Amherst, Mass. (17,000/FieldTurf)
TV: CN8 (Jeff Rickard, Bob Norton, John Carchedi)
Radio: WRNX (100.9 FM - Flagship)
WCRN (830 AM), WATD (95.9 FM), WCAP (980 AM)
UMass Seeks Senior Class Win Record in Finale
Saturday is Senior Day as UMass takes on Hofstra in the season finale
for both teams. The game will air live on CN8 with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. The
Minutemen will honor its senior class prior to the game as the group looks
to become the winningest four-year class in program history.
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 36-14 heading into the final game vs. Hofstra.
With a win, the class will set the new school record. The record of 36 wins
was set by the 2006 seniors, who went 36-14. Last year¹s senior class also
went 36-14 in four years.
The seniors have been among the most successful in UMass history,
winning a pair of conference championships in 2006 and 2007. The Minutemen
advanced to the 2006 NCAA title game and the 2007 NCAA second round.
Saturday¹s game will be broadcast live on the UMass Sports Network
with Josh Maurer, in his first season as the new ³Voice of the Minutemen.²
Former kicker Matt Goldstein will handle the color commentary, while Adam
Frenier will be covering the sidelines. The pregame show begins at 2 p.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.
The football game is the middle contest is a tripleheader of action on
the UMass campus on Saturday. At noon, the men¹s soccer team, which reached
the NCAA College Cup last year, hosts Harvard in the 2008 NCAA men¹s soccer
first round. Following the football game, the hockey team hosts defending
NCAA champion Boston College at 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center.
UMass Out Of Polls
UMass is ranked not ranked for the first time in 55 weeks. They had
been ranked every week since the first week of the 2005 season in the Sports
Network media poll. The Minutemen were just one of five programs in the
nation to have been ranked every week since that point (Montana, New
Hampshire, Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois).
The Series: UMass vs. Hofstra
This year¹s game is the 12th between UMass and Hofstra with the Pride
holding a 6-5 lead in the series which has been played each of the last 11
years. It¹s the fifth year in a row the game is the regular-season finale
for both teams.
The visiting team has six of the 11 games, but the home team has been
victorious five of the last seven. Last year, UMass continued the trend of
winning on the road as the Minutemen dumped the Pride, 27-5 on Nov. 17, 2007
in a game nationally-televised on ESPNU. Two seasons ago, in the last game
in Amherst, UMass won on its Senior Day, 22-16 on Nov. 18, 2006. Three years
ago on Long Island -- playing in former head coach Joe Gardi¹s last game,
Hofstra ended UMass¹ hope of an NCAA berth with a 21-10 win on Nov. 19,
2005. Back in 2004, UMass won 40-30 in the season finale in 2004. The Pride
played at Amherst for the third straight season in 2004, and the sixth time
in the first eight years of the series.
Connections Of Note Between UMass/Hofstra
UMass senior defensive back Brian Ellis is the brother of one of
Hofstra¹s all-time great receivers Devale Ellis, who graduated in 2006 and
is on the Detroit Lions.
UMass has five players from the state of New York, but none from Long
Island. Two Minutemen are natives of New York City, about 30 minutes from
the Hempstead campus in senior OL Sean Calicchio (Brooklyn, N.Y.), and Brian
Ellis (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
UMass defensive line coach and special teams coordinator Sean Spencer
coached the 2006 season at Hofstra prior to returning to UMass in 2007,
working with the Pride defensive line.
UMass Seeks Second-best Attendance Mark
The crowds at McGuirk Stadium has been sensational all season and UMass
can post the second-best season average attendance on Saturday with a crowd
of 7,677. That would give UMass an average of 12,812 surpassing the
second-place mark of 12,811 set in the NCAA Championship season of 1998. The
all-time record came in the following season where UMass averaged 14,684 in
1999. That mark is out of reach as UMass would need a crowd of an impossible
18,914 in the final game at the 17,000-seat McGuirk Stadium.
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 42-19 (.689) record.
All-time, he is in his 12th year as a head coach and has a 94-45 all-time
mark, winning 67.6 percent of his games, 68.9 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 29-7 record since the start of 2006, in games against FCS
teams. UMass is 6-5 this season overall and 6-4 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, Maine and New
Hampshire 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 18-5 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).
Coen¹s 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 11th all-time with 10,952. 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. Towson¹s Sean Schaefer went over the mark
earlier this season and leads all active FCS passers with 11,329. Prior to
Schaefer, New Hampshire¹s Ricky Santos was the last with 10,000 career
passing yards. There have been 50 passers in FBS with 10,000 career yards.
Coen¹s 88 career passing touchdowns ranks 16th on the career FCS list.
He can zoom up the chart. With just four more he would be 13th.
Coen is first on the career active touchdown passes list in FCS with a
UMass record 88 passes. Coen is third to Texas Tech¹s Graham Harrell (125)
and Missouri¹s Chase Daniel (92) 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 (10,952) and sixth (817) on
those lists among all of Division I. He ranks second in all of FCS in those
categories to Towson¹s Sean Schaefer.
Coen is also second in FCS career active leader in the following
statistics: touchdowns responsible for (91) 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 seventh on the list at
150.8. His mark of 145.7 this season is 18th in the nation.
Coen became UMass¹ career passing leader with 191 yards vs. New
Hampshire (11/10/07). He now has 10,952 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 UMass¹ 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 Bankhead¹s 51 and Coen took over as the all-time
completion leader that same game with 22, moving him ahead of Bankhead¹s
561. He now has 88 career touchdown passes and 817 completions to own both
of those records.
Coen is UMass¹ career leader in pass efficiency (150.8), completion
percentage (63.6), yards per attempt (8.56) and total yards per play (7.73).
The Rhode Island native has started the last 48 games in a row with
UMass holding a 35-13 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 35-9 against FCS teams.
In 2008, he ranks 18th in NCAA in pass efficiency (145.7) on 193-of-316
for 2670 yards with 22 passing touchdowns and just 14 interceptions.
In 11 games, pass efficiency (145.7) is third-best in a single-season,
touchdowns (22) is sixth, yardage total (2,670) ranks as sixth-best single
season at UMass. Completions (193) mark is seventh-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 22 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. Coen¹s 25 completions rank 12th
most in UMass¹ 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 101.9 yards per game. He
has 1,121 yards, on 215 carries and 10 touchdowns.
He became UMass¹s seventh-straight 1,000-yard rusher with 154 yards at
#13 New Hampshire (11/15), he joined R.J. Cobbs in 2002, Steve Baylark in
2003 through 2006 and Lawrence last season.
He gained 100 yards in five games this season and ranks 26th 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. Cobbs¹ 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, UMass¹ receivers had a combined 18-career
receptions, 12 by Jeremy Horne, four by Joe Sanford, and one each by Victor
Cruz and Ke¹Mon Bailey.
Now UMass is in line to have its second straight season with a pair of
1,000-yard receivers as Cruz went over the mark at #13 New Hampshire (11/15)
and has 1,048 < the fourth-most in a season in UMass history. Horne is just
105 yards shy with 895 entering the last game.
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 68 receptions for 1048 yards. He is
first in the CAA in yards per game with 95.3, which is 15th in the NCAA. He
is also first in the CAA in receptions per game and 21st in the nation with
6.2.
Cruz became 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 fourth
in single-season yards with 1048. He is also fifth in single-season catches
with 68.
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 50 catches for 895
yards. He is second to Cruz in the CAA in receiving yards per game at 81.4,
which is 32nd in the NCAA. Horne is sixth in the league in catches per game
at 4.6.
On the single-season lists, Horne is tied for 12th in catches in a year
with 50 and is 10th in single-season yards.
Horne, one of Coen¹s 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
London¹s 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 17 catches for 225 yards. Talley
logged CAA Football Rookie of the Week honors after teaming with Coen, in
the Minutemen¹s 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 17 catches for 174 yards this season including a touchdown
against Holy Cross (9/6). A big target, he is also one of the team¹s 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 Won¹t Be Denied
UMass¹ defense has been of the nation¹s 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 nation¹s 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 six games from Oct. 4-Nov. 11, UMass allowed just 275.3 yards per
game after giving up more than 400 on average in the first four games. UMass
allowed its opponents to just 14.8 points in those 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 gave up just 164.2 rushing yards and
JUST 109.3 passing yards in those six games. The first four games yielded
206 rushing yards and 216.2 passing per game.
UMass held four of their last seven 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 defense¹s top tackler has been middle linebacker Josh
Jennings, who ranks second on the team with 90 tackles to rank fifth in the
CAA with 8.2 tackles per game. That mark also ranks 68th in the NCAA. He
also has a team best 7.0 TFLS for 21 yards. Jennings has been honored as the
CAA¹s 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 Minutemen¹s 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 69 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 41 tackles and junior Anthony Rouzier, who has 25 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 22nd in the nation in passing yardage defense,
giving up just 165.1 per game. That is fourth 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 first on the team in
tackles with 94 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 32 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 year¹s 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
UMass¹ 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
four 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
Burris¹ 9.5 and eighth-best in the conference.
Collier recorded his first sack of the season against Holy Cross¹
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,
³Going to take one to the house!² 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 UMass¹
first kickoff return for a touchdown since Richard Jenkins had a 97-yarder
at Maine on Oct. 16, 1982. Robinson¹s 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 16 times, he has made opponents pay -- with a 23.2 yard
average. Robinson had a season-best 59-yard return at Holy Cross (9/6), on
the only ball kicked his way.
His 1,357 career kickoff yardage set the all-time on the UMass charts
passing both Stephen Parnell (1,317) and Tim Berra (1,295) with 100 yards in
the game at New Hampshire (11/15).
2007 CAA All-Conference third team kick-returner Robinson, who was an
All-Conference second-team kickoff returner in 2006, is fourth all-time at
UMass with a 24.2 career kickoff return average.
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 made the move from right tackle to center this season.
After starting seven games there, Calicchio moved to right guard for two
games and started at right tackle last week at New Hampshire 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 second in
the NCAA allowing just 0.55 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 Coen¹s blind-side in the preseason in 2007 has only
improved. In his 23 games over the last two seasons, UMass has allowed only
21 sacks and UMass has had a 100-yard rusher in 15 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
team¹s 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 four times at Texas Tech (9/20),
at Rhode Island (11/1), vs. Maine (11/8) and at #13 New Hampshire (11/15).
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 ³Ozzie² 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 23 games, UMass has had 15 100-yard rushers.
With giving up 17 sacks in 13 games last season, UMass has allowed just
60 sacks in 61 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
41-of-42 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.
UMass¹ 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 second in the nation in punting average
with a 45.02 mark. Arnold leads the CAA.
Arnold¹s mark would set a UMass single-season record. Andrew Maclay
holds the mark at 43.3 in 1998.
Both players have benefitted from the addition of new long snapper
Travis Tripucka, who is a two-sport athlete, also playing defense on the
men¹s 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.
