Minutemen Football by Position: DL
This year UMass is very young on the D-line and includes a number of true freshmen and redshirt freshmen but there is still a little bit of experience. With just one senior DT, what the team lacks in experience they make up for in youth Returning starters Robert Kitching and Daniel Maynes look to bolster the DT spots for their junior and senior years respectively. The other junior tackle, Al Lenus, lacks experience on defense but could see some increased playing time. Lenus actually started at guard a few times in 2012 but his future appears to be on defense as a backup DT. In total, the entire UMass DL only has four men who have logged tackles last year for the team. Lenus did not but DE Adam Richard did as did DE Peter Angeh though neither of them started a game.
Arguably the best member of the DL on the team, Daniel Maynes is back for his senior year. The Waltham Mass native had a big year last year starting seven games recording 29 tackles including an assisted tackle for a loss. Arguably his best game came against Maine when he logged a total of eight tackles, three of which were solo and the other five were assisted. Against tougher competition he fared well as well registering five total tackles against Vanderbilt just two weeks later. In 2012, Maynes had some experience on the line starting one game while logging some time on especial teams. In total he recorded eleven tackles and broke up a pass that year. He is in line for a big year this year as long as injury does not stop him.
Robert Kitching who is one of the biggest men on the team logged plenty of playing time last year as a nose guard. The 300lb lineman even started two games playing in nine total games racking up nine total tackles for the Minutemen. His best game came against Northern Illinois late in the year when he recorded a total of three tackles, one of which was for a loss another of which was for a sack and the last one a regular tackle. The junor has been playing for UMass in games since he was a true freshman so his odds of landing the second spot at DT seem good right now.
As far as DE candidates go, there are a number of them. Of course Richard and Angeh have the advantage over the rest of the candidates go. Oddly enough there are a pair of DE who played against my team back when they were in high school. Both Joe Tyo from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional and Adam Richard from BC High both played against the team I play for back when I was an underclassman. There are many young and talented candidates, but to save time, let’s take a look at the men favored to win starting jobs for the Minutemen.
Adam Richard who was previously mentioned is a native of Milton Mass and a graduate of BC High. He did not start a game for the Minutemen last year but played in a total of four games collecting four tackles as a redshirt freshman. At 6ft3 220lbs, Richard is undersized for the line but plays it well nonetheless. On the line, end seems like the appropriate place to put him which is on the weak side.
Also a bit undersized but a great player nonetheless is Peter Angeh. The Maryland Native who received playing time in every game as a true freshman Is a strong candidate and almost a virtual lock at the other DE spot. Weighing in at just 245lbs, Angeh may have to take on the challenge of playing force which is strong side DE when called upon. Racking up 13 total tackles on the year, Angeh is the most proven out of any returning man at his position. Perhaps his best game came smack dab in the middle of the season when he recorded six total tackles against Bowling Green in Kentucky including and assisted one for a loss. Angeh is looking to have a breakout season for the Minutemen and has a bright future ahead of him.
Even though the Minutemen will typically carry a number of men on the DL in any given week, naming the starters seems simple enough. Of course other men will play in games and potentially even start for the team but Maynes, Kitching, Richard, and Angeh could make a productive DL for the team. To put it simply, older guys usually play a lot more than the younger guys but that does not mean that they are not talented, it just means they need more time to develop and get used to the program.
