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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
[RV/RV] Tennessee
Football Returns To SEC Country With Trip To Tennessee
September 19, 2017 | Football
Minutemen and Volunteers kick off Sat., Sept. 23 at Noon on the SEC Network
| UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE | |
| Game Five | Massachusetts (0-4 overall) at [RV/RV] Tennessee (2-1) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, Sept. 23 | Noon (ET) |
| Location | Neyland Stadium |
| Series History | First meeting |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Tennessee | Southeastern Conference (SEC) |
| Live Statistics | Sidearm Sports |
| Listen (Online) | 560 AM WHYN | TuneIn Radio App (Josh Maurer, Peter Brock & Matt Goldstein) |
| Listen (Radio) | 560 AM WHYN (Western Massachusetts/Springfield), 95.9 FM (South Shore), 830 AM (WCRN) |
| Watch | SEC Network | WatchESPN (Taylor Zarzour, Andre Ware, Olivia Harlan) |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Tennessee |
| @UMassFootball | @UMassAthletics | @CoachWhipUMass | |
| UMass Football | UMass Athletics | |
Milestones Reached
Four Minutemen reached numerical plateaus during 2017, including quarterback Andrew Ford, wide receiver Andy Isabella, tight end Adam Breneman and running back Marquis Young.
Ford eclipsed 3,000 career passing yards and Breneman reached 1,000 receiving yards as a Minuteman during the game at Coastal Carolina. Isabella surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards and Young eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards one Saturday later against Old Dominion.
Ford, short 60 passing yards entering the Coastal Carolina game, tossed for 316 yards and moved into ninth place on the team's all-time passing yards listing with his outing against the Chanticleer defense. He ended the night with 3,256 career passing yards.
Breneman began the night with 987 yards during his Minuteman tenure and finished with 126 for 1,113 at UMass. He previously reached 1,000 career yards, including his tenure at Penn State, during the season-opener against Hawai'i.
Young inched over 2,000 career rushing yards while carrying the ball against Old Dominion. He entered in need of 19 and totaled 25 on the game to cap the night with 2,006 as a Minuteman over 394 carries (5.1 ypc).
Isabella's 60-yard touchdown reception pushed the Ohio native over 1,000 career receiving yards. Entering in need of 51 to reach the benchmark, Isabella posted 105 via five receptions and finished the outing with 1,054 receiving yards at UMass. Simultaneously, Isabella went over 1,500 all-purpose yards as a Minuteman (1,643).
Isabella Goes Right To... Ludicrous Speed!
Over his last 16 games played, Andy Isabella has 1,107 of his 1,114 career receiving yards and 82 of his 84 career receptions playing mainly as a starter at wide receiver. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Isabella posted 75 or more receiving yards in eight of those 16 games, with 100 or more in four contests. He has a team-leading 10 touchdown receptions in that span.
Gigantically Slim & Trim
Ray Thomas-Ishman, Sr., stands 6-foot-5, 350 pounds entering his sophomore season. One year ago, as a true-freshman starter, Thomas weighed in at 392 pounds while holding down the left guard spot for 11 of his 12 appearances. Thomas started at left tackle in one appearance during 2016, at Old Dominion, his slated full-time placement on the line in 2017. Despite losing 42 pounds, Thomas is still the largest offensive lineman on the team by 20 pounds (Derek Dumais).
Breneman, The All-American
Adam Breneman appears on three national preseason all-America listings. He earned USA Today Preseason All-America Second Team, Athlon Sports Preseason All-America Third Team and Bleacher Report Preseason All-America. Breneman opened 2017 with a nine-catch, 179-yard outing against Hawai'i, surpassed 1,000 as a Minuteman in only his 14th appearance and ranks among the nation's leaders in receiving yards (323).
Clogging Up The Middle
Nose tackle Ali Ali-Musa totaled 15 tackles against Old Dominion, a career high and the most since Steve Casali had 15 against Tulane on Oct. 1, 2016. Ali-Musa's day began with a combined sack of quarterback Blake LaRussa with Da'Sean Downey on the first play from scrimmage of the game. It also included a fourth-and-goal stuff of running back Jeremy Cox from the UMass one yard line during the fourth quarter.
Deploying The Fourth Down Football Mortar
Through 28 games as the primary punter, Logan Laurent ranks among the best performing specialists in UMass football history with the career punt average and single-game punt yard records.
Over 147 career punts, Laurent averages 41.91 yards per attempt (6,156 total yards). Brett Arnold ranks second at 41.35 yards per attempt (97-4270; 2007-08). Laurent averaged at least 41.0 yards per punt attempt in 10 of the last 15 games.
Laurent's most active day came in the 2016 #BattleoftheBayState against Boston College with 12 punts covering a program-record 547 yards (45.6 per attempt). Laurent dropped four of his punts inside the Eagles' 20 yard line while four traveled at least 50 yards.
Laurent has 30 career punts of 50 or more yards and dropped 38 inside the 20 yard line.
Rodgers Runs it Out
Isaiah Rodgers finished his true freshman season in 2016 with the fifth-most kick return yards in one campaign in program history, with 733 over 31 returns (23.6). Rodgers set the team record for kick returns in one game with nine against Mississippi State on Sept. 24, 2016. He also etched his name in the record book for the fifth-most returns and ninth-highest yards per return average in a single-season in program history. Only three games into his sophomore season, Rodgers is already 11th on the all-time list for total kick return yards by a Minuteman.
Whipple Approaches All-Time Wins Record
Head coach Mark Whipple is three wins away from moving into first all-time in UMass history for career victories. Whipple owns 57 triumphs over his two tenures as the program's leader (1998- 2003; '14-present).
Vic Fusia (1961-70) currently ranks first in UMass football history with 59 victories. Whipple is one of five coaches in team history with at least five winning seasons. Fusia leads the way with eight while Don Brown (2004-08), Harold "Kid" Gore (1919-27), Mel Taube (1931-35) and Whipple each have five.
