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University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Travel To N.C. State On Saturday
September 23, 2002 | Football
Sept. 23, 2002
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: UMass (2-1, 0-1 A-10) vs. #17 North Carolina State (5-0, 1-0 ACC)
Date: September 28, 2002
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Place: Carter-Finley Stadium (51,500), Raleigh, N.C.
UMass Football Radio Network: Bob Behler, play-by-play; Bob Pickett, color; WRNX 100.9 FM, Holyoke, flagship
Wolfpack-Capitol Sports Network: Gary Hahn, play-by-play; Johnny Evans, color; Tony Haynes, sidelines; WPTF 680 AM, Raleigh, flagship
Series Record: First Meeting
THE SERIES WITH NORTH CAROLINA STATE: This year's game marks the first meeting between the Minutemen and the Wolfpack on the gridiron. The contest will also be the first for UMass against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, as well as its first-ever trip to the Tar Heel state. UMass has played only two previous games against schools from the state of North Carolina, falling to East Carolina 14-13 in the 1964 Tangerine Bowl, and downing North Carolina Central 48-7 in Amherst in 1979.
MINUTEMEN AGAINST I-A FOES: When UMass faces North Carolina State this week, it will mark the third time in the last four years the Minutemen have faced a Division I-A foe. Last season, UMass played at Marshall on Sept. 8, falling 49-20. In 1999, the Minutemen played at Toledo on Sept. 25, when they lost 24-3. Prior to that, UMass had not played a I-A school since Sept. 17, 1988, when it dropped a 44-17 decision to Ball State in Muncie, Ind. Since Division I-AA was formed in 1978, UMass has a record of 8-13 against I-A foes, with the last victory being a 26-10 triumph over Ball State on Sept. 1, 1984, at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Here is a look at every game the Minutemen have played against Division I-A schools since the beginning of the 1978 season (Note: Dartmouth, Harvard, Holy Cross and Villanova are former Division I-A members which now compete in Division I-AA):
Year Opponent Score
1978 Villanova L, 21-25
at Harvard L, 0-10
Rutgers L, 11-21
at Holy Cross W, 33-8
Boston College W, 27-0
1979 at Villanova L, 7-35
at Harvard W, 20-7
Holy Cross L, 18-20
at Boston College L, 3-41
1980 Villanova W, 24-12
at Holy Cross W, 17-13
Boston College L, 12-13
1981 Holy Cross W, 13-10
Dartmouth W, 10-8
at Boston College L, 22-52
1982 Boston College L, 21-34
1983 at Toledo L, 13-45
1984 Ball State W, 26-10
1988 at Ball State L, 17-44
1999 at Toledo L, 3-24
2001 at Marshall L, 20-49
LARGEST UMASS CROWD EXPECTED: This week's game should feature the largest crowd ever to witness a UMass football game. The current record stands at 30,846, set on Nov. 19, 1977, at Boston College. In its first three home games this season, North Carolina State has drawn an average crowd of 46,873, with its smallest attendance so far being 42,507 against East Tennessee State. The Wolfpack has a season-ticket base of 31,500, with capacity in Carter-Finley Stadium at 51,500.
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.
KROHN TAKES OVER AT QUARTERBACK: Junior Jeff Krohn (Phoenix, Ariz.) has had three solid performances since taking over as UMass' starting quarterback this season. Last week 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 threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns the previous week against American International College, and hit on 15 of 30 passes for 198 yards with four touchdowns in the season opener against Central Connecticut State. For the season, he has completed 68 of 115 passes for 892 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. 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. Krohn also started nine games for Arizona State during the 2000 season, completing 125 of 254 passes for 1,751 yards and 12 touchdowns with six 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.
QUICK STRIKES: During the first three games of the season, the UMass offense has made a habit of putting points on the board quickly. On their 15 touchdown drives so far in 2002, the Minutemen have scored in two minutes or less 11 times. On those 15 drives, UMass has averaged 6.1 plays, 57.4 yards and 1:53 time of possession. The Minutemen have scored on single-play drives twice this year, with a six-second drive against American International College and a seven-second drive against Central Connecticut State. 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.
WHIPPLE ENTERS WEEK WITH 105 WINS: Now in his fifth season as head coach of the Minutemen, Mark Whipple has 105 victories in his collegiate coaching career. Whipple owns a career record of 105-53 (.665) in 15 years as a collegiate head coach, including five seasons at UMass (33-20 / 1998-present), four years at Brown (24-16 / 1994-97) and six seasons at New Haven (48-17 / 1988-93). He is currently tied for sixth place on the all-time list for UMass coaching victories, and needs only four 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.
ZULLO HAS ANOTHER BIG DAY: 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. He made his return a successful one against Central Connecticut State, leading the team with six receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown, while also opening the game with a career-long 59-yard kickoff return. Zullo then had a team-best seven catches for 93 yards against American International College, while totaling 110 all-purpose yards. Last week against Northeastern, Zullo caught four passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. He has now posted 100-plus all-purpose yards 17 times during his collegiate career, including all three 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 22 games and has multiple receptions in 28 of 35 career contests. He already holds a number of UMass records, including career marks for both receptions and receiving yards. Here is a look at every school record currently held by Zullo:
Single Game Receptions 11 (vs. Villanova & 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 152 (1998-present) Career Receiving Yards 2,394 (1998-present) Career Receiving Touchdowns 25 (1998-present)
BROWER CONTINUES TO SHINE: Junior All-American Valdamar Brower (Florence, Mass.) looks to once again be 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 15 tackles, four sacks, five tackles for loss, two pass breakups and eight quarterback hurries. 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 129 tackles, including 19 sacks and 40 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, looks to have another outstanding season in 2002. Last week against 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 three games, he has averaged 39.9 yards on 11 punts, with four kicks inside the 20-yard line and no punts being returned. 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 179 times for 7,263 yards, and his average of 40.6 yards per punt ranks as the best in school history. Fifty-seven of his 179 career punts have pinned opponents inside the 20.
HARDY MAKES CATCHES COUNT: Senior wide receiver and punt returner DeShon Hardy (Neptune, N.J.) continues to be a top receiving threat for UMass in 2002. Last week at Northeastern, he led the team with 95 receiving yards, while bringing in six catches. Hardy previously caught touchdown passes of nine and 18 yards against Central Connecticut State, and had a seven-yard scoring catch against American International College. He now has 10 receptions for 136 yards and three touchdowns in three games this season. He is also the top punt returner for the Minutemen, bringing back seven punts for 80 yards (11.4 yard average). In 2001, Hardy led the team in receiving with 47 catches for 692 yards and three scores, while being named the team's offensive MVP. He caught at least two passes in every game last season, while leading the team in receptions six times and in receiving yards seven times. Hardy has now caught at least one pass in 19 straight games and 24 of his last 25 contests. For his career, Hardy has 87 catches for 1,263 yards and eight touchdowns, to go along with 78 punt returns for 614 yards. He is UMass' all-time leader in career punt returns, while ranking fourth in career punt return yards, seventh in career receiving yards and eighth in career receptions.
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 (Tamarac, Fla.), 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.
CAIN A DEFENSIVE LEADER: Junior linebacker Jeremy Cain has started the 2002 season with three outstanding games. Last week at Northeastern, Cain had a eight total tackles, including one tackle for loss. The previous week 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 32 tackles, eight tackles for loss and four 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. Against Richmond in the 2001 season finale, Cain led the team with a career-high 17 total tackles, including 12 solo stops. 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 156 total tackles, including 105 solo stops and 20 tackles for loss.
WHITE ENJOYS CONSISTENT SUCCESS: Senior placekicker Doug White has been remarkably consistent for the Minutemen over the course of his career. He opened the season by scoring a career-high 10 points in the victory over Central Connecticut State, making all seven of his extra points and his only field goal attempt (from 21 yards). White then added a 36-yard field goal and three extra points against American International College, and hit a career-long 44-yard field goal and two extra points at Northeastern last week. For the year, White has now scored a team-high 21 points, making all three of his field goal attempts and 12 of 15 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 22 of 28 field goals and 70 of 79 extra points for a total of 136 points. White ranks fourth all-time at UMass in field goals made, and third in both extra points made and points scored among kickers.
BROWN BECOMING A TOP RECEIVING THREAT: Senior wide receiver Neal Brown has turned into one of the top wide outs for the Minutemen over the last year and a half. Last week at Northeastern, he caught five passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. The previous week against American International College, Brown had four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. For the season, he now has nine catches for 143 yards and two scores. In 2001, Brown caught at least one pass in every game and ranked second on the team with 37 receptions for 414 yards and two scores. He led the team or tied for the team lead in receptions for a stretch of five straight games, including a nine-catch, 118-yard game against New Hampshire in which he set career-highs for both receptions and receiving yards. Brown is now in his second season with the Minutemen, after transferring to UMass from the University of Kentucky in August of 2001. 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.
POTTER STARTS SENIOR SEASON STRONG: Senior linebacker Corey Potter (Doylestown, Pa.) is off to an outstanding start in his final season in a UMass uniform. He tied for the team lead with nine total tackles against American International College, with an interception, a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Potter also played well against Central Connecticut State in the season opener, making eight tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack. Last season, he ranked fifth on the team with 68 total tackles, to go along with six tackles for loss, an interception, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. Over the course of his UMass career, Potter has now recorded 183 total tackles, with seven sacks, 23 tackles for loss, four interceptions and seven pass breakups.
UMASS HAS TWO 100-YARD RUSHERS AGAIN: In the first two games of the 2002 season, the Minutemen had a pair of 100-yard rushers. Against American International College, redshirt freshman tailback R.J. Cobbs (Parsippany Hills, N.J.) led the way in his first game in a UMass uniform, rushing 23 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Redshirt freshman tailback Raunny Rosario (Lowell, Mass.) also had a big game, carrying 14 times for 104 yards and a score. The previous week against Central Connecticut State, sophomore tailback Jason Peebler (Modesto, Calif.) and Rosario gave the Minutemen a pair of 100-yard rushers. Peebler led the team with 126 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while also catching a nine-yard touchdown pass, and was named the Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week. Rosario chipped in with 116 yards and a score on 12 carries, to go along with two receptions for 15 yards, and was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week. The last time UMass had two 100-yard rushers in back-to-back games came during 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.
UMASS AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: The Minutemen faced their first ranked opponent of the 2002 season last week, when they were defeated 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 10-12 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 posted an overall mark of 2-3 against ranked opponents in 1999, after going 6-3 against ranked teams in 1998. UMass' six victories over ranked opponents in 1998 set a school single season record.
MINUTEMEN NEAR TOP OF NCAA STAT LEADERS: Six Minutemen are currently ranked among the NCAA Division I-AA statistical leaders, through games of Sept. 21. As a team, UMass currently stands fifth in the nation in both total offense and passing offense. The rankings:
Category NCAA Rank Player/Team No./Avg. Completions 5 Jeff Krohn 22.7 Passing Yards 5 UMass 306.3 Total Offense 5 UMass 497.0 7 Jeff Krohn 294.7 Net Punting 7 UMass 39.9 Scoring 10 UMass 37.0 Points Responsible For 15 Jeff Krohn 16.0 Rushing Defense 16 UMass 76.7 Field Goals 24 Doug White 1.0 Receiving Yards 26 Adrian Zullo 88.0 Pass Efficiency 27 UMass 138.6 27 Jeff Krohn 138.5 Interceptions 29 Shannon James 0.7 Rushing Yards 30 UMass 190.7 Receptions 31 Adrian Zullo 5.7 All-Purpose Yards 35 Adrian Zullo 129.0 Punting 35 David Sanger 39.9 Punt Returns 42 DeShon Hardy 11.4
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 481-485-51. 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 263-180-5 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.)
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 19-7 (.731) at home from 1998 to present, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 127-68-2 (.650). Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home record of 40-20 (.667) during that span. The Minutemen also have a mark of 13-4 at McGuirk Stadium against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents under Whipple.
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).
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.
UMASS ON THE 28TH: In this week's game against North Carolina State, the Minutemen will be playing on September 28 for the 16th time in school history. UMass enters the game with a 5-7-3 mark on Sept. 28, including two straight victories and a 4-6-3 mark in road games. The last time the Minutemen played on this date came in 1996, when they posted a 21-14 home victory over Northeastern. UMass' first game played on Sept. 28 came during the 1901 season, when it won at Holy Cross 17-0.
MINUTEMEN AMONG THE A-10 LEADERS: Several Minutemen are currently ranked among the Atlantic 10 leaders in various statistical categories, through games of Sept. 21. Quarterback Jeff Krohn leads the league in passing yards (297.3 yards/game), while standing second in total offense (294.7 yards/game) and third in passing efficiency (138.5 rating). Wide receiver Adrian Zullo is atop the conference standings in kickoff returns (33.7 yards/return), while standing third in receiving yards (88.0 yards/game) and all-purpose yards (129.0 yards/game), and fourth in receptions (5.7 catches/game). Senior wide receiver DeShon Hardy stands second in the league in punt returns (11.4 yards/return), placekicker Doug White is second in field goals (1.0 made/game), redshirt freshman free safety Shannon James (Stratford, Conn.) ranks third in interceptions (0.7 picks/game), tailback Raunny Rosario stands fourth in rushing (77.3 yards/game) and punter David Sanger is fourth in punting (39.9 yards/punt). As a team, UMass leads the league in total offense (497.0 yards/game) and passing offense (306.3 yards/game), while ranking second in scoring offense (37.0 points/game) and punt returns (11.4 yards/return), and standing third in rushing defense (76.7 yards/game) and passing efficiency (138.6 rating).
FOURTH AND GO: Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass has made a habit of going for it on fourth down. The Minutemen converted two of four fourth down attempts last week at Northeastern, and are now two of five (.400) on fourth down this season. 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 (80 of 140) of its fourth down conversions since the beginning of the 1998 season. By comparison, UMass opponents have converted on only 36 of 93 fourth down attempts over the last five years, good for 38.7 percent.
BROWER BRINGS IN PRESEASON ACCOLADES: Junior defensive tackle Valdamar Brower earned a number of national honors heading into the 2002 season. He was named one of 16 candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented annually by The Sports Network to the nation's top defensive player. He was also a consensus preseason All-American, earning first team distinction from The Sports Network, Lindy's, Street & Smith's and Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. In addition, Brower was named preseason first team All-Atlantic 10 Conference.
MINUTEMEN EARN PRESEASON HONORS: In addition to Valdamar Brower, five other members of the UMass football team earned honors heading into the 2002 season. Senior punter David Sanger joined Brower on the preseason All-Atlantic 10 Conference first team, while senior center Maikel Miret (Miami, Fla.), senior tight end Greg Ward (Doylestown, Pa.), senior placekicker Doug White and senior wide receiver Adrian Zullo all earned second team honors. Sanger was also a preseason second team All-America selection by Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette, with Zullo receiving third team honors and White garnering honorable mention distinction.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE HEAD COACH CHUCK AMATO: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Wolfpack, Chuck Amato has led his squad to an overall record of 20-9 (.690). He is only the third coach in the 110-year history of the program to win at least 15 games in his first two seasons, and is the third to take his first two teams to bowl games. Amato's first North Carolina State team defeated Minnesota 38-30 in the MicronPC.com Bowl, while last year's squad fell to Pittsburgh 34-19 in the Tangerine Bowl. Prior to his time with the Wolfpack, Amato spent 18 seasons as an assistant at Florida State, including 14 years as assistant head coach. He also spent two years as an assistant at Arizona, and was previously N.C. State's defensive coordinator for four years, while serving as a Wolfpack assistant for a total of nine seasons. Amato earned his bachelor's degree from N.C. State in 1969, while earning three letters as a linebacker and being a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference champion in wrestling.
ABOUT THE WOLFPACK: North Carolina State enters this week's game with an overall record of 5-0 and a 1-0 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Wolfpack is ranked 17th in the nation by Associated Press and 15th by ESPN / USA Today. N.C. State has scored at least 32 points in each of its games this season, while holding four out of five opponents below 20 points. The Wolfpack offense averages 416.0 yards of total offense per game, including 263.4 yards through the air and 152.6 yards on the ground. Junior quarterback Philip Rivers has completed 72 of 110 passes on the season for 1,254 yards and nine touchdowns with only three interceptions. His top targets have been junior flanker Jerricho Cotchery (18 catches, 421 yards, two touchdowns) and senior split end Bryan Peterson (13 catches, 311 yards, four touchdowns). Freshman tailback T.A. McClendon leads the N.C. State rushing attack with 304 yards and eight touchdowns on 72 carries. On the defensive side of the ball, the Wolfpack is allowing only 279.8 total yards and 18.8 points per game. Senior linebacker Dantonio Burnette leads the team with 38 total tackles, including nine tackles for loss and four sacks, while sophomore rover Andre Maddox has 37 tackles and two pass breakups.
EXTRA POINTS: Senior center Maikel Miret and senior linebacker Corey Potter will serve as the co-captains of the 2002 Minutemen ... Sophomore wide receiver Joe Bruce (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had the top game of his young UMass career last week at Northeastern, catching a team-high eight passes for 65 yards ... Redshirt freshman free safety Shannon James has started the season strong, totaling 30 tackles, two interceptions, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery through three games ... Junior linebacker Mike Ziccardi (Coral Springs, Fla.) has also played well in the first three games this season, totaling 21 tackles, five sacks and a fumble recovery, which he returned for 26 yards ... 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 83 straight games since a 34-0 loss to Rhode Island on Sept. 30, 1995 ... The Minutemen have scored in 105 consecutive home games since a 17-0 loss to Holy Cross on Sept. 17, 1983.