BYU Football: Scouting the Schedule

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NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 27: Colter Johnson #91 of the University of Massachusetts Minutemen punts from his own end zone to the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium on October 27, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

Special Teams

In 2017, Logan Laurent was the do-it-all kicker for the Minutemen. He punted, kicked field goals, and handled kickoffs.

Now those duties will split. Junior college transfer Cooper Garcia (Jr.) will battle with Michael Caggiano (Jr.) for placekicking duties, while freshman George Georgopou will take over as punter.

Look for a mixture of Isaiah Rogers, Jessie Britt, and Marquis Young to handle the punt and kick returns throughout the season.

Outlook

As long as Andrew Ford stays upright, UMass will be a good offensive team. They’ve got the talent and depth to put up 30+ points on a weekly basis.

The defense will be the question mark. Once the team got the scheme down last season, the defense made huge improvements. They’ll have everything down all season this time, but the question will be health. Unlike the offense, there’s very little depth, so the Minutemen will have to hope the starters stay healthy.

If they do, they’ll become bowl eligible for the first time in school history. They won’t beat Georgia in their season finale, but every other game they play is winnable.

The matchup between BYU and UMass will come down to two things.

First, who improved more?

Second, who is more healthy?

BYU vs. UMass Series History

The all-time series between BYU and UMass is tied 1-1.
UMass won the last matchup 16-10 in Provo last season.
The two teams have one more game scheduled, taking place in 2019 at Gillette Stadium.