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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
UConn
UMass Renews Football Rivalry With UConn Next
October 24, 2018 | Football
Minutemen and Huskies prepare for 73rd all-time meeting, first since 2012
| UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE | |
| Game Nine | Massachusetts (2-6 overall) at Connecticut (1-6) |
| Date | Time | Sat., Oct. 27 | Noon |
| Location | Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field; East Hartford, Conn. |
| Series History Last Meeting |
Massachusetts leads, 36-34-2 UConn 37, UMass 0 • Aug. 30, 2012 • Rentschler Field • First game of the FBS era |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Connecticut | AAC |
| Live Statistics | StatBroadcast |
| Listen (Online) Listen (Radio) |
105.5 FM WEEI | TuneIn Radio App 105.5 FM WEEI (Western Mass./Springfield), 95.9 FM WATD (South Shore) & 830 AM WCRN (Worcester) |
| Tickets | 866-UMASS-TIX | UMass Ticket Central | Mullins Center Box Office |
| Television Live Stream |
ESPNU WatchESPN.com |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Connecticut |
| @UMassFootball | @UMassAthletics | @CoachWhipUMass | |
| UMass Football | UMass Athletics | |
Old Friends Meet Again
• Massachusetts and Connecticut will complete their 73rd all-time football game on Sat., Oct. 27. Massachusetts currently leads the head-to-head record by a slim 36-34-2 margin, though UConn won the lone meeting between the programs as FBS teams in 2012.
• UMass won the first-ever game on Nov. 6 1897 by a 36-0 margin in what was the team's 19th season of competition, but first taking on programs that now compete in the FBS or FCS.
• Connecticut is one of only three programs Massachusetts played against in each of its three centuries of competition. The other two are Holy Cross and New Hampshire.
Massachusetts and Connecticut met at least once each decade from the 1890s through the 1990s. The teams did not play during the 2000s decade following Connecticut elevation to FBS after the 1999 season.
• A number of program milestones were set against Connecticut...
Oct. 2, 1920: A 28-0 victory over the Huskies marks Massachusetts' 100th program victory.
Dec. 3, 1946: Both teams officially joined the Yankee Conference as founding members.
Oct. 28, 1972: A crowd of 17,500 watches as Massachusetts downs Connecticut, 49-16 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. It ties for the fifth-most to fill McGuirk in the history of the stadium and is also tied for the most to see UMass and UConn play at McGuirk.
Oct. 31, 1981: Massachusetts posts 83 rushing attempts in a single game against Connecticut, still the program record for most in one outing.
Oct. 30, 1982: UMass rips down six interceptions in a single game for the first time in the history of the Minutemen.
Oct. 17, 1992: Scott Assencoa sets the team record for sacks in a single game with five against UConn. It is a record that stands alone to this day.
Nov. 16, 1996: The Miracle at McGuirk. Jeff Smith hits Erik Henry on a 20-yard touchdown strike with 31 seconds remaining to complete a 20-point fourth quarter comeback and lead UMass to a 39-38 victory over Connecticut in the final game in Yankee Conference history. The comeback is the greatest in school history.
Oct. 17, 1998: Jimmy Moore catches four touchdown passes against UConn, which set the program record for most in a single game.
Nov. 20, 1999: The Minutemen destroyed arch-rival Connecticut 62-20 at McGuirk Stadium in the Huskies last game as a I-AA school and claimed their 18th Atlantic 10 Conference title in the process. Marcel Shipp rushed for three touchdowns in the victory to break Rene Ingoglia's single-season record of 19. Shipp went on to finish the season with 24 rushing scores.
Aug. 30, 2012: UMass falls at Connecticut, 37-0 in its first-ever game as an FBS team. It marked the first time the two teams had played since UMass defeated the Huskies 62-20 during the 1999 season - the last game for Connecticut at the I-AA (FCS) level.
The Little Engine That Could
• Andy Isabella ranks among the nation's per-game leaders in reception and receiving yards, as well as touchdowns catches. Isabella is second in receiving yards (126.6), tied for third in receptions (8.0) and tied for fifth in touchdowns (8).
• Isabella is one of only two players in the nation who ranks as highlight in all three categories, alongside John Ursua (Hawai'i). Ursua is listed at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds while Isabella 5-foot-10, 190 pounds.
The Curious Case of Bryton Barr
• Graduate student middle linebacker Bryton Barr is third among all NCAA FBS players in tackles per game (12.9) and total tackles (103) through eight games. Barr had at least 10 tackles in each of the last seven games, including at Boston College (17), at Georgia Southern (10), at FIU (15), Charlotte (21), at Ohio (11), USF (10) and Coastal Carolina (11).
• During his 20 games with UMass, Barr averages 10.4 tackles per game, with 208 total. He made at least 10 tackles in 12 of those outings.
• Barr is in his seventh season of collegiate football and second with the Minutemen. He was a member of the Towson football program from 2012-16 before he transferred to Massachusetts ahead of the 2017 campaign. Barr went 1,091 consecutive days between games played due to back-to-back-to-back injuries at Towson spanning from Sept. 8, 2013 through Sept. 3, 2016.
Offense From Defense
• Three active Minutemen combined for four career interceptions returned for touchdowns, including two by Isaiah Rodgers and one each for Brice McAllister and Lee Moses.
• Rodgers accomplished the feat for the first time as a sophomore in 2017 when he returned a pass by No. 21 Mississippi State's starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald for six. Rodgers added his second career touchdown when he stepped in front of a Nathan Rourke pass and brought it back 55 yards at Ohio.
• McAllister found the endzone in his first game as a Minuteman when he brought back a Duquesne pass 60 yards for a score in the 2018 season-opener.
Degrees In-Hand
• Five Minutemen enter the 2018 season with their undergraduate degree requirements completed, including Bryton Barr, Ross Comis, Dan DiNicola, Andrew Ford and Brice McAllister. Barr (Towson) and McAllister (Connecticut) earned theirs prior to transferring in as graduate students.
