University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass (1-4, 1-4 A-10) vs. Villanova (4-0, 3-0 A-10)
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October 4, 1997 * 12:00 pm * Band Day
Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium (17,000) * Amherst, Mass.
Game Day Quick Facts
| TV: | |
| ComCast Sports Net in Philadelphia, tape delay at 8 p.m., New England Sports Network, tape delay time tba (Scott Graham, play-by-play, Bruce Harper, color) | |
| Radio: | |
| UMass Football Radio Network (Marc Vandermeer, play-by-play, Jim Bowman, color, WHMP 1400 AM, Northampton, flagship, WUHN 1110 AM, Pittsfield, WGAM 1520 AM, Greenfield, WORC 1310 AM, Worcester, WADN 1120 AM, Concord/Boston) | |
| WMUA 91.1 FM (UMass student station, Jon Place, play-by-play, Justin Rudd, color) | |
| Villanova Football Radio Network (Joe Eichorn, play-by-play, Ryan Fannon, color, WFIL 560 AM, Lafayette Hill, flagship) | |
Series Record:
Villanova leads, 8-6
Last Meeting:
Villanova d. UMass, 50-14, Sept. 7, 1996, at Villanova Notables for Saturday's game...
- Free Safety Bryan Mooney ... The senior who injured his hamstring during last year's season-opener at Villanova and sat out the year with a medical redshirt currently leads the A-10 in tackles (69).
- All-America Candidate Khari Samuel ... The junior inside linebacker with pro potential is second in the A-10 in tackles (64) and tied for the conference lead in tackles-for-loss (nine).
- Shaking the Turnover Bug ... The Minutemen have a -8 turnover margin in their first five games. UMass is 0-4 when it loses the battle of turnovers and 1-0 when it comes out on the plus side.
- Wide receiver Doug Clark ... The football-baseball star has been the hot receiver of late for the Minutemen, grabbing 10 catches for 118 yards and one TD in his last two games.
SERIES vs. VILLANOVA: Villanova holds a slim 8-6 lead in the all-time series which began in 1961. Prior to last year's meeting at Villanova Stadium, the Minutemen and Wildcats had not met since the 1992 season, when UMass defeated Villanova 13-9 in Amherst. UMass has a 1-6 record against the Wildcats at Villanova Stadium with its only victory coming in its first visit in 1962 (19-18). In fact, the away team has won only three of the previous 14 meetings in the series, and none since Villanova's 25-21 victory in Amherst during the 1978 season.
Series Quick Facts
| Overall | Villanova, 8-6 | ||
| Hodges vs. Villanova | 1-1 | ||
| Most UMass points | 27 (Nov. 7, 1987) | ||
| Most Villanova points | 50 (Sept. 7, 1996) | ||
| Fewest UMass points | 3 (Nov. 10, 1990) | ||
| Fewest Villanova points | 0 (Nov. 10, 1990) | ||
| Largest UMass margin | 12 (24-12, Sept. 20, 1980) | ||
| Largest Villanova margin | 36 (50-14, Sept. 7, 1996) | ||
| In overtime | n/a |
OUR OWN WORST ENEMY: Much of the reason for UMass' 1-4 start must be attributed to losing the battle of turnovers. Through the first five games of the 1997 campaign, the Minutemen have a -8 turnover margin, last in the Atlantic 10 Conference. In fact, the lone win of the young season vs. Rhode Island came after UMass forced a season-high four turnovers while not giving up the ball once. UMass is 1-0 when winning the battle of turnovers, and 0-4 when it comes up on the short end. Here's a game-by-game breakdown of how the Minutemen have fared in the battle of turnovers:
The Turnover Plague
| Game | UMass TO | Opp TO | +/- | Result | |||||
| Richmond | 3 | 1 | -2 | L, 6-21 | |||||
| Maine | 5 | 0 | -5 | L, 6-49 | |||||
| James Madison | 4 | 1 | -3 | L, 10-13 | |||||
| Rhode Island | 0 | 4 | +4 | W, 18-14 | |||||
| New Hampshire | 3 | 1 | -2 | L, 10-28 | |||||
| Totals | 15 | 7 | -8 | 1-4 record |
ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE KHARI SAMUEL: Junior All-America candidate inside linebacker Khari Samuel (Framingham, Mass.) had nine tackles (eight solo) with two tackles-for-loss, an assisted sack and one pass breakup vs. New Hampshire. He has posted double-digit tackles in four of the first five games this year and 17 times in 27 career games. He received the first-ever Atlantic 10 Football Conference's Defensive Player of the Week honors (Sept. 1) for his performance vs. Richmond, recording a career-high 19 tackles, including 11 solo stops and three tackles-for-loss. Samuel is second on the squad and the A-10 with 64 total tackles this year. With his eight solo tackles vs. UNH, Samuel moved into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time UMass career solo tackles list (176). A preseason first team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection, the tri-captain also ranks in a tie for sixth on the school career total tackles chart (276, tied with Mario Perry, 1989-93), and is tied for 10th in career sacks (14.5, Dave Cavanaugh, 1982-84).
All-Time UMass Career Solo Tackles
| Rk | Name (Years) | Solo Tackles | |||
| 1. | Vito Perrone (1984-87) | 261 | |||
| 2. | John McKeown (1985-88) | 245 | |||
| 3. | Justin Riemer (1993-96) | 238 | |||
| 4. | Khari Samuel (1995- ) | 176 |
NOT ENOUGH TIME: Another factor for UMass' slow start has been the inability of the Minuteman offense to produce sustained drives and keep the UMass defense off the field. This is unusual for a UMass team, which depends on a ball-control offense for its success. In the first five games of this season, the Minutemen have only held the upper hand in time of possession on one occasion &emdash, that coming in the 18-14 win over Rhode Island. UMass is 0-4 this year when it comes up on the short end in time of possession. Here's a game-by-game breakdown of how the Minutemen have fared in the battle of time of possession:
Defense on the Field Too Long
| Game | UMass TOP | Opp TOP | Result | ||||
| Richmond | 26:38 | 33:22 | L, 6-21 | ||||
| Maine | 24:11 | 35:49 | L, 6-49 | ||||
| James Madison | 28:12 | 31:48 | L, 10-13 | ||||
| Rhode Island | 34:31 | 25:29 | W, 18-14 | ||||
| New Hampshire | 28:29 | 31:31 | L, 10-28 | ||||
| Avg. TOP | 28:24 | 31:36 | 1-4 record |
TWO-SPORT SENSATION: Junior wide receiver Doug Clark (Springfield, Mass.) continues to impress both on the gridiron and the baseball diamond. He tied a career high with six catches for 60 yards and one touchdown against New Hampshire. Through the first five games, Clark leads the squad in receptions (15), yards receiving (206) and yards per catch (13.7). Last year, his 19.0 yards per catch ranked fifth on the all-time UMass single-season list. For his career, Clark is now averaging 16.6 yards per catch (36-599) which would rank in a tie for fourth (Chip Mitchell, 1986-89) on the all-time UMass charts if he met the minimum 40 catches required (19.8, Milt Morin, 1963-65). Clark is also the long snapper on punts. He has a quick release and is a disruptive force in punt coverage. He was a first team All-Northeast Region and All-Atlantic 10 pick in centerfield for the UMass baseball team last spring. He batted .415 with 11 HRs and 60 RBIs and was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 20th round of the 1997 Amateur Draft, but decided to return to school.
RETURN OF AZZ: Much of the credit for the improved Minuteman defense can go to UMass assistant coach Jerry Azzinaro, who rejoined the Minuteman program in the role of defensive coordinator this spring. He returned to UMass from Boston College, where he served for the past two seasons as the defensive line coach. Azzinaro spent three years on the UMass staff, beginning as linebackers coach in 1992 and becoming defensive coordinator in 1994. Under Azzinaro's direction, the Minutemen were the top-ranked defensive team in the league in 1994. Here's a look at how UMass has fared defensively with Azzinaro (1992-94) and without him (1995-96), and how it is doing this year in his return:
The Azzinaro Effect
| Year | Total Yards Allowed/g | Rank in YanCon |
| 1992 (with Azzinaro) | 270.5 | 1st of 12 |
| 1993 (with Azzinaro) | 322.6 | 2nd of 12 |
| 1994 (with Azzinaro) | 284.7 | 1st of 12 |
| 1995 (without Azzinaro) | 314.2 | 5th of 12 |
| 1996 (without Azzinaro) | 371.9 | 12th of 12 |
| 1997 (with Azzinaro) | 309.0 | 6th of 12 |
MR. TOUCHDOWN: Junior tight end Kerry Taylor (Mansfield, Mass.) only made two catches for nine yards in the win over Rhode Island, but he did make both of them count. Taylor grabbed a five-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to open the scoring for the Minutemen, before catching the game-winning four-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. He made a spectacular 16-yard grab during the opening offensive series vs. UNH. For the season, Taylor has 11 catches for 128 yards (11.6 avg.) and three touchdowns. He leads the team in scoring (18 points) and touchdown receptions (three), and ranks second in both receptions and receiving yards. Entering this year, he had caught just four passes for 26 yards. Of Taylor's 15 career receptions, five have now been for touchdowns.
SHIPP ON COURSE FOR FRESHMAN RUSHING RECORD: With his 57.4 yards rushing per game average through the first five games, Marcel Shipp is on pace to challenge the best rushing season by a freshman in UMass history. At his current average of 57.4 ypg Shipp would finish with 631 yards, but he is averaging 69.7 ypg as a starter. John Johnson holds the UMass freshman rushing record with 729 yards in 1990. Here's a look at the top five freshman rushing marks in school history:
UMass Freshman Rushing Leaders
| Rk | Name (Year) | Yards Rushing | |||
| 1. | John Johnson (1990) | 729 | |||
| 2. | Rene Ingoglia (1992) | 656 | |||
| 3. | Matt Jordan (1995) | 564 | |||
| 4. | Frank Alessio (1993) | 530 | |||
| 5. | Mike George (1991) | 509 |
MOONEY'S COMEBACK STORY: Senior free safety Bryan Mooney is earning big points as the top comeback story on this year's Minuteman squad. Mooney returned for his fifth season at UMass after being granted a medical redshirt year in 1996. He strained his right hamstring in the first quarter of the season-opener at Villanova and missed the rest of the year. This season, Mooney has recorded five straight double-digit tackle efforts, including a game-high 15 stops (seven solo) with one tackle-for-loss vs. New Hampshire. For the year, Mooney ranks first on the team and the A-10 in total tackles (69).
THE PRICE IS RIGHT: Sophomore outside linebacker Chris Price (Boxboro, Mass.) is off to a fine start in 1997. Price has recorded double-digits in tackles in four of his first five games. Against UNH, he had 13 stops (seven solo), including three tackles-for-loss, one sack and one forced fumble. On the year, he ranks third on the squad and the A-10 in total tackles (63), behind teammates Bryan Mooney and Khari Samuel. A year ago as a redshirt freshman, he recorded just 12 total tackles (seven solo) for the entire season.
MACLAY MOVES UP PUNTING CHARTS: Junior Andy Maclay (Stroudsburg, Pa.) enters Saturday's game at Villanova 45 punting yards away from becoming the third player in UMass history to reach 7,000 career punting yards. With his 41.7 yards per punt average against New Hampshire, Maclay moved into fourth place on the school's all-time career punting average list (37.6). He is within striking distance of rewriting the school's career punting average chart this season. If Maclay continues at his current pace of 7.8 punts per game for the rest of the year (47 more punts), he would need to average 37.9 yards per punt over the last six games to assume the top spot.
All-Time UMass Career Punts
| Rk | Name (Years) | Punts | |||
| 1. | Dimitri Yavis (1985-88) | 236 | |||
| 2. | John Romboli (1974-77) | 219 | |||
| 3. | Andy Maclay (1995- ) | 185 |
All-Time UMass Career Punting Yards
| Rk | Name (Years) | Yards | |||
| 1. | Dimitri Yavis (1985-88) | 8,932 | |||
| 2. | John Romboli (1974-77) | 8,251 | |||
| 3. | Andy Maclay (1995- ) | 6,955 |
All-Time UMass Career Punting Avg. (min. 60 punts)
| Rk | Name (Years) | Avg. | |||
| 1. | Andrew Dutkanicz (1972-73) | 37.8 | |||
|
| Dimitri Yavis (1985-88) | 37.8 | |||
| 3. | John Romboli (1974-77) | 37.7 | |||
| 4. | Andy Maclay (1995- ) | 37.6 |
TO PUNT OR TO KICK ... OR BOTH: Junior punter/placekicker Andy Maclay has been a bright spot for UMass in the first five games. He had another impressive performance vs. UNH, punting the ball seven times for 292 yards (41.7 avg.), including a long of 56. For the year, he is averaging 40.7 yards per punt (fourth in the A-10) and has placed 12 of his 39 punts inside the 20 with only two touchbacks. Maclay assumed the placekicking job in week three vs. James Madison and has converted 2-of-3 field goals (including a career-long 32-yarder vs. UNH) and 2-of-3 PATs. He also doubles as a walk-on forward for the nationally-prominent UMass basketball team.
YOUNG IN THE TRENCHES: Traditionally the strength of the team, the UMass offensive line lost all five starters from last year's unit which helped lead the league in rushing for the second straight year. This season's young guns brought a total of nine career starts into the year, with all nine coming via senior tri-captain and RT Geoff Thomas (Gloucester, Mass.). Compare that to last year's honor roll quintet of Dan Markowski, Mark Zych, Matt Alegi, Ron Felice and Mark Shalala who started a combined 141 games in their collegiate careers, and one can understand why O-line coach Stanley Clayton has his hands full this year. In addition, due to injuries to starting right guard Greg Zambelli (Dunellen, N.J.) and redshirt freshman Tyler Lauback (Weston, Mass.), UMass has been forced to start eight different individuals on the offensive line this year. The Minutemen have used the same starting lineup on their offensive line in back-to-back weeks just once in the 1997 season (James Madison and Rhode Island).
1997 O-Line # starts 1996 O-Line # startsLT Sean McDole (So.) 4 LT Dan Markowski 39LG Mike Wynne (So.) 5 LG Mark Zych 33C Deyate Hagood (Jr.) 5 C Matt Alegi 22RG Tyler Lauback (RF) 2 RG Ron Felice 19RT Geoff Thomas (Sr.) 14 RT Mark Shalala 28Totals 30 Totals 141
THE MIKE HODGES FILE: Mike Hodges is in his sixth season at the helm of UMass football. During his five-plus seasons at Amherst, Hodges has compiled a 33-26 (.559) overall record, a 22-23 (.489) mark in A-10 Conference play and four winning seasons. He has produced one first team All-American in four of his first five seasons in Amherst (CB Don Caparotti, 1992, OG Bill Durkin, 1993, CB Breon Parker, 1994, and RB Rene Ingoglia, 1995).
INJURY REPORT: Redshirt freshman Greg Zambelli is out 3-4 weeks with a torn MCL in his left knee. Redshirt freshman guard Tyler Lauback is probable with a bruised left shoulder. Sophomore left tackle Sean McDole (Ocean City, N.J.) is questionable with lingering effects from a mild concussion suffered earlier in the year. Junior center Deyate Hagood (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is probable with a sprained left ankle.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Villanova enters Saturday's game with a perfect 4-0 mark (3-0 A-10) and ranked No. 4 nationally by The Sports Network and No. 5 by ESPN/USA Today in last week's poll (Sept. 29). The Wildcats have completely dominated their opposition in their first four games, outscoring them by a combined total of 182-56. Villanova is coming off an impressive 49-17 win at home vs. No. 23 James Madison. Sophomore quarterback Chris Boden leads the A-10 in pass efficiency and ranks second in total offense, having completed 80-of-114 passes (.702) for 1,113 yards with 14 touchdowns and just one interception. Villanova has a pair of outstanding senior wide receivers in Brian Finneran (24-483-9) and Josh Dolbin (21-347-3). The Wildcat defense has been just as impressive, ranking second in the league in total defense (250.0 ypg) and second in rushing defense (57.8 ypg). Sophomore outside linebacker Shaun Lyons is the leading tackler for Villanova with 30 tackles (21 solo), one sack and two tackles-for-loss.
VILLANOVA HEAD COACH ANDY TALLEY: Andy Talley is in his 13th year at the helm of the Wildcat football program. He sports an 80-50-1 record during his 12-plus years at Villanova. The all-time winningest coach in Villanova history, Talley led the Wildcats to an 8-3 record in the regular season and the school's fourth NCAA I-AA playoff appearance in the last eight years. Talley holds a 108-68-2 overall mark in his 18th year as a head coach at the collegiate level.
EXTRA POINTS: Senior quarterback Anthony Catterton (Orlando, Fla.) made his first appearance of the 1997 campaign vs. UNH. Catterton entered the game at the start of the second half and completed 5-of-14 passes for 49 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also had seven carries for 18 yards, including a 23-yard scamper ... UMass is the only team in the A-10 which has not allowed an opponent to successfully convert a fourth-down situation (0-for-4) ... The Minutemen are also the only A-10 team which has not allowed a successful field goal (0-for-5) ... Junior Joe Abasciano (Worcester, Mass.) had a strong effor? vs. UNH. He made eight total tackles (four solo) and one fumble recovery, including four stops on special teams (three solo). Abasciano will celebrate his 21st birthday on Tuesday, Oct. 7 ... Speaking of birthdays, sophomore outside linebacker Chris Price will turn 21 on Saturday, Oct. 11.