University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Travels Across State To Face Boston College
September 28, 2004 | Football
Sept. 28, 2004
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No. 19 MASSACHUSETTS (2-2) at BOSTON COLLEGE (3-1)
SATURDAY, Oct. 2, 2004 • 1:00 p.m.
ALUMNI STADIUM (44,500/Field Turf)
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
ESPN Regional (NESN)
UMass Travels Across State to Face Boston College
• The No. 19 UMass football team ventures across Massachusetts to take on Boston College this Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The game will be televised live as part of the ESPN Regional Network and shown locally on NESN with Mark Neely and former BC great Gerard Phelan handling the color commentary.
• The game marks the fifth time in six years UMass has taken on a Division I-A team. Last season the Minutemen traveled to seventh-ranked Kansas State last season (losing 38-7 on Sept. 13). In 2002, UMass dropped a 56-24 decision at No. 17 NC State, while in 2001 it played at Marshall, falling 49-20. In 1999, the Minutemen played at Toledo, 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 8-15 against I-A foes, with the last victory being a 26-10 triumph over Ball State on Sept. 1, 1984, at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Every game the Minutemen have played against Division I-A schools since the beginning of the 1978 season is listed below (Note: Dartmouth, Harvard, Holy Cross and Villanova are former Division I-A members which now compete in Division I-AA).
• This week's game should feature the third largest crowd ever to witness a UMass football game. The current record stands at 51,221, set on Sept. 28, 2002, at NC State. The second largest crowd to see the Minutemen play came last season when 46,102 watched the game at Kansas State. Third on the list is 30,846, which came on Nov. 19, 1977, at Boston College. This game is set to be third on the list passing that game, as Alumni Stadium holds 44,500 and the Eagles have averaged 43,532 this season.
• UMass is seeking to become the third Division I-AA team to beat a I-A team this season and follow in the footsteps for fellow Atlantic 10 conference foes Maine (beat Mississippi State, 9-7 on Sept. 18) and New Hampshire (beat Rutgers, 35-24 on Sept. 11). William & Mary also hung tight with North Carolina in week one, before losing 49-38 in Chapel Hill.
The Teams and Rankings
• UMass enters the game with a 2-2 overall record, 0-2 in the Atlantic 10. The Minutemen have suffered back-to-back losses, falling to Richmond, 24-14, and No. 4 Delaware -- the defending I-AA national champions, 21-7, last Saturday 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. 19 in The Sports Network poll and Don Hansen's weekly poll.
• Boston College enters the game with a 3-1 record, 1-0 in the BIG EAST. The Eagles suffered a heart-breaking 17-14 loss at future ACC opponent Wake Forest last Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C. Boston College opened the season with three wins in a row, beating Ball State (19-11 on Sept. 2), Penn State (21-7 on Sept. 11) and Connecticut (27-7 on Sept. 17). The Eagles are listed as also receiving votes in the Division I-A ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
UMass Goes For 500th Program Victory
• UMass goes for its 500th program victory on Saturday, as it enters the game with a 499-493-51 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 arguable its most difficult schedule in school history as it faces both the defending national champion and the defending national runner-up as it beat Colgate (30-20 on Sept. 11) and faced Delaware on Sept. 25 (losing 21-7). Both teams were ranked No. 4 in the nation at the time of the game, spanning three weeks. Overall, UMass faces six teams in this week's Sports Network Top 25: No. 4 Delaware, No. 8 Maine, No. 11 Colgate, No. 15 New Hampshire, No. 16 Northeastern and No. 25 James Madison. In addition, Hofstra is also among other teams receiving votes.
• Of course, this weekend the Minutemen take on Boston College as its latest test of facing a top-level team which fields a fully funded Division I-A scholarship team.
• 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 40, if you include others receiving votes with Villanova at No. 10 and William & Mary at No. 26. The seven teams in the Top 25 matches a conference record which last occurred on Sept. 9, 2002 and last week.
• In Don Hansen's weekly poll, four Atlantic 10 teams are in the top 10 and 10 are in the top 40 including Richmond and Towson. In the ESPN/USA Today weekly poll, five UMass opponents are ranked.
The Series UMass Vs. Boston College
• Boston College holds a 15-5 lead in the all-time series with UMass which dates back to 1900. Boston College includes a game in 1899 which is not accounted for by UMass records. The Eagles have won the last four straight games.
• The Eagles have won all eight games at Alumni Stadium including the last game, a 34-21 decision on Nov. 6, 1982. UMass last beat BC in 1978, winning 27-0 in Amherst.
• The last game between the teams was on Nov. 6, 1982 at McGuirk Stadium. Boston College won the game 34-21. In a battle between New England's most exciting offensive players Garry Pearson and BC's Doug Flutie, the Eagles built a 24-7 lead early in the third quarter en route to the victory. Pearson became the UMass single season rushing leader in that game with his 124 yards on the ground (he finished the year with 1,631 yards which still ranks third all-time). UMass freshman quarterback Jim Simeone was named ECAC Rookie-of-the-Week as he threw for 150 yards. Flutie completed 11-of-28 passes for 205 yards.
Connections Of Note Between UMass/BC
• With two teams separated by 90 miles there are many connections between the teams. Here are a few.
• UMass receiver/kick returner Nathanael Hasselbeck (Norfolk, Mass.) began his collegiate career with Boston College, spending three seasons with the Eagles, playing the last two. He was ranked among the BIG EAST leaders in punt return average last season with a 11.1 mark. Hasselbeck's brothers Tim and Matt both played their college football with BC as well before going on to play in the NFL. Tim is currently with the Redskins while Matt is with the Seahawks.
• Boston College's graduate assistant coach on offense is Ryan Day, the older brother of UMass starting quarterback Tim Day (Manchester, N.H.). Ryan was a star quarterback at New Hampshire, starting three seasons and still holds seven school records.
Back Home In A Month
• Following last Saturday's game, the Minutemen hit the road for four consecutive games away from McGuirk Stadium. The journey begins Saturday with a game at Division I-A Boston College. That game will be followed by trips to James Madison (Oct. 9), New Hampshire (Oct. 16) and Rhode Island (Oct. 30) before returning to Amherst to host Maine on Oct. 30 as part of Homecoming 2004. It is the first four-game road stretch for UMass since 1986 when the Minutemen won three-of-four games away from McGuirk beating Maine, Boston University and Harvard..
Koegel Named A-10 Special Team Player of Week
• Sophomore punter Christian Koegel (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) was named the Atlantic 10 Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 27 after a huge game against No. 4 Delaware.
• Koegel averaged a single-game school-record 53.0 yards on six punts and dropped four inside the 20-yard line in Massachusetts' 21-7 loss to the Blue Hens. Four of Koegel's six punts went for over 50 yards. He had a 76-yard boot in the first quarter which was downed at the Delaware one yard line. That punt was the third-longest in school history.
• For the season, Koegel has averaged 43.0 yards on 20 punts. Five of those have been downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
Walker Ties School Record For Tackles
• Sophomore linebacker Charles Walker (North Lauderdale, Fla.) tied the school record for tackles in a game with 23 last Saturday vs. Delaware. Walker tied the record set by John McKewon in 1986, also set against the Blue Hens. He had 14 solo tackles and nine assists. He also had two sacks in the contest. Walker had just 13 tackles his entire freshman season, playing mostly on special teams.
• Walker currently leads the Minutemen in total tackles with 47 on 31 solo tackles. He is also tied for the team lead in sacks with 2.5.
Peebler Flying Up All-Time 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 442 over the first three games. He now has 1,861 yards with only Adrian Zullo (1998-2002) ahead of him on the all-time list. Peebler needs 1,162 to pass Zullo -- a tall task, but at his current rate of 110.5 yards per game, he could pass Zullo in a playoff game this season.
• Peebler has also gone from 11th to ninth on the career receptions list since the start of the year. With 89, he is currently four short of Jimmy Moore, who had all 92 catches of his career in the 1998 National Championship season.
• He is 14th in the nation and second in the Atlantic 10 in yards per game at 110.5. Peebler is also seventh in the A-10 in scoring per game with 7.5 on his five touchdowns and ninth in all-purpose yards at 110.5.
• His 20.9 yards per catch average for his career, is the best in UMass history.
• Peebler has been sensational this season with three 100-yard receiving games in the first three contests of 2004, 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 four games this season Baylark has 56 carries for 340 yards for 79.8 yards per game, which ranks eight in the Atlantic 10. 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. 9 in the nation and third in the Atlantic 10 in passing efficiency with a 162.84. Day is also fifth in the league with 223.8 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 63.5 percent of his passes (61-of-96) for 892 yards. He has hooked up for eight touchdowns -- five to Jason Peebler and thrown just three interceptions.
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.
• In allowing 16.2 points per game, UMass is ranked 19th nationally in scoring defense and fourth in the Atlantic 10.
James Picks Them Off
• Junior defensive back Shannon James (Stratford, Conn.) is 22nd in the NCAA and third in the Atlantic 10 in interceptions per game with three in the first four games. He picked off two passes in the win over Colgate for 41 yards and added another against Richmond.
• In his career James has 11 interceptions which puts him just outside the top 10 all-time in school history. With his next interception he will move into a four-way tie for eighth all-time with 12 interceptions joining Jarad White (1996-99), Darryl Wood (1982-85) and Ron Harris (1974-76).
Top Tacklers
• The trio of UMass linebackers Charles Walker, Brad Anderson (Ijamsville, Md.), and Serge Tikum (Silver Spring, Md.) lead the Minutemen in tackles. Walker tops the squad with 47 tackles, 31 solo. Tikum has 24 along with Shannon James, who also has 26.
• Anderson has posted nine tackles in each of the last three games and is also tied for the team lead with three tackles for a loss along with one sack and one fumble recovery. Walker also has three TFLs.
• Linemen Ola Sanusi (Detroit, Mich.) has 1.5 sacks and 20 total tackles. Sanusi drew his first start in place of an injured Keron Williams (Lake Park, Fla.) and had nine tackles, one TFL, a forced fumble and a pair of pass break-ups.
• With James leading the way, the secondary has been stellar for the early season. Strong safety James Ihedigbo (Amherst, Mass.), cornerbacks R.J. Cobbs (Parsippany Hills, N.J.) and Tracy Belton (Landover, Md.) have all started each game. Ihedigbo has 20 tackles -- 18 of which are solos. Cobbs, who converted from a running back to defensive back this season has 17 tackles and a pair of pass break-ups. Belton also has 19 tackles.
Five Starters Anchor Offensive Line
• The UMass offensive line, which posted a solid season in 2003, returns four starters from last season a one from 2002 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 38 of 40 games in his career. Other Minutemen returning to the starting lineup are junior tackle Colin Stoetzel (Grafton, Mass.) with 24 career starts, sophomore center Alex Miller (Fairfax, Va.) with 16 career starts and sophomore guard David Thompson (Norfolk, Va.) with 17 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.
• This season, UMass has rushed for 134.2 yards per game. 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.
Minutemen Against Ranked Teams In I-AA
• UMass faced its second ranked team -- both at No. 4 -- last weekend when Delaware came 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 14-15 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 8-11 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.
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 30-10 (.750) at home over the last six years, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 138-71-2 (.660). Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home mark of 51-23 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 LOOKING FOR 20TH CONF. 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 Eight-win Year In Row
• 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.
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.
MINUTEMEN AMONG THE A-10 LEADERS In 2003
• Several Minutemen finished the 2003 season ranked among the Atlantic 10 leaders in various statistical categories. Wide receiver Jason Peebler led the league in receiving yards (91.2 yards/game), and was fifth in scoring (7.1 points/game). Quarterback Jeff Krohn ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in passing yards (227.8 yards/game) and fourth in total offense (220.0 yards/game), while tailback Steve Baylark was fourth in rushing yards (90.5 yards/game) and punter Christian Koegel placed fifth in punting (39.2 yards/punt). In addition, cornerback Steve Costello led the conference in interceptions with six, while fellow defensive backs Tracy Belton, James Ihedigbo and Shannon James all tied for third in the league with four interceptions. As a team, UMass ranked third in the league in net punting (36.5 yards/punt).
DAY STARS IN 51-0 WIN TO OPEN SEASON
• Junior quarterback Tim Day had the finest passing day in UMass history, as he completed a school-record 89.4 percent of his passes, completing 17-of-19 for 290 yards and four touchdowns. All marks set career highs for Day. On the receiving end, senior captain Jason Peebler hauled five passes for 144 yards including an 80-yard bomb from Day -- the third-longest pass play in UMass history.
• For UMass, the 51-0 whitewash signified the largest shutout in a season opener, as well as the largest margin of victory in a season opener, all-time, dating to 1879. UMass had previously beaten Cooper Union 50-0, twice in 1931 and 1932 to open those seasons.
• With the huge win, UMass, has now blasted its last three season opening opponents by a margin of 154-10.
• The shutout was also the team's first in a season opener since 1975, when UMass blanked Maine, 10-0. Overall, it was the 25th all-time shutout for UMass in a season opener.
FOUR CAPTAINS IN 2004
• This fall, UMass has four captains for the first time since the 1993 season and only the second time in school history. The four players who have been elected to serve as captains this fall are senior cornerback Steve Costello, senior offensive tackle Rob Kane, senior wide receiver Jason Peebler and junior linebacker Serge Tikum. Here is a list of players who have served as captains for the Minutemen over the last 11 years.
EXTRA POINTS
• UMass has scored in 109 straight games since a 34-0 loss to Rhode Island on Sept. 30, 1995 ... The Minutemen have scored in 119 consecutive home games since a 17-0 loss to Holy Cross on Sept. 17, 1983.
