UMass, HC are prepared to air it out
The two seniors, arguably the best signal callers in New England, have never spoken.
Not for a lack of respect, though.
Liam Coen took notice from the opposing sideline last September in Amherst as Dominic Randolph nearly rallied Holy Cross past Massachusetts, his 32-of-62, 296-yard, two-touchdown effort not quite enough in a 40-30 loss.
"I'd compare him to a Ricky Santos, that type of player," said Coen, of his former Colonial Athletic Association rival from New Hampshire. "[Randolph] can run, makes plays, can elude people. He makes all the throws they ask him to make."
This afternoon at Fitton Field, the two will go head to head for the second, and most likely, final time, when the Crusaders kick off their season by hosting the fourth-ranked Minutemen.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 223-pound Randolph, a three-year starter and two-year captain, holds a number of Crusader passing marks and has piloted Holy Cross to back-to-back 7-4 seasons.
A four-year starter, the 6-2, 225-pound Coen owns nearly every UMass passing record, single season and career, and more importantly, the Minutemen are 30-8 with him taking command of the huddle.
Coen's passing numbers were rather pedestrian (10 of 20, 92 yards) in last week's opening win against Albany, but the key, he said "were no turnovers, we took care of the ball." He also tossed three touchdown passes.
And with rain in today's forecast, "it's really going to come down to who takes care of the ball," he added. "Both teams will have to deal with it, and I'm sure it's a focus for them, too."
Despite both team's passing proficiency, neither abandons the running game. UMass junior back Tony Nelson rushed for 171 yards in his first career start, which was "huge for his confidence," said Coen. "I think that it was just a matter of time before he was going to do it."
Randolph's 62 passing attempts jumped off the stat sheet last season, but HC coach Tom Gilmore points out his Crusaders ran nearly 100 plays. "Still, we'd like to strike a better balance," he said. "Our offensive line is bigger and stronger and we have two experienced backs [in Terrance Gass and Mike Kielt].
UNH starting anew
New Hampshire has won its last three matchups against Football Bowl Subdivision foes - Rutgers, Northwestern, and Marshall - but those victories came with Santos orchestrating the attack. The Wildcats turn to redshirt sophomore quarterback R.J. Toman for today's season opener in West Point, N.Y., against Army and he has a talented group of weapons in tight end Scott Sicko, a preseason All-American, along with senior receiver Mike Boyle and junior back Chad Kackert.Bentley hits the road to take on Division 1 foe Sacred Heart, which blitzed Assumption with 28 unanswered points en route to a 42-21 victory last week.
Southern Connecticut ran through Bryant twice last season, 56-28 in the regular season, and 45-28 in the Division 2 playoffs. Bryant has since made the move up to Division 1 from the Northeast-10, but the Bulldogs will still find a formidable foe in Southern Connecticut, ranked 22d nationally and featuring explosive back Jarom Freeman.
In the New England Football Conference, MIT is excited about the return of junior quarterback Rick Mancuso, a Gold Helmet winner as a freshman. The Engineers play Maine Maritime at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. Coming off its third straight appearance in an ECAC bowl game, Bridgewater State opens against Rowan.
Last night's results
Stonehill 14, Wagner 13 - Cruz Parsons threw for one touchdown and passed for another as the Skyhawks opened their season with a win last night at Easton.Trailing, 13-7, Parsons capped a 20-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard run with just over a minute left to give the Skyhawks the win. Jeff Payne led Stonehill with 144 yards rushing on 29 carries.
Westfield State 13, Nichols 10 - Senior quarterback Dan Cohen and junior receiver David Benoit hooked up on a school-record 95-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to lift the Owls over the Bison at Westfield.
Curry 28, Westfield St. 21 - Joseph Freeman caught a 22-yard scoring strike from Ryan Van De Giesen in overtime to lift the Colonels in Worcester.
WPI 34, UMass-Dartmouth 28 - Justin Wells scored on a 2-yard run in overtime as the host Engineers edged the Corsairs.
Craig Larson can be reached at clarson@globe.com 