Massachusetts Football Hosts Western Michigan To Begin MAC Play On Homecoming Weekend

AMHERST, Mass. — Massachusetts football begins MACtion on Saturday, October 4, when the Minutemen host Western Michigan for their Homecoming Game at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+. 
 
SERIES HISTORY

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• Massachusetts and Western Michigan will be meeting for the third time in series history, with the Broncos leading 2-0. 
  
   
• The teams previously met in 2012 and 2013 as MAC foes, with Western Michigan posting a 52-14 home win in 2012 and a narrow 31-30 win at UMass in 2013 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.  
  
   
• In that most recent meeting, the Broncos took a touchdown lead with under five minutes to play and UMass responded but was unable to convert a game-winning two-point conversion.  
  
   
• For UMass, A.J. Doyle was 15-for-24 and 194 yards and one touchdown while tight end Rob Blanchflower caught seven balls for a career-high 131 yards and a score. 
  
   
• Current UMass cornerbacks coach Donald Celiscar played at Western Michigan (2011-14) and also coached for the Broncos for the last three years before joining Joe Harasymiak’s staff.  
  
   
• Celiscar was a defensive back, starting in 40 of 48 games he played for Western Michigan while totaling 10 interceptions and 45 pass breakups. 
  
   
• Western Michigan assistant coach/offensive coordinator Walt Bell served as the UMass head coach from 2019-21. 

HOMECOMING

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• The University of Massachusetts and the UMass Amherst Foundation invite the community to Flagship Fall: Homecoming 2025, a two-day celebration of connection and tradition on Oct. 3–4. This year’s Homecoming highlights the strong bond between campus and community.
  
   
• On Friday, Oct. 3, Kendrick Park hosts Community Spirit Central with performances by the UMass cheer and dance teams, student groups and the Minuteman Marching Band. Families can enjoy glow-in-the-dark swings, lawn games, face painting and T-shirt decorating. UMass Downtown (108 N. Pleasant St.) will also hold meet-and-greets with the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
  
   
• Athletics anchor the weekend: field hockey vs. Central Michigan (Friday, 2 p.m., Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex); men’s soccer vs. rival Denver (Saturday, Rudd Field); the Homecoming football game vs. Western Michigan (Saturday, 2:30 p.m., McGuirk Stadium); and hockey’s season opener vs. Northern Michigan (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Mullins Center).

QUICKOUTS

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• Against No. 19/20 Missouri, Timmy Hinspeter had 17 tackles (five solo) to go along with his first career interception, a sack and two tackles for loss. 

• It marked the highest single-game tackle total for a Minuteman since Jalen Mackie had 19 against Army on Nov. 26, 2022. 

• Hinspeter now averages 10.3 tackles per game to rank third in the MAC (12th nationally) 

• Marques White now has a sack in each of the last three games and he is averaging 0.75 sacks per game to rank fourth in the MAC and 34th nationally. 

• A McNeese State and Dartmouth transfer, White also has a forced fumble, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry this season. 

• Massachusetts now ranks first in the MAC in fewest penalty yards with 145 (11th nationally) and third in the MAC in fewest penalty yards per game with 36.21 (16th nationally). 

• Wide receiver Jacquon Gibson’s 7.5 receptions per game leads the MAC and ranks seventh nationally, while his 72.0 receiving yards per game ranks fourth in the league (59th nationally). 

• Keegan Andrews’ 46.10 yards per punt ranks second in the MAC and 10th nationally. 

• Tyler Martin (a pick six) and DD Snyder II each had an interception against Bryant, marking the first two interception game by the Minutemen since Oct. 28, 2023, when UMass downed Army 21-14 (Juan Lua and Jeremiah McGill had the interceptions on that day). 

• Against Bryant, Derek Morris’ 53-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter marked the longest field goal in program history, surpassing Sandro Vitiello (vs. Boston College, 1978) and Denis Gagnon (vs. New Hampshire, 1971) who both kicked a 52-yard field goals. 

• Prior to the Temple game, projected starting defensive end Joshua Nobles and projected primary backup left guard Zachary Franks were ruled out for the season due to injuries, while starting wideout T.Y. Harding was ruled out for the season after the Iowa game.  

 RODGERS MAKES NFL HISTORY

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• Former Minuteman cornerback/kick returner Isaiah Rodgers (2016-19) made history for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday (Sept. 21) when he became the first player in NFL history with a pick six, a fumble returned for a touchdown and two forced fumbles in a single game (and he did it all in the first half) 
  
   
• Rodgers, finished his 12-game senior season with 42 tackles, including 3.0 TFLs, four interceptions, 10 pass breakups, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery, is in his first season with the Vikings after winning the Super Bowl with the Eagles last season