Despite showing major signs of improvements on the field, whether it’s week to week or year to year, there’s one thing that the Massachusetts football team can’t change: its record.
The Minutemen’s offense has nearly surpassed its totals for the entire 2013 season just six games into their season. Although the defense has been spotty at times, between linebackers Stanley Andre and Jovan Santos, and defensive backs Randall Jette and Joe Colton, UMass has a core group of players that are more than capable of making big plays and causing turnovers.
But if the Minutemen can’t come away with a victory this Saturday against winless Kent State, it will be time to hit the panic button.
Offense has been hard to come by for Kent State who has scored only 41 points through five games. Its 8.2 points per game average is second worst in FBS football.
Although scoring has been the biggest struggle for the Golden Flashes this season, head coach Paul Haynes doesn’t know who his team’s quarterback will be. Starter Colin Reardon left last Saturday’s game against Northern Illinois with an ankle injury, then just two plays later backup Nathan Strock was taken out after taking a big hit while standing in the pocket.
“We have no idea (who’s playing quarterback),” Santos-Knox said. “It’s tough to prepare when you don’t know who the guy is. We have no idea what they’ll be running but we are preparing for just about everything.”
Haynes said in his press conference on Monday that he’s taking both Reardon and Strock day-to-day, but believes that both will be doubtful. If they are both inactive for Saturday’s game, then Jack Williams will likely slide into the starting role after throwing an incompletion in his only pass attempt against the Huskies. Freshmen George Bollas will also get first team reps in practice as well.
Williams originally made the team as a walk-on tight end, but changed positions in the spring after the 2013 season. Bollas has not played a snap this season.
“We really don’t know what they’re going to do,” Minutemen head coach Mark Whipple said. “We’re just trying to get as much information as possible. We’re going to have to delegate practice time preparing for everything.”
One thing that Whipple noted was his thought that Kent State will try to run the ball against them. Nick Holley is the only player with over 100 rushing yards on the season (171) and Reardon is currently the only player with a rushing touchdown on the season.
Like the Minutemen’s first two conference games, they expect Saturday’s contest to be another up-tempo game that features a lot of no-huddle, hurry-up offense that will likely end in a shoot-out with plenty of points.
“There’s a lot less thinking involved when you’re going against a fast, up-tempo team. We get out play call and we have to go because they’ll snap it on us quick. Sometimes when you’re just standing out there you start to think to much and it messes you up,” said Santos-Knox.
Although on paper UMass has had more success this season, Whipple expects this to be another barnburner between two hungry teams trying to stay afloat in the MAC.
“Whoever they have I’m sure it will come down to the fourth quarter. I don’t think they’re better than us and I don’t think we’re better than them. It will all come down to who makes the plays at the end,” Whipple said.
Kickoff from Dix Stadium will be at 2p.m. and can be see on ESPN3.com.
Andrew Cyr can be reached at [email protected], and can be followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.
