AMHERST — The countdown to kickoff has ticked under two weeks for UMass as it prepares to face Duquesne in the season opener on Aug. 25.
This past weekend marked the end of the first two weeks of preseason camp for the Minutemen. The energy and intensity have been high in those opening practices, coach Mark Whipple said, and there is a lot of optimism with most of the scheme staying the same for the upcoming year.
Here are five things we’ve learned about the Minutemen from the first two weeks of preseason practices.
THE DEEPER, THE BETTER — Since UMass transitioned to FBS six years ago, depth has always been an issue. It has resulted in the Minutemen getting fatigued late in games and even fading over the course of a 12-game season.
Now the Minutemen are poised to have their deepest team since the transition, and Whipple couldn’t be more excited. In the most important place to have depth — the trenches — the Minutemen seem to be well equipped and ready to handle to ever-changing needs of the defensive and offensive line positions.
UMass will have its hands full in the first three weeks of the season dealing with three physical, run-based offenses. But a surge in competition along the defensive line has helped ease concerns for a unit that ranked 99th against the run last season.
DEVELOPMENT UNDER CENTER — The first few practices mostly focused on installing and learning the offense, so there were few reps for senior quarterbacks Andrew Ford and Ross Comis during team drills. Much of the work instead focused on preparing freshmen quarterbacks Josiah Johnson and Jaret Pallotta for action while there’s still time in practice for them.
The two signal callers have made their fair share of mistakes, but there’s also been a lot of growth over the two weeks of practice, too. This is the perfect time for Whipple and the offensive staff to spend time with Johnson and Pallotta before the heat turns up in the spring. Once the season starts, the focus will shift to preparing Comis and Ford, and then those two will graduate and someone will have to take the reins of the Minutemen’s high-octane offense.
O-LINE SOLIDIFYING — The Minutemen returned four of their five starters along the offensive line, which was a great start. The problem was the one position they needed to fill was protecting Ford’s blind side.
The competition to replace Jack Driscoll on the line seems to have been won by Larnel Coleman, who has taken most of the first-team snaps at right tackle. Coleman appeared in all 12 games last season as a redshirt freshman and has looked in sync with the rest of the veteran linemen through two weeks.
The experience should hopefully help the line, which struggled to protect the passer last year. Only one team allowed more sacks per game than UMass, which gave up 46.
OPPORTUNISTIC DEFENSE — No play can end at practice without at least one defender trying to punch the ball free. It doesn’t matter if the whistle has blown or not, the defenders are trying to jar the ball free every chance they get.
It’s good practice for a defense that is looking to be even more opportunistic than it was last season. UMass had 20 takeaways last season — 13 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries — but the defense is working on improving that number every single rep.
So far this summer, the defense has produced plenty of takeaway chances, but they aren’t converting them nearly as often as Whipple would like. The coach said the defense dropped several interceptions during the first few practices, which at least should give fans hope there will be more momentum-changing plays from the defense this fall.
OPTIMISM IN KICKING GAME — No one has attempted a field goal yet in a game this season, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the kicking game. So far in practice, Mike Caggiano and Cooper Garcia have been fairly accurate during their live kicks, and have been successful during scrimmages, according to Whipple.
Punter George Georgopoulos has showcased all the strength and mental acuity that earned him a scholarship right out of high school. He is the type of weapon who can flip the field in critical moments during games, and has shown the touch in practice to pin opponents deep with his accuracy and touch.
Time will tell if UMass can turn the corner in the kicking game, but all signs should at least point to hope in the third facet of the game.