University of Massachusets Athletics
Football Travels To Face-Off Against New Hampshire
October 22, 2000 | Football
Oct. 22, 2000
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THE SERIES WITH NEW HAMPSHIRE: UMass holds a 37-21-3 lead in the all-time series which began in 1897, but the Wildcats have won seven of the last 10 meetings. New Hampshire has won four of the last five meetings in Durham, but the Minutemen posted a 27-26 victory in their last to New Hampshire on Oct. 31, 1998. The series has seen a number of close games in recent years, with seven of the last 11 meetings being decided by one touchdown or less. From 1993-95, the three contests were decided by a combined total of eight points: 1993 (UMass 15, UNH 13 in Amherst), 1994 (UNH 14, UMass 11 in Durham) and 1995 (UNH 32, UMass 29 in Amherst).
Series Quick Facts
Overall UMass, 37-21-3
At Durham UMass, 18-12-2
At Cowell Stadium UMass, 14-9-1
Current Win Streak UMass, 2 games
Mark Whipple vs. New Hampshire 2-0
Sean McDonnell vs. UMass 0-1
Most UMass points 64 (Nov. 19, 1988)
Most UNH points 56 (Nov. 12, 1921)
Fewest UMass points 0 (six times)
Fewest UNH points 0 (nine times)
Largest UMass margin 47 (47-0, Nov. 14, 1964)
Largest UNH margin 49 (56-7, Nov. 12, 1921)
In overtime n/a
Ayi Among Nation's Best: Senior linebacker Kole Ayi (Nashua, N.H.), one of the favorites to win the 2000 Buck Buchanan Award, continues to lead the UMass defense in tackles. Last week against AIC, Ayi made a team-high 12 tackles with two tackles for loss. In the victory over Northeastern he totaled nine tackles, including a career-best three sacks for 16 yards. Against Hofstra, Ayi totaled a season-high 17 tackles, including seven solo stops and one tackle for loss. Earlier this year he recorded a team-best 11 tackles at Richmond, including one tackle for loss. Ayi also totaled five tackles and a 12-yard sack against New Haven, while recording six tackles against William & Mary and five tackles against Maine. For the season, he leads the team with 67 total tackles through seven games. Ayi also has four sacks for 28 yards and nine tackles for loss on the season. He has moved into second place on the all-time UMass list for solo tackles, with 292 during his career as a Minuteman, while also ranking fourth in total tackles with 422. Ayi is only the third player in school history to make over 250 career unassisted tackles, and needs seven more to break the UMass career record.
HEAD COACH MARK WHIPPLE: Now in his third season as head coach of the Minutemen, Mark Whipple has posted an overall record of 26-9 (.743) during his UMass career. He was the fastest coach in school history to record 20 victories, picking up the 20th win of his UMass career against Connecticut last season. Whipple needed only 26 games to reach the 20-win mark.
Previously, Mike Hodges held the record for fewest games needed to reach 20 wins, going 20-7 in his first 27 games as UMass head coach. Whipple also became the first coach in school history to win 20 games in his first two seasons, as Hodges did not record his 20th victory until the sixth game of his third season.
Whipple needs one more victory in 2000 to become the first UMass coach in 20 years to lead his team to three consecutive winning seasons.
The last Minuteman coach to accomplish the feat was Bob Pickett, who led UMass to four straight winning years from 1978-81. Whipple owns a career record of 98-42 (.700) in 13 years as a collegiate head coach, including four years at Brown (24-16 / 1994-97) and six seasons at New Haven (48-17 / 1988-93).
SHIPP CONTINUES TO SAIL: Senior tailback Marcel Shipp (Paterson, N.J.) is having yet another fine season for the Minutemen, despite being slowed by a sprained ankle.
In last week's victory over AIC, Shipp rushed 23 times for 111 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a team-high six passes for 37 yards.
A week earlier against Maine, he rushed 20 times for 114 yards and caught three passes for 20 yards. Shipp rushed 31 times for a season-best 147 yards against New Haven, while carrying 27 times for 112 yards and a touchdown at Richmond.
With his performance against the Spiders, Shipp has now rushed for 100 yards in a game against every team in the Atlantic 10 Conference. He has accomplished the feat three times against Maine, twice against New Hampshire, Villanova and William & Mary, and once each against Delaware, James Madison, Northeastern, Rhode Island and Richmond. Shipp also rushed for over 100 yards four times against former Atlantic 10 member Connecticut.
Dating back to last season, Shipp has now rushed for over 100 yards 28 times in his last 31 games. For the year, he has totaled 634 yards and four touchdowns on 141 carries, while also catching 16 passes for 159 yards.
THE BILL KNIGHT TROPHY: Each year, the Most Valuable Player of the UMass-New Hampshire game is presented the Bill Knight Trophy, named in honor of the late UNH sports information director. UMass wide receiver Adrian Zullo won the award last year, after catching five passes for 92 yards and four touchdowns.
The previous season, UMass running back Marcel Shipp won the award, rushing for 185 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. A running back has won the trophy in five of the last seven years, with New Hampshire's Jerry Azumah taking home the prize in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and UMass' John Johnson winning it in 1993. In the 14-year history of the Bill Knight Trophy, the award has also gone to a quarterback seven times, a wide receiver once and a defensive lineman once. A New Hampshire player has won the trophy eight times, with a UMass player taking it home six times.
Robinson PLAYS BIG at Safety: Junior free safety Jeremy Robinson (Syracuse, N.Y.) is having yet another big year in the UMass secondary. In last week's victory against AIC, Robinson ranked second on the team with eight total tackles, while making one tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
A week earlier against Maine, he made five total tackles while also intercepting a pass and recording two pass breakups. At Northeastern, Robinson led the team with 10 tackles, in addition to intercepting a pass during the fourth quarter.
In the victory over New Haven, he totaled three tackles with a sack, three pass breakups and his first interception of the season.
At Richmond, Robinson ranked second on the team with 10 tackles, along with one tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
On the year, he now ranks second on the team with 45 tackles, while also posting a sack, three interceptions and eight pass breakups.
Last season, Robinson ranked second on the team in tackles with 103, including 69 solo stops. He also made 12 tackles for loss, to go along with four sacks, six interceptions, six pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Since allowing 51 points and 489 yards to then-10th ranked Hofstra on Sept. 30, the Minuteman defense has put the clamps on its opponents. Over the last three games, UMass has yielded just 5.7 points and 229.3 yards per game. In its five wins this year, UMass has allowed just 14.2 points and 236.8 total yards, compared to 41.0 points and 412.0 yards in its two losses.
QUINLAN PRODUCTIVE OFF THE BENCH: Junior tailback Kevin Quinlan (Somerville, Mass.), who has been a dependable backup to Marcel Shipp over the course of his career, had another outstanding game in last week's victory over AIC with 16 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Earlier in the season at Northeastern, Quinlan rushed 38 times for 241 yards and two touchdowns, recording the ninth-best single game rushing performance in school history.
Following that performance, Quinlan was honored as the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and received the Coca-Cola Gold Helmet as the Division I Player of the Week in New England.
During his UMass career, Quinlan has now rushed for 100 yards in a game on five occasions, and UMass is 5-0 in those contests. His previous best game came against McNeese State in the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, when he had 147 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Quinlan also totaled 127 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries against Northeastern last year, and had 16 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown against Connecticut in 1999.
For the season, Quinlan now has 579 yards and six touchdowns on 106 carries, while catching 10 passes for 107 yards.
He also broke the 1,000-mark in career rushing yards against Northeastern, and enters the New Hampshire game with 253 career carries for 1,299 yards and 16 scores.
SHIPP AND AYI AMONG FAVORITES FOR NATIONAL AWARDS: Marcel Shipp and Kole Ayi both have good chances of winning the National Player of the Year awards presented by The Sports Network. Last year, Shipp finished fifth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award (given to the top player in Division I-AA), and is one of only four returning players to finish in the top 10 last season. Ayi placed second in last year's voting for the Buck Buchanan Award (presented to the best defensive player in the country), and is the only one of the top four finishers from last season to return.
SHIPP STARTS 1,000-1,000 CLUB: Against Maine on Oct. 14, senior tailback Marcel Shipp became the first player in school history to break the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving yards. He caught three passes for 20 yards against the Black Bears, giving him 1,009 receiving yards in his UMass career (he now has 1,046 yards). Shipp is the all-time UMass leader in career rushing yards with 5,778. The previous school record for most career receiving yards by a 1,000-yard rusher was 632 by Matt Jordan (1,278 rushing yards / 1995-98). The most career rushing yards by any UMass 1,000-yard receiver is 496 by Chip Mitchell (1,680 receiving yards / 1986-89).
MINUTEMEN HAVE TWO 100-YARD RUSHERS AGAIN: In last week's victory over AIC, UMass had two players rush for over 100 yards for the third time in the last two seasons. Kevin Quinlan led the Minutemen with 120 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while Marcel Shipp added 111 yards and a score on 23 carries. Shipp and Quinlan also teamed up to each break the century mark twice in the 1999 season, accomplishing the feat against Northeastern and Connecticut. In the Northeastern game, Shipp ran 24 times for 110 yards and four touchdowns, with Quinlan rushing 24 times for 127 yards and two scores. Against Connecticut, Shipp had 24 carries for 142 yards and three scores, with Quinlan running 16 times for 100 yards and a touchdown.
BROWER HAS BREAKTHROUGH GAME AGAINST MAINE: Redshirt freshman defensive end Valdamar Brower (Florence, Mass.) had his best game of the season in the victory over Maine. He led the UMass defense with eight tackles in the game, including five tackles for loss and four sacks for 20 yards. The four sacks came just one shy of the school single-game record, held by Scott Assencoa with five sacks against Connecticut in 1992. Following the Maine game, Brower was honored as the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week and the Teamlink / CFAA National Newcomer of the Week. For the season, Brower ranks eight on the team with 31 total tackles, including five sacks and nine tackles for loss.
Shipp in the Record Books: Senior tailback Marcel Shipp, who already owns a number of all-time UMass records, has a chance to break two school career scoring records against New Hampshire. Shipp enters the game with career totals of 55 touchdowns and 330 points, He has already tied Rene Ingoglia's record of 55 career touchdowns, and stands only two points away from Ingoglia's mark of 332 career points (set from 1992-95). Shipp also has a career total of 5,778 rushing yards, placing him second on the all-time Atlantic 10 list, only 415 yards behind New Hampshire's Jerry Azumah (6,193 yards / 1995-98).
Smith a Top Student-Athlete: Senior defensive back Brian Smith (Wilmington, Del.) looks to be a candidate for both All-America and Academic All-America honors this season. Smith, who has started both at cornerback and strong safety this year, made four tackles in the victory over Maine, with three tackles for loss and a pass breakup. He totaled six tackles at Northeastern, and had a key interception in the end zone during the third quarter when the Huskies were ahead by three points. Against Hofstra, Smith tallied five tackles with one tackle for loss, while he had five tackles and a sack for four yards in the win over New Haven.
At Richmond he ranked third on the team with nine tackles, including three tackles for loss, and against William & Mary in the season opener he tied for second on the team in tackles with six. On the season, Smith now ranks fourth on the team with 40 total tackles, including a team-best 10 tackles for loss.
Last year, Smith ranked third on the team in total tackles with 102, including 73 solo stops. He also had 10 tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions and four pass breakups.
In addition, Smith carries a cumulative grade point average of 3.36 in Accounting.
HARDY PUTS UP BIG NUMBERS: Junior wide receiver DeShon Hardy (Neptune, N.J.) has turned into one of the top receivers for the Minutemen this season.
Last week against AIC, he ranked second on the team with three receptions for 30 yards.
Against Northeastern, Hardy led the team with six receptions for 49 yards, while also returning three punts for 33 yards and one kickoff for 20 yards.
Earlier in the season at Richmond, Hardy caught four passes for a team-high 93 yards, while also returning three punts for 74 yards. He finished that game with 167 all-purpose yards, while averaging 23.9 yards every time he touched the ball.
On the season, Hardy ranks second on the team with 18 receptions for 256 yards, while returning 15 punts for 169 yards. He also has 463 all-purpose yards on the year, and has averaged 13.2 yards per touch.
SANGER IS A WEAPON: Sophomore punter David Sanger (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) has punted 28 times this year, landing 11 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. On the year, he has averaged 39.7 yards per punt, helping UMass to an Atlantic 10-best net average of 37.4 yards per punt. Over the course of his UMass career, Sanger has now punted 90 times for 3,626 yards, and his average of 40.3 yards per punt ranks as the best in UMass history. Thirty of his 90 career punts have pinned opponents inside the 20.
WHIPPLE'S OFFENSE REMAINS IMPRESSIVE: UMass continues to boast one of the nation's top offenses, averaging 30.0 points and 425.4 yards per game so far in 2000.
Last season, UMass finished the year with 415 points (31.9 per game), second-most in school history behind only the 524 points scored in 1998 (33.5 per game). The third highest scoring total in school history is 343 points set by both the 1978 and 1988 teams (the 1978 squad set the record in 13 games and the 1988 team needed 12 games). UMass also recorded the second highest single-season mark in school history for total offense last year with 5,673 yards. The record of 7,074 yards was set by the 1998 Minutemen in 15 games, while the 1988 team had the third-highest total with 4,638 yards in 12 games.
In addition, UMass has scored 30 or more points in a single game 19 times during Mark Whipple's tenure, posting a 16-3 record in those contests. The Minutemen have also tallied 400 or more yards of total offense in 25 of their last 35 games, and have topped the 500-yard mark seven times.
FAST FINISH: Over the last three years, UMass has a combined record of 5-5 in games played before Oct. 1, but the Minutemen have come on to record strong finishes every year. Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass has a mark of 21-4 in games played in October, November or December. The Minutemen have an 11-2 record in the month of October over the last two years, including an 9-1 mark against Atlantic 10 foes.
UMASS ON THE 28TH: The Minutemen have been very successful throughout their history in games played on Oct. 28, posting an overall record of 12-2. UMass has won its last 10 games played on this date, going back to a 6-0 loss at Tufts during the 1911 season. The Minutemen are also 5-2 in road games played on Oct. 28, with four straight victories. UMass and New Hampshire have played once previously on this date, with UMass winning 12-10 in Amherst during the 1922 season. The last time the Minutemen took the field on Oct. 28 came during the 1995 season, when they defeated Lehigh 44-36 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The first-ever game for UMass on this date came in 1899, an 11-6 victory at Vermont.
MINUTEMEN TO PLAY 1,000TH GAME: UMass will play the 1,000th football game in school history when it travels to New Hampshire this week. The Minutemen will also be looking to push their all-time record over the .500-mark, as they enter the game with an all-time record of 474-474-51. This year marks the 118th season of UMass football, with the first game in school history being played on Nov. 22, 1879 (a 4-0 victory over Amherst College).
UMASS AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: The Minutemen have faced one ranked opponent so far this season, falling to No. 10 Hofstra 51-36. Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass now stands 8-7 against ranked opponents. The Minutemen faced five ranked teams last season, posting an overall mark of 2-3. UMass defeated No. 18 Delaware 26-19 and No. 8 Furman 30-23 in overtime, while falling to No. 22 Villanova 26-21, No. 6 Hofstra 27-14 and No. 2 Georgia Southern 38-21. In 1998, the Minutemen posted wins over No. 5 Hofstra (40-35), No. 20 Villanova (36-26), No. 6 McNeese State (21-19), No. 13 Lehigh (27-21), No. 2 Northwestern State (41-31) and No. 1 Georgia Southern (55-43). The 1998 losses to ranked teams were against No. 3 Delaware (33-30), No. 15 Connecticut (44-41 in overtime) and No. 9 Connecticut (28-27). UMass' six victories over ranked opponents in 1998 set a school single-season record.
MINUTEMEN BRING IN ACADEMIC HONORS: A number of UMass players received honors last season for their work both on the field and in the classroom. Graduated senior Mike Wynne led the way by being named a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete, a Burger King Division I-AA Scholar Athlete and a GTE / CoSIDA first team Academic All-American. Both Wynne and current senior Brian Smith were selected to the GTE / CoSIDA Academic All-District I first team, marking the second straight season both players were named to that squad. Wynne and Smith were joined by graduated senior Todd Bankhead, senior wide receiver Steve Ley (Philadelphia, Pa.) and senior defensive end Dan Schneider (Fitchburg, Mass.) on the Academic All-Atlantic 10 team, with both Bankhead and Wynne also being named to the Division I-AA Athletic Directors Academic All-Star team. This year Smith will be a top candidate for Academic All-America honors, as he currently carries a 3.36 grade point average in Accounting.
FERRER STEPS UP ON DEFENSE: Senior linebacker Joe Ferrer (Casselberry, Fla.) has been a key part of the success for the UMass defense so far this season. He currently ranks third on the team in total tackles with 44, including a team-high 10 tackles for loss. Ferrer's top game so far this season came at Northeastern when he totaled nine tackles, including one tackle for loss. He also had a big game at Richmond, making three tackles for loss among his seven total tackles. Against AIC, Ferrer had eight tackles with three tackles for loss. Ferrer is a transfer from the University of Notre Dame, where he totaled 67 tackles during his first three years of collegiate competition.
Zullo Makes His Mark: Junior wide receiver Adrian Zullo (Pompano Beach, Fla.) had a strong start this season, before being lost for the year due to knee surgery as the result of an injury suffered at Northeastern. Zullo totaled 25 receptions for 398 yards and six touchdowns in the first five games of the season. Against Hofstra, he had seven catches for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns. A week earlier against New Haven, Zullo caught a team-high seven passes for 113 yards and a score. He also had five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown against William & Mary, and totaled five receptions for 82 yards and two scores at Richmond. Zullo has caught at least one pass in each of his last 19 games and has had multiple receptions in 25 of 32 career contests. He already holds a number of UMass receiving records in only his third year as a Minuteman, including career marks for both receptions and receiving yards.
MCKENZIE MAKES MOST OF PLAYING TIME: Sophomore strong safety Anton McKenzie (Medford, N.Y.), who has earned a great deal of playing time this season as a nickel back, has come through with some outstanding performances. He earned the first start of his career against New Haven, with UMass using five or six defensive backs to counteract the Chargers' four wide out attack, and totaled a team-best eight tackles with three quarterback sacks for a total of 25 yards. McKenzie also had a big game in the victory over Maine, recording seven total tackles and two sacks for 11 yards. For the season, McKenzie has now totaled 25 tackles, with a team-best five sacks for 36 yards.
LUCERO NEAR TOP OF NCAA STAT LEADERS: Junior quarterback Richard Lucero (Phoenix, Ariz.) heads a list of six different UMass players who are currently ranked among the NCAA Division I-AA statistical leaders, through games of Oct. 21. Lucero stands fourth in passing efficiency.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: New Hampshire enters this week's game with an overall record of 4-3 and a 2-3 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Wildcats opened the season with four straight victories, before falling to James Madison (24-13), Richmond (31-10) and Villanova (49-42) in their last three games. New Hampshire's offense averages 25.0 points and 394.3 yards per game, including 241.9 yards through the air and 152.4 yards on the ground.
Junior quarterback Ryan Day has completed 128 of 217 passes for 1,670 yards and 11 touchdowns with nine interceptions on the season.
Sophomore tailback Stephan Lewis has led the Wildcat ground game, rushing 156 times for 649 yards and seven touchdowns, while also leading the team in receiving with 42 catches for 455 yards and three scores.
Senior linebacker Brett Barshaw leads the New Hampshire defense with 87 total tackles and 15 tackles for loss, while senior strong safety Erik Mitchell has chipped in with 61 tackles and a pair of interceptions.
NEW HAMPSHIRE HEAD COACH SEAN MCDONNELL: Sean McDonnell is in his second season as head coach at New Hampshire, after taking over for 27-year head coach Bill Bowes who retired in the spring of 1999. Through seven games of his second year, McDonnell has an overall record of 9-9. Prior to taking over as head coach, McDonnell served as an assistant coach on the New Hampshire staff for eight seasons. He began his career with the Wildcats coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers, before spending the five years as offensive coordinator. A 1978 New Hampshire graduate, McDonnell was a three-year starter at defensive back and played on Yankee Conference championship teams in 1975 and 1976.
MINUTEMEN AMONG THE A-10 LEADERS: Several Minutemen rank among the Atlantic 10 leaders through games of Oct. 21. Marcel Shipp ranks second in rushing (105.7 yards/game) and fourth in all-purpose yards (132.2 yards/game).
Richard Lucero stands first in passing efficiency (154.9 rating), third in passing yards (219.3 yards/game) and fifth in total offense (215.8 yards/game).
Sophomore placekicker Doug White (Claremont, Calif.) leads the league in both field goal percentage (100.0) and extra point percentage (100.0), and stands fourth in field goals made (0.7 field goals/game).
David Sanger stands third in punting (39.7 yards/punt), DeShon Hardy ranks fourth in punt returns (11.3 yards/return), Jeremy Robinson is third in interceptions (0.4 picks/game), junior cornerback Rob Green (Freeport, N.Y.) stands fourth in interceptions (0.3 picks/game) and senior tailback Troy Lockman (Newport News, Va.) ranks fifth in punt returns (10.5 yards/return).
As a team, UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in passing offense (254.4 yards/game) and net punting (37.4 yards/punt), while ranking second in total offense (426.4 yards/game), and third in total defense (286.9 yards/game), rushing defense (101.6 yards/game) and punt returns (11.0 yards/return).
MCGUIRK MAGIC: Since Mark Whipple took over as the head coach of the Minutemen prior to the start of the 1998 season, UMass has been almost unbeatable in the friendly confines of McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The Minutemen have gone 13-3 (.813) at home from 1998 to present, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 121-64-2 (.652). Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home record of 34-16 (.680) during that time. The Minutemen also have a mark of 9-1 at McGuirk Stadium against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents under Whipple, and have never lost consecutive home games in his tenure.
EXTRA POINTS: UMass and James Madison, which tied for the 1999 Atlantic 10 Conference title without facing each other, will not meet again this season. Beginning in 2001, the Atlantic 10 will play a full round-robin schedule, with each team playing nine league games. .UMass has scored in 65 straight games since a 34-0 loss to Rhode Island on Sept. 30, 1995 . The Minutemen have scored in 95 consecutive home games since a 17-0 loss to Holy Cross on Sept. 17, 1983. The Minutemen will play seven home games this season in the friendly confines of McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The only other time UMass played seven contests at home in a single season came in 1993, with the Minutemen posting a 6-1 record at McGuirk. If UMass should play host to an NCAA playoff game this year, it would set a new school single-season record for most home games played.
