AMHERST — After a bye last week, UMass football coach Mark Whipple said his team was healthier and more energetic as it heads into the final two games of the season.
When the Minutemen take the field for Saturday’s 2 p.m. game at BYU, he expected Da’Sean Downey and Tedrick Lowery to be back to fortify a defense that missed them in the Nov. 5 loss at Troy.
“I’m just ready to be back on the field. I’m excited,” Downey said.
Whipple said even players who have played at less than 100 percent looked better.
“The guys have had a lot of great energy coming off the bye week. They’re excited to play,” Whipple said. “There’s no question we were a tired team at Troy.”
Bowl eligibility has long been out of reach for UMass. But at 2-8, they could reach four victories, their most as an FBS program.
“It would mean a lot. Every step is a big step for us,” Downey said. “Anything positive is good. Two more wins would be a building block. Hopefully we could go from four to six next year.”
The game is a rare matchup between two of the nation’s four independent programs. At the moment, the Cougars are the only one who has secured bowl eligibility at 6-4. BYU has already accepted a bid to the Poinsettia Bowl.
BYU has some momentum after winning five of its last six games.
“BYU is a really, really quality opponent up there with South Carolina, Mississippi State,” Whipple said. “We’ve got to find a way to get a win.”
After opening the year with a win over Arizona, the Cougars dropped three straight to Utah, UCLA and West Virginia.
But their 55-53 win over Toledo on Sept. 30 turned the season around. They followed with wins over Michigan State and Mississippi State.
After being edged by Boise State, 28-27 on Oct. 20, they beat Cincinnati and Southern Utah.
Senior running back Jamaal Williams has 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns on 190 carries.
Senior quarterback Taysom Hill has been effective on the ground as well with 476 yards on 112 carries.
In the air, Hill is 194-for-321 with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He’s averaging 205.7 yards per game. He’s spread the ball around as three different receivers have at least 30 catches.
Coach Kalani Sitake expected UMass to play well, but liked where his team was heading into the game.
“(UMass has) been inconsistent a lot of the season. We’ve seen them play some close games. They’ve been able to score some points,” he said during his weekly press conference. “They play some good teams. They’ve had an extra week to prepare for us, and that’s always dangerous, dealing with gadgets and trick plays. But they’ve got nothing to lose. They’re coming to our place and playing at our home. We’ll have to be ready and expect their best shot.
“We’re focusing on the little things, like tackling better and blocking better. I’m just really happy with our passing game,” he continued. “The routes are a lot crisper and the timing and throws are a lot better. I like where we’re sitting right now.”
The Minutemen will go from BYU to Hawaii, where they’ll spend next week before closing the season against the Warriors on Nov. 26.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage