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University of Massachusets Athletics
Higgins A Real Catch For UMass
December 02, 1999 | Football
Thie following feature is from the December issue of the Maroon & White, the monthly newspaper of the UMass Athletic Department. To subscribe to the Maroon & White, contact Athletic Development at (413) 545-0810.
by Charles Bare
The Maroon & White
When the UMass football coaching staff recruited Sean Higgins in the winter of 1998, they were looking for someone who could provide immediate help at wide receiver. Higgins was a big, strong wide out, who was coming off a 1997 season at Cayuga (N.Y.) Community College in which he earned Junior College All-America honors. Mark Whipple knew that an experienced and mature player like Higgins was just what he needed to help turn things around at UMass.
Now, with only a few games remaining in Higgins? senior season, those expectations look to have come true. Higgins currently ranks third in the squad in receiving with 34 catches for 354 yards and a touchdown. There is only one thing that is different. Higgins is doing it as the UMass starting tight end.
During fall camp prior to the 1998 season, Higgins worked out with the wide receivers for the first few weeks. But in the week before the season-opener against Delaware, the coaches told him they needed him to make the move to tight end. The Minutemen had little depth at the position behind starter Kerry Taylor, and needed a player with Higgins? skill who was capable of stepping in and contributing. There was also an abundance of talent at wide receiver, where Higgins would have had to compete with Eric Bross and Eddie Bowman for time as a backup behind Jimmy Moore and Adrian Zullo.
The 6-2, 219-pound Higgins stepped up to the challenge of changing positions and became the second-string tight end almost immediately. He also put in a lot of extra work to learn a position where his blocking would be much more important.
?When I first made the change, it was pretty hard for me to adjust,? says Higgins. ?But I spent a lot of time watching film, and also watching Kerry Taylor in practice and in games. I kept on working hard and received good instruction. I have come a long way, but I know that I still need to improve my game more.?
As the 1998 season progressed, Higgins? playing time continued to increase. He recorded his first UMass reception against Richmond in the second game of the season, finishing the contest with two catches for 18 yards. The Brewster, N.Y., native again caught two passes in the victory over Villanova in late October, including a career-long 64-yard reception from Todd Bankhead. Later in the year, Higgins earned a pair of starts when the Minutemen went with two-tight end sets, against Maine and Lehigh. He concluded the season with five catches for 112 yards.
The conclusion of the 1998 season brought some new expectations for Higgins, who would now be expected to take over as the starting tight end. With the graduation of Taylor, who caught 100 passes for 1,098 yards and six touchdowns during his collegiate career, the Minutemen needed someone to step in and become a key receiver in the offense. But replacing a player who goes on to the National Football League is never easy.
?When the season started, I figured I would hear a lot from the media about trying to fill Kerry Taylor?s shoes,? says Higgins. ?I know that I will never be the blocker that he is, but I think I can offer the team a lot as a receiver with my speed. You can never really replace someone with Kerry?s talent, but I just do the best I can and keep working hard.?
This year, the coaches have looked to take advantage of Higgins? speed and receiving skills to give the team advantages in the match-ups with opposing teams.
?Sean Higgins has excellent speed for a tight end,? says tight ends coach Brian Crist. ?We try to take advantage of that, and it really helps our offense. He is very hard for most linebackers to match up with, and that gives our offense an advantage. Sean is also versatile enough that he can still flex out and line up as a wide receiver. That allows us to confuse the defense without making any personnel changes.?
The plan appears to have paid off for the Minutemen, with Higgins currently ranking second on the team in receiving yards and third in receptions. He had his biggest day against New Hampshire in the season opener with a career-high seven catches for 74 yards. Higgins also had six receptions for 63 yards against Hofstra, and scored his first touchdown as a Minuteman at Maine, while totaling four catches for 44 yards. Through the first nine games of the season, Higgins has caught 34 passes for 354 yards and one score.
With the 1999 season winding down, Higgins has only a few games left in his collegiate career. And even though he may not be playing the position he expected to play at UMass, he is still happy with his decision to come and play for the Minutemen.
?Coming out of junior college, I was really excited to play in Coach Whipple?s offense,? says Higgins. ?It is hard to pass up the chance to play in a system that is so wide open, where they throw the ball 45 times a game. I thought I caught a lot of passes in junior college, but in my best season I only had 31 receptions. In our nine games so far this year, I already have 34 catches. The whole offensive system is so good, I?m just glad I?ve had a chance to be a part of it.?