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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Christian "Chris" Masson
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Home Phone: 305-903-3656 Football: Masson impresses Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • October 6, 2010 Chris Masson’s career performance last week in UL’s 28-27 win over North Texas surprised some people across the Sun Belt Conference. Not UNT coach Todd Dodge. Masson passed for a career-high 310 yards and tied a personal best with two touchdown passes to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns, who rushed for only 41 yards and missed injured tight end Ladarius Green. His touchdown passes covered 82 yards to tailback Aaron Spikes in the second quarter and 60 yards to Javone Lawson in the third period. The junior was at his best on third down, completing 7-of-11 passes for 83 yards. The Sun Belt Conference and Louisiana Sports Writers Association both named Masson as the Offensive Player of the Week. Rivals.com honored him as the Sun Belt Player of the Week. “When we were able to shut that (the run) down, he was able to step up and make some big throws,” coach Dodge said. “He had a couple of touchdown passes. Probably his biggest throws were on third down. He really threw the ball well in those situations.” Coach Dodge compared the 6-foot-2, 211-pound Masson to one of his former Southlake Carroll High School players — ex-University of Missouri star and current New Orleans Saints quarterback Chase Daniel. “Like Chase, he’s got a lot of moxie to him and an ability to make some plays with his feet and has a strong arm,” coach Dodge said. “Of the quarterbacks I’ve coached and the ones I’ve seen in similar offenses, he would best compare with Chase and his abilities.” One of Masson’s receivers, senior Richie Falgout, has seen steady improvement from his quarterback despite playing behind a new-look offensive line that has lacked depth in recent weeks due to injuries. Masson, who passed for 2,406 yards with 10 TDs and eight interceptions last year, has thrown five TD passes and only one pick so far this season. “He’s been working a whole lot during the week,” Falgout said. “I commend Chris for that because I know I wouldn’t want 11 guys trying to tackle me as quickly as they have him. He’s worked a lot on moving around and stepping up in the pocket, and you can really notice that. “His focus and dedication to this team is phenomenal.” More of the same Quarterback Riley Dodge fractured his non-throwing (left) wrist after being sacked by the Cajuns on the fifth play last week, but the sophomore still finished the game. He might need surgery to insert a pin in his wrist, which could jeopardize his availability for the rest of the season. Riley Dodge passed for 191 yards and two TDs and ran for 43 yards and another score in the loss. He is likely out this week, meaning that fourth-string quarterback Chase Baine would be the projected starter going into Saturday’s game against Arkansas State. The Mean Green has lost 12 starters this season to serious injuries, including its top three quarterbacks. UNT also is dealing with the death of freshman receiver Josh Rake on Friday following a single-car accident on Thursday. His funeral will be Thursday. “It’s been tough,” coach Dodge said. “What we have tried to do with our players is be strong for one another.” National rankings Middle Tennessee defensive end Jamari Lattimore is tied for third in sacks per game (1.25). Troy quarterback Corey Robinson is sixth in passing yards per game (311). Extra points * * * * * * * * * * RaginCajuns.com Oct. 4, 2010 Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns junior quarterback Chris Masson and senior defensive lineman Jermaine Rogers were named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive and Specials Team Player of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Monday. Both players were instrumental in the Cajuns 28-27 victory at North Texas on Saturday. Both Masson and Rogers were also named Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively, by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association. In addition, Masson earned Rivals.com Sun Belt Player of the Week. Masson threw for a career-high 310 yards and tied his career mark with two touchdown passes in the Cajuns road win at North Texas. He launched TD passes of 60 and 82 yards, while completing 7-of-11 passing attempts for 83 yards on third down. His previous career-best was 283 yards in his first career start (vs. Southern, 2009). Masson did not throw an interception, improving the Cajuns record to 8-1 over his career when he is INT-free. He has not thrown a pick over his last 96 passing attempts. Masson guided the Cajuns to scoring drives of 82, 82 and 86 yards. UL entered the game with only six 20? yard passing plays, but Masson completed six passes of at least 20 yards in the game. North Texas appeared to be sending the game into overtime after scoring a touchdown with 31 seconds remaining in regulation, but Rogers blocked the extra point to secure victory for UL. The block is the 42nd in the Rickey Bustle-era and the 12th PAT block over that span. The Cajuns rank fourth in the nation in blocked kicks since the start of the 2002 season. * * * * * * * * * * Football: Masson reaches goal as Cajuns’ starting QB Top signalcaller out to prove himself Saturday Joshua Parrott � jparrott@theadvertiser.com � September 3, 2009 From the time Chris Masson arrived on UL’s campus in the summer of 2007, all he ever wanted was a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job. The Miami native sat out his first year as a redshirt before seeing Brad McGuire beat him out to be the back-up quarterback last fall. But with the graduation of last year’s starter, Michael Desormeaux, McGuire and Masson were matched up in another head-to-head competition during spring drills and fall camp. This time, it was to be the starter. This time, Masson ultimately won the battle after showing better accuracy and consistency. That meant the sophomore would be the starting quarterback when the Ragin’ Cajuns open the season Saturday against Southern University at Cajun Field. After hearing about the decision last Thursday, Masson called his mother back home in Florida. It was an emotional moment for mother and son. “I think I shed a tear here or there,” Masson said of that phone conversation. “She is my mom, and it’s easy to get emotional when I talk with her. She was very, very happy that I got the job. She said, ‘I’ve been praying every single day for you to get the job.'” Masson’s job description last season was much different. He appeared in 11 games as the holder for field goals and extra points and played in three games as the No. 3 quarterback behind Desormeaux and McGuire. His first college pass against Florida Atlantic was intercepted. His totals at the end of the year: six of nine passing for 72 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Now Masson is expected to lead an offense that ranked among the top teams nationally in rushing (seventh), total offense (13th) and scoring (24th). So far, the 6-foot-2, 211-pounder is doing just that, according to offensive coordinator Ron Hudson. “He has taken this thing and is going with it,” Hudson said. “He is taking the extra reps. He is looking at extra film. The other guys were already doing extra. He’s doing extra on their extra. He’s got a real sense of confidence. He’s putting us on his shoulders and still saying ‘I’m part of these 11 guys.’ But he’s in charge of it.” This was what UL’s coaches expected from Masson after recruiting him out of high school. After starting as a sophomore at Coral Park High, Masson transferred to Columbus High for his final two years. He started for the Explorers as a junior, but the playoff-bound team leaned heavily on running back John Mosure, now at Colorado State. Masson got a chance to throw the ball more as a senior, passing for 1,805 yards and 19 touchdowns as Columbus returned to the postseason. It helped that he had future college receivers in Matt Guinn (Southern Illinois) and Kyle McDowell (Western Michigan). When it came to recruiting, Masson got some interest from Memphis, Western Michigan and Florida International, but the Cajuns were the first school make an offer. He committed about a week after visiting campus, ending the recruiting process. According to Columbus High head coach Chris Merritt, Masson was overlooked by most schools because he weighed about 175 pounds and had only two years of quality coaching. Masson has added about 40 pounds since his prep days. “He had good mechanics and threw a good football,” Merritt said. “But he was really going off of two years of coaching. At the time, he was really just starting to tap into recognizing defenses.” When he showed up at UL, Masson was told he would redshirt. He got a chance to compete for the back-up job in his second year. That’s when Hudson noticed Masson starting to push himself even more, perhaps a little too much. “In that second year he put so much pressure on himself,” Hudson said. “He just didn’t perform like he could perform. He was trying to grasp everything, and everything just piled up on him.” Hudson added that something clicked with Masson during spring drills. He always knew the offense, but now he was processing the offense and making the proper adjustments. His improvement continued in fall camp. By the end of fall camp, Masson edged out McGuire in a tight race. “He lost his confidence a little bit there and had to gain it back,” Hudson said. “When he did that, things really took off for him.” With Masson at quarterback, Hudson admits that the Cajuns have a more varied offense than in the past. Desormeaux was a strong runner but lacked polish as a passer. Masson has a stronger arm and is quick in the pocket. Comparisons always follow players stepping into new roles. Masson isn’t worried about that. “I want to take this opportunity, run with it and not look back,” Masson said. “That’s my plan. The ultimate goal is to win the Sun Belt, and doing that would get us into a bowl.” That takes us back to a phone conversation Masson had last week with Merritt. “In our last conversation, I told him that he has been handed the keys,” Merritt said. “Now it’s up to him to keep them.” * * * * * * * * * * Football: Masson named Cajuns’ new QB Joshua Parrott � jparrott@theadvertiser.com � August 29, 2009 UL head coach Rickey Bustle told sophomore Chris Masson on Thursday morning that he would be the team’s starting quarterback going into next Saturday’s season opener against Southern University. Masson beat out last year’s primary back-up, sophomore Brad McGuire, for the starting job in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ no-huddle, spread option offense. Michael Desormeaux, the 2008 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in total offense, exhausted his eligibility last fall. Bustle made the announcement public at a booster dinner Thursday night, ending the longest quarterback competition in his 30-plus years of coaching. The news was reported later that night at theadvertiser.com. “Really it just boiled down to consistency,” Bustle said. “When it’s all said and done, you’re talking about two guys who were battling tooth and nail. It was a tremendously tough situation to make such a close call. “They’re both good leaders and have so many pluses. But we evaluated every single thing they did in preseason camp, and that’s where Chris got the nod.” Masson, a native of Miami and son of Cuban parents, saw limited action in three games as the team’s No. 3 quarterback and was the holder on kicks for 11 contests. He completed 6-of-9 passes for 72 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions as a redshirt freshman. On the ground he gained 24 yards on seven rushes. Over the summer Masson added 11 pounds and improved his strength with some serious time in the weight room. He’s not as strong of a runner as Desormeaux, but is considered to be a more polished passer and pure quarterback. After hearing the news Thursday morning, the 6-foot-2, 211-pounder called his parents back in Miami. It was a positive moment for Masson, who briefly considered transferring after failing to win last year’s back-up job. Masson’s last start came during his time at Miami’s Columbus High School, where he accounted for 2,050 yards and 22 touchdowns in his final two years. He threw for 1,805 yards and 19 scores as a senior in a run-based offense, earning third team all-county honors. Players are unavailable for comment until next week. “I’ve been praying and praying for this to happen,” said Masson’s mother, Virginia Masson. “This has been his dream since he enrolled at the university. He was very happy, and I was very excited. We cried a little bit on the phone.” Last year as a redshirt freshman, McGuire led all Sun Belt quarterbacks in pass efficiency (140.6) in eight games despite having a sports hernia. The 6-2, 210-pounder was 20-for-30 passing for 233 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 143 yards and two scores on 46 carries. McGuire’s one start came against Arkansas State with Desormeaux out hurt. Despite getting sacked five times and throwing two interceptions, McGuire engineered two late touchdown drives to rally the Cajuns from a nine-point deficit with eight minutes left for a 28-23 win. Given what happened last year, Bustle’s decision Thursday was tough for McGuire to hear. It did not help that McGuire has recently been sick. “I talked with him on the phone last night, and he is pretty bummed and understandably so,” said McGuire’s father, Brad McGuire Sr. “They were both working hard together, and he thought that he was doing really well. I told him to hang in there because Chris could go down on one play and you could be in there.” Masson and McGuire competed for the starting job in spring drills, but neither quarterback pulled away. While McGuire missed the final week of the spring to recover from his sports hernia, Masson accounted for two touchdowns and 223 yards, including 211 passing, and moved the offense into position for Brett Baer’s go-ahead field goal in a 27-26 win as time expired. At the conclusion of spring drills Bustle said the two quarterbacks were tied, but that McGuire held the slight edge due to his game experience. Masson and McGuire appeared to be dead-even after the first two fall scrimmages. In the first scrimmage, Masson completed 18 of 30 passes for 178 yards, while McGuire was picked off three times. During last Saturday’s second scrimmage, Masson threw three picks, while McGuire accounted for four touchdowns. Bustle changed things up last Wednesday, holding a closed practice instead of a third scrimmage. According to multiple sources, both quarterbacks moved the offense, but Masson threw the ball better. The next day Bustle announced that Masson would start in Week 1. Recent history shows that McGuire will likely be a factor in the near future. UL’s starting quarterback has gotten hurt in each of Bustle’s seven previous seasons. “We told both of them before we ever made the decision that when we do it, the starter will be the guy and that the other guy has to prepare themselves to be ready to play,” Bustle said. “We wanted to give whoever got the nod the opportunity to say this is your job, so go and run with it. “I’m not saying how long or short the rope is on that situation, but they’re both going to be very capable and prepared to play.”
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