Crimson Coats, Minutemen Prepare for Stadium Battle

History tells us that the Minutemen of the Revolutionary War were brave civilians who were ready to defend their territory at a minute's notice.

Today's current Minutemen, from the University of Massachusetts, have not been true to their namesake. Instead of defending all of Concord and Lexington as the 1776 men did, the 1988 Minutemen have had trouble defending their own goal line.

Massachusetts has surrendered a total of 86 points in its first two contests, an average of 43 points a game. In comparison, the lowly Columbia Lions, losers of 42 in a row, gave up an average of 31 points a game last year.

Despite this, UMass is able to win because of an explosive offense. The Minutemen have countered their foes with 62 points, including 45 in their season-opening, 45-42 victory over Maine. They were ambushed by Ball State--a Division I school--44-17 last week.

Air Attack

Leading the high-octane UMass attack is senior quarterback Dave Palazzi. Palazzi has completed 29 of 56 passes for 431 yards and four touchdowns. An agile runner, he is third on the team with 71 yards on 21 carries.

When Palazzi goes to the air, he usually looks to fellow seniors Chip Mitchell (10 catches, 162 yards) and Mike Tobin (8 catches, 120 yards). The young Crimson secondary, untested last week against Columbia, should have a busy afternoon.

The hard-running duo of tailback Kevin Smellie and fullback David Mitchell complement the passing attack. Both are tough, short-yardage runners. Smellie has 115 yards (on 33 carries) in the first two games, and Mitchell has added 111 yards on 24 carries (4.6 yards per carry.).

Smellie and Mitchell run behind one of the largest offensive lines in the state. All-Yankee guard Paul Mayberry (6-ft., 2-in., 265-lbs.), a sophomore, guard Bill Buttler (6-ft., 250-lbs.) and tackle Nick Salmon (6-ft., 2-in., 270-lbs.) are all experienced linemen.

While UMass is proficient at lighting up the scoreboard, the squad has trouble stopping its opponents from doing the same.

The defense has an experienced look to it, but has allowed almost 600 yards per game.

The entire front three from last year's team is back. All-Yankee Conference nose tackle Joe Cullen (5-ft., 11-in., 235-lbs.) is the leader along with the 260-lb. twosome of Dan Charron and Steve Bruthers.

UMass should also be strong at linebacker. George Karelas has already racked up 26 tackles. John McKeown, a second-team All-Yankee Conference pick last year, follows Karelas with 24 tackles.

The weakest link of a weak defense is the secondary. Returning starter Garrick Amos spearheads the deep backs. He had 16 pass deflections and two interceptions last year.

Amos is joined by a pair of youngsters, sophomores Jerome Bledsoe at cornerback and Vaughn Williams at strong safety.

The last time these two teams met, it was a defensive-battle in the rain. UMass held Yohe and company to a single touchdown and won, 17-7. UMass was the last team to beat Harvard at home.

This time, the Minutemen probably will not be so lucky. The Crimson, fresh off its 41-7 shellacking of Columbia, should put some points on the board in what should be a classic offensive shootout between the Crimson and the Minutemen.