University of Massachusets Athletics
Football Readies For Battle With Black Bears
October 08, 2000 | Football
Oct. 8, 2000
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UMass (3-2, 2-1 A-10)
vs.
Maine (2-3, 0-2 A-10)
October 14, 2000 * 1:00 p.m.
Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium (17,000) * Amherst, Mass.
THE SERIES WITH MAINE: UMass holds a 33-12-1 lead in the all-time series which dates back to 1909. The Minutemen have won the last two meetings between the schools, but Maine had won three straight prior to that. UMass has an impressive 18-3-1 mark against the Black Bears at home, including a 14-3 record at McGuirk Alumni Stadium, but Maine does stand 2-2 in its last four trips to Amherst. From 1991-96, every game in the series was decided by eight points or less, but in the last three seasons no game between the two schools has been closer than 21 points.
Series Quick Facts
Overall: UMass, 33-12-1
At Amherst: UMass, 18-3-1
At McGuirk Stadium: UMass, 14-3-0
Current Win Streak, UMass, 2 games
Mark Whipple vs. Maine: 2-0
Jack Cosgrove vs. UMass: 4-3
Most UMass points: 55 (Nov. 14, 1998)
Most Maine points: 49 (Sept. 13, 1997)
Fewest UMass points: 0 (Sept. 25, 1909)
Fewest Maine points: 0, 11 times
Largest UMass margin: 42, twice
(49-7, Sept. 20, 1969, 42-0, Sept. 21, 1974)
Largest Maine margin: 43 (49-6, Sept. 13, 1997)
In overtime: Maine, 1-0 (Nov. 4, 1995)
QUINLAN HAS CAREER DAY AT NORTHEASTERN: Junior tailback Kevin Quinlan (Somerville, Mass.), who has been a dependable backup to Marcel Shipp over the course of his career, had his best performance ever in last week's win at Northeastern. Quinlan rushed 38 times for 241 yards and two touchdowns, recording the ninth-best single game rushing performance in school history, as Shipp missed the game due to a sprained ankle. Following that performance, Quinlan was honored as the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week. During his UMass career, Quinlan has now rushed for 100 yards in a game on four occasions, and UMass is 4-0 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 416 yards and four touchdowns on 75 carries, while catching four passes for 47 yards. He also broke the 1,000-mark in career rushing yards last week, and enters the Maine game with 222 career carries for 1,136 yards and 14 scores.
AYI AMONG NATION'S BEST: Senior linebacker Kole Ayi (Nashua, N.H.), one of the favorites to win the 2000 Buck Buchanan Award, had another big game for the Minutemen at Northeastern. He totaled nine tackles against the Huskies, including a career-best three sacks for 16 yards. The previous week 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 and a quarterback hurry against William & Mary. For the season, he leads the team with 48 total tackles through five games. Ayi also has a team-best four sacks for 28 yards, and six tackles for loss on the season. He has moved into second place on the all-time UMass list for solo tackles, with 279 during his career as a Minuteman, while also ranking fourth in total tackles with 403. Ayi is only the third player in school history to make over 250 career unassisted tackles, and needs 20 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 24-9 (.727) 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. This season, Whipple has a chance 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 96-42 (.696) 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).
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, had an outstanding game in last week's victory at Northeastern. He totaled six tackles in the game, and also had a key interception in the end zone during the third quarter when the Huskies were ahead by three points. The previous week against Hofstra, Smith tallied five tackles with one tackle for loss. In the victory over New Haven, he had five tackles and a sack for four yards. 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 third on the team with 31 total tackles, including a team-best seven 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.) had another outstanding game in last week's victory at 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 15 receptions for 226 yards, while returning 15 punts for 169 yards. He also has 415 all-purpose yards on the year, and has averaged 13.4 yards per touch.
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 11-3 (.786) at home from 1998 to present, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 119-64-2 (.649). Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home record of 32-16 (.667) during that time. The Minutemen also have a mark of 8-1 at McGuirk Stadium against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents under Whipple, and have never lost consecutive home games in his tenure.
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 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. The previous week 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 32 tackles, while also posting a sack, two interceptions and five 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.
SEIBERT IMPRESSIVE IN FIRST START: Sophomore quarterback Kelly Seibert (Monroe, N.Y.) came through with a solid game at Northeastern in the first start of his collegiate career. Seibert completed 14 of 24 passes for 131 yards against the Huskies, while also rushing five times for 16 yards and a touchdown. Last year Seibert served as the backup to Todd Bankhead, completing 12 of 18 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown on the year. During his senior year at Monroe Woodbury High School in 1997, Seibert completed 68 of 145 passes for 900 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also rushing for almost 600 yards and seven scores.
WHIPPLE'S OFFENSE REMAINS IMPRESSIVE: UMass continues to boast one of the nation's top offenses, averaging 31.2 points and 442.0 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 18 times during Mark Whipple's tenure, posting a 15-3 record in those contests. The Minutemen have also tallied 400 or more yards of total offense in 24 of their last 33 games, and have topped the 500-yard mark seven times.
HOWARD MAKES BIG PLAYS: Senior wide receiver Jeff Howard (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) had another solid game for the Minutemen at Northeastern last week. He ranked second on the team with three catches for 45 yards, including two key first down catches as UMass drove for its first touchdown of the game late in the second quarter. Earlier in the year, Howard made five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown against Hofstra, while catching four passes for 83 yards in the victory over William & Mary. For the season, Howard has now totaled 14 receptions for 242 yards and two touchdowns, to rank third on the team in receiving. He is one of only two UMass players to catch a pass in every game so far this season.
SHIPP CONTINUES TO SAIL: Senior tailback Marcel Shipp (Paterson, N.J.) is having yet another fine season for the Minutemen, despite missing last week's game at Northeastern with a sprained ankle. Against Hofstra, Shipp rushed 10 times for 46 yards, while seeing limited action due to the ankle sprain. Shipp rushed 31 times for a season-best 147 yards against New Haven, while also 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 twice against Maine, 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 26 times in his last 29 games. For the year, he has totaled 409 yards and three touchdowns on 98 carries, while also catching seven passes for 102 yards.
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 LOOKS TO START 1,000-1,000 CLUB: Against Maine this week, senior tailback Marcel Shipp is looking to become the first player in school history to break the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving yards. Shipp is already the all-time UMass leader in rushing yards with 5,553. He enters this week with 989 career receiving yards, needing only 11 more yards to break the 1,000 mark. 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).
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 Maine. Shipp enters the game with career totals of 54 touchdowns and 324 points, standing only one touchdown and eight points behind Rene Ingoglia's records of 332 points and 55 touchdowns from 1992-95. Shipp also has a career total of 5,553 rushing yards, placing him second on the all-time Atlantic 10 list, only 640 yards behind New Hampshire's Jerry Azumah (6,193 yards / 1995-98).
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.
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 19-4 in games played in October, November or December. The Minutemen have a 9-2 record in the month of October over the last two years, including an 8-1 mark against Atlantic 10 foes.
ZULLO MAKES HIS MARK: Junior wide receiver Adrian Zullo (Pompano Beach, Fla.) has started off 2000 strong, totaling 25 receptions for 398 yards and six touchdowns in the first five games. 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 19 straight 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.
FOURTH AND GO: Over the last three seasons, UMass has made a habit of going for it on fourth down. In five games so far this season, the Minutemen have been successful eight of the 12 times (.667) they have gone for it on fourth down. Last season, UMass was successful on 23 of 37 fourth down attempts for a 62.2 percent success rate. In 1998, the Minutemen converted 21 of the 37 times they went for it on fourth down for a 56.7 percent success rate. UMass has now been successful on 60.5 percent (52 of 86) of its fourth down conversions since the beginning of the 1998 season. By comparison, UMass opponents converted on only 24 of 59 fourth down attempts over the last three years, good for 40.7 percent.
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.
SANGER IS A WEAPON: Sophomore punter David Sanger (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) has punted 23 times this year, landing seven punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. On the year, he has averaged 39.2 yards per punt, and his net average of 35.7 has UMass ranked first in the Atlantic 10 and 22nd in Division I-AA. Over the course of his UMass career, Sanger has now punted 85 times for 3,415 yards, and his average of 40.2 yards per punt ranks as the best in UMass history. Twenty-six of his 85 career punts have pinned opponents inside the 20.
MCKENZIE MAKES MOST OF FIRST START: Sophomore strong safety Anton McKenzie (Medford, N.Y.) earned the first start of his career against New Haven, and came through with an outstanding performance. With UMass using five or six defensive backs to counteract the Chargers' four wide out attack, McKenzie totaled a team-best eight tackles with three quarterback sacks for a total of 25 yards. The three sacks were the most by a UMass player in a single game since Nov. 13, 1999, when Jeremy Robinson totaled three sacks at William & Mary. For the season, McKenzie has now totaled 15 tackles, with nine of them being solo stops.
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. 7. Lucero stands third in both passing efficiency and points responsible for, and sixth in total offense. The rankings:
MINUTEMEN AMONG THE A-10 LEADERS: Several Minutemen rank among the Atlantic 10 leaders through games of Oct. 7. Richard Lucero stands first in passing yards (310.5 yards/game) and total offense (305.2 yards/game), and second in passing efficiency (157.8 rating). Marcel Shipp ranks second in rushing (102.2 yards/game) and fourth in all-purpose yards (127.8 yards/game). Adrian Zullo stands fourth in receiving yards (79.6 yards/game), fifth in receptions (5.0 catches/game) and fifth in scoring (7.2 points/game). DeShon Hardy stands fourth in punt returns (11.3 yards/return), junior cornerback Rob Green (Freeport, N.Y.) ranks third in interceptions (0.5 picks/game), Jeremy Robinson is fourth in interceptions (0.4 picks/game) and David Sanger stands fourth in punting (39.2 yards/punt). As a team, UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in passing offense (274.6 yards/game) and net punting (35.7 yards/punt), while ranking third in total offense (442.0 yards/game), passing efficiency (147.4 rating) and punt returns (10.6 yards/return).
ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS: Maine enters this week's game with an overall record of 2-3 and an 0-2 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Black Bears stand 0-1 on the road so far this season, falling 47-21 at Villanova in their only previous road contest. Maine's offense averages 429.4 yards per game, including 240.8 yards through the air and 188.6 yards on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Jake Eaton has completed 96 of 135 passes this season for 1,204 yards and nine touchdowns with five interceptions, and leads the nation in passing efficiency with a 160.6 rating. His top targets have been senior wide receiver Dwayne Wilmot with 34 catches for 443 yards and three scores, and senior wide receiver Phil McGeoghan with 30 receptions for 446 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, sophomore tailback Marquisse Silva leads Maine with 234 yards and three touchdowns on 59 carries. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Stephen Cooper leads the Black Bears with 40 tackles, four sacks and four fumble recoveries, while senior linebacker Jason Betts stands second on the team with 39 total tackles.
MAINE HEAD COACH JACK COSGROVE: The 1996 Yankee Conference Coach of the Year, Jack Cosgrove is in his eighth season as head coach at Maine. He sports a 30-52 (.366) overall mark during his tenure with the Black Bears. Cosgrove served as an assistant coach at Maine from 1987-92, spending the last four years in the role of offensive coordinator. A 1978 graduate of Maine, he was a two-time second team All-Yankee Conference quarterback and still ranks as the sixth all-time leading passer in school history with 2,836 career yards.
UMASS ON THE 14TH: The Minutemen have an all-time record of 11-5-1 in games played on Oct. 14. The last time UMass played on Oct. 14 came during the 1995 season, with the Minutemen posting an impressive 33-9 win at Buffalo. In home games played on this date UMass has a 5-2 mark, with a 1-0 record at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The only home game on Oct. 14 for UMass in the last 50 years came in 1972, with the Minutemen downing Boston University 44-15. The last loss for UMass on Oct. 14 came in 1989, with the Minutemen falling at Connecticut 39-33 in overtime. UMass' first-ever game played on this date came during the 1896 season, a 10-6 loss to the Northampton YMCA.
EXTRA POINTS: UMass defensive coordinator Neil McGrath served as defensive coordinator at Maine from from 1995-99 ... 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 63 straight games since a 34-0 loss to Rhode Island on Sept. 30, 1995 ... The Minutemen have scored in 93 consecutive home games since a 17-0 loss to Holy Cross on Sept. 17, 1983 ... UMass will play its 1,000th football game when it travels to New Hampshire on Oct. 28 ... 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.
