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University of Massachusets Athletics
1998 Preseason Notes
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THE 116th EDITION: UMass begins its 116th year of intercollegiate football when it travels to face perennial I-AA national power Delaware on Sept. 5, 1998. The Minutemen have posted an all-time mark of 447-466-51 (.490) in their previous 115 seasons. UMass returns 16 of its 24 starters and 37 total letterwinners from last year's 2-9 team (1-7 Atlantic 10 Conference, tied 5th New England Division). Although both teams are members of the Atlantic 10, the Delaware game will serve as a non-league game for both schools and will not affect the A-10 standings.
THE NEW COACH: Mark Whipple (Brown, 1979) begins his first season as head football coach at the University of Massachusetts. Whipple, who served for the past four years as the head coach at Brown University, became the 26th head coach in the 115-year history of the UMass program on Dec. 16, 1997. During his four years at Brown, his teams won more games (24-16 overall record) than the previous eight seasons at Brown combined. Whipple's career coaching record stands at 72-33, including six years at the University of New Haven, where his teams twice qualified for the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
BUCHANAN AWARD CANDIDATE KHARI SAMUEL: Middle linebacker Khari Samuel (Framingham, Mass.) returns for his senior season as one of the top defensive players in I-AA. Last year, Samuel was one of 10 finalists (and one of just two non-seniors, Richmond's Marc Megna) for the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the top defensive player in I-AA. He ranked second on the team and third in the A-10 with 123 total tackles, earning first-team All-New England, second-team All-Atlantic 10 and second-team All-ECAC honors. Samuel enters his senior season ranked fourth all-time at UMass in career solo tackles (215), fifth in career total tackles (335) and ninth in career sacks (16.0).
SHIPP SETS FRESHMAN RUSHING MARK: The best news Mark Whipple heard when he inherited the UMass program was that Marcel Shipp (Paterson, N.J.) still had three years of eligibility remaining. One of the brightest spots of last season, Shipp rushed for a UMass freshman record 756 yards, breaking John Johnson's mark of 729 yards set in 1990.
UMass Freshman Rushing Yardage Leaders
| Rk | Name (Year) | Rushing Yards |
| 1. | Marcel Shipp (1997) | 756 |
| 2. | John Johnson (1990) | 729 |
| 3. | Rene Ingoglia (1992) | 656 |
| 4. | Matt Jordan (1995) | 564 |
| 5. | Frank Alessio (1993) | 530 |
THIS SHIPP WON'T DOCK: Despite being a true freshman, Marcel Shipp was a one-man offensive show for the Minutemen, leading the team in rushing yards, rushing carries (139) and all-purpose yards (1,209). He played in all 11 games, starting the last nine contests. An exciting runner who should shine in Whipple's offensive system, Shipp averaged 7.3 yards every time he touched the ball last year (166 touches, 1209 yards). In the season finale vs. Connecticut, he showed a glimpse of what to expect in the future by recording a career-high 218 all-purpose yards (110 rushing, 75 receiving, 33 kickoff return).
TIME FOR TAYLOR: Senior tight end Kerry Taylor (Mansfield, Mass.) should be a major factor in Whipple's new offensive system. He returns for his second season as the starting tight end after earning first-team All-ECAC and second-team All-Atlantic 10 honors last year. Taylor ranked third on the team in both receptions (22) and yards receiving (218), and led the squad in touchdown receptions (six) and points (36). Eight of his 26 career receptions entering his senior season have been good for touchdowns (one touchdown every 3.25 catches).
LINEBACKER U.: For the third consecutive season, the Minutemen enter the spring with one of the top linebacking units in the conference. Joining All-America candidate Khari Samuel will be junior Matt Dawson (Pepperell, Mass.) and sophomore Kole Ayi (Nashua, N.H.). Dawson returns for his second season as a starter, after ranking fourth on the team last year with 80 total tackles. Included in this total were 39 solo stops, eight tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks and two pass breakups. Dawson reached the double-digit count in tackles on three occasions last season. Ayi saw action in all 11 games at linebacker and on special teams. He was tops among freshmen and tied for eighth on the team with 43 total tackles (29 solo), including 1.0 sack and two tackles-for-loss. Ayi had his best performance of the season vs. Hofstra, when he filled in for an injured Samuel (left game in second quarter) and posted a game-high and career-high 12 stops (10 solo) with one tackle-for-loss.
THREE-WAY BATTLE AT QUARTERBACK: Spring practice will be the determining factor in who gets the starting nod at quarterback this fall. Junior Jeff Smith (Rochester, N.Y.) will be in a three-way battle for the number one post with junior college transfer Todd Bankhead (Escondido, Calif.) and freshman Kelly Seibert (Monroe, N.Y.). Both Bankhead and Seibert enrolled at UMass prior to the spring semester and are able to practice with the team. After an impressive true freshman campaign, Smith started the first five games last year before losing the job to Anthony Catterton. Smith completed 49-of-125 (.392) passes for 480 yards with four touchdowns and eight interceptions last season. Bankhead, who will be a junior in the fall, played two seasons at Palomar JC (San Marcos, Calif.). During his two years at Palomar, he completed 120-of-237 (.506) for 1,713 yards with nine touchdowns. Seibert was 68-of-145 passing (.469) for almost 900 yards and 14 touchdowns during his senior year at Monroe Woodbury High School in 1996. Whipple is expected to name his starting quarterback at the end of spring practice.
CATCH IT, CLARK: Although senior Doug Clark (Springfield, Mass.) will spend the spring with the UMass baseball team and could pursue professional baseball opportunities this summer, Whipple is saving a starting spot at one wide receiver post for Clark. Last season, Clark led the team in receptions (33) and yards receiving (473). His 33 catches tied for the second-best mark by a UMass junior in school history (Chip Mitchell, 1988) AND ranked in a tie for the 10th spot on the school's single-season receptions list. His receptions total also marked the first time a UMass player had recorded at least 30 catches in a season since 1991 (Lamar Newsome, 30). Clark, who had six catches of 30 yards or more last year, enters his senior season with a 16.0 career yards per catch mark (tied for sixth on the UMass all-time list).
UMass Career Yards per Reception
| Rk | Name (Years) | Avg. |
| 1. | Milt Morin (1963-65) | 19.8 |
| 2. | Steve Schubert (1970-72) | 17.7 |
| 3. | Eric Thimas (1990-93) | 16.7 |
| 4. | Chip Mitchell (1986-89) | 16.6 |
| 5. | Mike Tobin (1987-90) | 16.4 |
| 6. | Doug Clark (1995-97) | 16.0 |
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| Ron Blauvelt (1986-90) | 16.0 |
HAMILTON'S RETURN: UMass will gain the services of sophomore wide receiver Torey Hamilton (Orlando, Fla.), who returns after redshirting the 1997 season to focus on academics. Hamilton's return gives UMass a legitimate deep threat with speed at the wide receiver position. During his true freshman campaign in 1996, Hamilton played in all 11 games, making four starts. He registered seven catches for 106 yards (15.1 avg.) with one touchdown.
MACLAY MAKES MARKS: Senior Andrew Maclay (Stroudsburg, Pa.) enters his final season with his sights set on becoming the top punter in school history. Last year, he broke the UMass single-season record for highest punting average (40.1), becoming the first player in school history to average over 40 yards per punt in a season. Maclay, who will begin his fourth year as the starting punter, already owns seven UMass punting records. He also ranks second at UMass in career punting yards (8,293) and tied for second in career punts (219). He finished fifth in the A-10 in punting, had six punts of over 50 yards on the season, and placed at least three punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line in five of the 11 games on the year.
Maclay's School Punting Records
| Category | Mark |
| Career Punting Average | 37.9 |
| Longest Punt | 78 yds |
| Single-Season Punting Average (1997) | 40.1 |
| Single-Season Punting Yards (1996) | 3,028 |
| Single-Season Punts (1996) | 79 |
| Single-Game Punts (vs. Richmond, 1996) | 13 |
| Single-Game Punting Yards (vs. Richmond, 1996) | 489 |
NEW FACES IN THE SECONDARY: One of the areas targeted for improvement this spring is the defensive backfield, where UMass ranked last in the A-10 in pass defense (257.6 passing ypg) in 1997. The Minutemen are looking for major contributions from sophomore Brian Smith (Wilmington, Del.) and redshirt freshman Jeremy Robinson (Syracuse, N.Y.). Smith saw action in all 11 games, both as a reserve cornerback and on special teams. He registered 12 tackles on the year, highlighted by a career-high five stops (four solo) and one pass breakup vs. Connecticut. Robinson, who redshirted last year, was a standout at Nottingham High School who combines good size and speed with cover skills. Smith is slated to start at one corner position, while Robinson is listed as the starting free safety on the spring two-deep.
EXTRA POINTS: Three key position changes will take place in spring practice. Senior Mim Hill (Somerset, N.J.) moves from defensive tackle to the starting right tackle post. Junior Chris Price (Boxboro, Mass.) moves from outside linebacker to defensive end. Junior Dan Healey (Marblehead, Mass.) moves from fullback to outside linebacker ? With Boston University's decision to drop its football program, the Minutemen are scheduled to play Connecticut twice in the 1998 season (Oct. 17 at Storrs, Nov. 21 at Amherst). This marks just the second time since the turn of the century that UMass has played a team twice during the regular season (d. Maine, 6-0 on Oct. 27, 1945 in Orono, d. Maine, 14-13 on Nov. 3, 1945 in Amherst) ? UMass is 6-0 in its last six homecoming games ... Since 1992, the Minutemen have a perfect 13-0 record when they score 30 points or more, and a 15-2 mark when they amass at least 300 rushing yards ... Since 1957, UMass is 24-0 in games where two Minuteman backs have rushed for 100+ yards.