Scouting UMass QBs Curtis, Brito & West
Louisiana Tech (4-1, 2-0) will play host to UMass (1-5) Saturday night inside Joe Aillet Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN3.
UMass has seen three quarterbacks start two games apiece to this point. We will take a look at Michael Curtis, Andrew Brito, and Randall West.
Curtis is expected to get the start Saturday night. Curtis is a 6’2, 215 pound senior that has started four career games.
Curtis has started at quarterback for the Minutemen the last two weeks against Akron and FIU. Let’s take a look at how he has performed.
Passing By Direction
-- At the LOS or Behind | 5/8 (63%) for 50 yards, 1 TD
-- 0-10 Yards Down Field | 13/14 (93%) for 115 yards
-- 11-20 Yards Down Field | 3/10 (30%) for 45 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
-- 20+ Yards Down Field | 1/10 (10%) for 29 yards, 1 INT
Louisiana Tech will need to do a good job at taking away the short underneath throws that have given the Bulldogs some issues through the first five games.
Passing Pressure
-- No Pressure | 16/30 (53%) for 157 yards, 2 TDs
-- Under Pressure | 6/20 (30%) for 82 yards, 3 INTs
-- Not Blitzed | 14/36 (39%) for 120 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
-- When Blitzed | 8/14 (57%) for 119 yards, 1 TD
Curtis is also a threat with his legs having rushed for 84 yards and 1 touchdown in 2019.
Next man up, Andrew Brito. Brito is a 5’10, 170 pound junior that has made two career starts while playing in four games. Both starts have come in 2019 against Charlotte and Coastal Carolina.
Brito has missed the last two games due to concussion and is questionable for Saturday’s contest with Louisiana Tech.
If the signal caller is ready to play, expect to see him at some point. Brito was signed in the 2019 recruiting class out of College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California and is HC Walt Bell’s ‘guy.’
How has Brito performed in his four games of action?
Passing by Direction
-- At the LOS or Behind | 14/16 (88%) for 30 yards
-- 0-10 Yards Down Field | 20/27 (74%) for 164 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
-- 11-20 Yards Down Field | 4/10 (40%) for 66 yards, 1 TD
-- 20+ Yards Down Field | 2/11 (18%) for 55 yards, 2 INTs
As was the case with Curtis, Brito appears to have major issues pushing the football down the field vertically.
Passing Pressure
-- No Pressure | 28/44 (64%) for 169 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
-- Under Pressure | 12/24 (50%) for 146 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
-- Not Blitzed | 34/57 (60%) for 263 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs
-- When Blitzed | 6/11 (55%) for 52 yards, 1 TD
The third and final quarterback that we will take a look at is Randall West. West is a 6’4, 220 pound redshirt senior that started the first two games of the season against Rutgers and Southern Illinois.
West has played in eight career games but did not play football as a junior in 2018. What did West do in 2018? He played basketball for the Minutemen where he appeared in eight games as a reserve forward before returning to the football team in the fall of 2019.
How has West performed in his four games of action?
Passing by Direction
-- At the LOS or Behind | 7/8 (88%) for 11 yards
-- 0-10 Yards Down Field | 22/27 (81%) for 159 yards, 1 TD
-- 11-20 Yards Down Field | 5/14 (36%) for 81 yards, 2 INTs
-- 20+ Yards Down Field | 4/9 (44%) for 111 yards, 2 TDs
Pushing the ball down the field will not be a strength of the UMass passing game Saturday.
Passing Pressure
-- No Pressure | 30/48 (63%) for 239 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
-- Under Pressure | 8/15 (53%) for 123 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
-- Not Blitzed | 32/54 (59%) for 292 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
-- When Blitzed | 6/9 (67%) for 70 yards, 2 TDs
Through 6 games, UMass quarterbacks have been pressured 82 times. Louisiana Tech’s defensive line is going to have an opportunity to get some things ironed out against the Minutemen Saturday evening.
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