Half way to Albany - 09/09/09

Ah-- the perils of incomplete information. It turns out that the winner of the UMass Football Blog Hat contest knows a thing or two about football. The contestant that won was Noel E. Schablik. He won two varsity letters playing football back in 1967 and 1968. I'll ship the hat off today.

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UMass has the game notes for Albany up here (html) and here (pdf).

Albany's game notes for the UMass game here (pdf).

On the UMass two-deep chart: congratulations to UMass RG Jared Chivers RSr 6-4 260 who cracked the starting lineup in his last year in the program. Chivers was so far down in the lineup preseason he does not even have a page in the UMass press guide. Chivers is listed as backing up the RG position in addition to his starting at LG.

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Matty Vautour has an article about the UMass defense. Vautour mentions the excellent play of KeMon Bailey in his first start at CB. He also covers the rebirth of the linebacking corps with D. J Adeoba and true freshman Perry McIntyre playing well.

He also mentions Syracuse transfer Mike Mele has been sidelined with an upper body injury (no information about when he'd be back) and fourth string QB Spencer Whipple has left the program.

I would like to add that I was there and UMass defense did an excellent job. They shut down the Wildcat offense in the second half.

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The CAA has state-of-the-league and Sept 12th game previews here.

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Three follow-up game articles about last Saturday's game from the Kansas State side here and here and here.

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Dave Coulson of the Sports Network covers the upsets and near upsets in FBS/FCS play last Saturday.

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Keepers college football ratings has UMass as #18 and CAA teams rated #1 to #4 in the nation.

He also has UMass by 11.72 over Albany in his game predictions page.

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