University of Massachusets Athletics
Football Hits The Road To Face Maine
November 05, 2001 | Football
Nov. 5, 2001
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Game Day Quick Facts
THE SERIES WITH MAINE: UMass holds a 34-12-1 lead in the all-time series which dates back to 1909. The Minutemen have won the last three meetings between the schools, but Maine had won three straight prior to that. UMass posted a 38-17 victory in its last trip to Orono in 1999, and owns an overall mark of 15-9 for games played at Maine. From 1991-1996, every game in the series was decided by eight points or less, but in the last four seasons no game between the two schools has been closer than 21 points.
Series Quick Facts
Overall: UMass leads, 34-12-1
At Orono: UMass leads, 15-9
At Alfond Stadium: UMass leads, 15-8
Current Win Streak: UMass, 3 games
Mark Whipple vs. Maine: 3-0
Jack Cosgrove vs. UMass: 4-4
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 leads, 1-0 (Nov. 4, 1995)
ROBINSON PLAYS BIG AT SAFETY: Senior free safety Jeremy Robinson (Syracuse, N.Y.) continues to show why he is one of the nation's top defensive backs. In last week's victory over Northeastern, he ranked second on the team with nine total tackles, all of them solo stops. The previous week at Villanova, Robinson recorded 13 total tackles, the second-highest single-game total of his collegiate career. His previous season-high for tackles was 11, against William & Mary in the season opener. In addition, Robinson recorded a pair of interceptions earlier in the season at Delaware, marking the second time he has picked off two passes in a game during his collegiate career. For the season, Robinson now leads the team with 64 total tackles, including 53 solo stops. He has also totaled three interceptions, four pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. Last year, Robinson ranked third on the team with 75 tackles, while also posting a sack, four interceptions and eight pass breakups. In 1999, Robinson ranked second on the team in tackles with 103, to go along with four sacks, six interceptions and six pass breakups, and was named a first team All-American by the Associated Press. For his career, Robinson now has 303 total tackles (including 221 solo stops), with 15 interceptions for 171 yards and 24 pass breakups. He currently ranks fourth all-time at UMass in interceptions, sixth in interception return yards, sixth in solo tackles, seventh in pass breakups and ninth in total tackles.
WHIPPLE ENTERS WEEK WITH 102 WINS: Now in his fourth season as head coach of the Minutemen, Mark Whipple (Brown, 1979) has 102 victories in his collegiate coaching career. Whipple owns a career record of 102-50 (.671) in 14 years as a collegiate head coach, including four seasons at UMass (30-17 / 1998-present), four years at Brown (24-16 / 1994-97) and six seasons at New Haven (48-17 / 1988-93). With last week's victory over Northeastern, he became the seventh coach in school history with 30 wins at UMass. Last year, Whipple became the first Minuteman coach in 20 years to lead his team to three consecutive winning seasons. The last UMass coach to accomplish the feat was Bob Pickett, who led the Minutemen to four straight winning years from 1978-1981. Whipple was the fastest coach in school history to record 20 victories, picking up the 20th win of his UMass career against Connecticut in 1999. He 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.
BROWER CONTINUES TO SHINE: Sophomore defensive end Valdamar Brower (Florence, Mass.) has been one of the biggest bright spots for the UMass defense this season. In last week's victory over Northeastern he totaled six tackles, with two tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a key sack in the fourth quarter to help UMass secure the win. The previous week at Villanova, Brower recorded his first career touchdown on an interception of a pass he deflected in the Wildcat end zone. Against James Madison, Brower led the Minutemen with a pair of sacks for 17 yards, while against New Hampshire, he recorded three tackles for loss and a sack for nine yards. At Hofstra, Brower recorded seven tackles, with two sacks for 14 yards, a pass breakup and a blocked field goal. He now leads the team with seven sacks for 55 yards this season, to go along with 38 total tackles and 15 tackles for loss. Last season, Brower led all UMass defensive linemen with 57 total tackles, while also recording five sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He recorded a career-high 12 total tackles at New Hampshire last season, and had four sacks for 20 yards in last year's victory over Maine. For his career, Brower now has 95 total tackles, including 12 sacks and 26 tackles for loss.
MINUTEMEN FACING TOUGH SLATE: One of the main reasons why UMass has a 2-6 record so far this season is that the Minutemen have faced one of the nation's toughest schedules. Through games of Nov. 3, UMass' schedule ranked as the second-hardest among all Division I-AA schools according to Jeff Sagarin's rankings, thanks to games against Division I-A Marshall, Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Villanova and William & Mary. Richmond's schedule currently ranks first in Division I-AA, with Maine's placing third.
HARDY PUTS UP BIG NUMBERS: Senior wide receiver and punt returner DeShon Hardy (Neptune, N.J.) continues to be UMass' top receiving threat. In last week's victory over Northeastern, Hardy had a team-best three catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. Against New Hampshire, Hardy ranked second on the team with seven receptions for 71 yards, and at Hofstra he led the team with five catches for 60 yards. At Delaware, he set career highs for both receptions and receiving yards, catching 10 passes for 135 yards. The 10 receptions tied Hardy for the fifth-best single-game performance in school history, while he became only the sixth UMass player to reach double figures in catches for a single game. At Marshall, Hardy led the team with four catches for 90 yards and his first touchdown of the season. For the year, he leads the team in receiving with 36 catches for 529 yards and two scores. He has also caught at least one pass in 13 straight games and 18 of his last 19 contests. For his career, Hardy now has 66 catches for 964 yards and four touchdowns, to go along with 61 punt returns for 497 yards. He needs four receptions and 140 receiving yards to crack the UMass career top 10 lists.
HOWARD HAS BIG GAME AGAINST NORTHEASTERN: Senior tailback Omari Howard (Syracuse, N.Y.) had the top game of his collegiate career in last week's victory over Northeastern. Howard rushed for 100 yards on 15 carries against the Huskies, and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 15-yard run with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. That performance marked the first 100-yard game of Howard's career, and was also the first 100-yard game by a UMass back this year. Earlier in the season against James Madison, Howard rushed for a team-high 78 yards and one touchdown on only 13 carries. He also had a big game at Marshall, leading all UMass backs with 21 carries for 89 yards and his first touchdown as a Minuteman. Howard is in his first season wearing the Maroon & White, after transferring to UMass from the University of Central Florida in January of 2001. For the season, Howard has now rushed 91 times for 370 yards and three scores. During his three seasons with the Golden Knights, Howard rushed 144 times for 605 yards and nine touchdowns.
BROWN BECOMING A TOP RECEIVING THREAT: Junior wide receiver Neal Brown (Danville, Ky.) has turned into one of the top wide outs for the Minutemen over the last few games. He had led the team or tied for the team-lead in receptions in each of the last four weeks, including a nine-catch, 118-yard game against New Hampshire in which he set career-highs for both receptions and receiving yards. Brown's other performances over the last few weeks include three catches for 58 yards against Northeastern, three receptions for 42 yards at Villanova, and six catches for 63 yards and a touchdown against James Madison. For the season, Brown has caught at least one pass in every game and now ranks second on the team with 30 receptions for 342 yards and two scores. Brown is in his first season with the Minutemen, after transferring to UMass from the University of Kentucky in August. During his two seasons with the Wildcats, Brown caught 10 passes for 48 yards, including a two-yard touchdown pass at South Carolina in 2000.
THE LAST MEETING - UMASS 33, MAINE 10 (10/14/00): Kelly Seibert completed 18 of 29 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for a score, to lead the 16th-ranked Minutemen to a 33-10 victory over Maine. The UMass defense turned in one of its top performances of the season, allowing Maine only 187 total yards, 24 rushing yards and nine first downs in the game. After neither team scored on its opening possession, the Black Bears drove to the UMass two-yard line before settling for a 26-yard field goal by Todd Jagoutz. The Minutemen then drove down the field to take a 7-3 lead on a five-yard pass from Seibert to Darrell Shabazz. UMass increased its lead to 14-3 on a five-yard pass from Seibert to Eric Bross, then made the score 21-3 just before halftime on a one-yard Seibert run. Maine scored its lone touchdown of the game early in the third quarter on a 32-yard pass from Jake Eaton to Dwayne Wimot, before the Minutemen scored 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Doug White connected on field goals of 36 and 21 yards, while Nate Long added a 14-yard touchdown run. Marcel Shipp led the UMass ground attack by rushing 20 times for 114 yards, while Kevin Quinlan led a balanced group of receivers with four catches for 44 yards. Eaton, who entered the game as the top rated passer in the nation, completed 12 of 24 attempts for 163 yards and one touchdown with one interception, with Wilmot catching four passes for 107 yards and a score. Valdamar Brower led the UMass defense with eight tackles and four sacks for 20 yards, while Jeremy Robinson totaled five tackles with an interception and two pass breakups. Stephen Cooper had a game-high 16 tackles for the Black Bears.
STRONG AFTER SEPTEMBER: After opening the season with an 0-5 record, the Minutemen should be happy that the month of September is finally over. Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass stands only 4-9 in games played during the month of September, but has gone 26-8 in all other months combined. The Minutemen stand 12-5 in the month of October during that span, 10-2 in November, 3-1 in December and 1-0 in August.
FOURTH AND GO: Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass has made a habit of going for it on fourth down. So far this year, the Minutemen have converted 10 of 24 (.417) fourth-down attempts. Most of UMass' fourth down success this season came at Marshall, where it converted four of six attempts. In 11 games last season, UMass was successful 23 of the 34 times (.676) it went for it on fourth down. In 1999, 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 58.3 percent (77 of 132) of its fourth down conversions since the beginning of the 1998 season. By comparison, UMass opponents have converted on only 32 of 81 fourth down attempts over the last four years, good for 39.5 percent.
GUICE STARTING UNDER CENTER: Redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Guice (Coral Springs, Fla.) is in his first season as UMass' starting signal caller, and has turned in some big performances. He was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week following the victory over James Madison, after completing 23 of 47 passes for 332 yards and five touchdowns, and tying the school single-game record for touchdown passes. Against New Hampshire, he completed 28 of 63 passes for 403 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 16 times for 13 yards and another score against the Wildcats, to give him 416 total offensive yards on 79 attempts. Guice broke the school records for total offensive yards, total offensive attempts, passing yards and passing attempts against New Hampshire. He became the first UMass player to ever throw for over 400 yards, breaking Brian McNally's record of 389 yards passing against Connecticut on Oct. 23, 1976. Guice's 735 combined passing yards against James Madison and New Hampshire also set a new school record for yards passing in consecutive games, breaking the mark set by Richard Lucero in the first two games of 2000. For the season, Guice has now completed 142 of 304 passes for 1,680 yards and nine touchdowns with 14 interceptions. He has set a new UMass single-season record for passing yards by a freshman, breaking Gary Wilkos' old mark of 1,171 yards in 1989. Guice also ranks fourth on the UMass single-season list for passing attempts, sixth for completions and ninth for passing yards.
CAIN GETS BACK IN THE FLOW: Sophomore linebacker Jeremy Cain (Tamarac, Fla.) has returned to the UMass starting lineup for the last four games, and has responded with some big performances. Cain recorded a career-best 14 tackles against New Hampshire, including 12 solo stops, five tackles for loss and a sack for eight yards. He also totaled nine tackles against James Madison, with two tackles for loss and a pass breakup, and tied for second on the team with nine tackles against Northeastern. Earlier this season, Cain made seven tackles and a sack against William & Mary in less than two quarters of action, before leaving the game with a sprained knee. He did not play at Marshall or Delaware due to the injury, and was on the field for only four plays at Hofstra. Despite all the time he has missed, Cain still ranks fifth on the team with 45 total tackles this season, and stands third on the squad with eight tackles for loss. Last year, Cain played in all 11 games, and earned his first start at Rhode Island in the season finale. He recorded 45 total tackles as the first linebacker off the bench, and had a season-high eight tackles against Delaware. For his career, Cain now has 90 total tackles, including 58 solo stops and nine tackles for loss.
WHITE ENJOYS CONSISTENT SUCCESS: Junior placekicker Doug White (Claremont, Calif.) has been remarkably consistent for the Minutemen over the course of his career. In eight games this season, he has hit on six of eight field goal attempts and made 14 of 18 extra points, with all but one of the kicks he has not converted being blocked. In last week's victory over Northeastern, White connected on a career-long 41-yard field goal. His previous long was a 40-yard field goal against Delaware on Nov. 11, 2000. Last year White connected on 10 of 11 field goal attempts, with his only miss being a 47-yarder against New Hampshire which was blocked. In addition, he made 16 of 17 extra points last season, with the only miss being blocked by Rhode Island. For the year, White ranked second on the team in scoring with 46 points. Over the course of his career, he has now hit 18 of 22 field goals and 53 of 59 extra points for a total of 107 points. White ranks fourth all-time at UMass in field goals made and seventh in extra points made.
SANGER IS A WEAPON: Junior punter David Sanger (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) continues to show why he is one of the top punters in school history. For the season, he has punted 49 times for 2,046 yards (41.8 avg.), with 14 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. At Villanova, Sanger averaged 40.6 yards on seven punts and placed five kicks inside the 20, including two which were downed at the one-yard line. In the previous game against James Madison, Sanger averaged 50.3 yards on eight punts, to break John Romboli's school single-game record for punting average (50.2 at Boston College on Nov. 22, 1975). In addition, his 71-yard punt against the Dukes ranks as the eighth longest in school history, and he was named the Atlantic 10 Special Teams Player of the Week. Last year, Sanger punted 38 times, landing 14 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He also averaged 39.4 yards per punt, helping UMass to an Atlantic 10-best (and sixth in Division I-AA) net average of 36.8 yards per punt. Over the course of his UMass career, Sanger has now punted 149 times for 6,058 yards, and his average of 40.7 yards per punt ranks as the best in school history. Forty-seven of his 149 career punts have pinned opponents inside the 20.
MINUTEMEN BRING IN ACADEMIC HONORS: Graduated defensive back Brian Smith was honored last season for his work both on the field and in the classroom. Smith was named to the Verizon / CoSIDA Academic All-District I first team, marking the third straight year he had been selected to the squad. In addition to starting every UMass game during his final three seasons, Smith carried a 3.36 grade point average in Accounting. Smith was also named to the Division I-AA Athletic Directors Academic All-Star team, marking the second time in his career he was chosen to that squad (he also earned the honor in 1998). Smith was joined by sophomore defensive end Valdamar Brower, sophomore linebacker Jeremy Cain, graduated senior wide receiver Steve Ley, graduated senior defensive end Dan Schneider, junior placekicker Doug White and graduated senior offensive lineman Ryan Woods on the 2000 Academic All-Atlantic 10 team.
UMASS AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: The Minutemen have faced two ranked opponent so far this season, falling 35-7 at No. 23 Delaware and 36-6 at No. 12 Hofstra. Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass now stands 9-10 against ranked opponents. UMass concluded the 2000 season with a 1-2 record against ranked opponents, downing No. 23 Villanova 38-17, and falling to No. 4 Delaware 31-19 and No. 10 Hofstra 51-36. The Minutemen faced five ranked teams in 1999, 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 NEAR TOP OF NCAA STAT LEADERS: Three different Minutemen currently rank among the NCAA Division I-AA statistical leaders, through games of Nov. 3. Junior punter David Sanger leads the way by standing 11th nationally with an average of 41.8 yards per punt. The rankings:
Category NCAA Rank Player/Team Avg.
Punting 7 UMass 37.3
11 David Sanger 41.8
Interceptions 22 UMass 1.5
Completions 23 Matt Guice 17.8
Field Goals 43 Doug White 0.8
Total Offense 47 Matt Guice 202.4
MINUTEMEN AMONG THE A-10 LEADERS: Four Minutemen rank among the Atlantic 10 leaders in various statistical categories, through games of Nov. 3. Junior punter David Sanger stands second in the league in punting (41.8 yards/punt), while senior free safety Jeremy Robinson ranks fifth in interceptions (0.4 picks/game). Junior placekicker Doug White stands second in field goal percentage (.750) and fourth in field goals made (0.8 made/game), while redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Guice ranks fifth in passing yards (211.2 yards/game). As a team, UMass stands second in the conference in net punting (37.3 yards/punt).
UMASS ON THE 10TH: In this week's game against Maine, the Minutemen will be playing on November 10 for the 14th time in school history. UMass enters the game with a 5-7-1 mark on Nov. 10, including a 2-4-1 record in road games. The Minutemen won their last game played on this date, posting a 3-0 victory over Villanova in 1990 to clinch the Yankee Conference title. UMass' last road game on this date came during the 1984 season, a 27-14 loss at Delaware. The Minutemen are 1-0 in conference games played on Nov. 10, with the only game being the 1990 victory over Villanova. UMass first played a game on Nov. 10 in 1880, when it lost at Williston Academy 10-8 in only the second game in the history of the program.
MINUTEMEN ON THE RADIO: All University of Massachusetts football games can be heard live on the UMass Football Radio Network, with WHMP 1400 AM (Northampton) serving as the flagship station. Bob Behler is in his third season as the play-by-play announcer, while former UMass head coach Bob Pickett is in his fourth year as color analyst. This week's list of this week's affiliates on the UMass Radio Network includes WXKS 1430 AM (Boston), WHMP 1240 AM (Greenfield), WBRK 101.7 FM (Pittsfield), WHMP 1600 AM (Springfield) and WORC 1310 AM (Worcester). In addition, WMUA 91.1 FM, the UMass student station, will carry most Minuteman football games during the 2001 season.
THE MARK WHIPPLE SHOW: Head coach Mark Whipple's weekly radio show, "The Mark Whipple Show," airs live from The Hangar Pub & Grill in Amherst each Thursday from 6:00-7:00 p.m. during the season on WHMP 1400 AM (Northampton), 1240 AM (Greenfield) and 1600 AM (Springfield). Bob Behler serves as the show's host. The show is open to the general public.
COACH'S CORNER WITH MARK WHIPPLE: Every Sunday night at 11:30 p.m., the Coach's Corner with Mark Whipple can be seen on WGGB TV, channel 40 in Springfield. The short segment, which runs at the tale end of the Sunday night news, features highlights from Saturday's game and a look ahead to the next week's opponent. The show will run through the end of UMass' season. (Note: This week's show will air during the late news on Monday night, after the conclussion of Monday Night Football.)
UMASS ON TELEVISION: The Minutemen will have four games carried on live television during the 2001 season. The only televised contest remaining is the Rhode Island game, which will be carried by the Atlantic 10 Television Network. The game will be carried locally by Fox Sports New England. The first televised game came at Marshall, which was carried by the Thundering Herd Network in West Virginia, with WSAZ-TV in Huntington serving as the flagship station. The game was also available nationwide, as part of the ESPN Gameplan package. The Delaware was televised on CN8 in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware. The Hofstra was shown on Fox Sports New York, and was available locally on Fox Sports New England. The Minutemen have a record of 9-6 in televised games since the beginning of the 1998 season, including a 6-3 mark against Atlantic 10 opponents.
MINUTEMEN NAME CAPTAINS: Prior to the Sept. 1 season opener against William & Mary, senior free safety Jeremy Robinson and senior tailback Kevin Quinlan were named UMass' captains for the 2001 season. Two of the most experienced players on the team, Robinson and Quinlan are two of only eight current Minutemen who played in the 1998 NCAA championship game victory over Georgia Southern. Six of UMass' seven captains since the 1998 season have gone on to play football professionally.
ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS: Maine enters this week's game with an overall record of 6-2 and a 5-2 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Black Bears were ranked 24th in the nation by The Sports Network prior to last week's victory at Rhode Island. Maine's offense averages 378.5 yards per game, including 216.6 yards through the air and 161.9 yards on the ground. Junior quarterback Jake Eaton has completed 130 of 229 passes this season for 1,690 yards and 15 touchdowns with seven interceptions, while also rushing for 190 yards and three scores on 72 carries. His top targets have been sophomore wide receiver Stefan Gomes with 47 catches for 576 yards and seven touchdowns, and sophomore wide receiver Paris Minor with 43 receptions for 640 yards and three scores. On the ground, senior tailback Royston English leads Maine with 828 yards and six touchdowns on 168 carries. Defensively, the Black Bears rank second in the Atlantic 10, allowing only 317.0 yards per contest. Junior linebacker Stephen Cooper leads the team with 81 tackles and two sacks, while junior free safety David Cusano has 47 total tackles, two interceptions and six pass breakups.
MAINE HEAD COACH JACK COSGROVE: The 1996 Yankee Conference Coach of the Year, Jack Cosgrove is in his ninth season as head coach at Maine. He sports a 39-57 overall mark during his tenure with the Black Bears. Cosgrove served as an assistant coach at Maine from 1987-1992, 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 seventh all-time leading passer in school history with 2,836 career yards.
EXTRA POINTS: UMass defensive coordinator Neil McGrath served as defensive coordinator at Maine from 1995-1999 ... Sophomore defensive end Mike Haynes (Attleboro, Mass.) made his first career start against Northeastern last week, and responded with a team-high 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Haynes was honored as the Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Week ... Redshirt freshman Leroy Brooks (Hackensack, N.J.) has started five of the last six games at cornerback, and has turned in some outstanding performances. In last week's victory over Northeastern he had six tackles with a forced fumble and a key pass breakup in the end zone in the closing minutes ... Freshman wide out Jason Peebler (Modesto, Calif.) had one catch for 12 yards against Northeastern last week, to give him 13 receptions for 199 yards on the season. Peebler now has the second-most catches ever by a UMass freshman, ranking behind only Adrian Zullo (29 receptions in 1998) ... Three former Minutemen are currently on National Football League rosters: rookie linebacker Kole Ayi of the New York Giants, third-year linebacker Khari Samuel of the Detroit Lions and rookie tailback Marcel Shipp of the Arizona Cardinals ... UMass has scored in 77 straight games since a 34-0 loss to Rhode Island on Sept. 30, 1995 ... The Minutemen have scored in 101 consecutive home games since a 17-0 loss to Holy Cross on Sept. 17, 1983 ... With last season's 7-4 record, UMass recorded seven or more victories in three straight seasons for the first time since 1963-1965, when the Minutemen went 8-0-1 (1963), 8-2 (1964) and 7-2 (1965).
