The Professor - The Coaching Career of James Xavier

[djp73]

looks winnable

[The JZA]

Jakobie cooked

[Captain Canada]

‣ CFB 2024 Regular Season, Week 6 - Husky Stadium, Dekalb, Illinois
(3-2, 0-0 IND) UMass Minutemen at Northern Illinois Huskies (1-3, 0-1 MAC)

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MASS | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21
NIU | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17

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Freshman QB Haston replaces Phommachanh, leads UMass to victory

In the last few weeks, UMass senior starting quarterback Taisun Phommachanh has been steadily dealing with critics who argue that he produces too many turnovers despite his upside and leadership qualities. Just a few weeks ago, pundits were considering whether offensive coordinator James Xavier would contemplate a change.

That change finally came in the second half of their duel against Northern Illinois.

The team had dueled with the Huskies to a scoreless standstill in the first quarter before Northern Illinois broke through with a 48-yard field goal from kicker Kanon Woodill early in the quarter. The Minutemen continued to struggle to get anything together offensively despite a back-breaking effort from their defense to keep them in the game. NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton capitalized for the Huskies late in the quarter to take a two-score lead, hooking up with wide receiver Kenji Lewis in the end zone.

UMass came out determined in the second half when fans noticed that Phommachanh had been relegated to the bench and redshirt freshman quarterback Ahmad Haston took the field. He had been given the nod.

“We needed to change things up, and Taisun respected it. He’s the ultimate competitor, but even he knew today was not his day,” said offensive coordinator James Xavier. “He hadn’t done enough on this specific day to stay in the game.”

Haston ultimately provided a mixed bag, connecting with T.Y. Harding over the middle for a 21-yard touchdown to get the Minutemen back in the game. However, he did have a case of the butterfingers, fumbling the ball three different times in the second half. Luckily, the offense was able to recover all three times.

“It almost ruined a very good thing for us, we were moving the ball really well. That’s something I’ll have to fix in the future - trying not to do too much all at once and costing us good possessions,” commented quarterback Ahmad Haston.

He got key completions - whether through the air or scampering with his mobility skills - and put the team in good positions to get back in the game. Jalen John took off towards the end zone twice, his second score ultimately becoming the game-winning touchdown.

Coach Don Brown and Coach Xavier remained close-lipped on who would be starting at quarterback next week against highly ranked Missouri.

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Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
No Scoring

2nd Quarter
Kanon Woodill, 48-yard field [8:52]
Kenji Lewis, 8-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick) [0:20]

3rd Quarter
T.Y. Harding, 21-yard pass from Ahmad Haston (Riley Moore kick) [3:06]

Quarter 4
Jalen John, 22-yard run (Riley Moore kick) [7:31]
Kenji Lewis, 11-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick) [4:46]
Jalen John, 2-yard run (Riley Moore kick) [0:59]

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Player Stats
QB Taisun Phommachanh: 9-14, 84 passing yards, 1 interception, 1 fumble (lost)
QB Ahmad Haston: 13-16, 182 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 6 carries, 41 rushing yards, 3 fumbles (all recovered)
QB Ethan Hampton: 14-34, 172 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 fumble (recovered)

HB Jalen John: 17 carries, 106 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns
HB C.J. Hester: 9 carries, 49 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 17 receiving yards
HB Antario Brown: 9 carries, 103 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 30 receiving yards
HB Gavin Williams: 4 carries, 17 rushing yards, 1 reception, 10 receiving yards

WR T.Y. Harding: 9 receptions, 88 receiving yards, touchdown
WR Jakobie Keeney-James: 6 receptions, 125 receiving yards
WR Kenji Lewis: 6 receptions, 94 yards, 2 touchdowns
WR Andrew McElroy: 4 receptions, 34 receiving yards

CB Arsheen Jiles: 6 tackles
FS Tyler Rudolph: 3 tackles
DE Etinosa Reuben: 2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
OLB Jaden Dolphin: 18 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception
CB Jacob Finley: 10 tackles, tackle for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
DE Kevin Session: 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack

[djp73]

ugly, still counts

[Captain Canada]

ugly, still counts

A win's a win, but we need some consistency.

[Captain Canada]

Week 6 Top Stories
Ranked rivals #11 LSU and #16 Ole Miss meet in a highly anticipated top-25 matchup
The Vanderbilt Commodores pull off the upset over Alabama, 41-21, thanks to 286 yards from Diego Pavia
All eyes will be on the highly anticipated matchup between #4 Oregon and #3 Ohio State
Brandon Inniss picked up 124 receiving yards and three scores for #3 Ohio State in their beatdown of #18 Iowa

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Heisman Watchlist
QB Will Howard » 27-36, 316 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 9 carries, 34 rushing yards, touchdown
WR Eli Pancol » 5 receptions, 197 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
QB Grayson McCall » 18-25, 182 passing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
QB Carson Beck » 24-34, 265 passing yards, 4 touchdowns
QB Cam Ward » 20-28, 344 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 8 carries, 57 rushing yards

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Biggest Fallers
#5 » #16 Ole Miss (L 25-22 at South Carolina)
#9 » NR Alabama (L 41-21 vs Vanderbilt)
# 10 » #21 Oklahoma State (L 28-27 vs West Virginia)
#11 » #23 Arizona (L 47-44 vs Texas Tech)
# 12 » NR Michigan (L 34-15 at Washington)

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Players of the Week
WR Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona): 4 receptions, 111 receiving yards, touchdown, 4 carries, 175 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns
OLB Jaden Dolphin (Northern Illinois): 18 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles

[Captain Canada]

Does UMass have a QB controversy ahead of hosting #9 Missouri?

AMHERST, MA -- UMass barely seemed alive at half-time last weekend against Northern Illinois. The starting quarterback, Taisun Phommachanh, has already thrown an interception and lost a back-breaking fumble. Offensive coordinator James Xavier, clearly frustrated, throws redshirt freshman Ahmad Haston into the fray.

The Minutemen would escape with a stunning performance from the young quarterback if you were to ignore his unfortunate fumble tendency. The win has the campus buzzing in Amherst, but leaves certain pundits whispering about a potential change at the quarterback position. One, the head coach did not exactly dismiss.

“That’s not a choice I’m going to make,” said head coach Don Brown ahead of the release of the official depth chart, which, other than a potential quarterback change, doesn’t expect many differences. “That’s Coach Xavier’s department, and I trust his judgment completely.”

Phommachanh has ultimately been hot and cold in his first six games with UMass, throwing 1,487 passing yards and 11 touchdowns in the air along with two on the ground. The troubling part is his 10 interceptions and five fumbles. His 63% completion rate isn’t too bad, though it is important to remember how often his completions are stacked by swing routes and screen passes. His 136.5 quarterback rating has already been dwarfed by Haston’s 183.8.

“The decision will be made before game time, but right now, it’s an open competition,” commented Xavier when pressed about who would be defending their home field against the highly ranked #9 Missouri. “Ripping the job from Taisun doesn’t feel right, but Ahmad and Ryan [Jankowski] will be given every opportunity in practice to earn snaps.”

“I try to take it day by day, I know what I’ve put on film through the first six games hasn’t been enough,” commented Taisun Phommachanh. “But, I still think I’m the best option, and I will go out and prove that one more time. It’s a grind, but I’m in love with it.”

[djp73]

Not sure it’s going to matter who is taking the snaps in this one

[Captain Canada]

Not sure it’s going to matter who is taking the snaps in this one

Big matchup ahead. Going with Taisun on this one, but we severely need some consistency from him.

[Captain Canada]

Week 7 Preview: vs #9 Missouri


Record: 4-1, 2-0 SEC
Head Coach: Eliah Drinkwitz
Offensive Scheme: Pistol
Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5

Team Leaders
Passing: Brady Cook (104-148, 1,434 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, 2 interceptions)
Rushing: Marcus Carroll (63 carries, 281 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns)
Receiving: Mookie Cooper (26 receptions, 420 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns)
Blocking: 5 sacks allowed, 31.6 PPG
Defense: Toriano Price Jr. (24 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries)

Injuries
WR Theo Wease Jr. (Broken Collarbone) - Out
WR Luther Burden III (Foot Fracture) - Out
WR Daniel Blood (Broken Collarbone) - Out
G Cam’ron Johnson (Broken Collarbone) - Out
DE Zion Young (Dislocated Knee) - Out
MLB Corey Flagg Jr. (Broken Ribs) - Out

Missouri Projected Starters
QB #12 Brady Cook, R-Senior | 6’2”, 212 lbs | 88 overall
HB #8 Nate Noel, Senior | 5’8”, 187 lbs | 87 overall
WR #5 Mookie Cooper, R-Senior | 5’8”, 180 lbs | 83 overall
WR #2 Marquis Johnson, Sophomore | 5’11”, 187 lbs | 78 overall
WR #10 Mekhi Miller, Junior | 6’1”, 193 lbs | 76 overall
TE #87 Brett Norfleet, Sophomore | 6’6”, 255 lbs | 84 overall
LT #79 Armand Membou, Junior | 6’3”, 325 lbs | 90 overall
LG #70 Cayden Green, Sophomore | 6’5”, 320 lbs | 88 overall
C #55 Connor Tollison, R-Junior | 6’4”, 290 lbs | 88 overall
RG #77 Curtis Peagler, R-Sophomore | 6’4”, 337 lbs | 62 overall
RT #52 Marcus Bryant, Senior | 6’7”, 317 lbs | 86 overall
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EDGE #15 Johnny Walker Jr., R-Senior | 6’3”, 250 lbs | 86 overall
EDGE #97 Eddie Kelly Jr., Junior | 6’5”, 277 lbs | 80 overall
DT #5 Kristian Williams, R-Senior | 6’2”, 295 lbs | 82 overall
NT #7 Chris McClellan, Junior | 6’4”, 325 lbs | 80 overall
WLB #14 Triston Newson, Senior | 6’2”, 223 lbs | 81 overall
MLB #30 Chuck Hicks, R-Senior | 6’1”, 227 lbs | 80 overall
Rover #29 Khalil Jacobs, Junior | 6’1”, 222 lbs | 77 overall
CB #2 Toriano Pride Jr., Junior | 5’10”, 190 lbs | 85 overall
CB #12 Dreyden Norwood, R-Junior | 6’0”, 185 lbs | 81 overall
FS #28 Joseph Charleston, Senior | 6’0”, 205 lbs | 82 overall
SS #13 Daylan Carnell, R-Junior | 6’2”, 215 lbs | 85 overall
K #19 Blake Craig, R-Freshman | 5’11”, 187 lbs | 75 overall
P #93 Luke Bauer, Senior | 6’5”, 207 lbs | 74 overall
KR #22 Tavorius Jones, R-Sophomore | 5’9”, 199 lbs | 93 overall

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Coach James Xavier's Offensive Gameplan

"This game is going to be won in the trenches. Johnny Walker Jr. is one hell of a player, and he's going to test our offensive line all game long. They are going to be heavily reliant on their defense since they are missing their top two offensive threats, especially Luther Burden III. He's a game-breaker, so missing him is going to hurt them. We need to establish the run early and convert on third-down opportunities as best as we can. Taisun Phommachanh is starting. He's going to be given every opportunity to be successful. He cannot hang onto the ball too long. This game is manageable. We just need to execute."