AMHERST — UMass coach Mark Whipple said Adam Breneman’s status wouldn’t be determined until closer to Saturday’s game with Old Dominion. But he was optimistic about the senior tight end’s chances of playing.
“He’ll be ready. He’ll be good to go I think,” Whipple said. “I won’t worry about it until later in the week.”
Breneman left Saturday’s loss to Coastal Carolina after suffering a lower leg injury in the third quarter. The good news for Breneman, who has a history of knee injuries at Penn State, was that the injury was to his ankle not his knee. He wasn’t in a brace or a cast on Monday.
Breneman, who wasn’t available for interviews Monday night, has 18 catches for 305 yards in two games.
“Adam is special,” Whipple said. “So suddenly a lot of our game plan was taken out” Saturday.
Junior Travis Reynolds and sophomore Kyle Horn, who are second and third, respectively, behind Breneman on the depth chart, would both likely see their roles expand if Breneman is out or hampered by the injury. In his two stints at UMass, tight ends have played a key role in Whipple’s offense.
Both Reynolds and Horn said they’re are ready if called upon.
Of the two, Reynolds is more of a pass catcher, while Horn’s strength is his blocking. Reynolds, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound Australian, has seven catches for 76 yards in his career that began last year.
“Adam sets the bar really high. But when you see something like that happen you think, ‘It’s my turn to go in there and do what I have to do,” Reynolds said. “I’ve always been confident in my abilities. I’ve learned a lot being here the last couple of years. I’m way more confident. I’m absolutely ready.”
Horn, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound Pembroke native, redshirted his freshman year and then suffered an ACL tear in 2016. He’s glad to have an opportunity to contribute and eager to capitalize.
“It’s like the coaches say, ‘We don’t want to just step in, we want to fill in and handle the job,” he said. “I tore my ACL last year. It was rough watching, It’s good to be back out there.
Horn said the whole offense has to be better with Breneman out.
“Everyone has to play better. He’s a big player,” he said. “Everyone has to step up and play better all the time.”
BOUNCING BACK? — Whipple said he liked his team’s approach in practice after Saturday’s loss, but added that means little if it doesn’t translate to game performance.
“They were good, a lot better than they were on Saturday. They were what I hoped for. But they have to do it on game day,” he said. “We have to get them more ready, more prepared as coaches. They haven’t responded. Especially in the second half. That’s what’s concerning.”
HOLINES PROGRESSING — Whipple said senior defensive tackle Sha-Ki Holiness is getting close to making his 2017 debut after missing the first two games with an injury.
“He practiced a little bit,” Whipple said. “As we get closer we’ll see.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage