Whipple’s Minutemen facing tough road
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team. UMass Mark Whipple (57-54, entering ninth season; 129–87 overall) 2-10
Massachusetts football has hit on hard times lately, with the program looking for its first winning season since 2010. The program was transitioning from the Mid-American Conference to independent play in 2016 and featured a difficult schedule, including four opponents from Power 5 conferences. Coupled with the fact that team returned just 10 starters and it was easy to see why seven of the team’s 10 losses were by double digits, including a 42-point loss to BYU.
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:3 WR Bernard Davis, WR Jalen Williams, OL Elijah Wilkinson, OL Fabian Hoeller, OL Michael Boland, DE Enock Asante, DT Peter Angeh, LB Peter Ngobidi, S Khary BaileySmith
QB Andrew Ford, RB Marquis Young, TE Adam Breneman, OL Raquan Thomas, OL Jack Driscoll, DE Sha-Ki Holines, DT Ali Ali-Musa, DT Joe Previte, LB Da’Sean Downey, LB Tedrick Lowery, LB Colbert Calhoun, CB Jackson Porter, S Lee Moses, CB Isaiah Rodgers
Ross Comis started the season at quarterback but saw much of his time behind center derailed due to injuries. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Andrew Ford, who started nine games for the Minutemen. Ford appears to have an edge heading into the season as Comis recovers from a torn ACL injury that prematurely ended his 2016 season. The junior completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,665 yards with 26 touchdown passes.
The defense took a step backward in 2016 as the team finished near the bottom in the national rankings in scoring and total defense. Mark Whipple made a change in the offseason, firing thirdyear defensive coordinator Tom Masella and replacing him with Ed Pinkham. Pinkham previously worked with Whipple at New Hampshire and is coming off a record-setting season running the defense at Western Michigan. He’ll have eight starters back from last season, including the team’s top sack leader (Da'Sean Downey), top tackler (Steve Casali) and top leader in interceptions (Isaiah Rodgers).
The secondary was suspect last season, allowing teams to complete nearly 65 percent of their passes for nearly eight yards per throw. The group managed just four interceptions, with Rodgers accounting for half of the total.
UMass continues to struggle to find a rushing attack as the Minutemen averaged less than four yards per carry in four of the past five seasons. The team finished ranked near the bottom of the nation in yards per carry average (3.26) last season. Marquis Young, who started every game in 2016 and finished with 898 yards and four touchdowns, is the engine that drives the ground game in 2017.
Three of the top five receivers from last season are gone, taking with them a third of the production from the unit. Sophomore Andy Isabella (801 yards) and redshirt senior tight end Adam Breneman (808 yards) return to provide some stability to the group.
Whipple found things a lot easier his first time around with the program when UMass was a member of the Football Championship Subdivision. This time has been difficult, to say the least, with the program still looking for its first bowl berth. The schedule is a bit easier with just two games against Power 5 teams (Tennessee and Mississippi State) but this team must find a way to win away from home.