AMHERST — There was no doubt that Ed Pinkham’s first year as UMass’ defensive coordinator did not begin smoothly.
In the Minutemen’s first game of 2017, Hawaii threw for nearly 400 yards and eclipsed 500 yards of total offense in a 38-35 victory. Coastal Carolina ran for 320 yards the next week while putting up 38 points and sending UMass to the second of six straight defeats to begin the season.
But the Minutemen closed the year strong on defense, limiting two teams to less than 300 yards in the final six games, and allowing at least 400 yards just once — the 63-point, 674-yard debacle in the finale against Florida International with a depleted unit. That strong push to end the season has set the tone for UMass during the preseason.
“It was a rough starting with a new defensive coordinator, but coming into our second year and finishing off the end of the season winning four out of six games and playing against Mississippi State and playing pretty good, we feel like we can play with anyone,” junior cornerback Isaiah Rodgers said. “We know that coming back this season with the schedule we have, the mindset here is different and we just have a lot of confidence to try to get a bowl game.”
That confidence has shown during every preseason practice rep as the defense is flying to the ball faster and making more plays than it did at this point last season.
The unit has gone from allowing the offense to capture momentum with explosion plays to creating those game-altering plays themselves.
There have been some mental miscues along the way, but coach Mark Whipple is noticing a different aura surrounding the defense this summer.
“They just understand what they’re doing better,” Whipple said. “The communication (has been better) and they’re eliminating the big plays and they’re making some plays. They’re carrying themselves with a lot more confidence right now.”
The same can be said of UMass’ defensive position coaches, who also have a better understanding of how all three parts of the defense contribute to the overall scheme. Pinkham and Whipple both said the familiarity of the coaches has been just as important as the players’ knowledge of the system because it only re-enforces the basic concepts.
With a good foundation set, Pinkham said the staff has started to add a couple of new wrinkles and get more technical with specific coaching points.
“We’re able to add maybe little subtle coaching points that early, you’re just happy they’re getting lined up correctly, and now we can coach it a little better,” Pinkham said. “Like any defensive program, you have to have a core from which you teach and you have to get your kids to really understand that. It’s only once you understand that, that you can spread out and get a little bit more multiple.
“I think we’re at a point where we understand our base and it allows us to do a couple of things.”
SUCCESSFUL SCRIMMAGE — The Minutemen held a situational scrimmage Sunday, the first game-like competition for the squad this preseason.
Whipple said he was pleased with the effort his team showed, especially in the kicking game. The kickers made all but one field goal during the scrimmage, while the offense and defense made some correctable mistakes.
“They were prepared, and it was competitive,” Whipple said. “We dropped too many balls on offense and we made a few mental mistakes on defense, but the guys flew around pretty well.”
The scrimmage was the first crack for Whipple and his staff to piece together the depth chart for the Aug. 25 opener against Duquesne. The coach said some of the two-deep has rounded into form after the first week of practices, but added it is hard to judge the younger players based solely on one scrimmage. He said he will have a better sense of what the freshmen can contribute after a closed-door scrimmage Saturday once the first-year players have a chance to review the film and correct their mistakes from Sunday.
“We got a chance to evaluate a lot of young guys and try to put the game roster together,” Whipple said. “I don’t really judge the first-year guys on the first scrimmage because they don’t really know what it’s all about. So you see what kind of things will happen in the second one once they’ve made some corrections and see themselves on tape.”
Josh Walfish can be reached at jwalfish@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshWalfishDHG. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.