The Journey of Ross Jones (NCAA 13)

[bucky3]

Minutemen Picked to Finish Last in MAC

Amherst (MA) - The votes are in and it looks like UMass is in the same position as they were last season. After finishing with a 2-10 record and finishing last in the MAC a season ago, the coaches and media have voted and the Minutemen aren't predicted to improve much from last season.

With a new head coach and new offensive coordinator, the team isn't getting the love from the voters, but the team remains optimistic.

"I think we are going to shock some people," redshirt sophomore starting quarterback Mike Wegzyn said. "Fall practice has been going well and I really like what Coach Jones is doing with us on the field. He is putting us in a position to succeed. A lot of the new guys on offense are really rallying together and giving us a new found hope.

We were terrible on offense a season ago. I don't think anyone is thinking we are going to be like that. Coach Jones is really installing a great offense. He is using principles from a few play books, but it is mainly a pro style offense with shorter throws and using angles and space to create plays."

While the leader of the offense is excited about the prospects for this season, Coach Jones doesn't want to jump to any conclusions.

"I'm not going to say what our expectations are on offense, but we really want to control the clock and give our team the best chance to win. UMass is going to be a completely different team compared to last year. I have faith in our offense, in Mike, and in our team," Coach Jones said.

UMass begins the year on the road at Minnesota.

[bucky3]

UMass Upsets B1G Minnesota in Minneapolis 24-17


Wegzyn gets hit as he finds Blanchflower down the seam for a big game - AP

Minneapolis (MN) - UMass (1-0) found its groove on offense after a slow start and the Minutemen upset a power conference opponent Minnesota (0-1) 24-17.

When UMass hit the field in the 2nd half, it was a familiar sight. The team was trailing 17-7 and it looked like another loss to a lot of UMass fans.

It wasn't.

"This team proved that it really is different from what I saw on film last year. My offense got it going after a few struggles in the 1st half. We really couldn't get into a rhythm and struggled to find open receivers. Mike was forcing a few throws and I didn't think it was going well."

The defense for UMass struggled in the 1st half as well.

After jumping out to a 7-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter, Minnesota tied it quickly with a 71 yard pass by Nelson to Jones.

They went on to 17 straight points and a 17-7 lead.

"We talked at half-time and really got focused on what we had to do. I called a few easier plays to start the second half and then Wegzyn hit Blanchflower deep down the seam when he was getting sacked and that really gave our offense confidence. We got a field goal on that possession and that set us up for a great finish in the 4th quarter."

UMass now returns home 1-0 and ready to take on the Vandals of Idaho in Amherst.

Massachusetts Minutemen at Minnesota Golden Gophers
Week 1	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Massachusetts Minutemen (0-0)	0	7	3	14	24
Minnesota Golden Gophers (0-0)	0	17	0	0	17

Team Stats Comparison
	MASS	MINN
Total Offense	464	334
Rushing Yards	110	67
Passing Yards	354	267
First Downs	23	11
Punt Return Yards	33	10
Kick Return Yards	35	70
Total Yards	532	414
Turnovers	1	0
3rd Down Converstion	11-18	6-14
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-1	1-1
Penalties	3/12	2/10
Posession Time	21:57	10:03

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MASS	MINN
3:46	(MASS) M. Michel - 16 Yard Pass from m. Wegzyn (XP Good)	7	0
3:03	(MINN) M. Jones - 71 Yard Pass from P. Nelson (XP Good)	7	7
2:17	(MINN) M. Shaw - 22 Yard FG	7	10
0:09	(MINN) D. Crawford-Tuft - 11 Yard Pass from P. Nelson (XP Good)	7	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MASS	MINN
0:36	(MASS) B. Levengood - 25 Yard FG	10	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MASS	MINN
4:46	(MASS) R. Blanchflower - 8 Yard Pass from M. Wegzyn (XP Good)	17	17
0:11	(MASS) P. Burnette - 1 Yard Run (XP Good)	24	17

Massachusetts Minutemen PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Wegzyn 31/42 354 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD P. Burnette 19 76 4.0 1 J. Smith 12 63 5.2 0 M. Wegzyn 8 -29 -3.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD R. Blanchflower 10 167 16.7 1 M. Armstrong 8 82 10.2 0 S. Campbell 4 22 5.5 0 T. Sharpe 3 27 9.0 0 P. Burnette 3 25 8.3 0 J. Smith 2 15 7.5 0 M. Michel 1 16 16.0 1 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK R. Blanchflower 4 0 J. Casselberry 3 1 N. Cyr 3 0 M. Boland 2 2 J. Wallace 2 3 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD R. Delaire 5 2.0 0 0 G. Clemons 4 0.0 0 0 E. Saint Vil 4 0.0 0 0 C. Birt 3 0.0 0 0 A. Tharpe 3 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG B. Levengood 1/1 3/3 6 26 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 J. Strait 4 152 38.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Burnette 1 17 17.0 0 Q. Smith 1 18 18.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Burnette 5 33 6.6 0

Minnesota Golden Gophers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT P. Nelson 15/29 267 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD D. Kirkwood Jr. 15 51 3.4 0 P. Nelson 4 16 4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD D. Kirkwood Jr. 4 62 15.5 0 D. Crawford-Tuft 4 58 14.5 1 M. Jones 3 111 37.0 1 A. Barker 3 30 10.0 0 A. Bisch 1 6 6.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK E. Olson 7 1 J. Campion 4 3 J. Christenson 2 0 Z. Epping 2 0 A. Bisch 2 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD C. Thompson 17 0.0 0 0 B. Beal 14 0.0 0 0 D. Wells 10 0.0 0 0 A. Hill 9 0.0 0 0 C. Botticelli 8 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG M. Shaw 1/1 2/2 5 23 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Eldred 7 318 40.7 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD A. Barker 2 34 17.0 0 D. Crawford-Tuft 2 36 18.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD A. Barker 2 10 5.0 0

[bucky3]

UMass Closes Strong in 4th, Beats Idaho


Wegzyn hits Burnette on the Screen for a 38 Yard TD - AP

Amherst (MA) - There seems to be a few differences so far this season for the Minutemen.

This team has a potent offense, so far. And this team can close.

UMass (2-0) used a 20-point 4th quarter to put away Idaho (0-1) 48-21 in Amherst for their home-opener win.

"We're finishing," said Coach Ross Jones. "That is huge in the grand scheme of things. If we can get confidence closing in the 4th quarter we will be set for this season. It felt great to get things going really well in this game and we played a good four quarters."

The Minutemen got off to a quick start on offense. UMass led 14-0, but the Vandals answered with a kickoff return for a touchdown that cut the lead to 14-7.

UMass needs to tighten up its defense. They gave up a 47 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter that cut the lead to just 7, but UMass answered in the 4th quarter with its three touchdowns.

"Burnette is really a weapon out of the backfield. We hit him a few times on some screens and this is the 2nd straight game that he has gone over 100 yards of total offense. He even hit 200 yards today. He is so elusive in the open field. He was setting up his blocks really well. I'm excited about the way that he recovered from fumbling last game against Minnesota.

UMass moves to 2-0 and has a bye week next week.

Idaho Vandals at Massachusetts Minutemen
Week 2	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Idaho Vandals (0-1)	0	7	14	0	21
Massachusetts Minutemen (1-0)	0	21	7	20	48

Team Stats Comparison
	IDHO	MASS
Total Offense	317	556
Rushing Yards	120	188
Passing Yards	197	368
First Downs	14	28
Punt Return Yards	20	15
Kick Return Yards	166	80
Total Yards	503	651
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Converstion	8-14	11-16
4th Down Conversion	0-1	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-0	4-0
Penalties	5/40	3/30
Posession Time	11:32	20:28

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		IDHO	MASS
6:35	(MASS) J. Smith - 1 Yard Run (XP Good)	0	7
6:03	(MASS) M. Michel - 20 Yard Pass from M. Wegzyn (XP Good)	0	14
1:20	(IDHO) N. Lovett - 98 Yard Kickoff Return (XP Good)	7	14
0:13	(MASS) J. Smith - 4 Yard Pass from M. Wegzyn (XP Good)	7	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		IDHO	MASS
3:13	(IDHO) T. Handley - 1 Yard Run (XP Good)	14	21
1:58	(MASS) P. Burnette - 32 Yard Pass from M. Wegzyn (XP Good)	14	28
1:04	(IDHO) J. Baker - 49 Yard Run (XP Good)	21	28
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		IDHO	MASS
7:47	(MASS) P. Burnette - 38 Yard Pass from M. Wegzyn (XP Good)	21	35
4:41	(MASS) J. Smith - 4 Yard Run (XP Good)	21	42
2:18	(MASS) P. Burnette - 2 Yard Run (Missed XP)	21	48

Idaho Vandals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT T. Davis 16/32 197 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Baker 19 93 4.8 1 T. Davis 5 8 1.6 0 T. Handley 3 16 5.3 1 J. Level 1 3 3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD N. Lovett 6 99 16.5 0 R. Runner 4 53 13.2 0 M. LaGrone 2 18 9.0 0 J. Level 2 23 11.5 0 J. Manley 1 2 2.0 0 J. Baker 1 2 2.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK C. Elenz 6 0 D. Sandberg 4 0 M. Marboe 4 1 J. Johnson 2 0 J. Baker 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD C. Sandberg 11 0.0 0 0 R. Siavii 11 0.0 0 0 D. Lesley 9 0.0 1 0 B. Njoku 8 0.0 0 0 T. Williams 8 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Fine 0/1 3/3 3 - PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 S. Fine 4 166 37.7 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD N. Lovett 3 130 43.3 1 R. Runner 2 36 18.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD N. Lovett 2 20 10.0 0

Massachusetts Minutemen PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Wegzyn 30/44 368 4 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD P. Burnette 21 110 5.2 1 J. Smith 18 66 3.6 2 M. Wegzyn 2 12 6.0 0 D. Gray 1 0 0.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD M. Armstrong 8 88 11.0 0 T. Sharpe 6 62 10.3 0 R. Blanchflower 6 61 10.1 0 S. Campbell 4 45 11.2 0 P. Burnette 3 88 29.3 2 J. Smith 2 4 2.0 1 M. Michel 1 20 20.0 1 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK R. Brown 4 1 R. Blanchflower 3 0 V. Westcarr 3 0 J. Wallace 2 0 J. Casselberry 2 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD E. Saint Vil 6 0.0 0 0 J. Santos Knox 6 0.0 0 0 S. Andre 5 0.0 1 0 R. Carter 5 0.0 0 0 T. Brandt 4 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG B. Levengood 0/0 6/7 6 - PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 J. Strait 3 132 37.6 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Burnette 2 38 19.0 0 Q. Smith 2 42 21.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD P. Burnette 2 15 7.5 0

[bucky3]

Coach Jones, UMass Use Bye-Week to Reboot, Recruit

Amherst (MA) - On the bye week offensive coordinator Ross Jones is game planning for one of the most difficult opponents of the year, National Runner-Up Western Kentucky (2-0) and also hitting the road.

"The Hilltoppers made it to the National Championship Game last year. They know how to win. They know how to play winning football. This will be a big test. A barometer for where we are in our own rebuilding project. Of course if we win, it doesn't mean we are going to be in the National Championship, but it does mean we are making progress."

The Hilltoppers lost to Kansas State last season and the Minutemen weren't even in a bowl game. The programs are far apart and Coach Jones knows that.

"We just need to continue improving and take each week at a time. I know that I am doing everything to make sure the offense is ready for the challenge."

On the Trail

One thing that coaching staff needs to continue to do is recruit. The staff hit the road after a few days of preparation for next week.

A few of the players that seem to be receiving heavy interest from Coach Jones are dual threat quarterbacks/athletes.

Coach Jones is dreaming big with ATH Chris Pollard. Pollard, a native of Parsippany-Troy, NJ has offers from both Rutgers and UMass.

The 6-foot 2, 208-pound ATH says Rutgers and UMass are neck and neck.

"I'm not sure one is leading over the other. I would say that I am intrigued by both. Both are close to home. Both offer an opportunity to play in a great offense. Coach Jones seems to be turning things around at UMass and I would love to be apart of that. On the other hand, Rutgers is my home state school and they are building something great there as well."

Another quarterback/athlete that the Minutemen seem to be interested in is ATH Mike Talley. The Roseville, CA native has UMass at the top of his list.

"Right now UMass is definitely my leader. I need to get over there on a visit and I think I will do that next week. If everything goes well I could see myself in Amherst."

UMass is also picking things up on the defensive side of the ball as well, targeting CB Thomas Jackson (#4 CB, #1 recruit in MA) from Beverly, MA and CB John Burke (#8 CB, #5 recruit in NJ) from Madison, NJ.

Look for more updates soon as the Minutemen continue to up their recruiting if they continue their success on the field.

[bucky3]

Minutemen Blitz Hilltoppers


Campbell tackled at the 4 yard line after 57 Yard Pass from Wegzyn - AP

Amherst (MA) - The bye-week did UMass (3-0) justice as they came out ready to play and beat Western Kentucky (2-1) 44-28.

Coming off of a National Championship game appearance the Hilltoppers had a target on their backs and the Minutemen exposed a lot of their weaknesses.

"We thought we could throw on them and we did," Coach Jones said. "Wegzyn really did a nice job recovering from a few interceptions and found our guys to stay on top."

The Hilltoppers jumped out front 7-0 on a 2 yard run by Andrews. However, for the first time this season, the Minutemen had an answer.

UMass scored in the 1st quarter for the first time this season when Wegzyn found a streaking Armstrong in the endzone to cut into the Western Kentucky lead.

They coupled that with a 4 yard run by Smith and the Minutemen had the lead, 13-7.

Western Kentucky struck again with Andrews on the ground and regain the lead, but UMass answered with two TDs to end the half and took a 27-14 lead into the break.

UMass again scored first in the 3rd quarter and it was over from there.

Despite the win, UMass lost freshman RB Patrick Burnette for the game and possibly a few weeks with broken ribs.

"That is a big loss for our offense. Over the first 3 games he had accumulated over 400 yard of total offense. Now we have to replace that. His lack of running threat really decreased his success on the screen pass that he was hurt on. Hopefully we can fill the void while he is out of the lineup."

UMass moves to 3-0 on the year and has one more non-conference game before the MAC schedule begins.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Massachusetts Minutemen
Week 3	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2-1)	7	7	7	7	28
Massachusetts Minutemen (3-0)	6	21	7	10	44

Team Stats Comparison
	WKU	MASS
Total Offense	312	490
Rushing Yards	82	97
Passing Yards	230	393
First Downs	15	19
Punt Return Yards	8	18
Kick Return Yards	87	44
Total Yards	407	552
Turnovers	4	3
3rd Down Converstion	7-14	10-16
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4/0	5/1
Penalties	2/15	6/47
Posession Time	11:55	20:05

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		WKU	MASS
3:48	(WKU) A. Andrews - 2 Yard Run (XP Good)	7	0
1:10	(MASS) M. Armstrong - 11 Yard Pass from M. Wegzyn (XP Missed)	7	6
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		WKU	MASS
7:00	(MASS) J. Smith - 4 Yard Run (XP Good)	7	13
2:22	(MASS) M. Armstrong - 56 Yard Pass from M. Wegzyn (XP Good)	7	20
1:14	(WKU) A. Andrews - 4 Yard Run (XP Good)	14	20
0:17	(MASS) J. Smith - 1 Yard Run (XP Good)	14	27
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		WKU	MASS
3:17	(MASS) T. Sharpe - 3 Yard Pass from M. Wegzyn (XP Good)	14	34
1:26	(WKU) K. Simpson - 4 Yard Run (XP Good)	21	34
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		WKU	MASS
4:36	(MASS) J. Smith - 4 Yard Run (XP Good)	21	41
1:26	(WKU) R. Brown - 17 Yard Pass from J. Mauro (XP Good)	28	41
1:04	(MASS) B. Levengood - 32 Yard FG	28	44

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Mauro 18/37 230 1 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD A. Andrews 25 59 2.3 2 K. Simpson 4 15 3.7 1 J. Mauro 3 8 2.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD A. Andrews 5 53 10.6 0 W. McNeal 5 71 14.2 0 B. Brand 3 42 14.0 0 J. Murphree 2 30 15.0 0 K. Simpson 1 6 6.0 0 R. Brown 1 17 17.0 0 K. Jones 1 11 11.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK E. Hazelett 8 0 S. Conway 4 0 K. Jones 3 0 L. Polanco 2 0 C. Clemmons 2 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD T. Scott 9 0.0 0 0 T. Robinson 8 0.0 0 0 J. Dowling 8 0.0 1 0 A. Jackson 8 1.0 0 0 B. Shorter 6 2.5 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG J. Roy 0/0 4/4 4 - PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 H. Brakefield 4 186 46.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD J. Dowling 5 87 17.4 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD A. Andrews 1 8 8.0 0

Massachusetts Minutemen PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Wegzyn 27/39 393 3 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Smith 27 103 3.8 3 P. Burnette 2 9 4.5 0 M. Wegzyn 8 -15 -1.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD M. Armstrong 11 205 18.6 2 R. Blanchflower 8 117 14.6 0 T. Sharpe 3 14 4.6 1 D. Gray 2 8 4.0 0 P. Burnette 2 -8 -4.0 0 S. Campbell 1 57 57.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK J. Casselberry 6 0 V. Westcarr 3 0 J. Wallace 2 2 M. Boland 2 3 N. Cyr 2 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD J. Santos Knox 9 0.0 0 0 T. Brandt 6 0.0 1 0 R. Jette 4 0.0 1 0 E. Saint Vil 4 0.0 1 0 S. Andre 4 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG B. Levengood 1/1 5/6 8 32 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 J. Strait 2 99 49.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Q. Smith 1 21 21.0 0 T. Sharpe 1 23 23.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD V. Payne 1 10 10.0 0 P. Burnette 1 8 8.0 0