University of Massachusets Athletics
Football Prepares For First-Ever Meeting With New Haven
September 19, 2000 | Football
Sept. 19, 2000
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THE SERIES WITH NEW HAVEN: This week's game marks the first-ever meeting between UMass and New Haven on the football field. The Chargers will also be the first Division II opponent for the Minutemen since 1982, when UMass downed American International College 29-13 in the season finale. New Haven is familiar with UMass head coach Mark Whipple, who spent six seasons as the Chargers' head coach from 1988-93. Whipple led New Haven to an overall mark of 48-17 (.738) during his six seasons, including consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff appearances in 1992 and 1993.
SHIPP HITS THE 100 MARK AGAIN: Senior tailback Marcel Shipp (Paterson, N.J.) had another big game against Richmond last week, rushing 27 times for 112 yards and a touchdown. 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 in six straight games, and 25 times in his last 27 games. For the year, he has totaled 216 yards and three touchdowns on 57 carries, while also catching five passes for 75 yards
Ayi Among Nation's Best: Senior linebacker Kole Ayi (Nashua, N.H.), one of the favorites to win the 2000 Buck Buchanan Award, had a big game for the Minutemen last week at Richmond. He recorded a team-best 11 tackles against the Spiders, including one tackle for loss. In the season opener against William & Mary, Ayi tied for second on the team in tackles with six, while also recording one quarterback hurry. A year ago, Ayi led the team and the Atlantic 10 Conference in total tackles with 147, including 109 solo stops. He reached double figures in tackles nine times in 13 games last season, while leading the team in tackles on eight occasions. Ayi had 15 or more tackles in a game five times a year ago, against Rhode Island (17), New Hampshire (17), Richmond (16), Toledo (15) and Villanova (15). He has moved into second place on the all-time UMass list for solo tackles, with 263 during his career as a Minuteman, while also ranking fourth in total tackles with 372. Ayi is only the third player in school history to make over 250 career unassisted tackles.
HEAD COACH MARK WHIPPLE: Now in his third season as head coach of the Minutemen, Mark Whipple has posted an overall record of 22-8 (.733) during his career at UMass. 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 become 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 94-41 (.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). His .696 career winning percentage ranks 12th among active Division I-AA coaches.
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 10-2 at home from 1998 to present, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 118-63-2 (.650). Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home record of 31-15 (.674) during that time. The last team to defeat the Minutemen at McGuirk was No. 6 Hofstra, which won 27-14 on Oct. 2, 1999.
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 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 Haven. 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 5,360 rushing yards, placing him second on the all-time Atlantic 10 list, only 945 yards behind New Hampshire's Jerry Azumah (6,193 yards / 1995-98). Here is a look at every UMass record currently owned by Shipp:
WHIPPLE'S OFFENSE REMAINS IMPRESSIVE: UMass continues to boast one of the nation's top offenses, averaging 30.0 points and 460.5 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 16 times during Mark Whipple's tenure, posting a 14-2 record in those contests. The Minutemen have also tallied 400 or more yards of total offense in 21 of their last 30 games, and have topped the 500-yard mark seven times.
Smith a Top Student-Athlete: Senior strong safety Brian Smith (Wilmington, Del.) looks to be a candidate for both All-America and Academic All-America honors this season. Smith ranked third on the team with nine tackles at Richmond, including three tackles for loss. Against William & Mary in the season opener, he tied for second on the team in tackles with six. 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. He reached double figures in tackles six times during the 1999 season, with 14 against New Hampshire, 12 against both Toledo and Villanova, and 10 each against Furman, Richmond and Rhode Island. In addition, Smith carries a cumulative grade point average of 3.36 in Accounting.
LUCERO PLAYING BIG AT QUARTERBACK: Junior quarterback Richard Lucero (Phoenix, Ariz.) had another solid game for the Minutemen against Richmond last week, completing 18 of 32 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns. That came on the heels of an outstanding game against William & Mary, in which he completed 18 of 30 passes for 376 yards and two touchdowns. Following the win over the Tribe, Lucero was honored as the Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week and the WHMP / UMass Athlete of the Week. His 376 passing yards were the second-most in school history, behind only Brian McNally's 389-yard performance against Connecticut in 1976. Lucero also set school records for most passing yards in a debut and most passing yards in a victory, breaking Todd Bankhead's marks of 323 yards at Delaware and 353 yards against Maine, respectively, both in 1998. In addition, Lucero rushed four times for 14 yards and a touchdown, giving him 390 yards of total offense on the evening. He recorded the third-most yards of total offense in school history, and the most ever by a UMass player at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. With 668 passing yards in his first two games, Lucero also broke Bankhead's record for most passing yards in consecutive games (646 yards against Delaware and Richmond in 1998). For the year, Lucero has completed 36 of 62 passes for 668 yards and four touchdowns.
Robinson Returns at Safety: Junior free safety Jeremy Robinson (Syracuse, N.Y.) looks to have yet another big year in the UMass secondary. Against Richmond last week, Robinson ranked second on the team with 10 tackles, with one tackle for loss and a pass breakup. In the season opener against William & Mary, Robinson recorded four tackles. 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. Robinson recorded double-digit tackles five times during the 1999 season, with 13 against Furman, 12 against both Toledo and New Hampshire, and 10 each against William & Mary and Hofstra. He also had a streak of five consecutive games with an interception, against Hofstra, Northeastern, Maine, Delaware and Rhode Island, while posting a career-best three sacks for 29 yards at William & Mary.
Zullo Makes His Mark: Junior wide receiver Adrian Zullo (Pompano Beach, Fla.) has started off 2000 strong, totaling 10 receptions for 158 yards and three touchdowns in the first two games. He had five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown against William & Mary, and then totaled five receptions for 82 yards and two scores at Richmond. Zullo has caught at least one pass in 16 straight games and has had multiple receptions in 23 of 29 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. Here is a look at every school record currently held by Zullo:
HARDY PUTS UP BIG NUMBERS AGAINST RICHMOND: Junior wide receiver DeShon Hardy (Neptune, N.J.) had one of the best games of his career at Richmond last week. Hardy caught a career-best four passes against the Spiders for a team-high 93 yards, while also returning three punts for 74 yards. He finished the game with 167 all-purpose yards, while averaging 23.9 yards every time he touched the ball. On the season, Hardy has now caught five passes for 133 yards, while returning five punts for 77 yards.
UMASS AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: 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. Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass now stands 8-6 against ranked opponents. 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.
FOURTH AND GO: Over the last three seasons, UMass has made a habit of going for it on fourth down. In two games so far this season, the Minutemen have been successful three of the four times (.750) 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 on 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 60.3 percent (47 of 78) of its fourth down conversions since the beginning of the 1998 season. By comparison, UMass opponents converted on only 22 of 53 fourth down attempts over the last three years, good for 41.5 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 seven times this year, landing four punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. On the year, he has averaged 40.0 yards per punt, and his net average of 39.0 has UMass ranked first in the Atlantic 10 and 10th in Division I-AA. Over the course of his UMass career, Sanger has now punted 69 times for 2,794 yards, and his average of 40.5 yards per punt ranks as the best in UMass history.
LUCERO NEAR TOP OF NCAA STAT LEADERS: Richard Lucero heads a list of four different UMass players who are currently ranked in the NCAA Division I-AA statistical leaders, through games of Sept. 16. Lucero stands seventh in total offense and 14th in passing efficiency. The rankings:
MINUTEMEN AMONG THE A-10 LEADERS: Several Minutemen rank among the Atlantic 10 leaders through games of Sept. 16. Richard Lucero stands first in passing yards (334.0 yards/game) and total offense (335.5 yards/game), and fourth in passing efficiency (160.2 rating). Marcel Shipp ranks second in rushing (108.0 yards/game) and fourth in both scoring (9.0 points/game) and all-purpose yards (145.5 yards/game). Adrian Zullo stands second in receptions (5.0 catches/game), fourth in scoring (9.0 points/game) and fifth in receiving yards (79.0 yards/game). David Sanger ranks second in the conference in punting (40.0 yards/punt), DeShon Hardy stands second in punt returns (15.4 yards/return) and junior cornerback Rob Green (Freeport, N.Y.) ranks fourth in interceptions (0.5 picks/game). As a team, UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in passing offense (334.0 yards/game), total offense (460.5 yards/game), punt returns (15.4 yards/return) and net punting (39.0 yards/punt), while ranking third in passing efficiency (157.6 rating).
UMASS ON THE 23RD: The Minutemen have an all-time record of 4-4 in games played on September 23. UMass won its last game on this date, defeating Northeastern on the road 21-19 in 1995, and has been victorious in four of its last five contests on Sept. 23. The Minutemen have only played at home twice on this date, defeating Maine 37-0 in 1972 and falling to Rhode Island 5-0 in 1911. The last time the Minutemen lost on Sept. 23 came during the 1989 season with a 40-23 setback at Maine.
ABOUT THE CHARGERS: New Haven enters this week's game with an overall record of 2-1, and was ranked 20th nationally in Division II through games of September 9. The Chargers opened the season by defeating West Chester 7-0 and Clarion State 37-7, before falling at No. 5 Indiana (Pa.) last week 14-9. Senior quarterback Jason Barnett, who began his collegiate career at Boston University, has led the offense by completing 39 of 65 passes for 520 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. Sophomore running back Dawud Hanif leads the New Haven ground attack with 117 yards on 31 carries, while sophomore running back Andrew Parker has totaled 116 yards on 21 carries. Senior wideout Elvert Eden has been the top receiver for the Chargers, totaling 18 catches for 200 yards and two scores. Defensively, senior strong safety Mike Summers leads the team with 27 tackles, to go along with five tackles for loss and an interception. Junior linebacker Idris Price has 18 tackles with a team-high three sacks, while senior cornerback Isaac Williams has four interceptions and three pass breakups.
NEW HAVEN HEAD COACH DARREN RIZZI: A 1992 graduate of the University of Rhode Island, Darren Rizzi is in his second season as the head coach of the Chargers, and has an overall record of 7-6. In his first year, Rizzi led New Haven to an overall record of 5-5, while facing the nation's toughest Division II schedule. The Chargers faced four Division I-AA opponents during the 1999 season, posting a 1-3 record, with the three losses coming by a total of 25 points. In 1998, Rizzi served as linebackers coach at Northeastern, and prior to that he spent four seasons as an assistant coach for New Haven. During the 1997 season, Rizzi served as defensive coordinator, helping lead the Chargers to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the Division II national championship game.
THE UMASS-NEW HAVEN CONNECTION: In addition to head coach Mark Whipple, three other UMass staffers have close ties to the University of New Haven. Recruiting coordinator and offensive line coach Paul Gorham spent six seasons as New Haven's recruiting coordinator and offensive line coach from 1988-93. Linebackers and special teams coach Keith Dudzinski is a 1990 graduate of New Haven, where he was an All-New England linebacker and team captain as a senior. Dudzinski also spent three years as the outside linebackers coach for the Chargers under Whipple from 1991-93. Defensive tackles and linebackers coach Frank Forcucci graduated from New Haven in 1987, after earning All-America honors as a four-year letterwinner for the baseball team.
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 60 straight games since a 34-0 loss to Rhode Island on Sept. 30, 1995 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.
