The Professor - The Coaching Career of James Xavier

Post by **Captain Canada** » 30 Apr 2025, 19:44

‣ CFB 2024 Regular Season, Week 11 - Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Hadley, Massachusetts
(8-1, 5-1 CUSA) #24 Liberty Flames at UMass Minutemen (6-3, 0-0 IND)

LIB | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 34
MASS | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 31

Liberty pulls ahead in double overtime, push past UMass in Haston’s debut

Despite the abrupt decision to start freshman quarterback Ahmad Haston, the UMass Minutemen suffered a heartbreaking loss, falling to #24 Liberty in double overtime by a score of 34-31.

The Minutemen jumped to an early 14-0 lead thanks to their run game, getting two short-yardage touchdowns from both running backs Jalen John and C.J. Hester. This was before the Liberty Flames were able to get on the board, thanks to a back-breaking bomb of a pass from Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter connecting with wide receiver Treon Sibley. Salter notably has yet to throw an interception this season - a streak he has continued through his match with UMass.

Salter would open the second half with a touchdown of his own, tying the game up with the only score of the third quarter. John's second touchdown of the game would come from a red-zone opportunity as the fourth quarter dialed down. However, minutes later, Salter would throw his second passing touchdown of the day to tie things up.

The teams would split scores in the first overtime before the Minutemen would be held to a field goal, trusting their defense to stand up to the red-hot Flames' offense. Unfortunately, the Flames could not be stopped, forcing their way into the end zone behind a Quinton Cooley rushing touchdown to get out on top.

"It really hurts to lose like that, when we stuck with them all the way through the game," said head coach Don Brown, watching his Minutemen drop their second consecutive game after dropping a tough decision last weekend to Mississippi State. "We hung tough, and that means a lot. But, it doesn't mean as much as a win would have. That's really important to remember. Wins and losses are what really count here."

Notably, the team did not feature senior quarterback Taisun Phommachanh whatsoever, after a late report came out that he would be benched in favor of freshman quarterback Ahmad Haston, who performed amicably in his first start this season. Offensive coordinator James Xavier did not elaborate on the abrupt decision.

"I'm not going to get too into that. Taisun and I had a conversation, and we went with the best guy for the job. I support Ahmad, and he had a pretty good game for limited preparation," said Coach Xavier before declining to answer any more questions regarding his quarterback decision.

Scoring Summary
1st Quarter

Jalen John, 1-yard run (Riley Moore kick) [4:44]

2nd Quarter

CJ Hester, 1-yard run (Riley Moore kick) [6:23]

Treon Sibley, 71-yard pass from Kaidon Salter (Nick Brown kick) [5:28]

3rd Quarter

Kaidon Salter, 1-yard run (Nick Brown kick) [4:17]

Quarter 4

Jalen John, 5-yard run (Riley Moore kick) [4:03]

Darius Copeland, 4-yard pass from Kaidon Salter (Nick Brown kick) [2:29]

Overtime

Quinton Cooley, 8-yard run (Nick Brown kick)

Dominick Mazotti, 7-yard pass from Ahmad Haston (Riley Moore kick)

Riley Moore, 24-yard field goal

Quinton Cooley, 2-yard run

Player Stats

QB Ahmad Haston: 29-45, 279 passing yards, touchdown, interception, 3 carries, 21 rushing yards

QB Kaidon Salter: 18-29, 217 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 10 carries, 83 rushing yards, touchdown

HB Jalen John: 19 carries, 97 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns

HB C.J. Hester: 7 carries, 48 rushing yards, touchdown

HB Quinton Cooley: 15 carries, 94 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns

WR T.Y. Harding: 8 receptions, 79 receiving yards

WR Jakobie Keeney-James: 7 receptions, 53 receiving yards

WR Starling Galban: 4 receptions, 63 receiving yards

TE Dominick Mazotti: 6 receptions, 44 receiving yards

WR Darius Copeland: 5 receptions, 37 receiving yards, touchdown

WR Treon Sibley: 3 receptions, 108 receiving yards, touchdown

DE Etinosa Reuben: 4 tackles, sack

MLB Jalen Stewart: 6 tackles

SS Te’Rai Powell: 5 tackles

OLB Teylor Jackson: 12 tackles

FS Brylan Green: 11 tackles

DE CJ Bazile Jr: 3 tackles, interception

Post by **Captain Canada** » 30 Apr 2025, 21:24

Post by **Agent** » 30 Apr 2025, 22:04

Should’ve kept your other starter. Old boy lost it

Post by **Captain Canada** » 01 May 2025, 09:13

Agent wrote: ↑
30 Apr 2025, 22:04
Should’ve kept your other starter. Old boy lost it

I battle with that a lot, but to tell the truth: the defense lost that game. We couldn’t get a stop when we desperately needed it. Haston played as well as anyone could have

Post by **Captain Canada** » 01 May 2025, 13:50

Week 12 Top Stories

The Cardinal pull off the upset over #9 Louisville 26-14, dropping them down ten slots.

Memphis WR Koby Drake goes nuclear, picking up 8 catches, 171 yards, and three touchdowns

#9 Rutgers dominates in their rivalry games against #13 Maryland, 28-10

The week’s game between #8 Indiana and #6 Ohio State could have massive implications on this year’s playoff picture

Heisman Watchlist

QB Dillon Gabriel » 28-42, 306 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 9 carries, 17 rushing yards

WR Traeshon Holden » 7 receptions, 96 receiving yards, touchdown

QB John Mateer » 23-31, 300 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 9 carries, 32 rushing yards

QB Cam Ward » No stats

QB Shedeur Sanders » 19-28, 234 passing yards, touchdown, 7 carries, 24 rushing yards

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF TOP 25

Ranking	Record	Opponent
#1	11-0	BYE WEEK
#2	10-0	vs UMass
#3	10-0	at Georgia Tech
#4	8-2	at Minnesota
#5	8-2	vs Wake Forest
#6	8-2	vs #8 Indiana
#7	8-2	vs Kentucky
#8	9-1	at #6 Ohio State
#9	8-2	vs Illinois
#10	8-2	at Florida
#11	8-2	vs Colorado
#12	8-2	vs Army
#13	8-2	vs Iowa
#14	7-3	vs FCS Team
#15	7-3	vs Texas Tech
#16	10-0	at Oregon State
#17	7-3	at Oklahoma
#18	7-3	at Virginia
#19	7-3	vs Pittsburgh
#20	7-3	at TCU
#21	9-1	vs Western Kentucky
#22	7-3	at Duke
#23	7-3	at Mississippi State
#24	8-2	vs Iowa State
#25	9-2	BYE WEEK

Dropped from Rankings: None

Players of the Week

WR Koby Drake (Memphis): 8 receptions, 171 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns

DE Jack Sawyer (Ohio State): 7 tackles, 3 sacks

Post by **Soapy** » 01 May 2025, 14:21

Captain Canada wrote: ↑
01 May 2025, 09:13

Agent wrote: ↑
30 Apr 2025, 22:04
Should’ve kept your other starter. Old boy lost it
I battle with that a lot, but to tell the truth: the defense lost that game. We couldn’t get a stop when we desperately needed it. Haston played as well as anyone could have

glad you lost. we ride with Taisun.

Post by **Captain Canada** » 03 May 2025, 11:58

Week 13 Preview: vs #2 Georgia

Record: 10-0, 8-0 SEC
Head Coach: Kirby Smart
Offensive Scheme: Pro Style
Defensive Scheme: 3-3-5 Tite

Team Leaders
Passing: Carson Beck (226-343, 2,832 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, 6 interceptions)
Rushing: Trevor Etienne (148 carries, 708 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns)
Receiving: London Humphreys (45 receptions, 791 yards, 7 touchdowns)
Blocking: 13 sacks allowed, 38.8 PPG
Defense: Smael Mondon Jr. (56 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 4 deflections)

Injuries
No Injuries

Georgia Projected Starters
QB #15 Carson Beck, R-Senior | 6’4”, 220 lbs | 90 overall
HB #1 Trevor Etienne, Junior | 5’9”, 205 lbs | 88 overall
FB #41 Liam Perry, Sophomore | 6’1”, 235 lbs | 64 overall
WR #6 Dominic Lovett, Senior | 5’10”, 187 lbs | 86 overall
WR #86 Dillon Bell, Junior | 6’1”, 210 lbs | 85 overall
TE #4 Oscar Delp, Junior | 6’5”, 245 lbs | 88 overall
LT #71 Earnest Greene III, R-Sophomore | 6’4”, 320 lbs | 88 overall
LG #69 Tate Ratledge, R-Senior | 6’6”, 320 lbs | 97 overall
C #55 Jared Wilson, R-Junior | 6’3”, 310 lbs | 86 overall
RG #53 Dylan Fairchild, R-Junior | 6’5”, 315 lbs | 93 overall
RT #73 Xavier Truss, R-Senior | 6’7”, 320 lbs | 88 overall
---------------
DE #13 Mykel Williams, Junior | 6’5”, 265 lbs | 93 overall
DE #97 Warren Brinson, Senior | 6’4”, 310 lbs | 86 overall
DT #78 Nazir Stackhouse, Senior | 6’3”, 320 lbs | 90 overall
WLB #11 Jalon Walker, Junior | 6’2”, 245 lbs | 92 overall
MLB #3 C.J. Allen, Sophomore | 6’1”, 235 lbs | 88 overall
SLB #2 Smael Mondon Jr., Senior | 6’3”, 235 lbs | 86 overall
CB #6 Daylen Everette, Junior | 6’1”, 190 lbs | 89 overall
CB #12 Julian Humphrey, R-Sophomore | 6’1”, 195 lbs | 88 overall
CB #7 Daniel Harris, Sophomore | 6’3”, 195 lbs | 85 overall
FS #4 KJ Bolden, Freshman | 6’0”, 185 lbs | 85 overall
SS #24 Malaki Starks, Junior | 6’1”, 205 lbs | 97 overall
K #91 Peyton Woodring, R-Sophomore | 5’10”, 185 lbs | 81 overall
P #92 Brett Thorson, Junior | 6’2”, 235 lbs | 86 overall
KR #11 Arian Smith, R-Senior | 6’0”, 185 lbs | 97 overall

Coach James Xavier's Offensive Gameplan

"You play a team like the Georgia Bulldogs - you know what you're signing up for. They and Oregon have been battling for the top spot in the nation all year, and for good reason. [Trevor] Etienne runs in such a dynamic fashion. He's super explosive. [Carson] Beck maneuvers the offense with such brilliance. They have titans all throughout their offensive line. We're playing the best defense we're going to see for a while—first-round picks and All-Americans all throughout. We're competing to win, no matter what. They bleed red just like we do. Our goal is to make a little history."

Post by **Captain Canada** » 04 May 2025, 12:36

‣ CFB 2024 Regular Season, Week 13 - Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia
(6-4, 0-0 IND) UMass Minutemen at #2 Georgia Bulldogs (10-0, 8-0 SEC)

MASS | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12
UGA | 10 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 30

Vaunted Georgia defense hampers UMass, dominates in Athens

UMass freshman quarterback Ahmad Haston got the nod to start in Sanford Stadium to take on the #2 Georgia Bulldogs and played a mediocre game against arguably the best defense in the nation. Despite a late score, the Bulldogs would prevail, winning 30-12.

"We were going to live and die in the trenches," commented head coach Don Brown at the post-game presser. "That Georgia defensive front has so much talent. There are a lot of guys who are going to be playing on Sundays in the near future. We lost the game when we couldn't keep our quarterback upright."

Haston, who would finish the game with an impressive 25 completions on 33 attempts, would be sacked 8 times - including two from star edge rusher Mykel Williams - and be unable to finish off crucial drives, killing any offensive momentum the Minutemen were ever able to pick up on.

"It's frustrating," said quarterback Ahmad Haston, who seems to have taken the starting job from senior Taisun Phommachanh. "You want to go to the quick game or try to establish the run game, but it proves ineffective when we can't get a push up front. That's not to put the blame directly on the big guys, but we didn't all play our best game."

The Georgia offense wasn't at its best either, getting key support from its defense in the form of a 48-yard scoop-and-score from Ellis Robinson IV after one of the many sacks on Haston.

Quarterback Carson Beck would throw two touchdowns, notably a 54-yard strike to Dillon Bell late in the first quarter, while star running back Trevor Etienne was notably bottled up.

The only touchdown for UMass would come in garbage time, with star wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James taking an end-around tap pass from Haston for a one-yard score.

UMass will return home to hopefully end their season on the right foot in their rivalry game against the University of Connecticut.

Scoring Summary
1st Quarter

Peyton Woodring, 34-yard field [2:51]

Dillon Bell, 54-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) [0:57]

2nd Quarter

London Humphreys, 10-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) [4:10]

Peyton Woodring, 37-yard field goal [1:58]

Riley Moore, 19-yard field goal [0:00]

3rd Quarter

Peyton Woodring, 25-yard field goal [5:13]

Ellis Robinson IV, 48-yard returned fumble (Peyton Woodring kick) [4:25]

Riley Moore, 44-yard field goal [0:08]

Quarter 4

Jakobie Keeney-James, 1-yard pass from Ahmad Haston (2-PT conversion failed) [3:03]

Player Stats

QB Ahmad Haston: 25-33, 259 passing yards, touchdown, interception

QB Carson Beck: 16-23, 217 passing yards, 2 touchdowns

HB Jalen John: 11 carries, 14 rushing yards

HB C.J. Hester: 6 carries, 50 rushing yards

HB Trevor Etienne: 15 carries, 51 rushing yards

WR T.Y. Harding: 5 receptions, 58 receiving yards

WR Jakobie Keeney-James: 5 receptions, 52 receiving yards, touchdown

WR Starling Galban: 3 receptions, 38 receiving yards

WR Dillon Bell: 4 receptions, 96 receiving yards, touchdown

TE Oscar Delp: 4 receptions, 53 receiving yards

WR London Humphreys: 4 receptions, 46 receiving yards, touchdown

OLB Derrieon Craig: 7 tackles, tackle for loss, sack

CB Arsheen Jiles: 9 tackles, 2 deflections

MLB Tyler Martin: 3 tackles, tackle for loss

OLB Jalon Walker: 12 tackles, tackle for loss, deflection

DE Mykel Williams: 7 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks

OLB Smael Mondon Jr: 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, sack

Post by **Captain Canada** » 04 May 2025, 13:07

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