Moving up to FBS has been a tough slog for University of Massachusetts football.
The Minutemen made the leap from FBS to FCS in 2012 and last year’s 4-8 season represents the high-water mark in number of wins.
One of those four wins was a 55-20 thrashing of Georgia Southern and it was the Minutemen’s first of the season. UMass proved it was no fluke by beating Appalachian State, 30-27, the following week as it won four of its last six games.
The Eagles (1-0) will be looking to gain a measure of revenge at 6 p.m. Saturday at Paulson Stadium when they get their long-awaited rematch with the Minutemen (1-1). Oddsmakers have made GS a three-point favorite.
In the Minutemen the Eagles will face one of the potent offenses it will see all season with quarterback Andrew Ford, running back Marquis Young and wide receiver Andy Isabella leading an offense that returns nine starters.
The win over Georgia Southern not only jump-started the Minutemen’s strong finish but it cost Eagle coach Tyson Summers his job. Summers was fired following the loss and replaced by Chad Lunsford on an interim basis. That tag has since been removed.
That finish by Coach Mark Whipple’s team—coupled with the fact four of the losses were by a touchdown or less—has Minutemen fans thinking the unthinkable, namely getting to six wins and becoming bowl eligible.
Some of the wind was knocked out of those sails last Saturday when Boston College hung a 55-21 number on UMass which opened its season with a 63-15 win over Duquesne.
Whipple, just as he attached no particular significance to the big win over Duquesne, is not hitting the panic button after being drubbed by BC.
“We weren’t as good as everybody thought we were last week, and we’re not as bad as they’re saying this week,” Whipple said. “The ball bounced good for them (BC) and sometimes that happens.”
Boston College jumped out to a 48-7 halftime lead as it piled up 622 yards against a Minutemen defense that lost five starters off its front seven.
“I know this team,” Whipple said. “I’ve been around them…that game wasn’t going to make the season or break it. It’s how you handle it.”
A loss this week against a team coming off a 10-loss season and one which it beat by 35 points a year ago could, however, be a big setback.
Ford will provide a strong test for the Georgia Southern pass defense. He ranks in the top five in eight categories on the UMass career passing list.
The senior, who started his career at Virginia Tech, needs 147 yards to surpass 6,000 having completed 470 of 758 attempts with only 20 interceptions.
Isabella is a 5-10, 190-pound senior who has caught 143 passes for 2,055 yards and he relies on precise route running rather than speed to get open. Altogether UMass returns seven of its top eight receivers from a year ago.
Running behind an offensive line that returns four starters Is Young who needs 62 yards to surpass 3,000 for his career. He had 101 against Georgia Southern last year and he has 3,869 all-purpose yards for his career.
This will be the fourth meeting between the two schools with the Minutemen holding a 2-1 advantage. In one other trip to Paulson the Minutemen dropped a 38-21 decision in a 1991 Division I-AA playoff game.
Since moving up to FBS the Minutemen are 0-22 when giving up 250 or more yards rushing, and 1-33 when allowing at least 200.
This will be the first of two games in Georgia for UMass this season. It plays at Georgia on Nov. 17.
