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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Florida
2016 Begins Saturday at No. 25 Florida
August 29, 2016 | Football
| University of Massachusetts Football Game Notes | |
| Game One | Massachusetts (0-0) at #25/25 Florida (0-0) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, Sept. 3 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Location | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium; Gainesville, Fla. | Stadium Guide |
| Series History | First meeting |
| Live Statistics | StatBroadcast |
| Watch Live | SEC Network (Check local listings) | WatchESPN.com |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Florida |
| Listen (Radio) | 560 AM WHYN (Western Massachusetts), 830 AM WCRN (Worcester), 95.9 FM WATD (South Shore), 1200 AM WXKS (Boston, Manchester, Providence) |
| Listen (Online) | WEEI Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Florida |
| @UMassFootball | @CoachWhipUMass | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Football | UMass Athletics | |
The Massachusetts-Florida Scouting Report
University of Massachusetts football begins its 2016 campaign with a road trip to Gainesville, Florida, where the Minutemen will challenge the No. 25 nationally-ranked Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The game, set to kick off at 7:30 p.m., will air live on the SEC Network.
It marks the first game between UMass and Florida in the history of the programs and Massachusetts' first trip to the Sunshine State since the team's appearance in the Tangerine Bowl vs. East Carolina on Dec. 12, 1964. The Gators enter the game ranked No. 25 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and Associated Press Top-25.
A host of newcomers and young Minutemen will see time at "The Swamp" as Massachusetts enters 2016 with one of the smallest senior classes in the nation. UMass has 13 seniors and graduate students on the current roster, tied for the fourth-smallest number around the country. Florida also appears on the listing as the Gators also sport a 13-member senior class.
Quick Snaps
- Sports four Minutemen splitting six national award watch list entries entering the 2016 season, including linebacker Shane Huber (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award), punter/kicker Logan Laurent (Ray Guy Award), tight end Todd Stafford (John Mackey Award) and running back Marquis Young (Doak Walker Award, Maxwell Award).
- Last visited the State of Florida on Dec. 12, 1964 when the Minutemen participated in the Tangerine Bowl. UMass dropped a 14-13 decision to East Carolina in Orlando.
- Has only faced two Florida-based programs in the history of UMass football: Florida A&M and FIU. The Minutemen fell to Florida A&M in the 1978 NCAA I-AA National Championship and defeated FIU, 24-14 at home in Amherst during the 2015 season.
- Sports 12 student-athletes from the State of Florida, including James Allen (Ft. Lauderdale; St. Thomas Aquinas HS), Bilal Ally (Jacksonville; Clay HS), James Bowe, Jr. (Miami; Killian HS), Cycoby Burch (Orlando; Oak Ridge HS), Bernard Davis (Lake Worth; Lake Worth Community HS), Zeke Edmonds (West Palm Beach; Royal Palm Beach HS), Bakhari Goodson (Orlando; Wekiva HS), Shaquille Harris (Palmetto; Palmetto HS), Tyshaun Ingram (Orlando; Winter Park HS), Aaron Kinsey (Miami; Northwestern HS), Sekai Lindsay (Melbourne; Royal Palm Bay HS) and Isaiah Rodgers (Tampa; Blake HS).
- Head coach Mark Whipple enters the 2016 season with 55 wins at the helm of the program, the second-most in UMass history behind only Vic Fusia (1961-70), who posted 59.
- Head coach Mark Whipple will lead the Minutemen into his 100th game as head coach when the team faces No. 25 Florida in the 2016 season-opener. • Running back Marquis Young ran for 960 yards as a true-freshmen in 2015, the most yards for a UMass freshman since Steve Baylark (1,177; 2003).
- Running back Marquis Young put up 240 rushing yards and three touchdowns at Buffalo on Nov. 27, 2015. It was the 10th-most yards in on game in UMass football history and marked the second-most rushing touchdowns in a single-game in the team's FBS era.
- Freshman James Allen collected 785 kickoff return yards in 2015, the fourth-most in a single season in program history.
- Running back Marquis Young averaged 6.32 yards per carry as a freshman in 2015 with 960 yards on 152 attempts. It marked the 10th-most yards per carry in team history and the third-highest average by a running back with at least 150 carries.
- Return specialist James Allen posted 238 kick return yards - including a 97-yard touchdown - at Bowling Green on Oct. 10, 2015. It went down as the second-most in one game in UMass football history and the most notched by one player in a contest across FBS during 2015.
- Rookie standout James Allen reeled off a 97-yard kick return touchdown at Bowling Green on Oct. 10, 2015. It went as the seventh-longest kick return in program history.
- Alumnus Tajae Sharpe became the highest-drafted Minuteman of the FBS era when he was taken 140th overall (fifth round, first selection) by the Tennessee Titans in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The Name's Allen… James Allen
Now-sophomore cornerback and return specialist James Allen changed his last name from Oliphant to Allen between the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He also changed numbers from No. 48 to No. 4, which was worn and passed along by former standout cornerback Randall Jette.
Youth Movement In Full Effect
University of Massachusetts football has one of the smallest senior classes across the FBS landscape in 2016 with only 13 seniors or graduate students on the roster. It is tied for the fourth-fewest alongside Florida, Marshall, Minnesota, Old Dominion and Wake Forest.
Kentucky leads the nation with its 11-member senior class while Baylor and Penn State follow with 12 apiece. A host of UMass opponents also feature small senior classes alongside Florida, including Old Dominion (13), Troy (15) and Boston College (17).
A New Face Under Center
University of Massachusetts football is one of 10 programs in FBS that does not feature a returning quarterback with at least one career start on its 2016 roster. This list also includes Arizona State, Arkansas, NC State, North Carolina, Penn State, Rice, USC, Utah and Wisconsin.
The Minutemen have four quarterbacks on their roster entering the season. Ross Comis is the only one with FBS-level experience as the redshirt sophomore was 15-of-21 for 171 yards and two touchdowns during six appearances in 2015. Andrew Ford, a junior college transfer, played 2015 at Lackawanna Community College after he redshirted his true-freshman season at Virginia Tech. Redshirt freshmen James Sosinski and Randall West have not seen action.
A New Center, Too
Fabian Hoeller is projected to start at center for the Minutemen at No. 25 Florida. It marks a position change for Hoeller after he served as the team's left guard for the previous two seasons, with 27 starts on the line all-together. He replaced Matt Sparks, who held the title of starting center for the previous three seasons.
Young Bursts Onto The Scene
True freshman running back Marquis Young provided 103 yards rushing over only five carries vs. the defense of No. 6 nationally ranked Notre Dame on Sept. 26. The game was Young's first 100-yard performance in college and the first-such by a UMass running back in 2015.
Young led the Minutemen in rushing yards (960) and yards per attempt (6.3) with 152 carries over the 12-game slate. He provided an 83-yard touchdown run against the Irish, the longest carry by a UMass true-freshman in the modern era of the program - dating back to 1978 - and also the longest since R.J. Cobb scampered 84 yards against Delaware on Nov. 2, 2002. It was 149 games between Cobb and Young's 80-plus yard carries.
