No. 6 UMass Hosts Rhode Island On Homecoming 2006

Oct. 17, 2006

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#6 UMASS (5-1, 3-0) vs. RHODE ISLAND (2-4, 0-3)
Saturday, October 21, 2006  1 P.M.
HOMECOMING  McGuirk Stadium
AMherst, Mass. (17,000/FieldTurf)
TV: Live on NESN/Delayed on CSTV
Radio: WRNX (100.9 FM - Flagship)
WCRN (830 AM), WATD (95.9 FM)  UMASSATHLETICS.com

No. 6 UMass Hosts Rhode Island On Homecoming 2006
 The No. 6 UMass football team is on a roll and the Minutemen will seek to continue their tremendous run at Saturday's homecoming game against age-old rival Rhode Island. The game will televised as part of the Atlantic 10 television package and will be shown live on NESN in New England. It will also be broadcast nationally on CSTV on a delay, airing Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. Bob Picozzi and Scott Brunner call the action for the A-10.

 Saturday's game will also be broadcast live on the UMass Sports Network with Bob Behler in his eight year as "Voice of the Minutemen." Former kicker Matt Goldstein will handle the color commentary. The pregame show begins at 12:30 p.m. on WRNX (100.9 FM), the flagship of the network. The game can also be heard live online at UMassAthletics.com.  The Minutemen (5-1, 3-0 A-10) have dominated their last three opponents, winning by a combined score of 131-14 (an average score of 43.7-4.7). That streak includes back-to-back 48-7 wins over Stony Brook on Sept. 23 and William & Mary on Oct. 7, both at McGuirk Stadium. Last Saturday, UMass posted a 35-0 win at then-No. 22 Towson. UMass has outscored its last three opponents 84-0 in the first half alone.  The recent four-game winning surge has taken UMass to No. 6 in the nation in all polls and the No. 1 position in the ECAC Lambert Cup as the top team in the East in I-AA.

 The Minutemen are clicking on both offense and defense. They lead the Atlantic 10 in six statistical categories including total offense and scoring defense. UMass ranks in the top 10 in the nation in seven categories. That includes the nation's third-best scoring defense (10.5 points per game), the nation's seventh-best scoring offense (35.0), the third-best total offense (433.3 yard per game) and the seventh-best total defense (242.33). The Minutemen lead the nation in pass efficiency rating (184.78), kickoff returns (29.23) and in net punting (37.33).

 Sophomore quarterback Liam Coen comes off one of the best games by a UMass signal caller in history. In the win over Towson, he threw a school-record tying five touchdown passes and 303 yards as he completed 21-of-27. Coen was bestowed with numerous honors in the wake of his performance. He was honored for the second time this season with the Golden Helmet, presented by the New England Football Writers of New England, as the week's top player in the region. He was also named the A-10's Offensive Player of the week for the second time in 2006. Additionally, he was one of four named to I-AA.org's Weekly All-Stars in the nation.

 Coen leads the nation in pass efficiency with a 188.48 mark. He has completed an amazing 68.8 percent of his passes (88-of-128) and has 13 TD passes and just four interceptions.

 Senior tailback Steve Baylark became the third player in UMass history with more than 4,000 career rushing yards as he racked up 102 at Towson last Saturday. He comes into the Rhode Island game with 4,029 yards, fifth among all active players in Division I-AA. The 102, was his 19th career 100-yard game at UMass and the Minutemen are 16-3 in those games. Baylark has at least one touchdown in 11 of the last 12 games, totaling 18 in those games. He is now tied for fourth in career rushing TDs with 38. Baylark leads the A-10 in rushing with 109.5 yards per game and is second in all-purpose yards at 124.83. He also leads in scoring with 9.0 points per game on his nine touchdowns this season.

 Wide receiver Brandon London tied the school record for touchdown catches in a game at Towson with four. He was named the UMass/Dinn Brothers Athlete of the Week for his showing. He finished with seven catches for 100 yards with the TDs from 3, 20, 34 and 8 yards out. It was his fifth career 100-yard game. He is tied for the team lead in catches with 19 and is second in yards with 314.

 The defense has been equally awesome as the offense. Buchanan Award Candidate James Ihedigbo is the senior captain on the defensive side. He is vying for the national defensive player of the year award, following in the footsteps of two-time All-American Shannon James, who was in Baltimore Ravens camp in 2006. Ihedigbo has 30 tackles this season along with 3.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, three pass break-ups and an A-10 leading four forced fumbles. Ihedigbo was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week back on Sept. 10 after UMass narrow loss at I-A Navy.

 Linebackers Jason Hatchell and Charles Walker are the top tacklers at 47 and 43, respectively. Hatchell has lead of tied for the team lead in tackles in 13 of the last 17 games. The duo each had a team-high nine tackles at Towson.

UMass-Rhode Island Series History
 UMass holds a 44-34-2 lead in the all-time series which began in 1903. The teams have played every season since 1946 after the series was interrupted by World War II.

 The Minutemen have won 16 of the last 20 meetings between the two schools, including eight of the last nine games including last season's 14-6 win at McGuirk Stadium. The lone loss came at URI, 27-24 on Oct. 23, 2004.

 The series with Rhode Island is the most played one in UMass history as the teams have met 80 times. Next on the list is UConn, as the Minutemen and Huskies played 71 times from 1897-1999.

 UMass' 44 wins are the most against any team as well. The second most wins are against, New Hampshire, as UMass is 39-25-3 against the Wildcats.

 At McGuirk Alumni Stadium, UMass is 15-6 vs. the Rams. Overall in Amherst, the Minutemen (and Redmen) are 24-16-2 in the series. UMass has won seven straight games vs. Rhode Island at McGuirk, last falling in 1991, 17-14 .

 Head coach Don Brown is 3-3 all-time vs. the Rams, going 2-2 while he was the head coach at Northeastern from 2000-03. URI coach Tim Stowers picked up his first win over UMass in 2004 and is 1-5.

Connections Of Note Between UMass/URI
 Two sets of brothers will be on opposing sidelines as UMass junior defensive tackle Matt Stolte (Rochester, N.Y.) will face his brother Mark Stolte of Rhode Island. Mark is Rhode Island's starting left tackle. Both played their high school ball at the Aquinas Institute in Rochester.

 The Leonard brothers will also face each other as UMass senior Jason Leonard (Stoughton, Mass.) will oppose his brother Shawn Leonard, who is a sophomore wide receiver for the Rams.

 UMass features just one player from Rhode Island in starting quarterback Liam Coen (North Providence, R.I.) was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the Ocean State's history passing for 5,335 yards and 66 touchdowns playing for his father Tim at LaSalle Academy.

 UMass tight ends coach Guido Falbo is in his third season with the Minutemen after two years as Rhode Island's wide receivers coach (2002-03).

48-7, 48-7: Are You Kidding?
 With its 48-7 win over William & Mary on Oct. 6, UMass won consecutive games by the same score for the first time since 1969. What makes it amazing is that UMass won both of the those games by the same score of 48-7; and those games were separated by a bye week which is also the case in 2006. Back on Nov. 1 and No. 15, 1969, UMass beat Vermont and New Hampshire. If you were wondering, UMass has never played three games in a row with the same score. With the back-to-back 48-point efforts, its the first time since those games in 1969, that UMass has scored 48 or more points in consecutive games.

UMass Team Capsule
 UMass is 5-1 after a 28-7 season-opening win over Colgate on Sept. 2 , a narrow 21-20 loss at Navy on Sept. 9, a solid 31-21 win at Villanova to open the Atlantic 10 schedule on Sept. 16 and back-to-back 48-7 poundings of Stony Brook on Sept. 23 and William & Mary on Oct. 7 and last week's 35-0 whitewash of Towson on Oct. 14.

 The Minutemen are ranked No. 6 this week in all three polls. UMass had been ranked No. 9 in the Sports Network poll for four weeks in a row (from Sept. 4-25), but lost a spot during its bye week. The Minutemen were steady (four weeks in a row from Sept. 11-Oct. 2) at No. 9 in Don Hansen's poll after starting the year at No. 13. UMass was No. 10 in preseason poll of the Sports Network. In the annual magazines, UMass was ranked the following: No. 6 by Athlon, No. 12 by I-AA.org Consolidated, No. 14 by AnyGivenSaturday.com, No. 16 by Lindy's and No. 23 by Street & Smith's.

 The kickoff return number is the most stunning turnaround as the Minutemen ranked 95th in the nation out of 116 teams in 2005 (17.3).

 The Minutemen finished the 2005 season with a 7-4 overall record, 6-2 in the Atlantic 10 good for second in the North Division. UMass was ranked as high as No. 5 last season after beating handing Delaware its worst home loss in two decades on Nov. 5. But UMass lost its final two games to fall to No. 19 in the final poll and miss out on the NCAA playoffs for the second year in a row. UMass defeated two ranked teams last season, beating No. 25 Rhode Island on Sept. 24 and No. 4 James Madison on Oct. 15.

 UMass was picked second to defending champ New Hampshire in the Atlantic 10 North Division.

 Don Brown leads UMass into his third season at the helm of the Minutemen. The defensive coordinator of the 1998 National Championship team is 17-10 at UMass and 69-36 overall as a head coach, now in his 10th season as a head man. He coached his 100th career game in the 2005 finale at Hofstra.

 This is the 124th season of UMass football. UMass now has an all-time record of 515-500-51 in 1,055 all-time games. The Minutemen won the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA Championship with a 55-43 win over Georgia Southern. The Minutemen have won 20 conference championships, most recently taking the Atlantic 10 title in 2003. UMass has played in six NCAA Tournaments, with the last coming in 2003.

UMass' Stevie Wonder
 Senior captain and two-time Atlantic 10 First-Team tailback Steve Baylark is one of the most prolific rushers in UMass history. As he enters his final season in Amherst, he has a chance to make NCAA history. With 1,000-yard seasons in his first three seasons with UMass, has a great chance to become the third player in I-AA history to gain more than 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons. Jerry Azumah (New Hampshire 1995-98) and Adrian Peterson (Georgia Southern, 1998-2001) are the only ones to accomplish the feat in I-AA. Six players have done it in Division I-A: Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh, 1973-76), Amos Lawrence (North Carolina, 1977-80), Denvis Manns (New Mexico State, 1995-98), Ron Dayne (Wisconsin, 1996-99) Cedric Benson (Texas, 2001-04), DonTrell Moore (New Mexico, 2002-05). Baylark gained 1,177 as a freshman, 1,138 as a sophomore and 1,057 last season as a junior.

 At his current pace of 109.0 yards per game, Baylark would pick up 1,205 games in 11 regular-season games, passing 1,000 yards in the 10th game this season.

 He joined current Arizona Cardinal Marcel Shipp (6,250) and Rene Ingoglia (4,624) as the only UMass players with 4,000 career rushing yards, standing with 4,029.

 In UMass history, he ranks third in career rushing (passing Garry Pearson vs. William & Mary) and third in career carries with 887 (he broke a tie with All-American Garry Pearson at Villanova). He is also fourth in career rushing touchdowns with 33 after two rushing scoring vs. Stony Brook (9/23) and William & Mary (10/7) along with single TD scores against Colgate (9/2) and at Villanova (9/16). Next on the touchdown lists is also Pearson, who played from 1979-82. Pearson has 35, two more than Baylark.

 On UMass' all-time touchdown and scoring lists, Baylark tied for fourth with Pearson with 38, scoring nine this season (three vs. Stony Brook, two vs. Colgate and William & Mary and one at Villanova and Towson). With his three-TD game vs. the Seawolves, he passed Adrian Zullo (1998-2002), who had 33 scores. Baylark is also tied for fourth in career scoring with 230, tied with Pearson.

 Baylark had his fourth-career three-TD game vs. Stony Brook. UMass is 4-0 in those games. He had his 10th career two-TD game vs. William & Mary. UMass is 9-1 in those games.

 Baylark has 19 career 100-yard games with the first this year coming at Villanova (9/16) followed by 187 yards vs. William & Mary and 102 at Towson. Last year he had five century-running games, with the last coming at Delaware (11/5/05). UMass is 16-3 in those games and 12-10 when he doesn't gain 100.

 Baylark has touchdowns in 11 of UMass' last 12 games. Prior to the Navy game, when he was blanked, Baylark had scored at least one rushing touchdown in seven games in a row dating back to last season when he had at least one in the final six games of the year. In the last 12 games, he has 13 rushing scores along with five receiving TDs for 18 total.

 On the active career rushing list in Division I-AA, Baylark is fifth behind Harvard's Clifton Dawson (4,314), Drake's Scott Phaydavong (4,155), Hampton's Alonzo Coleman (4,061), and Western Kentucky's Lerron Moore (4,031).

 Baylark is fourth all-time at UMass in all-purpose yards as well with 4,650. Next on the list is Ingoglia at 4,941. Baylark's number is second among all active players to Harvard's Dawson (5,483).

 Baylark is first among all active players in career plays with 954.

 Off the field, Baylark is an Art major and is an avid artist both with charcoal, pastels as well as with PhotoShop. This summer he did an internship with the UMass Video Services and helped produce and design a commemorate video for the Minuteman lacrosse team which made the 2006 NCAA championship.

Coen Managing To Be No. 1
 Sophomore Liam Coen has been solid since taking over as the starting quarterback in the third game of last season vs. Albany (Sept. 17, 2005). He has "managed the game well" according to coach Don Brown. Now, he has managed to place himself atop the nation in passing efficiency in 2006 with a 188.48.

 This year, Coen is 88-of-128 for 1409 yards with 13 touchdowns in six games. His averaging an amazing 16.0 yards per completion this season.

 In just his second season, Coen is ranked among some all-time leaders in UMass history. He is first in completion percentage (65.4) while he is fifth in both passing yards (3,584), is sixth completions (263) and tied for sixth in TD passes (23).

 With 16 career games, Coen is now listed among the active career leaders in Division I-AA. He is fifth in completion percentage (65.4) and fifth in passing efficiency (153.72).

 Coen tied the UMass record for TD passes in a game with five at Towson (10/14). He completed 21-of-27 for 303 yards. His huge game led to numerous honors: New England Football Writers Golden Helmet, A-10 Offensive Player of the Week and the I-AA.org Weekly All-Stars of the four best players in the nation.

 He was incredibly efficient against William & Mary (10/7) as he completed 12-of-17 for 275 yards, an average of 23 yards per completion.

 In first-half action vs. Stony Brook (9/23), Coen was 6-of-8 for 177 yards. The highlight came as he hit Rasheed Rancher from 89 yards out, the second-longest play in UMass history. Coen also hooked up with Rancher for the third-longest play, 84 yards at Delaware (11/5/05).

 Coen had perhaps his finest game at Villanova (9/16) in the third week of this season. He completed 21-of-28 for 350 yards and two touchdowns. His great day earned him numerous honors: the New England Football Writers Golden Helmet, Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week and UMass Athlete of the Week all for the week ending September 18.

 In the opener vs. Colgate, he was 11-of-19 for 117 yards and two touchdowns. He started the game off hot, throwing for 7-of-8 in the first quarter.

 Last season, he completed 63.9 of his passes to rank second among all freshmen in the nation. The three-time A-10 Rookie of the Week in 2005 threw for 2,175 yards -- sixth-most in UMass history. His pass efficiency rating of 139.60 ranked third in the league and 19th nationally.

 He was named the Atlantic 10's Rookie of the Week each week from Oct. 22-Nov. 5, 2005.

 Coen captured the Golden Helmet as the top player in all of New England College football on Nov. 8, 2005 after his performance against Delaware. He threw for 318 yards on 21-of-26 passing and one touchdown in leading UMass to a 35-7 win at Delaware, the Blue Hens worst loss at home since 1986. Coen completed an 84-yard touchdown strike to Rasheed Rancher, which is the third-longest passing play in UMass history.

 Coen had one of the most prolific passing days in UMass history in the loss to No. 4 New Hampshire, as he threw for 401 yards on 31-of-50 passing with two touchdowns. The yardage mark is tied for the second-best day (with Jeff Krohn in 2003 vs. Northeastern) in UMass history as Guice threw for 403, also against UNH in 2001. Coen's 31 completion are third all-time for a game and his attempts are now fifth-most in a game.

 Coen did not threw an interceptions over 13 quarters from one in his first series at Colgate through the first quarter against James Madison. He had 290 yards vs. Rhode Island on 18-of-24 against his homestate team on Sept. 24.

What A Defense!
 UMass had the nation's top defense last season in terms of scoring defense, giving up just 13.3 points per game. In 2006, UMass is allowing just 10.5 points per game, third in the nation. UMass blanked Towson, 35-0, on Oct. 14, for the first shutout by the Minutemen in over a year, when they beat Northeastern on Oct. 8, 2005. The Minutemen have allowed just seven points in three of five games this season, against Colgate (9/2), Stony Brook (9/23) and William & Mary (10/7).

 The Minutemen have dominated their last three opponents, winning by a combined score of 131-14 (an average score of 43.7-4.7). That streak includes back-to-back 48-7 wins over Stony Brook on Sept. 23 and William & Mary on Oct. 7, both at McGuirk Stadium. UMass has outscored its last three opponents 84-0 in the first half alone.

 They started off on the right foot against Colgate and Navy, giving up just seven points to the Raiders and 21 to the Mids. That 21-point defensive showing vs. Navy was equal to the fewest Navy had scored in more than a year. Last season Notre Dame held them to 21 points in October, but the last time they had less than 21 points was when they had 20 against Maryland on Sept. 3, 2005. UMass led the Atlantic 10 and finished in the top five in the nation in several defensive stats last season.

 This year, UMass is again in the top part of the nation in the season in several defensive stats. The Minutemen are third in scoring defense (10.5), seventh in total defense (242.33), 12th in pass efficiency defense (100.01), and 13th in rushing defense (98.5) yards per game).

 Junior linebacker Jason Hatchell has picked up where he left off this season with a team-best 47 tackles. He has led UMass in tackles in 13 of the last 17 games. He also has seven-career 10-tackle games after he posted 10 stops at Villanova (9/16). Hatchell led UMass in tackles with 107 (9.7 per game) in his first season as a starter. Behind Hatchell is junior Charles Walker who has 43 tackles in his return to action.

 Senior captain and Buchanan Award Candidate James Ihedigbo is a leader on defense. Last season he broke out with a career-year. He was among the national leaders in tackles for a loss (12.5) and sacks (7.5), playing from a safety position. With great blitzing Ihedigbo was constantly in opponents' backfield. He continued to dominate in the 2006 with 30 tackles, three sacks, 3.5 TFLs, three pass break-ups, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. His forced fumbles mark is first in the A-10.

 The defensive line has received great play from seniors John Hatchell and Jason Leonard along with junior David Burris. Burris has 27 total tackles and 3.5 TFLs. Hatchell has 3.0 TFLs and Leonard a force at the line as three pass deflections.

 Last year, UMass finished third in the nation in total defense giving up just 261.18 yards per game. The Minutemen gave up just 145.09 passing yards per game in 2005, fifth-best in the country. They were 17th in the country in rushing defense, giving up 116.09 per game. Prior to week 10 of 2005, the Minutemen were in the top 10 all season.

 In 2005, through the first six games, UMass had allowed just 36 points with only 15 coming at the hands of the defense as opponents returned both a fumble (Colgate) and two interceptions (Colgate and JMU) for touchdowns. Looking at just the defense, UMass allowed 2.5 points per game for the first six weeks. Through the first six games of the season, UMass allowed just ONE offensive touchdown, a one-yard rush by Richmond QB Stacy Tutt in the first game of the season in the third quarter. Prior to the Maine game, the Minutemen did allowed an offensive touchdown for a span of 21 quarters dating from Sept. 1 through Oct. 22. UMass did not allow an offensive touchdown for 322:31.

 UMass held two opponents to fewer than 100 yards of offense last season. The Minutemen set the school record for fewest yards allowed in a game holding Albany to just 31. Against Northeastern, UMass held the Huskies to just 72 yards matching the best performance by the Minutemen against an A-10 team in 1982, when they held New Hampshire to just 67 yards -- the former school record for fewest yards allowed.

Go Koegel Go
 Senior All-American punter Christian Koegel is UMass' all-time leading punter. He continues to add to his legacy at the school. With his 41.5 average this season, Koegel increased his school record average to 41.0 in his four seasons. He would rank 14th in the nation this year, but does not have the requisite 3.6 punts per game, he only has 2.5 per game (15 in five games). In 2005, he was named the Atlantic 10 Special Teams Player of the Year in earning numerous accolades. He finished third in the nation in punting average with a mark of 43.02.

 ESPN's NFL Draft Expert Mel Kiper Jr., has Koegel ranked among his top 10 punting prospects heading into the 2007 NFL Draft. That list includes all of Division I-A.

 Koegel was named the Atlantic 10's Special Teams Player of the Week on Sunday, Sept. 3. The All-American punted four balls for a 46.8 average in UMass' 28-7 win over Colgate. In the win over Colgate, he had a long of 55 yards which was his one punt inside the 20-yard line -- that punt landed at the Colgate 3-yard line.

 Over his last 25 games, he has at least one punt of 50 or more yards in 16 of those games.

 Led by Koegel and great kick coverage, UMass led the nation in net punting average last season with a mark of 38.35. Again this season, the Minutemen have showed their great prowess on punt coverage with a 37.33 net punting mark to rank FIRST in the nation.

 The all-time A-10 record holder for punt yardage in the game (set vs. Boston College in 2004), Koegel has 55 career punts inside the 20-yard line. He opened the season with a punt that landed at the Colgate 3-yard line for his first such kick this season. He has three this year.

 UMass has had a long line of great punters who have been four-performers. Koegel is just the third punter for the Minutemen since 1995, starting with Andrew Maclay from 1995-98, then David Sanger from 1998-2002.

 Among active punters in Division I-AA, Koegel has the seventh-highest career average behind Mike Dragosavich of North Dakota State (44.3), David Simonhoff of Southeast Missouri (43.83), Rhian Madrid of Northern Arizona (43.53), Neal Bainbridge of South Dakota State (42.09), Michael Hanna of Gardner Webb (41.4) and Tyson Johnson of Montana (41.38).

 Off the field, Koegel has a tremendous personality and is an aspiring model. He has an electric wardrobe featuring a white and teal suit with tails which he wore to the team's end-of-year banquet this past spring.

Many Making Catches
 UMass' receiving corps returns its top three from last season in senior Brandon London and juniors J.J. Moore and Rasheed Rancher.  This season, Moore and London are tied at the top of the list with 19 catches each. Moore leads in receiving yards with 321, London is right behind with 314 yards. Rancher leads in average at 23.9 per catch.

 Moore posted his biggest game of the season vs. William & Mary (10/7) with five catches for 118 yards and a spectacular 29-yard TD.

 Rancher's total is aided by his 89-yard reception from Liam Coen against Stony Brook (9/23), the second-longest play in UMass history.

 London became the seventh UMass player with 100 career catches this season. He has 117 to date to stand fifth all-time at UMass. Next on the list is Jason Peebler (123 from 2001-04). he had his fifth career 100-yard game at Towson. He had his fourth career 100-yard game at Villanova (9/16) with 104 yards on five catches. In the opener vs. Colgate (9/2), he had three catches for 26 yards.

 He is also fifth on the all-time yards list with 1,555. In the Towson game, he passed Jimmy Moore (1,494 -- all in 1998) and Tim Berra (1,486 -- Yogi's son). London passed 2006 UMass Hall of Fame inductee Steve Schubert who had 1,435 from 1970-72 in the William & Mary game on Oct. 7, the night after Schubert went into the UMass Hall of Fame.

 London took over as the top receiver once Moore went down last season and racked up 60 catches and earned All-A-10 Third Team honors. He led the team in catches as well as yards (774) and TD receptions (3). London tied Moore's single-game reception record of 13 in the 2005 finale vs. Hofstra. He had his second 100-yard game in that game with a career-high 122 yards.

 Moore returned to action this season after fracturing his left ankle vs. Northeastern on Oct. 8, 2005. He missed the remainder of the season. He was ranked among the top five in the nation in catches and catches per game in the first few weeks.

 Despite playing in just five games a season ago, he was still second on UMass with 27 catches and third in 337 receiving yards.

 Moore set a UMass record when he caught 13 passes in the loss at Colgate in 2005. Moore broke the record of 11 set by Tim Berra (Yogi's son) in 1973 and later tied by Jimmy Moore in 1998 and twice by Adrian Zullo in 1999.

 Rancher was the biggest surprise of last season. After barely playing in his first season in 2004, he had 27 catches for 425 yards becoming a vital receiver for Liam Coen.

 Rancher had a career-high 126 receiving yards including an 84-yard scoring pass from Liam Coen at Delaware. That play was the third-longest in UMass history.

 Rancher had a career-high six catches for his first 100-yard game, with 108 against New Hampshire. He broke out for his first real action in the game at Colgate, when he made four catches for 39 yards.

 Junior college transfer Michael Omar has blended in nicely and has five catches after a big game at Villanova.

 UMass' passing game took off in the game at Villanova (9/16) as seven different players made catches including four pass-plays of more than 30 yards to four different receivers.

The Right Tight End
 In addition to the top-level receivers, UMass has received outstanding play from transfer Brad Listorti. After two seasons at Rutgers where he did not catch a pass, Listorti has emerged as a weapon, starting every game at tight end this season. He has 13 catches for 208 yards for a 16.0 per catch average. He is third on the team in catches.

 Listorti had his first-career touchdown with a 1-yard grab at Villanova (9/16). In that game, he had a career-high four catches for 49 yards as well. He had a career-best 54 receiving yards at Towson (10/14).

5 Strong, The Line Of Protection
 UMass has one of the best offensive lines in Division I-AA led by a pair of seniors who have started every game in their careers art UMass. Captain center Alex Miller and left guard David Thompson have started both games this season to have 41 straight starts in a row.

 This season has seen UMass continue a trend of the last two seasons, as the Minuteman line has allowed just six total sacks quarterback Liam Coen in six games (1.0 per game). UMass is 16th in the nation in fewest sacks allowed this year and second in the A-10.

 Last season, UMass was eighth in the nation in fewest sacks allowed with just 11 in 11 games (1.0). Dating back to the start of the 2004 season, UMass has allowed just 25 sacks in 27 games (0.93 per game).

 UMass has allowed just one sack every 32 pass attempt over the last three seasons (27 in 810 pass attempts). In 2004, UMass led the nation in fewest sacks per pass attempt with just one every 38 attempts in giving up just nine sacks all year.

 Miller and Thompson are joined by junior Matt Austin, who is starting at left tackle this year after playing left guard last year. Sophomore Sean Calicchio was stable at right tackle since being inserted into the line-up last season, but was injured in the season-opener vs. Colgate. He has been replaced by a group including junior college transfer Nick Diana, junior Chris Hopkins and sophomore Biff Gottehrer. The three of them have split time at left guard and right tackle so far this year.

 The line has been solid in leading the way for Steve Baylark has 19 career 100-yard rushing games.

Return To Big Kick Returns
 UMass is off to a sensational start in the kickoff return game. UMass is returning kickoffs 29.23 per return, which ranks first in the nation. Last season, UMass was 95th in the nation out of 116 teams at 17.3 per return. Leading the way is UConn transfer Courtney Robinson, who is third in the A-10 and is eighth nationally in average return at 27.67 per run back.

 UMass has two returns of more than 55 yards this season in three games after the season long for all of 2005 was just 28 yards.

 Robinson had a 57-yard return at Villanova (9/16) while Matt Lawrence had a 65-yard run back against Colgate in week one. That 65-yarder was the longest by any UMass player since Jerome Bledsoe had a 66-yarder on Sept. 23, 1989.

Ball Hawks Picking off Passes
 UMass has had one of the top secondaries in the nation over the past three seasons. Last year UMass ranked among the nation's best with 18 interceptions, which ranked third in the A-10.

 UMass graduated its all-time interception leader and two-time All-American Shannon James, who had 20 interceptions in his four years in Amherst. James' 20 picks were the most by an player in all over college football over a four-year span from 2002-04. James signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens and its hopefully of landing back on the practice squad after being cut late in training camp.

 Even with James gone, the Minutemen have a sensational corps of "Ball Hawks" as they call themselves. Seniors strong safety James Ihedigbo and cornerback Tracy Belton lead the way. Ihedigbo has made his name with a blitzing style that racked him up 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season. Belton is among the national leaders in career interceptions, now in his senior year. After his interception at Navy (9/9), he has 12 picks, he ranks sixth in the nation in I-AA among all players behind Ken Chicoine of Cal Poly (16), who tops the list.

 In the secondary, senior Brandon Smith has taken over for James as free safety while true sophomore Sean Smalls is manning the other corner. Smith has played in many packages over the last two seasons and was the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3, 2005. Smalls is a versatile player who was an impressive freshman last season playing on both sides of the ball as a receivers as well.

McGuirk Magic
 The Minutemen return home for the third of six home games in 2006. 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 38-11 (.776) at home over the last six years, improving their all-time record at McGuirk to 146-72-2 (.668).

 Since 1992, UMass has had a losing record at home only once, while posting a home mark of 58-23 (.716) during that span. In 2003, UMass went 7-0 at home to set a new record for most home victories in the 40-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.

 UMass has won eight of its last nine games at home after dropping the 2005 home regular-season finale to New Hampshire on Oct. 29. They have won 15 of the last 18 dating to 2003.

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University of Massachusets Athletics

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