University of Massachusets Athletics
No. 16 UMass Hosts Defending National Champ Delaware
September 21, 2004 | Football
Sept. 21, 2004
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No. 16 MASSACHUSETTS (2-1) vs. No. 4 DELAWARE (2-1)
SATURDAY, Sept. 25, 2004 • 1:00 p.m.
McGUIRK ALUMNI STADIUM (17,000/Grass)
AMHERST, Mass. • Fan Appreciation DAY
TV: CSTV & CN8 • Radio: UMass Radio Network
No. 16 UMass Hosts Defending National Champ Delaware
• The No. 16 UMass football team hosts the defending national champion for just the second time in school history as the No. 4 Delaware Blue Hens come to McGuirk Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff this Saturday. The game will be nationally broadcast live on College Sports Television (CSTV) and simulcast in the region on CN8-TV. Tom McCarthy calls the action while former Patriots and University of Maryland quarterback Scott Zolak handles the color commentary.
• The only other time UMass hosted a reigning national champion came in 1994 as Youngstown State came to Amherst on Nov. 12, 1994 and handed the Minutemen a 28-9 loss. That also, was the only other game between UMass and a defending national champion since NCAA Division I-AA began holding championships in 1978.
• This is also the first time UMass will be playing both of the teams which played in the national championship game in the preceeding season as they beat defending national runner-up Colgate, 30-20 on Sept. 11 at McGuirk.
• Saturday's game also pits the only two Atlantic 10 programs to have ever captured a Division I-AA championships as the Minutemen became the first league member to claim the title in 1998.
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Top 6 Tidbits
• UMass goes for its 500th program win against Delaware. • UMass has won its last four games against Top 5 teams including a 30-20 win over Colgate on Sept. 11 this season. • This is just the second game ever between UMass and a defending national champion with the last coming against Youngstown State on Nov. 12, 1994. • Wide receiver Jason Peebler has hauled in five passes of 50 or more yards in three games this season with four of them going for touchdowns. • In addition to hosting the defending football champion this weekend, the men's basketball team will host defensing champion UConn on Dec. 4 at the Mullins Center. • Since the start of the 1998 season, UMass is 30-9 (76.9) at McGuirk Stadium, including a 17-7 win over Delaware on Nov. 2, 2002.
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The Teams and Rankings
• UMass enters the game with a 2-1 overall record, 0-1 in the Atlantic 10. The Minutemen suffered their first loss of the season last Saturday, dropping a 24-14 decision to Richmond at McGuirk Stadium. The Minutemen opened the season with a pair of wins at Delaware State (51-0 on Sept. 4) and vs. No. 4 Colgate (30-20 on Sept. 11). UMass is currently ranked No. 16 in The Sports Network and the ESPN/USA Today polls. The Minutemen are No. 11 in the Don Hansen's weekly poll.
• Delaware enters the game coming off a 24-6 win over Division II West Chester last Saturday night before the third consecutive sellout crowd of more than 22,000 at Delaware Stadium. The Blue Hens opened the season with a stunning 24-21 loss to New Hampshire on Sept. 2 before defeating Towson, 21-17, in their Atlantic 10 opener on Sept. 11. After starting the year at No. 1 as the defending champion, Delaware is currently ranked No. 4 in The Sports Network poll, No. 5 by ESPN/USA Today and No. 9 by Don Hansen.
UMass Goes For 500th Program Victory
• UMass goes for its 500th program victory on Saturday, as it enters the game with a 499-492-51 record, dating to the start of the team in 1879. Last season, UMass pushed its all-time record over .500 for the first time since the 1887 season. Prior to the victory over James Madison on Sept. 27, 2003, 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 on Oct. 31, 1959. Since then, the Minutemen have posted an impressive 279-187-5 record to move over the .500 mark.
Taking On The Top Teams
• UMass faces perhaps its most difficult schedule in school history as it faces both the defending national champion and and the defending national runner-up as it beat Colgate (30-20 on Sept. 11) and will face Delaware this Saturday. UMass will be facing the No. 4 team in the nation for the second time in three weeks. Overall, UMass faces six teams in this week's Sports Network Top 25: No. 4 Delaware, No. 8 Maine, No. 10 Colgate, No. 14 New Hampshire, No. 18 Northeastern and No. 24 James Madison. In addition, Richmond is also fifth among other teams receiving votes.
• The Atlantic 10 is showing to be perhaps the nation's top conference as it has seven teams in this week's Top 25 and nine in the top 30, if you include others receiving votes with Villanova at No. 11 and William & Mary at No. 29. Rhode Island is also among others receiving votes. The seven teams in the Top 25 matches a conference record which last occurred on Sept. 9, 2002.
• In Don Hansen's weekly poll, four Atlantic 10 teams are in the top 11 and nine are in the top 31 including Towson. In the ESPN/USA Today weekly poll, five UMass opponents are ranked.
THE SERIES: UMASS VS. Delaware
• Delaware holds a 22-4 lead in the all-time series with UMass which dates to 1958. The Blue Hens won the first 14 games in the series between the schools before the Minutemen posted a 17-3 win over Delaware in 1990 during UMass' run to the Yankee Conference crown and NCAA I-AA playoffs. UMass has won two of the last five meetings, beating the Blue Hens in their last game at McGuirk, 17-7 on Nov. 2, 2002. The teams have split the last four games in Amherst with UMass also winning 43-29 in 1993.
• Delaware won last year's epic game, 51-45 in triple overtime in Newark. The teams have played once every season for the last seven years after two years off in 1995 and 1996.
Minutemen Against Ranked Teams
• UMass will face its second ranked team -- both at No. 4 -- this weekend when Delaware comes to town. The Minutemen beat then-No. 4 Colgate for its fourth consecutive win over a Top 5 ranked team back on Sept. 11 (30-20).
• UMass faced four ranked opponents last season going on the road for all four games. The Minutemen earned victories in the first two games against ranked foes last season and have won five of the last seven overall vs. Top 25 teams.
• Last season, they downed No. 16 Maine, 24-16 on Sept. 20, then defeated No. 2 Villanova on Oct. 25, 19-14. The squad then lost a triple overtime affair at No. 6 Delaware and the NCAA Playoff contest at No. 6 Colgate.
• The Minutemen played three games against ranked foes in 2002, defeating No. 2 Maine, 20-10, and No. 4 Villanova, 17-16, while falling at No. 18 Northeastern 42-17.
• Since the beginning of the 1998 season, UMass now stands 14-14 against ranked opponents. The Minutemen concluded the 2001 season 1-3 and 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 back-to-back victories in 2002 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.
Peebler Flying Up Charts
• Senior All-American wide receiver Jason Peebler is moving up the all-time UMass lists for career receptions and career receiving yards. Since the start of the 2004 season, he has moved all the way from seventh to second in career receiving yards with 435 over the first three games. He now has 1,854 yards with only Adrian Zullo (1998-2002) ahead of him on the all-time list. Peebler needs 1,169 to pass Zullo -- a tall task, but at his current rate of 145.0 yards per game, he would pass Zullo in the 10th game of the season.
• Peebler has also gone from 11th to ninth on the career receptions list since the start of the year. With 88, he is currently four short of Jimmy Moore, who had all 92 catches of his career in the 1998 National Championship season.
• He is fourth in the nation in yards per game at 145.0. Peebler is also eighth in scoring per game with 10.0 on his five touchdowns.
• Peebler has been sensational this season with three 100-yard receiving games in as many contests as he has been the top target of quarterback Tim Day. He hauled in five passes from Day in the season opener at Delaware State for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Against Colgate, he had four catches for 161 yards and a pair of TD's and against Richmond, he had four catches for 130 yards with one touchdown. For his career, Peebler has seven career 100-yard games, with the first four coming last season.
• Overall, Peebler and Day have connected for five plays of 50 or more yards (80, 50, 58, 64 and 50) with four of them going for scores.
• Peebler, who has been named a preseason second team All-American by I-AA.org, is one of the top offensive threats for the Minutemen this year, after having a breakout season in 2003. Peebler led the team with 50 catches for 1,003 yards and 13 touchdowns last year, while setting a school single season record with an average of 20.1 yards per reception. He also placed third on the UMass single season list for receiving yards, while ranking second on the list for receiving touchdowns. In addition, Peebler led the team with 78 points scored, while ranking second on the squad with 1,187 all-purpose yards. At the conclusion of the season, Peebler earned second team All-America honors from College Sports Television, in addition to being a second team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection.
• He was named the UMass/Dinn Brothers Athlete of the Week on Sept. 13 after his big game vs. Colgate.
Baylark Running on High Octane
• Sophomore running back Steve Baylark had his seventh career 100-yard rushing game with 115 on 18 carries against Colgate on Sept. 11. He also scored two touchdowns in a game for the fourth time in his career. His 100-yard game was especially impressive against Colgate, as the Raiders allowed just one 100-yard rusher last season on their way to the national championship game. The Colgate game was also sweet as he outgained 2003 Walter Payton Award winner Jamaal Branch, 115 to 62 yards.
• In three games this season Baylark has 39 carries for 225 yards for 75.0 yards per game. Last season, Baylark picked up 1,177 in his first year with the Minutemen, passing the 1,000-yard plateau against Delaware.
Day Continues sparkling passing
• Junior quarterback Tim Day has been very strong in the early season, his first as the Minutemen's full-time starter at quarterback. In his first two games this season, he was nearly perfect, as he completed an amazing 30-of-40 pass attempts for 589 yards and six touchdowns. Day set the UMass single-game record for completion percentage in the season-opener at Delaware State (9/4), as he nailed 17-of-19 passes (89.4 percent) for 290 yards and four touchdowns. All of those marks set career high as well.
• Day is currently No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency with a 182.81. Day is also 19th in the country with 259.7 yards of total offense.
• In two games this season, Day surpassed his entire career totals in passing yards, with 589 (had 339 entering 2004) as well as touchdowns with six (had two).
• Overall through three games, Day has completed 67.1 percent of his passes (49-of-73) for 778 yards. He has hooked up for seven touchdowns -- five to Jason Peebler and thrown just two interceptions.
• Day came to the rescue for the Minutemen in his only appearance against Delaware in the 2002 win, he replaced an injured Jeff Krohn and completed six-of-seven passes for 46 yards playing most of the second half.
Top-Notch Defense
• UMass' defense has been strong on the early season, pitching the program's first shutout since 2000, with the 51-0 whitewash of Delaware State in the season opener. UMass began the season with an 87:38 streak of holding its opponents scoreless before Colgate's Lane Schwarzberg made a field goal with 2:22 left in the first half of the second game of the year.
MINUTEMEN LOOKING FOR 20TH CONFERENCE TITLE
• This season, UMass will be looking to win the Atlantic 10 Conference title for a record 20th time, while also attempting to repeat as conference champions for the first time since 1981 and 1982. With last year's victory over Rhode Island, the Minutemen won the Atlantic 10 championship for the first time since 1999. UMass finished the 2003 regular season with an 8-1 league record, and tied Delaware for first place in the conference. The Minutemen have won more league titles than any other team in conference history with their 19 championships (1960, '63, '64, '66, '67, '69, '71, '72, '74, '77, '78, '79, '81, '82, '86, '88, '90, '99 and '03).
UMASS AIMS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT EIGHT-WIN SEASON
• UMass enters the 2004 season looking to post eight or more wins for the third-straight season and the fifth time in the last seven years. The Minutemen have recorded eight or more victories in back-to-back years four times in school history, but have never accomplished the feat in three straight seasons. UMass previously posted eight or more wins in back-to-back years in 1963 (8-0-1) and 1964 (8-2); in 1977 (8-3) and 1978 (9-4); and in 1998 (12-3) and 1999 (9-4). The Minutemen are currently on another two-year streak, with records of 8-4 in 2002 and 10-3 in 2003. All told, UMass has won eight or more games in a season 14 times in its history.
McGUIRK MAGIC
• UMass has been tough to beat in the friendly confines of McGuirk Alumni Stadium since the start of the 1998 season. The Minutemen have gone 30-9 (.769) at home over the last six years, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 138-70-2 (.662). Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home mark of 51-22 during that span. Last year, UMass went 7-0 at home to set a new record for most home victories in the 39-year history of McGuirk Stadium. The 2003 squad also became the first UMass team to go undefeated at home since 1993, when it posted a 5-0 mark at McGuirk Stadium.
MINUTEMEN PICKED THIRD IN NORTH DIVISION
• UMass was predicted to finish in third place of the North Division in the 2004 Atlantic 10 preseason poll, voted on by the league's coaches and media. Maine placed first in the poll and collected 12 first place votes, with Northeastern coming in second with seven first place votes. Following the Minutemen, New Hampshire placed fourth (two first place votes), Rhode Island was ranked fifth and Hofstra came in sixth. Villanova was picked to win the South Division with 13 first place votes, followed by Delaware (second, 11 first place votes), William & Mary (third), James Madison (fourth), Richmond (fifth) and Towson (sixth).
UMASS STARS EARN PRESEASON HONORS
• Five members of the UMass football team have been selected to the 2004 preseason All-Atlantic 10 Conference teams. Junior tailback Steve Baylark (Apopka, Fla.), junior free safety Shannon James (Stratford, Conn.), senior offensive tackle Rob Kane (Londonderry, N.H.) and senior wide receiver Jason Peebler (Modesto, Calif.) were all selected to the first team in voting by the conference's coaches and media. In addition, senior cornerback Steve Costello (Kingston, N.Y.) earned second team honors. The teams were announced at Atlantic 10 Media Day in Richmond on August 4.
FIVE STARTERS ANCHOR OFFENSIVE LINE
• The UMass offensive line, which posted a solid season in 2003, returns four starters to pave the way for the Minuteman offense this fall. Leading the way is senior left guard Rob Kane, a second team All-Atlantic 10 selection in 2003, who has started 35 games in his four seasons. Other Minutemen returning to the starting lineup are junior tackle Colin Stoetzel (Grafton, Mass.) with 21 career starts, sophomore center Alex Miller (Fairfax, Va.) with 14 career starts and sophomore guard David Thompson (Norfolk, Va.) with 14 career starts. That group will be joined by junior tackle O.J. McBride (Sunrise, Fla.) who started eight times in 2001 and 2002, before missing the entire 2003 season due to injury. Last year, the line allowed the Minutemen to rush for 148.8 yards per game on the year, while supplying pass protection to let UMass throw for 231.6 yards per contest and surrendering only 27 sacks in 13 games.
COSTELLO LOOKS TO FINISH CAREER STRONG
• Senior cornerback Steve Costello, who has been one of the top cover men in the Atlantic 10 Conference for the last two years, should be a strong candidate for All-America honors in 2004. Last year, Costello led the Atlantic 10 and ranked fourth in the nation with six interceptions, despite missing three games due to injury. Over the course of the year, he also recorded 53 total tackles, five pass breakups, five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a sack. During the 2002 season, Costello also had a fine year, tying for the team lead in interceptions with four, while ranking second on the squad with seven pass breakups. He also totaled 39 tackles and two forced fumbles in 2002. Over the course of his UMass career, Costello now has 96 total tackles and 10 interceptions, to lead all active Minutemen in career picks. He would need eight picks in 2004 to tie the all-time UMass record of 18 career interceptions, currently shared by Grady Fuller (1980-1983) and Steven Rogers (1967-1969).
James Set For Big Year
• Junior defensive back Shannon James should be among the top players on the UMass defense once again in 2004. After spending the majority of last year at cornerback, James is expected to return to his natural position of free safety. During the 2003 season, James ranked fourth on the team with 100 total tackles, while also totaling five pass breakups, four interceptions, four tackles for loss and one fumble recovery. In 2002, he led the team with 10 pass breakups, while tying for the team lead in interceptions with four. James also ranked third on the team in total tackles with 111, while posting five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Over the course of his career, he now has 211 tackles, eight interceptions, 15 pass breakups, nine tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries.
Weekly Sports Luncheon
• Head coach Don Brown will be in attendance and available to the media at the weekly UMass Sports Luncheon, held each Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. in the UMass Campus Center or at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. In addition, the Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week and his or her coach will be available to the media. Lunch for the media is provided free of charge. Please contact the UMass Media Relations Office by Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. if you will be attending the luncheon so we can make the necessary reservations.
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 sixth season as the play-by-play announcer, while former UMass placekicker Doug White is in his first year as color analyst. Here is the list of this week's affiliates on the UMass Football Radio Network:
• WCAP 980 AM (Lowell / Boston)
• WATD 95.9 FM (Marshfield / Boston)
In addition, WMUA 91.1 FM, the UMass student station, will carry most Minuteman football games during the 2004 season.
The Don Brown Show
• Head coach Don Brown's weekly radio show, "The Don Brown 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 Don Brown
• Every Sunday night at 11:30 p.m., the Coach's Corner with Don Brown 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.
On Television
• UMass will once again make a number of appearances on live television during the 2004 regular season. The Colgate game (on September 11) and the Northeastern contest (on November 6) will both be shown by CN8 on Comcast Cablevision, while the Delaware game (on September 25) will be carried by both CN8 and College Sports Television.
• The Boston College game on Oct. 2 will be broadcast by the Big East Network and shown on New England Sports Network (NESN) in the region.
• In addition, the regular season finale against Hofstra (on November 20) will be shown by Fox Sports New York.
• The Minutemen have a record of 15-8 in televised games since the beginning of the 1998 season, including a 10-5 mark against Atlantic 10 opponents.
On the Internet
• Information on Minuteman football and all 23 UMass varsity sports is available through the UMass Athletics home page at "http://www.umassathletics.com". In addition, links to UMass football radio broadcasts can be found on the UMass Athletics home page.
