University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Look To Win Sixth Straight At UNH
November 04, 2002 | Football
Nov. 4, 2002
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: #12 UMass (7-2, 5-1 A-10) vs. New Hampshire (2-6, 1-5 A-10)
Date: November 9, 2002
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Place: Cowell Stadium (6,500), Durham, N.H.
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
UNH Sports Network: Jim Jeannotte, play-by-play; Mike Murphy, color; WTSN 1270 AM, Dover, flagship
Series Record: UMass leads, 37-23-3
Last Meeting: New Hampshire 35, UMass 24 (Oct. 13, 2001, Amherst, Mass.)
THE SERIES WITH NEW HAMPSHIRE: UMass holds a 37-23-3 lead in the all-time series which began in 1897, but the Wildcats have won eight of the last 12 meetings. The Minutemen hold an 18-13-2 advantage for games played in Durham with a 14-10-1 mark at Cowell Stadium, but New Hampshire has won five out of the last six played in Durham. The only UMass victory at Cowell Stadium since the 1988 season came in 1998, when the Minutemen won a close 27-26 game on their way to the Division I-AA national championship.
MIRET LOOKS TO TIE RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE STARTS: Senior center Maikel Miret (Miami, Fla.), who has started all 44 of UMass' games since the beginning of the 1999 season, can tie the all-time school record for consecutive games started at New Hampshire this week. The record is currently held by Vaughn Williams, who started 45 straight games from 1988-1991. If Miret starts every UMass game for the rest of the season, he will also become the first Minuteman since Williams to start every one of the team's games during his four-year career. In addition, Miret stands only three starts away from the all-time school record for games started (47, Jerard White, 1996-1999), and six appearances away from the career mark of 50 games played, shared by Kole Ayi (1997-2000), Chris Price (1996-1999), Dan Schneider (1997-2000) and Brian Smith (1997-2000).
THE BILL KNIGHT TROPHY: Each year, the Most Valuable Player of the UMass-New Hampshire game is presented the Bill Knight Trophy, named in honor of the late UNH sports information director. The Wildcats' Stephan Lewis has taken home the award each of the last two seasons, and will look to join former New Hampshire star Jerry Azumah (1996, 1996 and 1997) as the only three-time winners of the award. The trophy has also been won by a running back seven times in the last nine years. In addition to Lewis and Azumah, other running backs to win the award are UMass' Marcel Shipp (1998) and John Johnson (1993). UMass senior wide out Adrian Zullo (Pompano Beach, Fla.) became the first wide receiver to win the trophy in 1999, catching five passes for 92 yards and four touchdowns. In the 16-year history of the Bill Knight Trophy, the award has also gone to a quarterback seven times and a defensive lineman once. A New Hampshire player has won the trophy 10 times, with a UMass player taking it home six times.
DEFENSE BECOMES DOMINATING: Over the last five weeks, the UMass defense has turned in some impressive performances to lead the Minutemen to five straight victories. During that time, UMass has surrendered only 53 total points (10.6 points per game) and 1,575 yards of total offense (315.0 yards per game). This came despite facing three of the Atlantic 10 Conference's top offenses (Delaware, Maine and Villanova) during that time. The Minutemen have also forced 18 turnovers in the last five games, giving them 28 total takeaways through nine games this season. This marks the most impressive string of defensive performances by the UMass defense since the 1999 season, when the Minutemen held six straight opponents to less than 20 points, as part of an eight-game winning streak.
WINNING STREAK REACHES FIVE GAMES: UMass enters this week's game at New Hampshire with a five-game winning streak, its longest since the 1999 season. The school record for consecutive wins is eight, which has been accomplished five times. The first streak began when the 1963 team won its final seven games, and ended with a victory over Maine in the 1964 season opener. The 1975 squad matched the record by winning its first eight games of the year, while the 1977 team posted an eight-game winning streak after losing its season opener to Army. The 1990 team won eight straight following a season-opening tie against Holy Cross, while the 1999 squad won eight consecutive games after opening the year 1-3.
MINUTEMEN LOOKING TO GO OVER .500 ALL-TIME: This week, UMass has a chance to put its all-time record over the .500 mark. The Minutemen enter the game with an all-time record of 486-486-51. The last time UMass had an overall record over .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 then, the Minutemen have posted an impressive 268-181-5 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.)
KIMENER COMING ON STRONG: Junior linebacker Mark Kimener (Oakton, Va.) has developed into one of the top playmakers on the UMass defense. In the victory over Delaware, he totaled seven tackles with a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and an interception which he returned for a touchdown. The previous week at James Madison, Kimener made five tackles with a tackle for loss and an interception in the end zone to help preserve the win. He also made a season-high 11 tackles against Villanova, while recording 10 tackles in the Central Connecticut State game. For the season, Kimener ranks fifth on the team with 61 total tackles, including five tackles for loss and one sack, while intercepting two passes. Over the course of his UMass career, he has now totaled 148 tackles, with 13 tackles for loss, five sacks and three interceptions.
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 31-10 (.756) in games played in October, November or December. The Minutemen have a 12-4 record in November since 1998, including a 9-4 record against Atlantic 10 foes.
QUICK STRIKES: During the first nine games of the season, the UMass offense has made a habit of putting points on the board quickly. On their 29 touchdown drives so far in 2002, the Minutemen have scored in two minutes or less 21 times. On those 29 drives, UMass has averaged 5.4 plays, 52.1 yards and 1:45 time of possession, with a number of short drives being set up by strong defensive or special teams play. 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.
CAIN A DEFENSIVE LEADER: Junior linebacker Jeremy Cain (Tamarac, Fla.) has started the 2002 season with a number of outstanding games. Last week against Delaware, Cain ranked second on the team with 10 total tackles, including a sack for five yards. He was also second on the team with 12 total tackles at James Madison, while also forcing a fumble, and recorded 13 total tackles with one tackle for loss and a pass breakup against Villanova. In addition, Cain had eight total tackles with a pair of sacks and a blocked field goal against Maine, to earn Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Cain was also named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week earlier in the season, following his performance against American International College, when he had nine total tackles, including three sacks and five tackles for loss. Cain's other top games this season include: nine tackles with one tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry at Richmond; a team-high 12 total tackles with two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two pass breakups at North Carolina State; eight total tackles, including one tackle for loss, at Northeastern; and a team-high 16 tackles in the season opener against Central Connecticut State, including one sack. For the season, he leads the team with 97 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Over the course of his UMass career, Cain now has 220 total tackles, including 154 solo stops and 27 tackles for loss.
SECOND HALF SURGE: A big part of the success the UMass defense has had over the last five weeks has been its strong play in the second half. In the victory at Richmond, UMass 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. Against second-ranked Maine, UMass again 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. In the win over fourth-ranked Villanova, UMass gave up only 167 total yards and nine points after the break. At James Madison, the Minutemen allowed seven points and 212 yards following intermission. Against Delaware, UMass did not allow a point while giving up only 132 total yards. For the season, the Minutemen are allowing opponents to average 9.4 points and 134.6 yards of total offense in the second half.
THE LAST MEETING - UNH 35, UMASS 24 (10/13/01): Matt Guice completed 28 of 63 passes for 403 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not enough as the Minutemen fell to New Hampshire 35-24 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium to open a season 0-5 for the first time in school history. Guice, who also rushed 16 times for 13 yards and a touchdown, set school single game records for total offensive yards (416), passing yards, total offensive attempts (79) and passing attempts. UMass dominated the game for most of the first half and opened up a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter. Guice scored the first touchdown on a two-yard run, then hit Jimmie Howard with a 60-yard pass to put the Minutemen up 14-0. Doug White added a 27-yard field goal with only 37 seconds left before intermission, but Mike Granieri hit Stephan Lewis with a 49-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the half to make the score 17-6 and give the Wildcats the momentum heading into the locker room. Granieri added an 11-yard scoring pass to Michael Taylor in the third quarter, but UMass responded with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Guice to Neal Brown to make the score 24-14 early in the fourth quarter. Lewis then took over the remainder of the game for the Wildcats, scoring touchdowns on runs of 56, two and 77 yards to erase a 10-point deficit and give New Hampshire the win. Lewis, who rushed 25 times for 258 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to catching four passes for 94 yards and another score, received the Bill Knight Trophy as the game's most valuable player for the second straight season. Brown had a big day for the Minutemen, catching nine passes for 118 yards and a score, while DeShon Hardy added seven receptions for 71 yards. Jeremy Cain recorded a game-high 14 tackles, including five tackles for loss, to lead the UMass defense. Czar Wiley led the Wildcats with 10 tackles, while Aaron Thomas added two interceptions.
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. Last week against Delaware, he averaged 42.5 yards on eight punts, with five of his kicks being downed inside the Blue Hen 20-yard line. 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 following the game he was honored as the Special Teams Player of the Week by the Atlantic 10 Conference and Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. He also averaged 43.6 yards on five punts at North Carolina State, with two punts inside the 20, and averaged 43.7 yards on three punts at Northeastern, with a long kick of 67 yards and two punts inside the 20-yard line. Through nine games, he has averaged 41.0 yards on 47 punts, with 21 kicks inside the 20-yard line. Over the course of his UMass career, Sanger has now punted 215 times for 8,749 yards, and his average of 40.7 yards per punt ranks as the best in school history. Seventy-four of his 215 career punts have pinned opponents inside the 20.
ZULLO ONCE AGAIN A RECEIVING THREAT: After not playing since October of 2000 due to injury, senior wide receiver Adrian Zullo has been outstanding so far in 2002. Last week against Delaware, he caught three passes for 56 yards, with a key 36-yard touchdown pass. In the victory over Maine, Zullo led the team with six receptions for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and was named the Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the 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. Some of Zullo's other top 2002 performances include: three receptions for 21 yards at James Madison; three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown at North Carolina State; four receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown at Northeastern; a team-best seven catches for 93 yards against American International College, while totaling 110 all-purpose yards; and a team-high six receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown against Central Connecticut, while also opening the game with a career-long 59-yard kickoff return. Through nine games this season, Zullo now has 39 receptions for 596 yards and eight touchdowns, all team highs. He has now posted 100-plus all-purpose yards 19 times during his collegiate career, including five games this season. Zullo has also caught at least one pass in each of his last 28 games and has multiple receptions in 34 of 41 career contests. He already holds a number of UMass records, including career marks for both receptions and receiving yards, and needs only two 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 174 (1998-present) Career Receiving Yards 2,726 (1998-present) Career Receiving Touchdowns 31 (1998-present)
MCKENZIE MAKING PLAYS: Senior strong safety Anton McKenzie (Medford, N.Y.) has been one of the top players on the UMass defense so far this season. In the victory at James Madison, he recorded 12 total tackles, with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Against Villanova, McKenzie recorded a career-high 18 total tackles, while also blocking a 38-yard field goal attempt in the final minute of play to preserve the one-point victory. Following the game, he was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week, Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week and a College Sporting News Division I-AA All-Star, in addition to winning the Coca-Cola Gold Helmet as the Division I Player of the Week in New England. Against Maine, McKenzie also led the team in tackles with 12, with one tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Some of McKenzie's other top games this year include: seven total tackles in the win over Delaware; nine tackles with a tackle for loss and a forced fumble at North Carolina State; and eight tackles with a tackle for loss and two pass breakups against Central Connecticut. For the season, McKenzie ranks third on the team with 83 total tackles, to go along with six pass breakups, seven tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. Over the course of his UMass career, he has now totaled 179 total tackles with 12 pass breakups and 18 tackles for loss.
COBBS AND ROSARIO LEAD GROUND GAME: Redshirt freshman tailbacks R.J. Cobbs (Parsippany Hills, N.J.) and Raunny Rosario (Lowell, Mass.) have given the Minutemen an outstanding combination in the offensive backfield this season. Cobbs leads the team with 727 yards and seven scores on 128 carries, while Rosario has added 662 yards and three touchdowns on 123 carries. Both players enter this week's game at New Hampshire with a chance to break the UMass freshman rushing record, currently held by Marcel Shipp with 756 yards in 1997. Cobbs has four 100-yard games this season and Rosario three, with UMass having two 100-yard rushers in a game 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, sophomore Jason Peebler (Modesto, Calif.) 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.
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.
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. Last week against Delaware, he recorded 10 total tackles with one tackle for loss and three pass breakups. The previous week at James Madison, James had nine tackles with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup, in addition to rushing 48 yards for a touchdown on a fake punt. Following the game, he was honored as the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week. In the 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' other performances this season include: eight tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup against American International College; nine tackles and an interception against Central Connecticut State; eight tackles with a tackle for loss and a forced fumble at North Carolina State; six tackles with one tackle for loss and a pass breakup at Richmond; and 11 total tackles against Villanova. For the season, he now ranks second on the team in total tackles with 84, including 59 solo stops. James also ranks second on the team in interceptions with three.
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 at James Madison, totaling 10 tackles with three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. Against Delaware he recorded four tackles with a sack and three tackles for loss, and against American International College he totaled four sacks for 23 yards among his six total tackles. On the season, he now has 43 tackles, seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, 14 quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries 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. 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. Brower now has a career total of 155 tackles, including 21 sacks and 48 tackles for loss.
WHIPPLE ENTERS WEEK WITH 110 WINS: Now in his fifth season as head coach of the Minutemen, Mark Whipple has 110 victories in his collegiate coaching career. Whipple owns a career record of 110-54 (.671) in 15 years as a collegiate head coach, including five seasons at UMass (38-21 / 1998-present), four years at Brown (24-16 / 1994-97) and six seasons at New Haven (48-17 / 1988-93). He currently stands in third place on the all-time list for UMass coaching victories, after moving ahead of Bob Pickett (36-28 / 1978-1983) and Jim Reid (36-29-2 / 1986-1991) earlier this year. 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 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 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 eight of 10 field goal attempts so far this season, including a career-long 44-yarder at Northeastern, a 36-yarder against American International College and a 35-yarder against Delaware. White also leads the team in scoring with 51 points, including 27 of 31 extra points. Over the course of his career, he has now hit 27 of 35 field goals and 85 of 95 extra points for a total of 166 points. White ranks second all-time at UMass in points scored among kickers, second in extra points made and third in field goals made.
UMASS IN THE RANKINGS: The Minutemen are currently ranked in all of the major national polls for the fourth consecutive week. Here is a look at where UMass has been ranked each week during the 2002 season:
Poll Sports ESPN / Don
Network USA Today Hansen
Preseason - - -
Sept. 2 - no poll no poll
Sept. 9 - - -
Sept. 16 - - -
Sept. 23 - - -
Sept. 30 - - -
Oct. 7 - - -
Oct. 14 20 20 21
Oct. 21 16 16 15
Oct. 28 13 13 14
Nov. 4 12 12 13
MIRET EARNS NATIONAL HONORS FOLLOWING MAINE GAME: Senior center Maikel Miret was named National Offensive Lineman of the Week by Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette following the victory over Maine. Miret led a UMass offensive line which allowed the Minutemen to rush for 119 yards and pass for 176 yards on a muddy field in their 20-10 upset victory over the second-ranked Black Bears. The offensive line allowed only one sack on 22 pass attempts, against a Maine defense which had totaled 27 sacks in its first six games of the season. He was also the key blocker on the final drive of the game, when UMass ran four straight quarterback sneaks behind him to gain 12 yards and a first down to run out the clock. For the season, Miret has started all nine of UMass' games, helping the team average 166.8 rushing yards and 376.7 yards of total offense. Over the course of his career, Miret has started at center in all 44 of UMass' games since the beginning of the 1999 season.
MCGUIRK MAGIC: UMass has been tough to beat in the friendly confines of McGuirk Alumni Stadium since Mark Whipple took over as UMass' head coach prior to the start of the 1998 season. The Minutemen have gone 22-7 (.759) at home from 1998 to present, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 130-68-2 (.655). Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home record of 43-20 (.683) during that span. The Minutemen also have a mark of 16-4 (.800) at McGuirk Stadium against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents under Whipple. In next week's game against Hofstra, UMass will look to finish the regular season with a perfect record at home for the first time since 1990, when it went 5-0 at McGuirk.
UMASS ON THE NINTH: In this week's game at New Hampshire, the Minutemen will be playing on November 9 for the 15th time in school history. UMass enters the game with a 6-8 mark on Nov. 9, including a 3-7 record in road contests and a 1-1 mark in conference games. The last time the Minutemen played on Nov. 9 came in 1996, when they lost at Williams & Mary 30-6. The last UMass victory on this date came during the 1991 season, when it downed Richmond 42-14 at home. The Minutemen and the Wildcats have met once before on Nov. 9, with UMass winning 21-3 in Durham in 1912. UMass' first game played on Nov. 9 came during the 1882 season, when it lost at Wesleyan 60-0.
UMASS AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: The Minutemen have faced three ranked Division I-AA opponents so far in 2002, defeating No. 2 Maine 20-10 and No. 4 Villanova 17-16, while 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 12-12 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 8-10 against ranked teams at home over the last 10 years, including a 3-8 mark against top 10 teams at home. Prior to the back-to-back victories over Maine and Villanova, UMass had lost eight straight home games to top 10 opponents, since a 43-29 win over No. 7 Delaware on Oct. 23, 1993.
POTTER ENJOYING STRONG SENIOR SEASON: Senior linebacker Corey Potter (Doylestown, Pa.) is having another outstanding year in his final season in a UMass uniform. In the victory at James Madison, Potter led the team with a career-high 14 total tackles, with three tackles for loss and a sack. Following the game, he was honored as the Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week. Some of Potter's other top games this season include: 12 tackles with a tackle for loss against Delaware; 10 total tackles in the victory over Villanova; nine tackles, an interception, a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup against American International College; and eight tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack against Central Connecticut State. For the year, Potter now ranks fourth on the team with 60 total tackles, along with nine tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions. Over the course of his UMass career, Potter has now recorded 220 total tackles, with eight sacks, 28 tackles for loss, five interceptions and eight pass breakups.
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 10 of 19 (.526) fourth down attempts so far this season, including three out of five at North Carolina State and two of four against both Northeastern and Delaware. 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 57.1 percent (88 of 154) of its fourth down conversions since the beginning of the 1998 season. By comparison, UMass opponents have converted on only 41 of 101 fourth down attempts over the last five years, good for 40.6 percent.
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 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 six of the first nine games. The top four wide receivers on the squad have all been impressive thus far, with each of the four catching at least 15 passes in 2002. Senior Adrian Zullo leads the way with 39 catches for 596 yards and eight touchdowns, followed by sophomore Joe Bruce (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) with 20 receptions for 230 yards. Senior DeShon Hardy (Neptune, N.J.) has chipped in with 17 catches for 232 yards and three scores, and senior Neal Brown has 15 receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns. On the year, UMass has now had 13 players catch at least one pass.
MINUTEMEN NEAR TOP OF NCAA STAT LEADERS: Six Minutemen are currently ranked among the NCAA Division I-AA statistical leaders, through games of Nov. 2. As a team, UMass currently stands 11th in turnovers caused and 14th in turnover margin. The rankings:
Category NCAA Rank Player/Team No./Avg. Turnovers Caused 11 UMass 3.1 Turnover Margin 14 UMass +1.1 Punting 23 David Sanger 41.0 Rushing Defense 26 UMass 117.4 Net Punting 28 UMass 35.7 Interceptions 34 Steve Costello 0.4 Points Responsible For 34 Jeff Krohn 10.7 Rushing Yards 35 R.J. Cobbs 90.9 Field Goals 42 Doug White 0.9 Completions 43 Jeff Krohn 14.8 Total Offense 45 Jeff Krohn 189.9 Passing Efficiency 46 Jeff Krohn 124.5 Punt Returns 46 DeShon Hardy 9.5
MINUTEMEN AMONG THE A-10 LEADERS: Several Minutemen are currently ranked among the Atlantic 10 leaders in various statistical categories, through games of Nov. 2. Placekicker Doug White leads the league in field goal percentage (80.0 percent), while wide receiver DeShon Hardy stands second in punt returns (9.5 yards/return). Sophomore cornerback Steve Costello (Kingston, N.Y.) ranks second in interceptions (0.4 picks/game), while tailback R.J. Cobbs ranks third in rushing (90.9 yards/game) and fourth in all-purpose yards (109.2 yards/game). In addition, punter David Sanger stands third in punting (41.0 yards/punt), wide receiver Adrian Zullo stands third in receiving yards (66.2 yards/game) and junior quarterback Jeff Krohn (Phoenix, Ariz.) ranks fourth in passing yards (198.8 yards/game) and fifth in passing efficiency (124.5 rating). As a team, UMass ranks second in the league in turnover margin (+1.1 turnovers/game) and third in total offense (376.7 yards/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 includes 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 the New England Sports Network). 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.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: New Hampshire has an overall record of 2-6 and a 1-5 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Wildcats opened the season with four straight losses, then defeated Dartmouth and Richmond before falling to William & Mary and Delaware in their last two games. Senior tailback Stephan Lewis has led the Wildcat ground game, rushing 141 times for 774 yards and five touchdowns, while senior wide out Michael Taylor has caught 38 passes for 498 yards and two scores. Sophomore quarterback Mike Granieri has completed 132 of 211 passes for 1,415 yards and seven touchdowns with six interceptions on the season, while also rushing for 172 yards and two scores on 112 carries. Redshirt freshman linebacker Alan Tallman leads the New Hampshire defense with 65 total tackles and one interception, while sophomore strong safety Brandon Taylor has added 57 tackles.
NEW HAMPSHIRE HEAD COACH SEAN MCDONNELL: Sean McDonnell is in his fourth season as head coach at New Hampshire, after taking over for 27-year head coach Bill Bowes who retired in the spring of 1999. Midway through his fourth year, McDonnell has an overall record of 17-24 (.415). Prior to taking over as head coach, McDonnell served as an assistant coach on the New Hampshire staff for eight seasons. He began his career with the Wildcats coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers, before spending five years as offensive coordinator. A 1978 New Hampshire graduate, McDonnell was a three-year starter at defensive back and played on Yankee Conference championship teams in 1975 and 1976.
THE UMASS-NEW HAMPSHIRE CONNECTION: A number of UMass coaches have ties to the Wildcats. Head coach Mark Whipple was New Hampshire's offensive coordinator in 1986 and 1987, while offensive line coach Paul Gorham spent the 1986 and 1987 seasons as the Wildcats' wide receivers coach. In addition, both Gorham (1984) and running backs coach Mike Cassano (1994) are New Hampshire graduates. On the other side of the ball, Wildcat offensive line coach Mike Dawson is a 1997 UMass graduate, and the brother of UMass assistant secondary coach Matt Dawson. New Hampshire tight ends coach Ryan Day, a former Wildcat quarterback, is the brother of UMass freshman quarterback Tim Day (Manchester, N.H.).
UMASS TO HOST TAKE A KID TO THE GAME DAY: During the final regular season home game against Hofstra, area youngsters will have an opportunity to experience the college game-day atmosphere when UMass hosts NCAA Football's annual Take a Kid to the Game program presented by Coco-Cola. All kids, age 18 and younger, will receive a free ticket with the purchase of a full-priced adult ticket, to watch the Minutemen take on the Pride. UMass is one of more than 170 schools across the nation that are participating in this campaign focused on attracting more of the nation's youths to college games. The Take a Kid to the Game program is entering its eight year in the promotion of NCAA Athletics.
EXTRA POINTS: Senior center Maikel Miret and senior linebacker Corey Potter are the co-captains of the 2002 Minutemen ... Sophomore defensive back Steve Costello continues to play well this season, totaling 31 tackles with a team-best four interceptions and two forced fumbles on the year. He has recorded an interception in each of the last three games, in addition to blocking a punt against Villanova ... The 175 yards of total offense the Minutemen recorded in the victory over Villanova were their fewest in a win since totaling only 147 yards in a 13-9 victory over Villanova on Oct 24, 1992 ... Junior linebacker Mike Ziccardi (Coral Springs, Fla.) had his top game of the season against Villanova, recording six tackles with an interception, a sack and a pass breakup. On the season, he has now totaled 59 tackles, eight sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries ... Freshman quarterback Tim Day saw his first career action against Villanova, after starting quarterback Jeff Krohn was injured. He is the first true freshman to see action at quarterback for UMass since Jeff Smith in 1996 ... Redshirt freshman linebacker Gerard Washington (Columbia, S.C.) had the top game of his career at Richmond, and was named Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week. Starting for the first time as a Minuteman, Washington led the team with 14 tackles, a sack, an interception, a pass breakup and two tackles for loss ... Junior defensive linemen Doran Davis (Elmont, N.Y.) and Malik Hall (Detroit, Mich.) both recorded the first interception of their collegiate career at North Carolina State, with Davis returning his 58 yards for a touchdown ... 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 89 straight games since a 34-0 loss to Rhode Island on Sept. 30, 1995 ... The Minutemen have scored in 108 consecutive home games since a 17-0 loss to Holy Cross on Sept. 17, 1983.
