University of Massachusets Athletics
Atlantic 10 Announces Complete Football Schedule
April 27, 2005 | Football
April 27, 2005
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -
Five contests versus I-A opponents along with five match-ups versus 2004 NCAA playoff participants highlight the 2005 Atlantic 10 Football Conference schedule.
For the second straight year, the Conference will employ a two-division format, with each team playing all five divisional opponents, along with three contests versus members of the opposite division.
Atlantic 10 teams enter the 2005 campaign looking to knock off a I-A team for the fourth consecutive season. Last season, two A-10 programs defeated I-A teams as New Hampshire downed Rutgers (35-24) and Maine edged Mississippi State (10-9). It marked the third straight year that a team from the Atlantic 10 defeated a I-A foe from a BCS conference.
On Sept. 1, William & Mary will visit Marshall, marking the eighth consecutive season the Tribe will face a I-A opponent, extending the longest active streak in the A-10. Maine takes on Nebraska on Sept. 3 and Villanova meets Rutgers on Sept. 10. On Sept. 24, Richmond travels to Vanderbilt and on Nov. 12 Massachusetts visits Army. In addition, A-10 teams will face I-AA non-conference stalwarts Furman, Georgia Southern, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Northwestern State in 2005, all of which advanced to the NCAA playoffs a year ago.
All 12 teams in the Atlantic 10 Football Conference welcome back double-digit starters in 2005, including the Conference leader in touchdown passes (Ricky Santos, UNH - 31), rushing yards (Steve Baylark, UMass - 1,138), receptions (David Ball, UNH - 86), interceptions (Shannon James, UMass - eight), tackles (Tony LeZotte, JMU - 144), sacks (Tom Parks, UD - 10), and kickoff return yards (Corey Graham, UNH - 28.6).
