Game Three: Sat., September 13, 2018
McGuirk Stadium | Amherst, MA
Jasper Earns First Win, Thrashes Eagles in Home Opener
TEAM
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
OT
SCORE
Georgia Southern Eagles (--)
3
0
0
0
-
3
UMass Minutemen (1-2)
7
7
7
3
-
24
Stat of the Game: Total Offense: UMass - 418 yards | Georgia Southern - 155 yards Player of the Game: Marquis Young, RB - 32 carries, 171 yards, 2 TD
______________________________________ 1st Quarter
GASO: 48 yard Field Goal by T. Bass - 8:58
UMASS: 3 yard run by M. Young (XP Good) - 4:28
- 2nd Quarter
UMASS: 6 yard pass from M. Curtis to A. Isabella (XP Good) - 7:45
- 3rd Quarter
UMASS: 2 yard run by M. Young (XP Good) - :28
- 4th Quarter
UMASS: 23 yard Field Goal by M. Schreiner - 6:20
_______________________ Passing Stats
Michael Curtis, QB - 8/15, 151 yards, 1 TD, 43 rushing yards Rushing Stats
Marquis Young, RB - 32 carries, 171 yards, 2 TD
Bilal Ally, RB - 10 carries, 44 yards Receiving Stats
Andy Isabella, WR - 3 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD
Sadiq Palmer, WR - 3 receptions 50 yards Kicking Stats
Michael Schreiner, K - 1/2, Long of 23, 3/3 on XP Defensive Stats
Jeremy Rodriguez, OLB - 2 solo tackles (6 total), 1 for loss
Lee Moses, CB - 2 solo tackles (4 total), 1 INT
Bryton Barr, MLB - 2 solo tackles (4 total), 1 FR
_______________________________ Injury Report
Derek Dumais, C - UMass - Sprained elbow - 3 weeks*
* - Injury occurred during game
_______________________________
Minutemen Use Bye Week to Prep for Home Stand
For UMass football, one quarter of the season is already in the books. Head Coach Ivin Jasper is proud of his team's weekly progress, but knows a bye week is coming at the right time.
"We carry the momentum into the week. Getting that first win was crucial for this team... you can tell (the players) are gaining confidence each day. It's showing up on the practice field."
Even sitting at 1-2, UMass has been surprisingly competitive in both of the team's opening losses. While that's nothing new, UMass had been competitive against top-level programs over the last few seasons. The major difference, this year is being viewed as a transition and rebuilding year.
Part of the early success has been improved play on the offensive line. A line anchored by junior Derek Dumais, who was also voted team captain before the start of the season. Unfortunately, in the team's last game against Georgia Southern - Dumais went down with an injury to his elbow.
He left the game in the third quarter, awkwardly holding his arm. Luckily, test results show that there was no significant breaks or damage to his arm. A severe sprain is expected to keep him out for "2 or 3 games."
In his absence, Lukas Kolter took over and impressed the staff. The German-born Kolter has seen playing time in the last three seasons. He's played at every position on the line, except for left tackle.
Kolter has responded well to his role as a relief player for UMass. Coach Jasper mentioned that Kolter has probably earned more playing time, given his play thus far.
Up next, UMass will host South Florida. The Bulls come to town before UMass hosts BYU the following week at Gillette Stadium. Before moving all home games back to McGuirk Stadium, UMass and BYU already had agreed to a contract of games at Gillette.
The week after BYU, UMass will host Charlotte -- meaning the team will enjoy five weeks without having to leave the state of Massachusetts. That stand ends when the program travels to West Point, taking on Jasper's former foe, Army.
Jasper - “A Game We Should Have Won”
In addressing the media on Tuesday, Head Coach Ivin Jasper had something to get off his chest. He was frustrated by the team's last game, and after reviewing game film, he talked about the team's early season play. This, while the team is preparing for a difficult game against BYU.
UMass hosted South Florida and allowed the Bulls to get out to an early lead. Similar to their efforts in the Boston College and Virginia games, UMass started too slow. Because of the team's struggles before halftime, they lost all three games.
"South Florida felt like deja vu... going back to that Virginia game. We go three-and-out early and then the defense cannot stop the passing game." said Coach Jasper. "I like the way we are adjusting, but we have to start better. Part of that is on the coaching staff. Clearly, our game plans aren't working if we keep having to make big changes at halftime."
In the South Florida game, UMass forced 2 turnovers and did not allow a turnover of their own. They were penalized just 3 times, compared to the Bulls -- who drew 8 penalties for 64 yards. The Minutemen also combined for more total yards and started with better average field position. However, they struggled to finish drives, only converting two third downs over midfield.
UMass cannot leave points on the field in their next game. They will host BYU at Gillette Stadium, the team's only "home game" away from McGuirk Stadium.
The Cougars are vastly improved over last year's 5-7 team. Many of the problems were on offense. So Head Coach Kelani Sitake brought in a new Offensive Coordinator, Justin Walterscheid. The two coaches had worked together at Utah, before Walterscheid went on to run Southern Utah's offense for three seasons.
Now, BYU has one of the best offenses in the country. Led by senior Quarterback Tanner Mangum, the Cougars are undefeated and boast the fifth best offense in the country (Total Offense - 505.2 YPG).
Already matching last year's win total, the Cougars' five wins include a win over Virginia. The Cavaliers beat UMass in their opener, and then went on to lose to BYU by a final score of 42-20. Last week, BYU topped Houston on a late touchdown run by Squally Canada.
Now, BYU heads east to Massachusetts for their first of two games in Gillette Stadium. Next year, the Cougars will return to play UMass to complete the team's scheduling contract. BYU has left open the possibility of a home-and-home series in the future, pinning the two independent schools again in the near future.
BYU game will be posted later tonight. I'm already working on getting the rest of the 2018 and 2019 recruits into the game. Please let me know if there's someone you want to include.