Game Week: Depth Chart News

(Rob Blanchflower will return to action this weekend against Vanderbilt/Andy Heller for the Maroon Musket)

There isn’t too much going on with this week’s depth chart. The team is still dealing with injuries, but another player has been let off suspension and will be back in action against Vanderbilt. Oh, and for all those “Twittergate” people out there, D’Metrius Williams is on the depth chart and will play this weekend.

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Blanchflower Ready to Go: UMass tight end Rob Blanchflower is back on the depth chart, much to the relief of UMass fans. Both Matt Vautour and Harry Plumer reported that Blanchflower was back at practice, and it sounds like his leg injury has healed. Blanchflower is a huge part of the UMass offense, and you could tell his blocking and receiving abilities were greatly missed during the Bowling Green game. Interestingly, Derek Beck is listed as Blanchflower’s backup, but Plumer is reporting that he’s out for the weekend.

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Wide Receiver Shakeup: Elgin Long, a redshirt freshman wide receiver, is listed as a starter this weekend. Long has seen limited action this year and so far has one catch for -2 yards. I assume Long will take a few snaps and then make way for Alan Williams, who is returning from a two-game suspension. Interestingly, Long is listed as a starter over true freshman Tajae Sharpe. Maybe Molnar is trying to send a message. Sharpe did pretty well during the first four weeks of the season, but since then he has disappeared. Since his 37-yard performance against Miami (OH), Sharpe has yet to break 10 yards receiving. Both Long and Sharpe are considered deep threats, and maybe this is the beginning of a wideout competition. Personally, I like Sharpe’s height (6’2) more than Long’s (5’11), but I haven’t seen enough of the latter to say who’s better.

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Hold the Line: Unless Nick Speller comes back from suspension and earns his starting spot back, the offensive line will look the same as it did last weekend. This can only be good for continuity. The unit is still pretty inexperienced with Matt Sparks, John Wallace and Michael Boland all seeing significant playing time. However, these guys look lightyears better than they did at the beginning of the season and seem to be adjusting to the size and speed of FBS-level football. It would be good to get Jaime Casselberry back, but it sounds like he needs more time to recover from his concussion.