NCAA Football Preview - Massachusetts Minutemen

Aug 20, 2012 - 2:47 PM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - 2011 SEASON IN REVIEW: Massachusetts had a promising start to the 2011 season before collapsing down the stretch. The Minutemen failed to qualify for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs as they finished with a 5-6 record.

Kevin Morris looked like he was going to have a very successful third season in Amherst as his squad opened up the campaign with back-to-back wins over Holy Cross (24-16) and Rhode Island (36-27). However, the Minutemen's record was back at .500 after two straight road losses to Boston College (45-17) and Old Dominion (48-33). UMass returned to its successful ways with a victory in Amherst over Central Connecticut State (42-26) and a road win over Delaware (21-10). The team lost a tough battle with New Hampshire (27-21) at home, but took down the Richmond Spiders (28-7) the next time they took the field. Although UMass was 5-3 with three games left to play, it still finished with a losing record after being outdueled by Villanova (35-17), Maine (32-21), and James Madison (34-17) to close out the season.

The 5-6 record gave head coach Kevin Morris a 16-17 record at the helm of the Minutemen program. UMass's director of athletics released Morris of his contract following the season. Charley Molnar will make his head coaching debut as the Minutemen take their first steps as a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

2012 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: The Minutemen's new coach spent the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of Notre Dame, earning a reputation as a passing wizard. Molnar has very little veteran talent returning at the skill positions from last season.

Junior Kellen Pagel will be the starting quarterback for the second straight year. Pagel actually began his career in the MAC at Bowling Green, but transferred to UMass after playing just one game as a redshirt freshman. The junior signal caller completed 57.3 percent of his passes last season with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Pagel will be backed up by pro-style quarterbacks Brandon Hill and Mike Wegzyn. The new spread offense might take some time to develop as the receiving corps is very inexperienced. Chase Danska and Marken Michel, who are expected to start this season, combined for four total catches in 2011. Freshman wideout Derek Beck is going to play a lot and should make an impact.

UMass will use multiple running backs in the ground attack. Alan Williams and Jordan Broadnax are two very quick options out of the backfield.

The biggest strength for UMass is the offensive line. Senior left guard Malcom Speller is the only new addition to the starting front line which is big, experienced, and backed up well.

DEFENSE: The Minutemen's defensive unit returns 10 starters from last season's team which allowed 27.9 points per game against primarily FCS competition. UMass is switching back to a 4-3 style after using a 3-4 alignment in 2011. Perry McIntyre is going to fill the shoes of graduated FCS All-American Tyler Holmes, as the leader of the defense. McIntyre recorded 115 total tackles last season, which is the most of any returner.

"Perry McIntyre has been a starting linebacker and a stalwart for the defense in the past." said Molnar. "We're looking for some big things from Perry and I think he will match up well against the I-A competition."

Senior defensive tackle Charles Thompson will be a factor for UMass in the trenches. Ryan Delaire and Brandon Potvin are defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian's top pass rushers.

UMass will have its passing defense tested in its new conference. The Minutemen have a deep and experienced group of defensive backs. Christian Birt and Darren Thellen are effective starting next to one another in the secondary.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Junior Brendon Levengood created doubters by missing five of his 23 extra point attempts in 2011. He has made 5-of-7 field goal attempts in his career but the longest of those was only 38 yards. Punter Jeff Strait averaged 37.3 yards per punt, but he had five go over 50 yards, including a long of 61.

OUTLOOK: UMass is not eligible to participate in bowl games or the Mid-American Conference Championship game until 2013, so it will be a transition year for the former Colonial Athletic Association member. It will take time for the new coach and his offensive system to become something opponents will fear. The new head coach of the newest FBS program is optimistic about the chances of long term success.

"This is an opportunity I worked for my whole career and there is no limit to my excitement on this day," said Molnar. "When John McCutcheon called to offer me the position, I knew this dream was becoming a reality and I said when can I start. I have a vision for this program into the future and we are going to do nothing but great things at the University of Massachusetts."

The Minutemen could be in a hole early in the season as they are scheduled to play Connecticut on the road, Indiana at home, and Michigan at the Big House in their first three games. UMass then begins its conference season on September 22 at Miami-Ohio. The final non-conference test comes in late October when the team travels South to play Vanderbilt. The Minutemen play two more games on the road before closing out the season with back-to-back games at their temporary home, Gillette Stadium.

The jump to the FBS level would have been enough of a challenge on its own. However, UMass simply does not have the firepower on either side of the football to compete with top level competition yet.