UMass Football Hosts Hofstra

Sept. 24, 2000

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THE SERIES WITH HOFSTRA: The Minutemen have faced the Flying Dutchmen only three times before, with Hofstra leading the all-time series 2-1. Hofstra won the first game between the two schools 51-13 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Nov. 1, 1997, before UMass came back to win the second meeting at Hofstra Stadium 40-35 on Oct. 3, 1998. Last year, the Flying Dutchmen posted a 27-14 victory over the Minutemen in Amherst. Hofstra is familiar with Atlantic 10 opponents, with UMass being the last of four A-10 schools on the schedule this year (Hofstra has defeated Maine and Rhode Island, while falling to Delaware). Since the beginning of the 1997 season, the Flying Dutchmen have a 15-6 record against A-10 opponents.

Series Quick Facts

	Overall	Hofstra leads, 2-1
	At Amherst	Hofstra leads, 2-0
	At McGuirk Alumni Stadium	Hofstra leads, 2-0
	Current Win Streak	Hofstra, 1 game
	Mark Whipple vs. Hofstra	1-1
	Joe Gardi vs. UMass	2-1
	Most UMass points	40 (Oct. 3, 1998)
	Most Hofstra points	51 (Nov. 1, 1997)
	Fewest UMass points	13 (Nov. 1, 1997)
	Fewest Hofstra points	35 (Oct. 3, 1998)
	Largest UMass margin	5 (40-35, Oct. 3, 1998)
	Largest Hofstra margin	38 (51-13, Nov. 1, 1997)
	In overtime	n/a

DEFENSE DOMINATES AGAINST NEW HAVEN: The Minuteman defense turned in its top performance of the 2000 season against New Haven last week, allowing only 142 yards of total offense and eight rushing yards on the day. Both of those figures are the fewest allowed by UMass since last season's dominating 77-0 victory over Northeastern, in which the Huskies could manage only 72 total yards and had a net of -11 yards rushing. New Haven was also able to manage only two offensive touchdowns last week, with one of them coming in the final two minutes against the UMass second stringers. In addition, the Minutemen totaled 10 quarterback sacks on the day, their most since recording a school record 11 sacks against Buffalo in 1995. On the season, UMass is now allowing its opponents 277.0 yards of total offense and 99.7 rushing yards per contest. A year ago, UMass allowed opponents 18.8 points and 323.5 yards of total offense per game, with a pass efficiency rating of 87.58. Since Mark Whipple took over as head coach of the Minutemen in 1998, UMass has a 19-4 record when allowing 29 or fewer points.

HEAD COACH MARK WHIPPLE: Now in his third season as head coach of the Minutemen, Mark Whipple has posted an overall record of 23-8 (.742) 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 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 95-41 (.699) 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 .699 career winning percentage ranks 12th among active Division I-AA coaches.

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 at Richmond. He recorded a team-best 11 tackles against the Spiders, including one tackle for loss. Ayi also totaled four tackles and a 12-yard sack against New Haven, while recording six tackles and a quarterback hurry against William & Mary. 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 376. Ayi is only the third player in school history to make over 250 career unassisted tackles, and needs 36 more to break the UMass career record.

SHIPP HITS THE 100 MARK AGAIN: Senior tailback Marcel Shipp (Paterson, N.J.) had another big game against New Haven last week, rushing 31 times for 147 yards. The previous week at Richmond, he carried 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 seven straight games, and 26 times in his last 28 games. For the year, he has totaled 363 yards and three touchdowns on 88 carries, while also catching five passes for 75 yards

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 11-2 (.846) at home from 1998 to present, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 119-63-2 (.652). Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home record of 32-15 (.681) during that time. The last team to defeat the Minutemen at McGuirk was then-No. 6 Hofstra, which won 27-14 on Oct. 2, 1999.

RECEIVING CORP COMES UP BIG AGAIN: In last Saturday's victory over New Haven, the Minutemen had seven different players catch passes, with five of them scoring touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Adrian Zullo (Pompano Beach, Fla.) led the way with seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, while junior wide receiver Eric Bross (Palm Coast, Fla.) added three reception for 47 yards and a score. Sophomore wide receiver Jimmie Howard (Camden, N.J.), sophomore fullback Darrell Shabazz (Manchester, Conn.) and senior wide receiver Jeff Howard (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) also caught touchdown passes for UMass. In the season-opener against William & Mary, eight different Minutemen caught passes. On the year, UMass has now had 10 players catch passes.

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 Hofstra 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 5,507. He enters this week with 962 career receiving yards, needing only 38 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).

WHIPPLE'S OFFENSE REMAINS IMPRESSIVE: UMass continues to boast one of the nation's top offenses, averaging 33.0 points and 453.0 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 17 times during Mark Whipple's tenure, posting a 15-2 record in those contests. The Minutemen have also tallied 400 or more yards of total offense in 22 of their last 31 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. He totaled five tackles in the victory over New Haven, including a sack for four yards. The previous week at Richmond he ranked third on the team with nine tackles, 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.

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 Hofstra. 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 5,507 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:

	Single Game All-Purpose Plays	48 (vs. Delaware, 1999)
	Single Season Rushing Yards	2,542 (1998)
	Single Season Carries	428 (1998)
	Single Season Rushing Yards / Game	181.6 (1998)
	Single Season Rushing Touchdowns	24 (1999)
	Single Season All-Purpose Yards	3,032 (1998)
	Single Season All-Purpose Plays	474 (1998)
	Single Season All-Purpose Yards / Game	216.6 (1998)
	Single Season Points Scored	150 (1999)
	Single Season Touchdowns Scored	25 (1999)
	Career Rushing Yards	5,507 (1997- )
	Career Carries	1,046 (1997- )
	Career Rushing Yards / Game	134.3 (1997- )
	Career All-Purpose Yards	6,861 (1997- )
	Career All-Purpose Plays	1,178 (1997- )
	Career All-Purpose Yards / Game	167.3 (1997- )
	Consecutive 100-Yard Games	19 (1998-99)

LUCERO PLAYING BIG AT QUARTERBACK: Junior quarterback Richard Lucero (Phoenix, Ariz.) had another solid game for the Minutemen against New Haven last week, completing 18 of 30 passes for 263 yards and five touchdowns. The five touchdown passes tied a UMass single-game record, which was set by Mike Fallon against Youngstown State in 1977 and tied by Todd Bankhead against Maine in 1998. The previous week at Richmond, Lucero completed 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 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 54 of 92 passes for 931 yards and nine touchdowns.

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 over New Haven, he totaled three tackles with a sack, a pass breakup and his first interception of the season. The previous week at Richmond, Robinson ranked second on the team with 10 tackles, with one tackle for loss and a pass breakup. 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 has started off 2000 strong, totaling 17 receptions for 271 yards and four touchdowns in the first three games. Last week 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 17 straight games and has had multiple receptions in 24 of 30 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:

	Single Game Receptions	11 (vs. Villanova, 1999)
		11 (vs. Richmond, 1999)
	Single Game Receiving Yards	210 (vs. Richmond, 1999)
	Single Game Receiving Touchdowns	4 (vs. UNH, 1999)
	Single Season All-Purpose Yards / Play	15.6 (1999)
	Career Receptions	127 (1998- )
	Career Receiving Yards	2,003 (1998- )
	Career Receiving Touchdowns	21 (1998- )

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. 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 ranks second on the team with seven receptions for 166 yards, while returning 10 punts for 108 yards.

UMASS AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Against Hofstra, UMass will face a ranked opponent for the first time this season. 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 three games so far this season, the Minutemen have been successful five of the seven times (.714) 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 60.5 percent (49 of 81) of its fourth down conversions since the beginning of the 1998 season. By comparison, UMass opponents converted on only 22 of 54 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 13 times this year, landing six punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. On the year, he has averaged 40.0 yards per punt, and his net average of 37.6 has UMass ranked first in the Atlantic 10 and 14th in Division I-AA. Over the course of his UMass career, Sanger has now punted 75 times for 3,034 yards, and his average of 40.5 yards per punt ranks as the best in UMass history. Twenty-five of his 75 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 young career against New Haven last week, and came through with an outstanding performance. With UMass using five or six defensive backs on most downs 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 are 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 10 tackles, with seven of them being solo stops.

LUCERO NEAR TOP OF NCAA STAT LEADERS: Richard Lucero heads a list of six different UMass players who are currently ranked among the NCAA Division I-AA statistical leaders, through games of Sept. 23. Lucero stands fourth in points responsible for and ninth in both total offense and passing efficiency. The rankings:

Category	NCAA Rank	Player/Team	No./Avg.
Points Responsible For	4	Richard Lucero	20.0
Passing Yards	7	UMass	310.3
Passing Efficiency	9	Richard Lucero	162.9
	10	UMass	159.5
Total Offense	9	Richard Lucero	303.3
	15	UMass	453.0
Punting	14	UMass	37.6
	26	David Sanger	40.0
Completions	15	Richard Lucero	18.0
Receiving Yards	20	Adrian Zullo	90.3
Rushing Yards	20	Marcel Shipp	121.0
Rushing Defense	20	UMass	99.7
Receptions	24	Adrian Zullo	5.7
Interceptions	26	Rob Green	0.7
Scoring	26	UMass	33.0
	39	Adrian Zullo	8.0
All-Purpose Yards	31	Marcel Shipp	146.0
Punt Returns	37	DeShon Hardy	10.8

MINUTEMEN AMONG THE A-10 LEADERS: Several Minutemen rank among the Atlantic 10 leaders through games of Sept. 23. Richard Lucero stands first in passing yards (310.3 yards/game) and total offense (303.3 yards/game), and second in passing efficiency (162.9 rating). Marcel Shipp ranks first in rushing (121.0 yards/game) and fourth in all-purpose yards (146.0 yards/game). Adrian Zullo stands second in receptions (5.7 catches/game), third in receiving yards (90.3 yards/game) and fourth in scoring (8.0 points/game). David Sanger ranks third in the conference in punting (40.0 yards/punt), DeShon Hardy stands second in punt returns (10.8 yards/return) and junior cornerback Rob Green (Freeport, N.Y.) ranks second in interceptions (0.7 picks/game). As a team, UMass leads the Atlantic 10 in passing offense (310.3 yards/game) and net punting (37.6 yards/punt), while ranking second in total offense (453.0 yards/game) and third in punt returns (10.8 yards/return) and passing efficiency (159.5 rating).

UMASS ON THE 30TH: The Minutemen have an all-time record of 3-8 in games played on Sept. 30. UMass has lost its last three games on this date, with the last victory coming at Harvard in 1972 (28-19). The Minutemen have only played at home three times on Sept. 30, posting a 2-1 record (UMass defeated Bates 26-0 in 1950, downed American International College 21-12 in 1961 and fell to Dartmouth 28-10 in 1967). Seven of the 11 games UMass has played on this date have been shutouts, with the Minutemen going 1-6 in those contests. The last time UMass played on Sept. 30 came during the 1995 season, with the Minutemen falling 34-0 at Rhode Island.

ABOUT THE FLYING DUTCHMEN: Hofstra enters this week's game with an overall record of 3-1 on the season. The Flying Dutchmen were ranked 12th in the nation by both ESPN / USA Today and The Sports Network prior to last weekend's games. Hofstra has posted impressive road victories over Montana (10-9) and Maine (51-30), while going 1-1 at home with a 44-14 loss to Delaware and a 30-12 win over Rhode Island. Hofstra uses a balanced attack to average 411.8 yards of total offense per game, with 158.2 yards coming on the ground and 253.5 yards through the air. Running back Trevor Dimmie has rushed 91 times for 348 yards and one touchdown, while quarterback Rocky Butler has 47 carries for 209 yards and five scores. Butler has also completed 58 of 106 passes on the season for 835 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions. His top receivers have been wide out Steve Jaskson with 25 catches for 221 yards and two scores, and wide out Charlie Adams with 23 receptions for 461 yards and one touchdown. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Sal Alosi has a team-high 36 tackles, while strong safety Doug Shanahan has totaled 20 tackles with a team-high two interceptions and four pass breakups.

HOFSTRA HEAD COACH JOE GARDI: Joe Gardi is in his 11th season at the helm of the Hofstra football program. He sports an 84-30-2 (.733) overall record. Under Gardi's guidance, Hofstra made the jump from Division III to I-AA in 1993. Last year, Gardi led the Flying Dutchmen to an overall record of 11-2 and their third playoff appearance in the last five seasons. Hofstra also claimed the 1999 Lambert Cup as the top team in the East. Before his time at Hofstra, Gardi was the Assistant Supervisor of Officials for the NFL for five years (1985-90). In addition, Gardi served as an assistant coach with the New York Jets for nine years.

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 61 straight games since a 34-0 loss to Rhode Island on Sept. 30, 1995 ... The Minutemen have scored in 92 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.

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