UNH's Walter Payton Award winner Ricky Santos to just 221 passing yards.

• Back in 2006, the Minutemen captured the last regular-season meeting in Durham, 28-20. Defensive end John Hatchell batted down a lateral pitch by UNH quarterback Ricky Santos in the final seconds to secure the win. John's brother junior linebacker Jason Hatchell was honored with the Bill Knight Trophy as the game's MVP after he had a career-high 18 tackles.

• In the 2006 NCAA Quarterfinal, it was a virtual repeat of the waning seconds in the regular-season meeting between the rivals, Jason Hatchell batted down a fourth-and-one pass by UNH's Ricky Santos, intended for Keith LaVan, to ensure the victory of the for the Minutemen, 24-17. Steve Baylark romped for 198 yards - his second-highest rushing total - to pace the UMass offensive attack. His 60-yard burst in the first quarter set up his only touchdown of the day. Brad Anderson intercepted Ricky Santos with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter and returned the ball 31 yards to the UNH 14-yard line which set up Chris Koepplin's 33-yard field goal with 11:08 left in regulation.

• UNH posted its last win, a 34-28 win at UMass on Oct. 29, 2005. Back in 2004, UMass posted a 38-21 upset win over then-No. 7 UNH.

• The Minutemen stand at 22-11-1 against UNH in Amherst and 14-7 all-time in McGuirk Stadium.

• The series with UNH is the longest dated active series as the teams first played back in 1897. UMass posted a 10-4 win on Oct. 2, 1897. The conference foes have played every season since 1952.

• UMass has played 70 games, the third-most games of any opponent, against New Hampshire with only more games against Rhode Island (83) and UConn (71). The 42 wins against UNH is the second-most of any opponent with only more (46), coming against Rhode Island.

• Head coach Don Brown is 6-2 all-time vs. the Wildcats, going 3-1 while he was at Northeastern and 3-1 at UMass. UNH coach Sean McDonnell is 4-6 vs. UMass over his 10 years.

The Bill Knight Trophy
• The Most Outstanding Player in the University of New Hampshire-Massachusetts football game receives the Annual Bill Knight Trophy. Last season, the trophy was awarded for the 21st time to tailback Matt Lawrence after he ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Two seasons ago, the trophy was awarded to UMass junior linebacker Jason Hatchell. He was just the second defensive winner of the game, making a career-high 18 tackles.

• The award is named after Bill Knight, the long-time Sports Information Director at New Hampshire. Knight passed away in November of 1985 following a long bout with cancer. In addition to his duties at UNH, Knight was a past President of the New England Sports Information Directors Association, a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee at the 1984 Winter Games and a recipient of the Irving T. Marsh ECAC Service Bureau Award. He also served as the Information Officer of the Yankee Conference. Knight was inducted into the UNH 100 Club Hall of Fame on Oct. 2, 1987.

• In 2005, UNH's David Ball won the award after he had four receiving TDs and gaining 199 yards through the air. In 2004, Steve Baylark was honored with the award. In 2003, Jason Peebler captured the award as he caught five passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. UNH's Stephan Lewis won the award the previous three seasons -- becoming the first player to win it three times. In addition to Baylark and Peebler, other UMass winners were: Tim Bryant (1986), Dave Palazzi (1988), Gary Wilkos (1989), John Johnson (1993), Marcel Shipp (1998) and Adrian Zullo (1999).

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 36-13 with two 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.

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 42-18 (.700) record. All-time, he is in his 12th year as a head coach and has a 94-44 all-time mark, winning 68.1 percent of his games, 70.0 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).

UMass Dominating FCS & CAA Foes
• UMass has a 29-6 record since the start of 2006, in games against FCS teams. UMass is 6-4 this season overall and 6-3 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 along with losses to ranked Richmond and Maine 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 18-4 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).

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 14th all-time with 10,741. 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 11,003. 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 87 career passing touchdowns ranks 16th on the career FCS list. He can zoom up the chart. With just five more he would be 13th.

• 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 (125) and Missouri's Chase Daniel (90) on the overall Division I list including both FBS and FCS. Harrell is also the career active leader in passing yards (14,759) and completions (1,298). Coen is fifth (10,741) and sixth (795) 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 (90) 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 152.92. His mark of 154.66 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 10,741 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 87 career touchdown passes and 795 completions to own both of those records.

• Coen is UMass' career leader in pass efficiency (152.9), completion percentage (63.9), yards per attempt (8.56) and total yards per play (7.73).

• The Rhode Island native has started the last 47 games in a row with UMass holding a 35-12 record in those games since he drew his first start against Albany on Sept. 17, 2005. Of those 12 losses, four games been to FBS teams, so Coen is 35-8 against FCS teams.

• In 2008, he ranks seventh in NCAA in pass efficiency (154.66) on 171-of-275 for 2459 yards with 21 passing touchdowns and just 10 interceptions.

• In just 10 games, pass efficiency (154.66) is third-best in a single-season, touchdowns (21) is sixth, yardage total (2,459) ranks as seventh-best single season at UMass. Completions (171) 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 21 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 96.7 yards per game. He has 976 yards, on 191 carries and nine touchdowns.

• He is in line to become UMass's seventh-straight 1,000-yard rusher with 33 more yards, joining R.J. Cobbs in 2002, Steve Baylark in 2003 through 2006 and Lawrence last season.

• He gained 100 yards in four games this season and ranks 24th 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.

• Now UMass is in line to have its second straight season with a pair of 1,000-yard receivers as Criz needs just 32 yards and Horne is just 140 yards shy.

• 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 59 receptions for 968 yards. He is first in the CAA in yards per game with 96.8, which is 13th in the NCAA. He is also second in the CAA in receptions per game and 27th in the nation with 5.9.

• Cruz is just 32 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 Moore (1,100) and Rancher (1,007). Cruz is already seventh in single-season yards with 968. He is also seventh in single-season catches with 59.

• 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 48 catches for 860 yards. He is second to Cruz in the CAA in receiving yards per game at 86.0, which is 25th in the NCAA. Horne is fifth in the league in catches per game at 4.8. 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. Horne racked up 141 yards on nine catches and a career-long 58-yard touchdown vs. Maine (11/8).

• 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 vs. the Crusaders. Talley 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 14 catches for 144 yards this season including a touchdown against Holy Cross (9/6). 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.

A Defense That Won't Be Denied
• UMass' defense has been 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 six games, UMass has allowed just 275.3 yards per game after giving up more than 400 on average in the first four games. UMass has allowed its opponents to just 14.8 points in the last six 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 164.2 rushing yards and JUST 109.3 passing yards in the last six games. The first four games yielded 206 rushing yards and 216.2 passing per game.

• UMass has held four of their last six opponents to less than 100 passing yards including just 45 by Maine (11/8).

• 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 88 tackles to rank third in the CAA with 8.8 tackles per game. That mark also ranks 46th in the NCAA. He also has a team best 7.0 TFLS for 21 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 67 tackles and is tied with Jennings with 7.0TFLs for 10 yards.

• The SAM linebacker has been manned by both senior Andrew Resende-Gomes, who has 39 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).

• This season, UMass is ninth in the nation in passing yardage defense, giving up just 152 per game. That is second in the CAA.

• 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 has been the big playmaker in his second season after joining UMass after a freshman season at Navy. Miles is second on the team in tackles with 76 this season. He has three 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. Miles racked up a career-high and UMass season-best 19 tackles against Maine (11/8). 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 29 tackles in 2008 and a team-high 10 pass break-ups to rank tied for second 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 60. 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.

Defensive Line Creates Chaos
• UMass' defensive line prides itself on creating chaos and it did that very well last season. Graduated senior and CAA first-teamer David Burris led the group along with three now-juniors in CAA third-teamer Brandon Collier, Michael Hanson and Kyle C. Harrington. UMass finished first in the CAA in sacks with 44, which ranked fourth in the nation in sacks per game with 3.38 per game in 2007. UMass also had 92 TFLs (9.64 per game), which led the CAA. UMass had a season-best eight sacks vs. New Hampshire and Walter Payton Award winning quarterback Ricky Santos (11/10/07).

• After a slow start in 2008, UMass has racked up 12 sacks in the last three games including a season-best eight at Rhode Island (11/1). Including in that were a pair from senior lineman Darrlyn Fenner. UMass had four sacks vs. Bryant (10/25) after six total in the first seven games.

• The major tackler for loss on the defensive side was Hanson last year. He led the Minutemen in tackles for loss with 16 last season for a total of -83 yards, ranking second in the CAA. He also recorded seven sacks that sent the opposition 67 yards backwards. That total was second on the team to Burris' 9.5 and eighth-best in the conference.

• Collier recorded his first sack of the season against Holy Cross' Dominic Randolph (9/6). Collier had 4.5 sacks in 2007 and made 6.5 stops for losses. His big games came vs. Villanova (10/13/07), where he recorded 10 assists, and Rhode Island (11/3/07), where he had with 11 tackles, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble.

Robinson: Always A Threat On KR
• Courtney Robinson said during training camp last season that he was, "Going to take one to the house!" Well he made good on his first kickoff return of the season when he brought a kick back 100 yards just 24 seconds into the second quarter against Holy Cross (9/1/07). Robinson had UMass' first kickoff return for a touchdown since Richard Jenkins had a 97-yarder at Maine on Oct. 16, 1982. Robinson's 100-yard return tied for third longest return at UMass. Noel Reebenacker (1951 vs. Springfield) and Dennis Dent (1978 vs. Morgan State) had 102-yard returns for scores.

• This season, Robinson has not had the ball kicked his way. When it has come to him -- just 11 times, he has made opponents pay -- with a 24.8 yard average. Robinson had a season-best 59-yard return at Holy Cross (9/6), on the only ball kicked his way.

• 2007 CAA All-Conference third team kick-returner Robinson, who was an All-Conference second-team kickoff returner in 2006, is third all-time at UMass with a 24.7 career kickoff return average.

• His 1,257 career kickoff yardage is third all-time on the UMass charts. Next on the career kick return yardage list for Robinson is Tim Berra (1,295) from 1971-73. Robinson is just 60 yards from the all-time career record of 1,317 held by Stephen Parnell (1967-69)

O-Line Of Protection
• UMass has retooled its offensive line in 2008 as just one player returns in his starting spot from a season ago (Vladimir Ducasse at left tackle). The team also replaced All-CAA performers Matt Austin and Nick Diana, who both graduated.

• Senior captain Sean Calicchio is the undisputed leader of the O-line. The All-CAA player makes the move from right tackle to center this season, where he will be responsible for keeping blocking assignments organized and snap the ball to roommate and close friend Coen. While Calicchio has been on the field this season, UMass has allowed three sacks.

• The line was has been stellar early on this season, allowing just six total sacks; two on the final drive of the James Madison (9/13) game, one at Texas Tech (9/20), one at Northeastern (10/11) and two against Richmond (10/18). UMass ranks first in the CAA in fewest sacks allowed and third in the NCAA allowing just 0.6 sacks per game.

• Tailback Tony Nelson has gained 100 yards on the ground in four games this season behind the mammouth line.

• Ducasse, a native of Haiti, continues to flourish at left tackle. He won the spot protecting Coen's blind-side in the preseason in 2007 has only improved. In his 22 games over the last two seasons, UMass has allowed only 21 sacks and UMass has had a 100-yard rusher in 14 of those 21 games.

• Outside of Ducasse, the line was been a rotation of five players due to injuries.

• Senior Ben Coblyn started nine games, between right guard and right tackle. The local native from Amherst, returned to football in 2007 after playing basketball at Boston University. At 6-8, he is the tallest Minuteman and at 300 pounds is an imposing and athletic figure.

• Converted tight end Rob Getek, now a junior, has started five times on the right side. He made the move to tackle in the spring and is one of the team's most improved players according to Coach Brown.

• Sophomore John Ihne started the opener at left guard, missed the second game and played nearly all of the James Madison (9/13) game at center after Calicchio was injured. He started at center at Texas Tech (9/20), at Rhode Island (11/1) and vs. Maine (11/8).

• Redshirt freshmen Josh Samuda and Brian Ostaszewski have both filled in admirably this season. Samuda has started the last eight games at left guard while "Ozzie" started at right tackle at Holy Cross (9/6) and at Northeastern (10/11). He also started at right guard against Bryant (10/25).

• The line did not allow a sack in the first two games this season. Over the last two seasons, spanning 22 games, UMass has had 14 100-yard rushers.

• With giving up 17 sacks in 13 games last season, UMass has allowed just 60 sacks in 60 games since 2004.

Arnold and Cuko Kick Back To Form
• UMass kicking game as a been strong early on this season. Both players are back to top form after different type of struggles to return to their starting roles.

• Placekicker Armando Cuko had to wait behind two-time all-conference kicker Chris Koepplin for the last two seasons after starting as a true freshman in 2005. Cuko has been nearly perfect on kicks this season with 38-of-39 on extra points and making 6-of-8 field goals attempts.

• Cuko kicked a career-best three field goals (22, 44, 38) against Richmond (10/18). The 44-yarder was a career-best.

• Cuko made the go-ahead 38-yard field goal in the win over #16 Delaware (10/4). Cuko kicked a career-long game-winning 42-yard field goal to beat Holy Cross (9/6) in week two. That was his first kick of the season and his second game-winning kick. Back in 2005, he booted a 41-yarder to beat James Madison in the mud at McGuirk Stadium.

• UMass' other reclamation project on special teams is punter Brett Arnold. A starter in 2007 as a junior college transfer, Arnold lost his job at the end of the season to back-up quarterback Scott Woodward. Now, Arnold has returned to start in 2008 and is fourth in the nation in punting average with a 44.3 mark. Arnold leads the CAA.

• Both players have benefitted from the addition of new long snapper Travis Tripucka, who is a two-sport athlete, also playing defense on the men's lacrosse team. Tripucka, has been a welcome addition snapping to both players. He is the son of long-time NBA star Kelly Tripucka and grandson of NFL legend Frank Tripucka. His uncle Mark was a quarterback with UMass in the 1970s.

UMass Football History Thumbnail
• This is the 126th season of UMass football. UMass has an all-time record of 538-508-51 (.512) in 1,097 all-time games. The Minutemen come off their second straight conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance. UMass went 10-3 last season, going 7-1 in the inaugural season of the CAA. The Minutemen are 29-9 since the start of 2006, including a 13-2 season in 2006 in which they advanced to the National Championship game of Division I-AA/Football Championship Subdivision. UMass finished last season ranked No. 7 and was in the Top 8 all season long. With 23 wins over the last two years, UMass had the best two-year mark in school history.

Quartet of Captains In 2008
• UMass has four team captains in 2008. On the offensive side of the ball, the Minutemen will be led by senior offensive lineman Sean Calicchio and senior quarterback Liam Coen. On defense, the leaders will be senior cornerback Sean Smalls and junior defensive lineman Brandon Collier. Collier is UMass' first junior captain since linebacker Serge Tikum in 2004.

Under The Lights
• UMass played its first-ever game under the new permanent lights at McGuirk Alumni Stadium in the season opening win against Albany (8/30). At a cost of roughly $1.8 million, the lights were installed over the summer and first lit on Monday, August 25. The Minutemen had their first night practice under the new lights on Tuesday, August 26.

• UMass played four night games under temporary lights at McGuirk and won all four games. The first game under the lights came in the 2000 opener, a 36-16 win over William & Mary on Aug. 31. That game was also the only other game played in August.

• The Minutemen played the 2004 home opener under the lights -- Don Brown's first home game as UMass head coach -- a 30-20 win on Sept. 11, 2004. UMass played two home games under the lights in 2005, beating Albany, 40-0 on Sept. 17 and Rhode Island, 14-6 on Sept. 24.

• Lights were installed for the 2006 NCAA I-AA Playoffs for UMass' 24-17 win over New Hampshire on Dec. 2. That game kicked off at 2:30 p.m. and the lights did not take effect until the second half.

Looking Back At 2007
• UMass won an NCAA Playoff game for the second-consecutive season before succumbing to Southern Illinois in a hard-fought 34-27 contest in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Dec. 1. The Minutemen finished 10-3 on the season (7-1 in conference play), marking the second-straight conference championship (they shared the crown with Richmond) while finishing with a double-figure victory total for the second-straight year. The conference title was UMass' 22nd overall, propelling the Minutemen into the CAA record books as an inaugural conference champ. In total, the Minutemen have earned 17 Yankee Conference titles, four Atlantic 10 Conference championships, and one in the CAA.

• The Minutemen were a perfect 6-0 at home to extend their home winning streak to 14 games. The team hasn't lost a home tilt since the 2005 campaign. The Minutemen finished the season at No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the Sports Network Poll.

• For the second year in a row, the UMass football team was the most decorated team in terms of all-conference selections. Last year, UMass set an all-time league record with 20 members of the All-Conference team. UMass led the league with 17 All-CAA selections.