AMHERST — On paper, what Bryton Barr accomplished Saturday against Charlotte speaks for itself.
The seventh-year linebacker made 21 tackles – the most by a UMass defender since 2015 – including four tackles for a loss and 1½ sacks. It was the type of statistical performance that exemplifies why Minutemen coach Mark Whipple said Barr “sets the table for everybody on defense.”
But Barr is also one of the strongest vocal leaders on the Minutemen, a solid rock of strength in what can be at times a turbulent game. Whipple credited Barr’s leadership and enthusiasm as a reason UMass was able to start as strongly as it did in its 49-31 triumph over the 49ers.
“With his energy, it gets inside of his teammates on both sides of the ball,” Whipple said. “That was probably why the first half was really a strong complementary game as much we’ve played since I’ve been back here. Special teams helped the offense, offense helped the defense and we kept rolling that way.
“He just played with a lot of energy, and I think he played within himself. He brought his leadership to the table and just did a great job.”
For the younger players around Barr, the example he sets shows up as much on tape as it does live on the field. Sophomore linebacker Cole McCubrey said watching Barr’s performance against Charlotte on film Sunday was exciting because it was even more obvious how impactful he was to the game even if the stats didn’t credit him with a stop.
“You’re just watching the film the next day and he’s making all these plays, and you’re like ‘I can’t wait to put myself in a position like that where I could do the same thing,” McCubrey said.
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The increased energy was an obvious difference in the defense Saturday, but there was one other key element that helped the Minutemen slow down the 49ers. The Minutemen’s defensive ends were much more effective at setting and then holding the edge, bottling up the Charlotte running game and keeping 49ers quarterback Chris Reynolds under duress.
Sophomore Jake Byczko registered two sacks among his five tackles and Leon Flanagan Jr. also made five stops, one of which went for a loss. The duo created havoc in the backfield, most notably when they both collapsed on Reynolds on the second drive of the game for Byczko’s strip sack that set up UMass’ third touchdown. The duo came close to adding to that sack total, too, but Reynolds either threw the ball away or was able to wiggle back to the line of scrimmage for an official rushing attempt.
The play of Byczko and Flanagan on the edge opened the door for Barr’s 21-tackle performance by keeping the space in which UMass had to tackle ballcarriers smaller. It helped as Charlotte ran for just 81 yards on 41 carries, almost half of which came on one 34-yard run at the end of the first half with UMass in a more preventative defense.
QB UPDATE: The status on redshirt seniors Ross Comis and Andrew Ford remained unchanged Monday. Whipple did not comment on whether either of them have been cleared medically or if they participated in Monday’s practice. He said he would see how the week progresses and would wait until Saturday to see who would play against Ohio.
As for redshirt junior Michael Curtis, Whipple said he was pleased with how the first-time starter played last weekend against Charlotte. Curtis became the first UMass quarterback in 20 years to throw for two touchdowns and rush for two scores in the same game.
Whipple said Curtis did make a few mistakes that will be part of the next step in his progression, including an alignment issue that cost UMass one touchdown. Overall, however, he said he was happiest that Curtis didn’t have any turnovers and learned from the experience.
“There’s always things to work (on), I just think he gained a lot of confidence Saturday,” Whipple said. “He got great support from the other quarterbacks and his teammates. It’s never going to be perfect, that’s why it takes a long time to play the position, but I was really happy with what he did.”