2003 UMass Minutemen football team

2003 UMass Minutemen football
A10 co-champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 7–19 vs. Colgate
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Record	10–3 (8–1 A-10)
Head coach	Mark Whipple (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Neil McGrath (4th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium

2003 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Delaware +^		8	–	1					15	–	1
No. 11 UMass +^		8	–	1					10	–	3
No. 20 Northeastern		6	–	3					8	–	4
No. 25 Villanova		5	–	4					7	–	4
Maine		4	–	4					6	–	5
William & Mary		4	–	4					5	–	5
James Madison		4	–	5					6	–	6
New Hampshire		3	–	6					5	–	7
Rhode Island		3	–	6					4	–	8
Hofstra		2	–	6					2	–	10
Richmond		1	–	8					2	–	9
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2003 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). The team was coached by Mark Whipple and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 2003 season was Whipple's last with UMass. He left to take the position of quarterbacks coach with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers after the season. It was a successful year for Whipple and the Minutemen as they returned to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs for the first time since 1999 by virtue of winning the A-10 Conference championship. UMass finished the season with a record of 10–3 overall and 8–1 in conference play.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	1:00 p.m.	Central Connecticut State*		McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		W 51–7	8,360
September 13	1:00 p.m.	at No. 7 (AP/I-A) Kansas State*	No. 10	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS		L 7–38	46,102
September 20	6:00 p.m.	at No. 16 Maine	No. 12	Alfond Stadium Orono, ME		W 24–16	7,316
September 27	1:00 p.m.	James Madison	No. 10	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		W 31–26	10,196
October 4	1:00 p.m.	New Hampshire	No. 9	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA (rivalry)		W 44–30	7,085
October 11	1:00 p.m.	at William & Mary	No. 7	Zable Stadium Williamsburg, VA		W 24-14	4,868
October 18	12:30 p.m.	Hofstra*	No. 6	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA	CN8	W 27-22	7,323
October 25	3:30 p.m.	at No. 2 Villanova	No. 5	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA	FSNE	W 19–14	9,125
November 1	12:30 p.m.	Northeastern	No. 4	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA	CSTV	W 28–24	7,106
November 8	12:00 p.m.	Richmond	No. 4	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		W 30–17	6,167
November 15	12:15 p.m.	at No. 6 Delaware	No. 3	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	FSNE	L 45–51 3OT	21,804
November 22	12:00 p.m.	Rhode Island	No. 7	McGuirk Stadium Hadley, MA		W 31–17	7,087
November 29	12:45 p.m.	at No. 6 Colgate*	No. 5	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)		L 7–19	4,197
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time