Coming off a near-monumental victory against heavily favored Michigan, the Minutemen (2-1, 1-0 Colonial Athletic Association) will play in front of a more familiar crowd this weekend after facing a packed Big House.
“We’ll be pretty settled down now,” UMass coach Kevin Morris said of his team’s current state. “[Michigan] seems like a year ago already. That’s what happens when you play from week-to-week. You play on Saturday, come back on Tuesday.”
Despite the loss, the Minutemen carry positives into their matchup with the Seawolves, mostly on offense. Tailbacks Jonathan Hernandez and John Griffin pounded the rock on the ground against the Wolverines, rushing for 118 and 99 yards, respectively. Quarterback Kyle Havens was efficient, passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns with one interception that was fumbled back to the offense.
“I talk about it all the time, it’s a balanced offense,” Morris said. “If you run the ball well, that’s great. But, they’ll gang up on the run eventually and make you pass. If you have a good compliment of run and pass, it keeps both things successful. That’s what we’ll continue to do with Kyle and he’s done a great job. He was 22-for-29 in the Big House. That’s not a bad day.”
Against Stony Brook, however, the UMass defense will need to stop the run. The 2009 co-champions of the Big South rank first in the conference in rushing offense (693), yards per rush (5.5), rushing attempts (126) and rushing touchdowns with seven.
Running backs Brock Jackolski and Miguel Maysonet are both in the top six of the Big South in all-purpose yards, with Jackolski leading the conference with 513.
“It starts with their running backs offensively,” Morris said to UMass media relations. “So we’ve got to be ready for those guys, they’re going to try to pound the rock. [Michael Coulter], their quarterback, he can throw the ball well and stretch out the play action game so we need to be ready for that as well. They’re very much like us, they want to go run and complement it with some play action pass.”
Stony Brook enters this weekend with a 1-2 record following a heartbreaking loss to Brown in double overtime. After dropping their opening game against South Florida, the Seawolves earned their first win over American International in Week 2, 31-14.
The game this weekend will mark the third time UMass and Stony Brook have met with the Minutemen, who won both previous matchups. It will be, however, the first occasion the two teams have played at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.
Last year, UMass dominated the Seawolves, 44-17, as Hernandez rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start. Wide receiver Jeremy Horne had a 49-yard score from Havens en route to a 124-yard performance. As an offense, the Minutemen racked up 500 total yards while the defense held Stony Brook to 229 yards, including 97 in the second half.
In 2006, UMass won by an even larger margin as it defeated the Seawolves 48-7 at McGuirk Stadium. Quarterback Liam Coen connected with receiver Rasheed Rancher on an 89-yard touchdown for the third-longest play in Minutemen history. UMass was able to score on its first seven drives of the contest, as senior tailback Steve Baylark scored three touchdowns in the first half.
Following Stony Brook, the Minutemen will get into CAA play when they take on Towson on the road before returning home for Richmond.
Jay Asser can be reached at [email protected].
