The Professor - The Coaching Career of James Xavier

[Soapy]

throwing for 400 and getting benched the next game is crazy

[Captain Canada]

throwing for 400 and getting benched the next game is crazy

Secure my football and you can play

[Agent]

This one might get ugly

[Captain Canada]

‣ CFB 2024 Regular Season, Week 7 - Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Hadley, Massachusetts
(4-1, 2-0 SEC) #9 Missouri Tigers at UMass Minutemen (4-2, 0-0 IND)

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MIZZ | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14
MASS | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 24

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UPSET ALERT! Phommachanh starts as UMass dominates Mizzou

When UMass was forced to punt on their opening possession and Mizzou cooked a thorough, calculated drive that ended with a quick scamper from Tigers’ running back Nate Noel into the end zone, it felt as though it was going to be a long night for the Minutemen faithful.

And then, they didn’t score again until the final second of the game. Meanwhile, Minutemen senior quarterback Taisun Phommachanh had the game of his career, throwing three touchdowns and only missing four pass attempts as UMass coasted to a 24-14 upset victory over the #9 ranked University of Missouri.

Star receiver Jakobie Keeney-James broke the game wide open with a fantastic second quarter, first taking a swing pass into the end zone and then a few drives later, taking the top off the vaunted Mizzou defense with an impressive bomb down the field in single-man coverage.

An astonishing corner route left all alone by senior tight end Dominick Mazotti in the third quarter forced UMass to a 24-7 lead over the stunned Mizzou Tigers as the Minutemen defense played the game of their lives, forcing two 4th-down turnovers in the third quarter.

“That was a lot of fun, we clicked on all cylinders and we believed we could do something like that,” commented offensive coordinator James Xavier, clearly ecstatic after the upset victory that will no doubt shake up the Top 25 rankings this weekend. “No one thought we had a chance except the guys in that locker room. We knew we could hang.”

After a lot of reported doubt in his abilities to lead and quarterback the team, quarterback Taisun Phommachanh had the game of his career, and was reflective in his post-game interview.

“I’m so honored that the guys stuck with me. They had no reason other than faith to do so, and I’m beyond glad we showed up and showed out the way we knew we could. Our confidence couldn’t be higher, but the job isn’t finished. We’ve got a lot more work to do.”

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Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Nate Noel, 15-yard run (Blake Craig kick) [5:51]

2nd Quarter
Jakobie Keeney-James, 4-yard pass from Taisun Phommachanh (Riley Moore kick) [9:26]
Riley Moore, 24-yard field goal [2:06]
Jakobie Keeney-James, 48-yard pass from Taisun Phommachanh (Riley Moore kick) [1:08]

3rd Quarter
Dominick Mazotti, 12-yard pass from Taisun Phommachanh (Riley Moore kick) [4:28]

Quarter 4
Mekhi Miller, 16-yard pass from Brady Cook (Blake Craig kick) [0:01]

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Player Stats
QB Taisun Phommachanh: 20-24, 202 passing yards, 3 touchdowns
QB Brady Cook: 18-26, 229 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 5 carries, 14 rushing yards

HB Jalen John: 19 carries, 118 rushing yards
HB C.J. Hester: 7 carries, 9 rushing yards
HB Nate Noel: 23 carries, 106 rushing yards, 1 touchdown

TE Dominick Mazotti: 5 receptions, 49 receiving yards, touchdown
WR Jakobie Keeney-James: 5 receptions, 89 yards, 2 touchdowns
WR T.Y. Harding: 5 receptions, 27 receiving yards
WR Mekhi Miller: 5 receptions, 42 receiving yards, touchdown
TE Brett Norfleet: 4 receptions, 59 receiving yards

CB Arsheen Jiles: 12 tackles, 0.5 sack
OLB Gerrell Johnson: 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
FS Tyler Rudolph: 8 tackles
WLB Triston Newson: 15 tackles, 4 tackles for loss
FS Joseph Charleston: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
FS Tre’vez Johnson: 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss

[Captain Canada]

This one might get ugly

They wasn't bout shit.

[Agent]

Really efficient performance from Phommachanh.

[djp73]

what in the world...

[Captain Canada]

Really efficient performance from Phommachanh.

My boy finally had a good, clean game. Desperately needed that.

what in the world...

In hindsight, this makes sense. Our offense is potent when its rolling. They didn't send a ton of blitzes we couldn't outrun in our quick pass game. Playing at home, there wasn't a ton of pressure. They didn't play like the 9th best team in the country.

[Captain Canada]

Week 7 Top Stories
Oregon outlasts Ohio State despite 108 rushing yards and four touchdowns from Tre’Veyon Henderson
Down goes Mizzou, tumbling down Top 25 standings after shocking loss to UMass on the road
#1 Georgia has a 6-game win streak, but will they be able to get another against a #9 Texas team looking to rebound?
Rutgers continues to impress after a surprising conference win against top-10 Wisconsin

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Heisman Watchlist
QB Carson Beck » 19-30, 231 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 12 carries, 53 rushing yards, touchdown
QB Grayson McCall » 10-18, 158 passing yards, touchdown, 5 carries, 18 rushing yards, touchdown
QB Will Howard » 14-23, 162 passing yards, interception
QB Dillon Gabriel » 22-24, 266 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 12 carries, 29 rushing yards, touchdown
QB Haynes King » 18-32, 225 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 16 carries, 68 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns

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Biggest Fallers
#2 » #9 Texas (L 38-28 vs #25 Oklahoma)
#9 » #24 Missouri (L 24-14 at UMass)
#10 » #18 Wisconsin (L 31-23 at #20 Rutgers)

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Players of the Week
QB Riley Leonard (Notre Dame): 13-17, 179 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 14 carries, 131 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns
OLB Triston Newson (Missouri): 15 tackles

[Captain Canada]

Player Spotlight - Jakobie Keeney-James

AMHERST, MA -- If you were going to ask UMass senior wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James what the theme of this season was going to be, his answer was simple and succinct.

Redemption.

Keeney-James is in the midst of his first and only season with the Minutemen after transferring over from Eastern Washington. In his sole season with the Eagles, he was only able to produce eight catches for 146 receiving yards in the three games he played in, highlighted by his 91 yards in a devastating 57-14 loss at the hands of Montana State.

Making his way over to UMass, his goal was to prove that he could play at the top level and get the NFL attention he deserved. College football pundits would argue he has done just that seven weeks into the season.

"To say I came to Amherst with a chip on my shoulder would be an understatement," says Keeney-James, a 6'1" native of Redlands, California. "I know I have the genetic makeup of an NFL-caliber wide receiver. So, to be able to come here and put it all out on film? It means something to me."

"He's got so much talent. He thinks his routes through to such a level, you have to remind him to just run. The catches that this guy makes are ESPN-esque," commented offensive coordinator James Xavier, who gushed about getting a talent like Keeney-James to work with in his first season in the collegiate ranks. "He makes game planning so much easier. He's able to run routes from anywhere on the field. It's highly appreciated."

So far through seven games, Keeney-James paces the nation with 32 catches for an impressive 687 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, leading UMass to a 5-2 record, including their most recent eye-popping upset over the Missouri Tigers, the ninth-ranked team in the nation at the time.

"Beating them made our hearts beat through our chest. Sometimes when things have gone wrong earlier in the season, it felt as though we were just going through the motions, and the fans, the campus - they can feel that. Campus is alive and well, and we have a lot to pat ourselves on the back for."

His two touchdowns broke the back of the Tigers' defense, linking up with senior quarterback Taisun Phommachanh, who himself has been having an up-and-down season thus far. Keeney-James, however, has never lost faith in him.

"It's easy to get down on yourself when things aren't going right. But this team has already more than doubled its wins from last year. That's not the ultimate goal, obviously. But it's a start. We need to celebrate the little victories."

Other than getting drafted at the beginning of the summer next year, Keeney-James' goals include being a first-team All-American and making a bowl game with UMass.

"We don't have a conference championship to play for eventually, so getting to lift a trophy at the end of the season is something everyone in that locker room wants to accomplish. We're working towards something special, truly rehabilitative for this football program. I'm honored to be a part of it."