University of Massachusets Athletics
#20 UMass To Face #4 Villanova On Band Day
October 15, 2002 | Football
Oct. 15, 2002
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: #20 UMass (4-2, 2-1 A-10) vs. #4 Villanova (6-1, 3-1 A-10)
Date: October 19, 2002
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Place: Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium (17,000), Amherst, Mass.
UMass Football Radio Network: Bob Behler, play-by-play; Bob Pickett, color; WRNX 100.9 FM, Holyoke, flagship
UMass Student Radio: WMUA 91.1 FM, Amherst
Villanova Football Radio Network: Joe Eichhorn, play-by-play; Ryan Fannon, color; WZZD 990 AM, Lafayette Hill, flagship
Series Record: Villanova leads, 11-8
Last Meeting: Villanova 47, UMass 13 (Oct. 27, 2000, Villanova, Pa.)
THE SERIES WITH VILLANOVA: Villanova holds a slim 11-8 lead in the all-time series which began in 1961. The Wildcats have won two of the last three meetings, including a 47-13 victory at Villanova last season. The Minutemen hold a 7-2 advantage for games played in Amherst, including a 7-1 mark at McGuirk Alumni Stadium and six straight wins (Villanova's last win came by a 25-21 score in 1978). In fact, the away team has won only three of the previous 19 meetings in the series, and none since Villanova's victory in Amherst in 1978. (A complete breakdown of the series between UMass and Villanova can be found on page 109 of the UMass football media guide, while scores from each meeting are located on page 116.)
BALANCED GROUND GAME LEADS OFFENSE: The Minutemen have used three different starting tailbacks so far this season, and all three have been very productive. Redshirt freshman R.J. Cobbs (Parsippany Hills, N.J.) leads the team with 496 yards and five touchdowns on 85 carries, while redshirt freshman Raunny Rosario (Lowell, Mass.) has added 474 yards and two scores on 77 carries, and sophomore Jason Peebler (Modesto, Calif.) has chipped in with 143 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. In last week's victory over Maine, Cobbs led the team with 112 yards on 18 carries, while Rosario added 53 yards on 13 attempts. All three players have had 100-yard games this season, while also giving UMass two 100-yard rushers three times. At Richmond, Rosario ran 17 times for 131 yards and Cobbs rushed 17 times for 112 yards and two scores. Against American International College, Cobbs led the way by rushing 23 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns, while Rosario carried 14 times for 104 yards and a score. The previous week against Central Connecticut State, Peebler led the team with 126 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and was named the Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week. Rosario chipped in with 116 yards and a score on 12 carries, and was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. With the performances against AIC and Central Connecticut State, UMass had two 100-yard rushers in back-to-back games for the first time since the 1994 season, when Rene Ingoglia and Frank Alessio accomplished the feat. In a 32-0 victory at Holy Cross on Sept. 17, Ingoglia rushed 30 times for 199 yards and two touchdowns, while Alessio added 15 carries for 109 yards and two scores. The following week, in a 20-14 home victory over Maine on Sept. 24, Ingoglia had 26 carries for 124 yards and a touchdown, and Alessio chipped in with 24 rushes for 115 yards and a score.
DEFENSE DOMINATES AFTER INTERMISSION: Over the last two weeks, the UMass defense has shut down the opposition in the second half to lead the Minutemen to victory. Last week against second-ranked Maine, UMass allowed only 65 yards of total offense after halftime, with the Black Bears' only points coming on an eight-yard drive after a bad snap on a Minuteman punt attempt. The previous week at Richmond, UMass also gave up only 65 second half yards, with the Spiders only points after intermission coming on a 25-yard drive in the final minute of play, following a 61-yard punt return. For the season, the Minutemen are allowing opponents to average 116.7 yards of total offense in the second half, with four opponents held to seven points or less.
QUICK STRIKES: During the first six games of the season, the UMass offense has made a habit of putting points on the board quickly. On their 24 touchdown drives so far in 2002, the Minutemen have scored in two minutes or less 18 times. On those 24 drives, UMass has averaged 5.3 plays, 53.8 yards and 1:40 time of possession. The Minutemen have scored on single-play drives five times this year, with a six-second drive against American International College, a seven-second drive against Central Connecticut State, drives of eight and 12 seconds at North Carolina State, and a 17-second drive at Richmond. The longest touchdown drive of the season was a 17-play, 92-yard march in the fourth quarter of the AIC game, which took 6:07 off the clock.
STRONG AFTER SEPTEMBER: Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass has a combined record of 7-11 in games played before Oct. 1, but the Minutemen have come on to record strong finishes every year. Over the last five years, UMass has a mark of 28-10 in games played in October, November or December. The Minutemen have a 14-5 record in the month of October since 1998, including a 2-0 mark so far this year and a 10-4 record against Atlantic 10 foes.
UMASS AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: The Minutemen have faced two ranked Division I-AA opponents so far in 2002, defeating No. 2 Maine 20-10 last week and falling at No. 18 Northeastern 42-17. UMass faced four ranked opponents during the 2001 season, defeating No. 15 Rhode Island 24-7, and falling 35-7 at No. 23 Delaware, 36-6 at No. 12 Hofstra and 37-7 at No. 20 Maine. Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass now stands 11-12 against ranked opponents. The Minutemen concluded the 2000 season with a 1-2 record against ranked opponents, while going 2-3 against ranked teams in 1999 and 6-3 in 1998. UMass' six victories over ranked opponents in 1998 set a school single season record. The Minutemen also stand 7-10 against ranked teams at home over the last 10 years, including a 2-8 mark against top 10 teams at home. Prior to last week's victory over Maine, UMass had lost eight straight home games to top 10 opponents, since a 43-29 win over No. 7 Delaware on Oct. 23, 1993.
CAIN A DEFENSIVE LEADER: Junior linebacker Jeremy Cain (Tamarac, Fla.) has started the 2002 season with a number of outstanding games. In last week's victory over Maine, he had eight total tackles, with a pair of sacks and a blocked field goal, to earn Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week honors. The previous week at Richmond, Cain totaled nine tackles with one tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. At North Carolina State, he had a team-high 12 total tackles with two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two pass breakups, one of which led to an interception return for a touchdown. At Northeastern, Cain had eight total tackles, including one tackle for loss. Against American International College, he had nine total tackles, including three sacks and five tackles for loss, and was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week. Cain also led the team with 16 tackles in the season opener against Central Connecticut State, including one sack. For the season, he leads the team with 62 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and six sacks. Cain, who moved to an outside linebacker spot this year, ranked third on the team with 78 total tackles last season, and stood third on the squad with 11 tackles for loss. This came despite missing nearly four entire games due to injury. In 2000, Cain played in all 11 games and recorded 45 total tackles as the first linebacker off the bench. For his career, he now has 185 total tackles, including 127 solo stops and 25 tackles for loss.
ZULLO ONCE AGAIN A RECEIVING THREAT: After not playing since October of 2000 due to injury, senior wide receiver Adrian Zullo (Pompano Beach, Fla.) has been outstanding so far in 2002. In last week's victory over Maine, Zullo led the team with six receptions for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The previous week at Richmond, he caught five passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns, giving him career totals of 25 catches, 452 yards and six scores in four games against the Spiders, all of which were played on the road. At North Carolina State, Zullo totaled three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown, and at Northeastern, he caught four passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Zullo also had a team-best seven catches for 93 yards against American International College, while totaling 110 all-purpose yards. In the season opener against Central Connecticut State, he led the team with six receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown, while also opening the game with a career-long 59-yard kickoff return. Through six games this season, Zullo now has 31 receptions for 493 yards and seven touchdowns, all team highs. He has now posted 100-plus all-purpose yards 19 times during his collegiate career, including five games this season. In 2000, Zullo totaled 25 receptions for 398 yards and six touchdowns, despite only playing in the first five games of the season. That came on the heels of a 1999 campaign in which he caught 81 passes for 1,253 yards and nine scores, while averaging a school single season record 15.6 yards every time he touched the ball. As a freshman in 1998, Zullo was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year, after catching 29 passes for 479 yards and eight scores. Zullo has caught at least one pass in each of his last 25 games and has multiple receptions in 31 of 38 career contests. He already holds a number of UMass records, including career marks for both receptions and receiving yards, and needs only three more touchdown catches to move into 23rd place on the all-time Division I-AA list for career regular season scoring receptions. Here is a look at every school record currently held by Zullo:
Single Game Receptions 11 (vs. Villanova & Richmond, 1999) Single Game Receiving Yards 210 (vs. Richmond, 1999) Single Game Receiving Touchdowns 4 (vs. New Hampshire, 1999) Single Season All-Purpose Yards / Play 15.6 (1999) Career Receptions 166 (1998-present) Career Receiving Yards 2,623 (1998-present) Career Receiving Touchdowns 30 (1998-present)
THE LAST MEETING - VILLANOVA 47, UMASS 13 (10/27/01): Brian Westbrook gained 199 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Villanova to a 47-13 victory over the Minutemen. Westbrook rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, caught six passes for 40 yards and a score, and also totaled 56 yards in returns. The Wildcats took the opening kickoff and marched 64 yards for a touchdown, as Brett Gordon connected with Brian White for the score. UMass came right back down the field and scored a touchdown of its own, with Kevin Quinlan taking the ball in from three yards out. But the rest of the first half was all Villanova, as Gordon rushed for a touchdown and also connected with Westbrook and Phil DiGiacomo on scoring passes to give the Wildcats a 27-6 lead at the break. The Minutemen had a chance to get back in the game in the third quarter, when Valdamar Brower deflected a Gordon pass and caught it in the Villanova end zone for a touchdown to make the score 27-13. But on UMass' next possession, Jamison Young forced a fumble on a sack of quarterback Matt Guice, and Kwesi Solomon retuned it for a touchdown to give the momentum back to the Wildcats. Westbrook added two touchdown runs down the stretch to conclude the scoring. Quinlan led the UMass offense by rushing 12 times for 51 yards and a score, while Guice completed 14 of 33 passes for 159 yards. Gordon connected on 16 of 27 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for Villanova. Anton McKenzie (14 tackles) and Jeremy Robinson (13 tackles) led the Minuteman defense, while Young had nine tackles, three sacks and three forced fumbles for the Wildcats.
KROHN TAKES OVER AT QUARTERBACK: Junior Jeff Krohn (Phoenix, Ariz.) has had some solid performances since taking over as UMass' starting quarterback this season. At Northeastern, Krohn completed 33 of 52 attempts for 401 yards and two touchdowns. He set a new UMass single game record for most completions, while coming up only two yards shy of the school record for most passing yards in a game. Krohn also threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns against American International College; hit on 15 of 30 passes for 198 yards with four touchdowns against Central Connecticut State; passed for 194 yards and two scores at North Carolina State; completed 14 of 28 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns at Richmond; and hit on 12 of 22 passes for 176 yards and two scores against Maine. For the season, he has completed 107 of 201 passes for 1,498 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He already ranks seventh on the UMass single season list for touchdown passes, and can move into the single season top 10 for passing yards this week if he throws for at least 97 yards. Krohn, who transferred to UMass from Arizona State University in January, came to the Minutemen after leading the Pacific-10 Conference in passing efficiency last season. He started nine games for the Sun Devils in 2001, completing 115 of 213 passes for 1,942 yards and 19 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Over the course of his Arizona State career, Krohn completed 240 of 467 passes for 3,693 yards and 31 touchdowns with 13 interceptions.
WHIPPLE ENTERS WEEK WITH 107 WINS: Now in his fifth season as head coach of the Minutemen, Mark Whipple has 107 victories in his collegiate coaching career. Whipple owns a career record of 107-54 (.665) in 15 years as a collegiate head coach, including five seasons at UMass (35-21 / 1998-present), four years at Brown (24-16 / 1994-97) and six seasons at New Haven (48-17 / 1988-93). He currently stands in fifth place on the all-time list for UMass coaching victories, and needs only two more wins to take over sole possession of third place. In 2000, 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.
WHITE NAMED TO GOOD WORKS TEAM: Senior placekicker Doug White (Claremont, Calif.) has been selected to the 2002 American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. He is the first Minuteman to ever be selected to the squad, and is the only player from the Atlantic 10 Conference to be honored this year. Selection to the team is based on involvement and commitment to working with charitable organizations, service groups or other community service activities. White serves as the president of the UMass Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the UMass Jewish Varsity Athletes, and is also the UMass representative to the Atlantic 10 Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He has also volunteered time to the Claremont Meals-On-Wheels, the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center and Habitat for Humanity.
BROWER CONTINUES TO SHINE: Junior All-American Valdamar Brower (Florence, Mass.) is once again among the nation's premier defensive linemen in 2002, after emerging as one of the biggest bright spots for the UMass defense last season. Brower had an outstanding game against American International College, totaling four sacks for 23 yards among his six total tackles. On the season, he now has 23 tackles, four sacks, six tackles for loss, two pass breakups, 12 quarterback hurries and three blocked kicks. In 2001, Brower led the team and the Atlantic 10 with 10 sacks for 70 yards, to go along with 57 total tackles and 24 tackles for loss. He finished the season ranked second nationally in Division I-AA in tackles for loss, while standing fifth in sacks. Brower's top game last year came against Rhode Island, when he totaled 10 tackles, with a career-high six tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. Following the conclusion of the season, he received All-America honors from The Sports Network, the Associated Press, and Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. In 2000, Brower led all UMass defensive linemen with 57 total tackles, while also recording five sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Brower now has a career total of 137 tackles, including 19 sacks and 41 tackles for loss.
SANGER IS A WEAPON: Senior All-American David Sanger (Cocoa Beach, Fla.), who has already established himself as one of the top punters in school history, is having another outstanding season in 2002. In the victory at Richmond, Sanger averaged 44.1 yards on seven punts, with four of his kicks downed inside the 20-yard line. His long punt of 68 yards against the Spiders tied for the 10th longest in school history, and he was honored as the Special Teams Player of the Week by the Atlantic 10 Conference and Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. The previous week at North Carolina State, he had a 43.6 yard average on five punts, while downing two punts inside the 20-yard line. At Northeastern, Sanger averaged 43.7 yards on three punts, with a long kick of 67 yards and two punts inside the 20-yard line. Through six games, he has averaged 41.2 yards on 27 punts, with 12 kicks inside the 20-yard line. During the 2001 season, he punted 68 times for 2,812 yards (41.4 average), with 20 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, and ranked second in the Atlantic 10 and 13th nationally in punting average. He also had UMass ranked seventh nationally and second in the Atlantic 10 in net punting average last year. In 2000, 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 195 times for 7,936 yards, and his average of 40.7 yards per punt ranks as the best in school history. Sixty-five of his 195 career punts have pinned opponents inside the 20.
MINUTEMEN NEAR TOP OF NCAA STAT LEADERS: Seven Minutemen are currently ranked among the NCAA Division I-AA statistical leaders, through games of Oct. 12. As a team, UMass currently stands 17th in the nation in total offense and 19th in turnovers caused. The rankings:
Category NCAA Rank Player/Team No./Avg. Points Responsible For 9 Jeff Krohn 15.0 Total Offense 17 UMass 426.5 27 Jeff Krohn 239.2 Completions 18 Jeff Krohn 17.8 Rushing Yards 18 R.J. Cobbs 99.2 42 Raunny Rosario 79.0 Turnovers Caused 19 UMass 3.0 Punting 23 David Sanger 41.2 Scoring 23 UMass 31.5 43 Adrian Zullo 7.0 Passing Yards 25 UMass 254.2 Rushing Defense 26 UMass 115.2 Interceptions 29 Shannon James 0.5 Field Goals 31 Doug White 1.0 Receiving Yards 35 Adrian Zullo 82.2 Passing Efficiency 39 Jeff Krohn 128.9 Receptions 39 Adrian Zullo 5.2 All-Purpose Yards 44 Adrian Zullo 119.7 48 R.J. Cobbs 116.8
WHITE ENJOYS CONSISTENT SUCCESS: Senior placekicker Doug White has been remarkably consistent for the Minutemen over the course of his career. In the victory at Richmond, White made a pair of field goals (from 36 and 37 yards) in addition to all four of his extra point attempts, to tie his career-high of 10 points. He had first scored 10 points in the season opening victory over Central Connecticut State, making all seven of his extra points and his only field goal attempt (from 21 yards). White has made all six of his field goal attempts so far this season, including a 36-yarder against American International College, a career-long 44-yarder at Northeastern and a 28-yarder at North Carolina State. He also ranks second on the team in scoring with 39 points, including 21 of 25 extra points. In 2001, he hit on seven of 11 field goal attempts and made 19 of 23 extra points, to lead the team in scoring with 40 points. During the 2000 season, White connected on 10 of 11 field goal attempts, with his only miss being a 47-yarder against New Hampshire which was blocked, and ranked second on the team in scoring with 46 points. Over the course of his career, he has now hit 25 of 31 field goals and 79 of 89 extra points for a total of 154 points. White ranks second all-time at UMass in points scored among kickers, second in extra points made and fourth in field goals made.
MINUTEMEN BRING IN ACADEMIC HONORS: Five members of the UMass team were honored last season for their work both on the field and in the classroom. Junior linebacker Jeremy Cain, departed tight end Eddie Campbell, departed quarterback Matt Guice, junior linebacker Mark Kimener (Oakton, Va.) and senior placekicker Doug White were all selected to the 2001 Academic All-Atlantic 10 Conference team, with both Cain and White being named to the squad for the second consecutive year. This season, look for White and senior wide receiver Neal Brown (Danville, Ky.) to be top candidates for Academic All-America honors. Both Brown and White currently carry cumulative grade point averages of 3.70 in the School of Management.
MINUTEMEN USE BALANCE IN PASSING GAME: UMass has used a great deal of balance when throwing the ball this season, with at least six different players catching passes in five of the first six games. The top four wide receivers on the squad have all been impressive thus far, with each of the four catching at least 10 passes in 2002. Senior Adrian Zullo leads the way with 31 catches for 493 yards and seven touchdowns, followed by senior DeShon Hardy (Neptune, N.J.) with 17 receptions for 232 yards and three scores. Sophomore Joe Bruce (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has chipped in with 15 catches for 172 yards, and senior Neal Brown has 10 receptions for 152 yards and two touchdowns. On the year, UMass has now had 12 players catch at least one pass.
MINUTEMEN AMONG THE A-10 LEADERS: Several Minutemen are currently ranked among the Atlantic 10 leaders in various statistical categories, through games of Oct. 12. Wide receiver Adrian Zullo stands third in the conference in all-purpose yards (119.7 yards/game), receptions (5.2 catches/game) and receiving yards (82.8 yards/game), while standing fourth in scoring (7.0 points/game). Quarterback Jeff Krohn ranks third in passing yards (249.7 yards/game), fourth total offense (239.2 yards/game), and fifth in passing efficiency (128.9 rating). Placekicker Doug White leads the league in field goal percentage (100.0 percent) and stands fifth in field goals (1.0 made/game), while tailback R.J. Cobbs stands second in rushing (99.2 yards/game) and fourth in all-purpose yards (116.8 yards/game). In addition, punter David Sanger is third in punting (41.2 yards/punt), wide receiver DeShon Hardy ranks third in punt returns (8.8 yards/return) and free safety Shannon James is third in interceptions (0.5 picks/game). As a team, UMass ranks second in the league in scoring offense (31.5 points/game) and total offense (426.5 yards/game), while standing third in passing offense (254.2 yards/game), punt returns (8.8 yards/return) and turnover margin (+0.5 turnovers/game).
MINUTEMEN ON THE RADIO: All University of Massachusetts football games can be heard live on the UMass Football Radio Network, with WRNX 100.9 FM (Holyoke) serving as the flagship station. Bob Behler is in his fourth season as the play-by-play announcer, while former UMass head coach Bob Pickett is in his fifth year as color analyst and Eric Kopf joins the team this year as host of the pregame, halftime and postgame shows. This week's affiliates on the UMass Football Radio Network include WCAP 980 AM (Lowell / Boston), WATD 95.9 FM (Marshfield / Boston), WBRK 101.7 FM (Pittsfield) and WARE 1250 AM (Ware). In addition, WMUA 91.1 FM, the UMass student station, will carry most Minuteman football games during the 2002 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 7:00-8:00 p.m. during the season on WRNX 100.9 FM. 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.
UMASS ON TELEVISION: The Minutemen will have one game carried on live television during the 2002 season. The lone television game currently scheduled is the Hofstra contest on Nov. 16, which will be carried by the Atlantic 10 Television Network (shown locally on Fox Sports New England). The Minutemen have a record of 10-6 in televised games since the beginning of the 1998 season, including a 7-3 mark against Atlantic 10 opponents.
FOURTH AND GO: Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass has made a habit of going for it on fourth down. The Minutemen have converted six of 13 (.462) fourth down attempts so far this season, including three out of five at North Carolina State and two of four at Northeastern. In 2001, UMass converted 11 of 27 (.407) fourth-down attempts, including four of six at Marshall. In 2000, 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 56.8 percent (84 of 148) of its fourth down conversions since the beginning of the 1998 season. By comparison, UMass opponents have converted on only 38 of 97 fourth down attempts over the last five years, good for 39.2 percent.
JAMES PLAYING BIG IN SECONDARY: Redshirt freshman free safety Shannon James (Stratford, Conn.) is off to a strong start in his first season in a UMass uniform. In last week's victory over Maine, James recorded 10 total tackles, an interception and two pass breakups. He also had a huge game at Northeastern, leading the team with 13 total tackles, while forcing a fumble. James also totaled eight tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup against American International College; had nine tackles and an interception against Central Connecticut State; posted eight tackles with a tackle for loss and a forced fumble at North Carolina State; and made six tackles with one tackle for loss and a pass breakup at Richmond. For the season, he now ranks second on the team in total tackles with 54, including 37 solo stops. James also leads the Minutemen in interceptions with three.
UMASS ON THE 19TH: In this week's game against Villanova, the Minutemen will be playing on October 19 for the 17th time in school history. UMass enters the game with a 9-7 mark on Oct. 19, including a 5-3 mark in home contests, a 3-3 record in conference games and wins in three of its last four outings. The last time the Minutemen played on this date came in 1996, when they downed Buffalo 41-20 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The last UMass loss on Oct. 19 came during the 1991 season, when it fell at Connecticut 26-21. UMass' first game played on Oct. 19 came during the 1892 season, when it defeated Williston Academy 22-12 at home.
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 tough to beat in the friendly confines of McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The Minutemen have gone 20-7 (.741) at home from 1998 to present, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 128-68-2 (.652). Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home record of 41-20 (.672) during that span. The Minutemen also have a mark of 14-4 (.778) at McGuirk Stadium against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents under Whipple.
MINUTEMEN LOOKING TO GO OVER .500 ALL-TIME: This fall, UMass has a chance to put its all-time record over the .500 mark. The Minutemen enter this week's game with an all-time record of 483-486-51. The last time UMass had an overall record of better than .500 came following a 17-10 victory over Williston Academy on Oct. 8, 1887, which made its all-time record 11-10-3. In fact, UMass was once 87 games under .500 (218-305-46) in its all-time record, following a 20-6 loss to Boston University of Oct. 31, 1959. Since that date, the Minutemen have posted an impressive 265-181-5 record to close in on the .500 mark. (Thanks to Eric Gemunder of the I-AA College Football Weekly Preview for his input on this note.)
VILLANOVA HEAD COACH ANDY TALLEY: Andy Talley is in his 18th year at the helm of the Wildcat football program. He sports a 120-70-1 record during his time at Villanova, including 13 winning seasons in his first 17 years. The all-time winningest coach in Villanova history, Talley led the Wildcats to a 12-1 record in 1997, and has guided his team to five NCAA I-AA playoff appearance in the last 13 years. Talley holds a 148-88-2 overall mark in his 23nd year as a head coach at the collegiate level, including five seasons at Division III St. Lawrence.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Villanova enters this week's game with an overall record of 6-1 and a 3-1 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Wildcats were ranked sixth in the nation by both The Sports Network and ESPN / USA Today prior to last week's 17-3 victory over No. 24 Pennsylvania. Villanova has averaged 430.4 yards of total offense per game this season, while scoring 28.3 points per contest. Senior quarterback Brett Gordon has led the offense by completing 177 of 267 passes for 2,053 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions. Senior wide out Shaz Brown leads the team in receiving, bringing in 27 catches for 488 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore tailback Terry Butler has a team-high 492 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 119 carries. Villanova has looked strong on defense this season, allowing 11.3 points and 231.0 yards per game. Redshirt freshman linebacker Brian Hulea leads the Wildcats with 49 tackles and three sacks on the season, while senior linebacker Jamison Young has added 47 tackles and four sacks.
EXTRA POINTS: Traditionally one of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds on the year, approximately 3,000 high school band members usually take part in halftime festivities during Band Day ... Senior center Maikel Miret (Miami, Fla.) and senior linebacker Corey Potter (Doylestown, Pa.) will serve as the co-captains of the 2002 Minutemen ... UMass has scored a touchdown on its first offensive possession in each of its four victories this season ... Redshirt freshman linebacker Gerard Washington (Columbia, S.C.) had the top game of his young career at Richmond, and was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week. Starting for the first time as a Minuteman, Washington led the team with 14 total tackles, a sack, an interception, a pass breakup and two tackles for loss ... Junior linebacker Mike Ziccardi (Coral Springs, Fla.) has played well in the first six games this season, totaling 40 tackles, seven sacks and two fumble recoveries ... Two former Minutemen are currently on National Football League rosters: second-year linebacker Kole Ayi of the St. Louis Rams and second-year tailback Marcel Shipp of the Arizona Cardinals ... UMass has scored in 86 straight games since a 34-0 loss to Rhode Island on Sept. 30, 1995 ... The Minutemen have scored in 106 consecutive home games since a 17-0 loss to Holy Cross on Sept. 17, 1983.
