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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Florida State
UMass Football Returns To Action At Florida State Saturday
October 20, 2021 | Football
The Minutemen will kickoff against the Seminoles at noon on ACC Network.
| University of Massachusetts Football Game Notes & Information | |
| Game 7 | Massachusetts (1-5) vs. Florida State (2-4) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, October 23 | 12 p.m. |
| Location | Tallahasse, Fla. | Doak Campbell Stadium |
| Tickets | Purchase Tickets Here |
| Game Notes & Team Information | Massachusetts: Game Notes | Game Program | Record Book Florida State: Game Notes | Media Guide |
| Watch | ACC Network |
| Listen | WEEI 105.5 FM | WCRN 830 AM App: Download The Varsity Sports Network on your mobile device |
| Live Statistics | StatBroadcast |
| @UMassFootball | @CoachWaltBell | |
| UMass Football | |
| UMass Football | |
UMASS VS. THE ACC
UMass will meet Florida State for the first time this week, it's third game against an ACC opponent this season, having previously played at Pittsburgh (L, 7-51) in the season opener on Sept. 4 and at home vs. RV/RV Boston College (L, 28-45) on Sept. 11.
UMass is 5-24-0 all-time against current ACC schools, having faced NC State (0-1-0) previously in addition to Pitt and BC, with all five wins coming against Boston College.
THE QB ROOM: A MIX OF YOUNG AND OLD
The Minutemen's quarterback room features two freshmen (Zamar Wise and Brady Olson), two redshirt freshmen (Garrett Dzuro and Luke McMenamin) and one graduate student (Tyler Lytle).
Lytle (6'5'', 225-pounds from Redondo Beach, Calif.) played the 2017-19 seasons at the University of Colorado, appearing in seven career games, including four during 2018 and three in 2019.
In his first collegiate start on Sept. 4 at Pittsburgh, Lytle completed 14-of-31 passes for a career-high 167 yards, and also rushed for one touchdown against the Panthers.
Olson (6'4'', 200-poinds from Bellingham, Mass.), meanwhile, arrived at UMass as a three-star pro-style quarterback rated the No. 20 player in Massachusetts according to the 247Sports Composite listing, and a three-star QB according to ESPN and rated as the 15th-highest player in Massachusetts.
Through six games, UMass quarterbacks have already completed passes to 16 different receivers, led by 17 catches for 246 yards by Rico Arnold. It marks the most receivers with at least one catch in a season since 2015 when 19 different Minutemen recorded a reception on the year.
On Sept. 11 against Boston College, Brady Olson connected with Arnold for a 56-yard touchdown strike, the longest passing touchdown for the Minutemen since Nov. 9, 2019 at Army (Andrew Brito to Kyle Horn). The score was the longest of Arnold's career and his first touchdown since the 2018 season when he was playing at Charlotte.
As a freshman at Charlotte Arnold put up 302 yards on 22 receptions over 11 games.
The Massachusetts offense showed its ability to move the ball early this season, highlighted by stacking up 519 yards of total offense on Sept. 18 against Eastern Michigan. It was the most total offense in a game since Nov. 3, 2018 in a triple overtime win against Liberty, and the most in regulation against an FBS opponent since Dec. 2, 2017 vs. FIU (548 yards).
UMass also recorded 30 first downs against the Eagles, which hasn't happened since that Liberty game, and hasn't happened in regulation against an FBS opponent since Oct. 21, 2017 against Georgia Southern (33).
Redshirt junior Ellis Merriweather carried the load in the backfield for the Minutemen in 2020, rushing 42 times for 115 yards (42% of the team's total rushing yards) in his first season after transferring from Garden City Community College.
Merriweather was aided earlier this season by Rutgers transfer Kay'Ron Adams. Adams played two seasons with the Scarlet Knights in 2019 and 2020, compiling 320 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 83 carries in 18 career games, in addition to six catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.
With Adams seeing limited action before being declared out for the season with an ankle injury, Merriweather has been the go-to back yet again, and ran for a career-high 144 yards on 23 carries against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 18. It was the most yards on the ground since Bilal Ally against UConn on Oct. 26, 2019 (159 yards).
Merriweather improved upon that performance with a monster showing in the win over UConn, carrying the ball 39 times for 171 yards and two touchdowns, his first two rushing TDs of his career and first multi-touchdown game.
Merriweather's new career single game bests (39 attempts, 71 yards) are more than double his single game highs from last season (16 attempts at Georgia Southern on 10/17/20 and 48 yards at FAU on 11/20/21). He's nearly doubled his average yards per carry and has 415 yards on 87 attempts over six games compared to 155 yards on 42 attempts in four games in 2020.
Merriweather is the only player on the UMass roster with a 100-yard rushing game to his name and now has two on the year.
TO THE HOUSE! (TWICE)
Josiah Johnson had a pair of touchdowns for Massachusetts on Sept. 18 against Eastern Michigan: a one-yard dash into the end zone in the second quarter before hauling in a 29-yard pass from Brady Olson late in regulation.
He was the first Minuteman with a rushing and a receiving touchdown in the same game against an FBS opponent since Marquis Young on Dec. 2, 2017 vs. FIU.
BALL!
The Minutemen have been quick to pounce on the loose ball so far this season, recording two fumble recoveries in each of the first two games, another against EMU and another vs. UConn.
It was the first time in the FBS era, and first time overall since 2009, that Massachusetts has logged two fumble recoveries in each of its first two games of the year.
It was also the first time since Oct. 21, 2017 (Georgia Southern) and Oct. 28, 2017 (Appalachian State) that the Minutemen recorded at least two fumble recoveries in consecutive games.
Avien Peah, Uchenna Ezewike, Bryson Richardson, Javon Batten, Viczaril Alobwede and Gerrell Johnson all have recoveries this season for UMass, making the Minutemen tied for 19th in the nation in fumble recoveries.
UMass has at least one takeaway in 27 of the last 32 games dating back to Sept. 8, 2018 at Georgia Southern. The lone exceptions in the span is the Sept. 14, 2019 game against Charlotte, Nov. 7, 2020 at No. 16/15 Marshall, Nov. 27, 2020 at RV/RV Liberty, Sept. 25, 2021 at No. 17/17 Coastal Carolina and Oct. 2, 2021 vs. Toledo
ON THE HUNT
Freshman linebacker Gerrell Johnson had a game-high 13 tackles (five solo, eight assisted) on Sept. 11 against Boston College, and followed it up with another double-digit day against Toledo on Oct. 2 (two solo, eight assisted)
He and Da'Shon Ross (14 tackles vs. Toledo) are the only active players on the roster with a 10+ tackle game in their careers.
Junior punter George Georgopoulos punted eight times for 423 yards (52.9 yards/punt) against Toledo on Oct. 2, including five of 50+ yards, three inside the 20-yard line and a long of 66-yards.
