UMass RB Marquis Young has high expectations for himself as he becomes an upperclassman

By MATT VAUTOUR

@MattVautourDHG

Published: 04-07-2017 10:03 PM

AMHERST — As he prepares for year No. 3, UMass running back Marquis Young said the first two years have been valuable for him in different ways.

His true freshman season in 2015 gathered momentum as the year went on, capped by 240 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries against Buffalo in the final game.

He ended the year with 960 yards and seven touchdowns on 152 carries (6.3 yards per carry).

His strong finish combined with the graduation of quarterback Blake Frohnapfel and receiver Tajae Sharpe made Young the face of the offense going into the 2016 season.

Opposing defenses centered their preparation for the Minutemen on containing Young.

The 6-foot, 205-pound back still got yards as a sophomore with 898 on 197 carries (4.6 per carry), but they were in smaller chunks and harder to come by.

“Last year I had high expectations for myself, but I didn’t play to those expectations. Having the year I had the year before, I thought was going to give me a little more energy,” Young said. “But things happened and things change. Both of those were learning experiences.”

UMass coach Mark Whipple said the numbers are misleading. He pointed to the Minutemen’s tougher schedule in 2016 as the bigger reason for the statistical drop off.

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“He was much better than he was last year. Playing the people we played, running the ball is much, much harder,” he said. “He’s way better than he’s been and is working as hard as he ever has.”

Whatever the reason for his drop in yardage and touchdowns, Young is working to counteract it.

“I’m just trying to be patient and rely on my blocks. I’m focusing on letting my teammates do their job and just doing mine. I’m trying to mature on and off the field,” he said. “I’m really hard on myself. I want to see what I can analyze about myself and see the areas I can get better at and work at.”

Whipple said it’s paying off.

“He’s always worked hard and always had fun playing the game,” he said. “Now there’s a little more of a serious side that just comes with maturity. He’s a little more of a competitor working on his craft in the blitz pickup. He’s more patient in his running style. He’s playing much better than he ever has. We all know he can run, but he’s working on the finer points which will make him a complete back.”

BAILEY-SMITH TO WORK OUT FOR PATRIOTS — Former UMass safety Khary Bailey-Smith will work out for the New England Patriots Monday, according the to a tweet from the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson.

According to CBS Sports, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs are also interested. Bailey-Smith is more likely to earn an invitation to someone’s camp as an undrafted free agent as he’s not expected to be selected in the NFL draft later this month (April 27-29).

Bailey-Smith, 22, played five seasons at UMass. He saw regular action as a true freshman in 2012, and was a regular contributor on defense and as a returner as a sophomore and junior.

He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game of 2015 and took a medical redshirt. He returned and made 69 tackles as a redshirt senior in 2016.

Bailey-Smith, a Weymouth native, had eight interceptions in 46 career games.

In high school he cleared 7 feet in the high jump.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage

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