Colgate was first brush with greatness for Coen

AMHERST - The first time Liam Coen went to Colgate with the University of Massachusetts football team, he was a gangly redshirt freshman with an impressive high school career and not a lick of college experience.

"I went to watch," he said of the Minutemen's 2005 trip to Hamilton, N.Y.

That plan was abandoned abruptly in the second half when starting quarterback Tim Day went down with a rib injury. Coen was thrust into the signal-calling role with his team trailing, 10-0. He did a lot of good things (20-for-35 passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns with one interception), but the only thing the team, and especially coach Don Brown, remember are the eight turnovers - including seven in a row - the Minutemen committed as they handed the game to Colgate, 17-14, despite gaining 451 total yards to the Raiders' 167.

For Coen, that trip to Colgate, and his unexpected collegiate debut, are a blur. But since then, the game has come into focus for him.

Coen has been the starter for 25 straight games while UMass (1-0), currently ranked No. 3 in the NCAA playoff division poll, has gone 20-5, reaching the Division 1-AA national championship game last year, where the Minutemen lost to Appalachian State, 28-17.

Yes, that Appalachian State. The little team that could, the one that knocked off Michigan last Saturday in its season opener. In a way, that stunning result is a confidence boost for UMass, too.

"After seeing them firsthand," Brown said, "they have the type of athlete that can compete against anybody in the country, especially that quarterback in that spread offense. He can make plays against anybody. My hat's off to their coach. He made a good statement for their program."

And for small schools.

"That's awesome," said Coen. "That's great. I'm really proud of those guys."

Now a 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound junior, Coen is the picture of confidence, an attitude that reflects the team's success. He's eager to get back to Hamilton, N.Y., for tomorrow's 1 p.m. game so he can "take care of business." He said there's a sour feeling he wants to sweeten.

"It's far and away different," said Coen of his second trip to Colgate, where UMass is 0-4. "Two years ago, I was just kind of going to watch and then if something happened . . . Two years down the road, the game has totally changed for me. The game has slowed down. Now all the preparation going into the game is fun. I know what's going to happen before it happens."

Perhaps that's because what usually happens is that Coen throws - and completes - a pass. He was 19 for 32 for 272 yards and two touchdowns with one interception last week in UMass's season-opening 40-30 victory over Holy Cross. Those numbers moved him into second place for career passing yards and completions at UMass. The Newport, R.I., native has become one of the nation's top quarterbacks; as a sophomore, he completed 65 percent of his passes.

The last time he played at Colgate, Coen said, "I didn't even think. I just went out there. As the game went on, I got some feeling for what they were trying to do. I took that loss hard, even though it was my first game, because we were in a position to win late in the game.

"We're a veteran team right now on offense. I have more confidence going up there this year."

"That was Liam's coming-out party," said Brown. "He played the whole second half. He did some nice things but it wasn't a great day overall for us up there. It did give him a start."

J.J. Moore made a lot of noise in that game, too. He was the recipient of Coen's first career TD pass (a 17-yarder) and he set the school record for catches in a game with 13. But all he could recall were the disastrous turnovers, one of them his, which Colgate returned for a TD.

Last week, the senior had nine catches for a career-high 163 yards, but also fumbled two punt returns.

"Just first-game jitters," said Moore. "I try not to think about the stats and the record-breaking. When you make a mistake, you just work and practice. I think it's called perseverance. You practice perfection. You're never going to get it, but it's just not getting eight turnovers, not getting eight turnovers. No turnovers."

Moore's voice dropped to a mumble. There was nothing else to say.

"We just haven't had good luck up there," said Brown, whose team also lost a 2003 playoff game at Colgate in a blizzard. "We're just focused on going up there and executing."

Barbara Matson can be reached at matson@globe.com.