Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Recruiting 2017--DeAndre Applin

Georgia Military College image
DeAndre Applin, a 6-0 205 pound safety from Georgia Military College has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

Applin's 247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Applin's Georgia Military College bio has stats.

UMass is his first FBS offer.

Tuesday--November 30th, 2016

Good Morning from Kauai. I have a good internet connection, so I'll keep the blog going.

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A blog reader sent me this post about SEC team Georgia's scheduling efforts. Looks like Bamford will be able to schedule financially profitable games into the foreseeable future. Especially if UMass could fold in some hoops meetings. The $1.5 million UMass received from South Carolina could be the new norm.

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Troy's Marching Band's nickname is "The Song of the South".

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James Ihedigbo takes the "chameleon approach" to his recent stint in Buffalo.

Ihedigbo did not practice yesterday due to an ankle injury.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Tuesday--November 30th, 2016

H3 East traffic
Good Morning. Mrs Blog and I are moving to Kauai for a week. I'll be good to get away from the Honolulu traffic.

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Andrew Cyr's last UMass football column. Cyr did a good job. Accurate reporting and no mixing of personal hobby-horses.

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Rotoworld has a post on Coach Whipple's status going into his fourth year.

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College football coaching changes as of November 28th.

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Tajae Sharpe was held to 11 yards in week #12.

James Ihedigbo's role with the Bills continues to grow.

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OT, but did you see this 593 foot basketball shot?

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Monday, November 28, 2016

Monday--November 28th, 2016

UMass has some highlights from the Hawaii game here.

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Matty Vautour reports UMass AD Ryan Bamford has faith in the UMass football program and Coach Whipple.

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UMass RB Marquis young will on the UMass Insider Show tonight at the Hanger.

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The Hartford Courant says UConn suffered a losing and lost season. Despite BC reaching the stratospheric record of 6-6 and being bowl eligible, it was a lost season for New England FBS teams.

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If you didn't get to see the game Saturday, during one play, UMass TE Adam Breneman took a shot to his knees. About a half a dozen UMass players ran to check on him. Breneman got up and returned to the game after one play out.

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NBC Sports predicts eight UMass 2016 opponents will play in bowls .

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Really sad story about BYU running backs coach Reno Mahe's three year old daughter Else Mahe.

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Sunday, November 27, 2016

Sunday After Hawaii--November 17th, 2016




That was the most exciting game UMass has played since the beginning of the FBS era. Andrew Ford had his best game as a Minuteman QB. He went 24-38 342 3TD's. Marquis Young had 117 yards rushing.

The Minutemen played a spirited game and drove to the Hawaii 21 yard line and didn't complete a game-winning TD attempt in which the UMass WR was held.

The Minutemen only punted three times. We did have a fumbled snap for a safety and Jesse Monteiro got beat over the top for two Hawaii TD's . Hawaii is a fast, talented team and the game could have gone either way. It was a game to build off of.

I forgot to mention there was a big UMass turnout for the game. I guess playing in Hawaii is more fun than Orono,ME.

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UMass write-up.

Hawaii write-up.

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Dan Malone has a post on the game here.

KITV.com says the Warriors survived UMass.

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Florida State handled Florida 31-13.

BC beat Wake Forest to go 6-6 and be bowl eligible.

Old Dominion beat FIU 42-28. That win moves the Monarchs to 9-3.

Mississippi State shocked Ole Miss 55-20.

Tulane ran all over UConn 38-13.

Louisina Tech was upset by Southern Mississippi to fall to 8-4.

South Carolina was crushed by Clemson 56-7.

Troy beat Texas State 40 to 7 to get back in the Sunbelt title race. Troy is 9-2.

BYU rolled over Utah State to run their record to 8-4. UMass played a lot of good teams this year.

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Saturday, November 26, 2016

Game Day Hawaii--November 26th, 2016

Well today is the last day of a rough season. UMass needs an upset to salvage something of a season with just too many Power Five teams. The Minutemen need to cut down on the mistakes---and I know I've said that a lot this year. The UMass defense actually did not play badly last week. There were three turnovers inside the Minutemen 20 yard line and a INT for a touchdown. A running into the kicker penalty ruined another defense stop.

I'm not exactly overjoyed at our chances for an upset, but Mrs Blog and I will be there cheering for the Minutemen.

GO UMASS!!!!

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Matty Vautour says UMass will try to close a down season on an upbeat note.

The Boston Herald reports the Minutemen are seeking a winning finish.

Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich says the Warriors can't afford to take UMass lightly. I had an extensive conversation with Rolovich back at the Charlie Molnar introduction meeting. Seemed like a nice guy who knew his football. He ended up leaving UMass after about four months.

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Friday, November 25, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Melvin Hill

Image credit unknown
Melvin Hill, a 6-3 195 pound WR from Baker HS in Alabama has tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

Alabama State high jump champion.

NCSA has some stats including a 41.5 inch vertical.

247Sports page here.

UMass is the first FBS offer for Hill. Drawing interest from Army, Tulane, South Alabama, Iowa State, Memphis and Middle Tennessee State.

Friday before Hawaii--November 25th, 2016

UMass has a photo gallery of the team's Pearl Harbor Tour.


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Sports Illustrated predicts sseven of UMass' 2016 opponents will go to bowls.

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James Ihedigbo's motto: Adapt or die.

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Vladimir Ducasse had his second consecutive start against Dallas last week.

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Thursday, November 24, 2016

Thanksgiving Day--November 24th. 2016



Happy Thanksgiving from Mrs Blog & me. I'm thankful that I'm with Mrs Blog and we're together in Hawaii. I'm thankful for my country with all that it offers. I'm thankful I have UMass football to obsess about. I'm thankful for all the friends I've made through the blog.

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James Ihedigbo went from being out of football to a starter for the Bills--in one week.

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Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Wednesday before Hawaii--November 23rd, 2016

UMass football has a couple of videos from their visit.



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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a recap of the BYU game.

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Campus Insiders predicts Hawaii 37 UMass 28.

KHON2.com says it'll be Senior Night for the Warriors.

The same station considers bowl options for Hawaii if they beat UMass.

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Adam Breneman was not selected to be in the final three candidates for the Mackey Award.

I don't understand that one. Breneman has gone 66-788 7 TD's. He's #1 in receptions per game and he's done it against top competition.

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Australia's latest export is college football's best punters.

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NFL.com reports Tajae Sharpe has become a staple in the Titans offense (scroll down).

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OT, but from the Amherst Police Blotter: Woman attempts to use a slice of Pizza as an ID.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Tuesday befire Hawaii--November 22nd, 2016


Aloha from Honolulu. The scene above is from our balcony just after sunset. Click on the image and Blogger gives a larger view. We were pretty tired after the flight. We did go for a walk on Waikiki beach before we turned in.

The time difference (five hours) from the East Coast means I'll be updating the blog later in the day.

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UMass has their game notes up for Hawaii.

Hawaii has their notes up too.

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A 2013 UMass grad describes what he learned about BYU football to the Deseret News.

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The Sports Chat Place says in the Minutemen vs the Warriors, take UMass and the points.

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Freshman DL Viane Moala was Hawaii's special team player of the week after blocking a potential game winning FG at Fresno State.

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The ugliest game trophy in college football: the Fresno State -Hawaii Golden Screwdriver.

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After waiting a while, Tajae Sharpe caught a TD pass for the second consecutive week.

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Monday, November 21, 2016

Monday before Hawaii--November 21st, 2016

The UMass Daily Collegian says second half struggles did the Minutemen in again.

Three things the Cougars learned from shellacking UMass.

The Herald reports Saturday was a heavenly day for BYU sports fans.


Deseret News says BYU's special teams made big plays against UMass.

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Keepers College Football rankings has Hawaii a 7+ point favotite over UMass (.pdf download).

Vegas Insider has Hawaii opening as a 10 point favorite over the Minutemen.

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The Maui News says Hawaii narrowly retains hopes of a bowl invite. It would nice if UMass would win next week. As one of the commenters said, it's not easy being a Minutemen fan. Sometimes I feel like Job in the Bible. It would be fun to ruin someone else's day for a change.

Job by Bonnat

We feel the pain of Fresno State fans who's team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a 14-13 loss to Hawaii.

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Sunday, November 20, 2016

Sunday after BYU--November 20th, 2016

Well yesterday was a beautiful day. The weather was outstanding. Had fun talking with the friendly BYU fans and seeing Cougar stadium. Worth noting was the invocation at the start of the game that included prayer for a safe trip home for UMass players and fans.

UMass played a strong first half that mirrored the Minutemen's efforts against all of the Power Five schools we've played so far.

The second half was a self-inflected run of errors that turned a close game into a disheartening rout. Those 30 minutes were about the worst half of football I've seen a UMass team play in my memory. An my memory goes back to 1970...

The only option is to forget about it and try to do better next week against Hawaii.

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Some UMass fans made the trip

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UMass writeup.

BYU writeup.

BYU post game notes has quotes from Whipple and UMass players.

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Dan Malone reports UMass gave up 44 unanswered points in the second half.

Matty Vautour says UMass fell apart in the second half.

The Salt Lake Tribune says a blocked punt started rout.

The Deseret News report Cougar special teams came up big in a rout of UMass.

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The Florida Gators beat LSU in a game that featured a lot of talking.

Boston College blanked UConn.

FIU gained their first win ever against Marshall.

Mississippi State gave up 58 points in a loss to Arkansas.

Temple crushed Tulane 31-0.

Old Dominion kept their championship hopes alive by beating Florida Atlantic.

Louisiana Tech won their 7th straight to win C-USA's West title.

South Carolina won their sixth game to become bowl eligible.

Wagner beat St. Francis to finish their season 6-5.

Hawaii blocked a late field goal to edge Fresno State 14-13.

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Saturday, November 19, 2016

Game Day BYU--November 19th, 2016

Good Morning from Provo, UT. Our motel is withing walking distance of Cougar Stadium, so we'll be hiking up to the game. Hope to see some other UMass fans.

Another week another Power Five team. BYU would hold its own in the Big12. Last week, with their running backs injured, BYU went back to their pass-every-down roots and threw for over 400 yards. The Cougars have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.

Hopefully, the bye week allowed UMass to get some players back. Getting Da'Sean Downey back would really help the defense as would Tedrick Lowery. Downey has 7.5 TFL and 5 SACKS in eight GP. Lowery has 31 TT in six GP.

The Minutemen need to avoid turnovers and stop those five minute meltdowns when everything goes wrong.

If you're watching on ESPN3, Mrs Blog and I will be the couple in Maroon & White.

Go UMass!!!

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Matty Vautour reports UMass heads into a two road-game finale for their 2016 season.

The Salt Lake Tribune says the Cougars are focusing on momentum and improvement.

The Deseret News has media and other facts about today's game.

Vanquish the foe has betting lines, computer projections and power rankings for the Minutemen-Cougars game.

KSL.com features UMass TE Adam Breneman as the Minutemen's offensive leader.

Wager Talk.com says take UMass and the points.

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Friday, November 18, 2016

Friday before BYU--November 18th, 2016


Mrs Blog and I are off on our most awesome UMass road trip ever. We're flying to Utah today and will be attending UMass-BYU. On Monday we head for Honolulu for a week in Oahu. We'll be doing lots of sightseeing ending up with the Minutemen -Rainbow Warriors game next Saturday.

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The Salt Lake Tribune says UMass has struggled as an independent.

The Deseret News says fellow independent UMass visits BYU.

Mark Whipple said in a radio interview, UMass could be playing a game at Fenway park.

The UMass charter flight to Provo was delayed due to a bomb threat at Barnes Airport.

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Nice human-interest story about Joe Thomas Sr, a player for South Carolina State, who's 55 years old.

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Thursday, November 17, 2016

Recruiting 2017--DaJhon James

Twitter image

DaJhon James a 6-0 225 pound RB/LB from West Jefferson HS in CA has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

Hudl.com has video.

Max Preps has some stats.



Thursday before BYU--November 17th, 2016

Marquis Young gets an appearance in the "UMass Rising" video (in the first two minutes), he's psychology/brain science major.

Young has gone 168-741 3 TD's 83 LONG in rushing. 20-114 20 LONG in receiving.He needs 269 yards rushing in the last two games to break a 1,000 yards total. He needs a 145 yards rushing and receiving to to break 1,000 yards of total offense.

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The Hampshire Gazette has a AP post on the Bills picking up James Ihedigbo.

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Adam Aucoin of the UMass Daily Collegian reports UMass travels to BYU in a battle of independents.

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The Deseret News has 6 numbers to know about UMass-BYU.

The News also has three keys to the Cougars-Minutemen game.

The St George News wonders if BYU fans are disappointed  in the Poinsettia Bowl.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports the Cougar offensive line looks to continue their domination of opponents as UMass visits.

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OT, but UMass students organize a "sh*t-in" at Whitmore.

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Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Robert Valencia

Scout.com image

Robert Valencia, a 6-5 295 pound OL from Community College of San Francisco has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a November 9th, 2016 article about Valencia by Zack Tanner

"No, that distance factor isn't in play. The biggest factors for where I'm going to endup are first of all academics, because I want to go to a school that has really good academics, and a team that I'm going to be really comfortable playing for and being able to compete for the next two years. How I feel being there and wanting to compete."

Robert Valencia holds offers from Eastern Michigan, Hawaii, Nevada, San Jose State, Texas Tech, Weber State, and Western Illinois. He is receiving interest from Kansas, Miami, Utah State, and Washington State, among others."

VAlencia has 13 offers with UMass the only one from the Northeast.

Wednesday before BYU--November 16th, 2016

Matty Vautour reports UMass TE Adam Breneman is not thinking about the NFL draft right now.

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Andrew Cyr of the UMass Daily Collegian says UMass enjoyed a much-needed bye week.

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BYU defensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi also plays DI hoops for BYU; he's 6-9 270 pounds.

BYU senior Colby Pearson, a former walk-on, is having a fine season.

The Cougars are tough at home. Since 2001 BYU has won 73-95 in Cougar stadium for a 76% home winning average.

BYU safeties have transitioned well from playing in a 3-4 last year to a 4-3 in 2016.

Vanquish the Foe has a BYU-UMass preview podcast.

BYU RB Jamaal Williams has accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

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The Buffalo Bills have signed former UMass star James Ihedigbo to their roster.

Ihedigbo's signing from the Bills website.

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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Tyler Hayes

Tyler College image
Tyler Hayes, a 6-0 214 pound SS/FS from Tyler Junior college in Tyler, TX has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

Hudl.com has 2016 highlights.

This site has some stats.

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Tuesday before BYU--November 15th, 2016

UMass has its game notes for BYU up.

BYU has its game notes for UMass up.

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UMass TE Adam Breneman has been named one of eight finalists for the John Mackey Award. So far this year Breneman has gone 10-10 GP-GS 58-699 12.1 AVE 7 TD's 58 LONG 69.9 AVE/game (UMass' leading receiver).

Breneman has been averaging 5.8 catches/game. If he stays at that pace, he have 11 more receptions in 2016. That'll put him #8 in the UMass single season reception records. With 69 receptions, he'll be ahead of Tim Berra (62 in 1973) and behind Victor Cruz (71 in 2008).

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Kyle DaLuz of the UMass Daily Collegian has some football notes from the off week.

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The Salt Lake Tribune says UMass is a "mystery" opponent for the Cougars.

Campus Insiders picks BYU 38 UMass 20.

Sports Chat Place says take UMass and the points.

BYU running backs are nicked up.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports injuries at RB will test the Cougars depth.

BYU just accepted an invitation to the Poinsettia Bowl.

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Monday, November 14, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Ibraham Kante II

Twitter image
Ibraham Kante, a 6-5 240 pound DE from the Bronx, NY has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

I've blogged about Kante before.

Hudl.com has senior season highlights.

Max Preps has some stats.

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Monday before BYU-- November 14th, 2016

UPDATE: OT, but UMass hoops is on channel 408 on Dish Network at 7:00 pm here in New Hampshire.

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BYU rang up almost 600 yards of offense in a 37-7 win over SUU. That win makes the Cougars bowl eligible.

The Cougars went to an up-tempo offense against Southern Utah.

BYU looks to finish the season strong.

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Las Vegas thinks UMass has another turn in the Fighting Pits of Meereen as the Minutemen are currently a 30.5 point underdog at BYU.

Keepers College football ratings has BYU at 30+ over UMass (.pdf download)

Keeper has UMass at #118, BYU as #38 and Hawaii at #92 (another .pdf download)

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Boise State beat Hawaii 56-16.

Hawaii's coach was upset at their effort, he took away the team's benches at halftime.

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BC was crushed Friday night.

Florida beat South Carolina 20-7 at the Swamp.

FIU had a bye week.

Mississippi State was crushed by Alabama 51-3.

Old Dominion ran over Southern Mississippi 51-35 in Norfolk.

Houston beat Tulane 30-18

Louisina Tech beat UTSA 63-35 to win Conference USA's Western Division.

Wagner blew out Robert Morris 40-5. Big weekend for Wagner as the Seahawks handled UConn in hoops.

Troy claimed the top spot in the Sun Belt with a 28-24 win over Appalachian State.

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Tajae Sharpe had his first NFL TD. Titans Video.

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Saturday, November 12, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Dominique Briggs

Hudl.com image
Dominique Briggs, a 6-3 295 pound OL/Center from Coffeyville Community College has announced he's received an offer from UMass.

Briggs' Red Ravens bio page.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from 2015 relates how Briggs chose Coffeyville.

Saturday of the Bye Week--November 12th, 2016

Blog Note: There will be no blog update Sunday. We are visiting friends and will not have internet access. See everyone Monday morning.

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BYU vs SUU will be on ESPN3.

A win today makes the Cougars bowl eligible.

Vanquish the foe reports BYU is favored by 31 over FCS Southern Utah.

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Hawaii vs Boise State info. Another win would give the Rainbow Warriors their most wins since 2010.

Athlon Sports predicts Boise State 38-Hawaii 24.

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Florida State embarrassed Boston College 45-7 last night. The Eagles also lost to Nicholls State in their hoops opener.

More OT, but #14 UConn lost to Wagner 67-58.

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Friday, November 11, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Cole McCubrey IV

I've blogged about UMass commit Cole McCubrey before.

This article from the Worcester Telegram has some news about his 2016 season.

Quote from the article:

"McCubrey, for the second consecutive year, leads Central Mass. in rushing and is closing in on another 2,000-yard season. McCubrey has over 5,600 yards in his career and has a chance to set a new Central Mass. record."

Friday of the Bye Week--November 11th, 2016

I was watching Georgia Southern play Louisiana Lafayette on TV last night. I've mentioned a number of times here in the blog, that the Sun Belt Conference would not be a bad fit for UMass football.

The level of support, the stadiums and the general posture of the football programs, is a pretty good match for UMass. The league is highly competitive. This article from the Las Cruces Sun-New says for most Sun Belt teams, every game is winnable. We have an actual history with Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. I think the games would resonate with Minuteman fans a lot more than any of the MAC teams did.

Obviously, in terms of revenue and playing UConn and Temple, the AAC would be by far the best all-sports league. However, if it looks like there will be no realignment of the AAC in sight for a decade or so, a football-only Sun Belt slot could be a good place for UMass football to be. I just think it would flat work from a football perspective.

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There's a lot of connections when BYU meets FCS Southern Utah.

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Boise State is all business when they travel to Hawaii to take on the Rainbow Warriors.

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FIU player Jonnu Smith was badly burned when his girlfriend poured boiling water on him.

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BC plays Florida Sate tonight on ESPN2.

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Today's Veterans Day. We are the home of the free because of the brave. When Mrs Blog and I left Virginia Beach because of the hurricane we stopped at Gettysburg. The two monuments below belong to two Massachusetts units. The 9th Mass Battery was in its first fight at Gettysburg. It lost all but one of its officers, 20 enlisted men, 80 horses and four of its six guns in the fight for the Wheat field. Lincoln and congress didn't end slavery in our country. The men in blue did.




Thursday, November 10, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Tyler Thompson

Tyler Thompson, a 5-11 180 pound RB from Oakhurst, NJ signed with UMass in February of 2016.

He ended up taking a prep year at Milford Academy.

Mike Traini reports Thompson will have to re-sign, but is still expected to play for the Minutemen.

Hudl.com has some video from this semester at Milford Academy.

Went 90-425 4.7 AVE 7 TD's for Milford.

Thursday of the Bye Week--November 10th, 2016

Breibart Sports has Troy at #22 in it's Top-25 list.

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Saturday Sports says BYU's Jamall Williams is the nations most overlooked running back.

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Campus Insiders preview Hawaii -Boise State.

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Victor Cruz is getting less playing time, but maybe that's not a bad thing.

The MRI on his ankle came back negative.

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Congrats to UMass field hockey for their win in the playoffs.

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APOCALYPSE UPDATE.

Vampire attacks woman in New Hampshire.

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Wednesday, November 09, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Kyeree Wallace

JUCO Football Frenzy image
Kyeree Wallace, a 6-2 170 pound WR from East LA College has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

Hudl.com has video.

In 8 games, Wallace has gone 22-253 4 TD's.

UMass is Wallace's first FBS offer.

Wednesday of the Bye week--November 9th, 2016

In the past 10 seasons, BYU is 16-0 at home in November.

BYU likes to run the ball and the clock. Last week the Cougars has a 15 play drive that lasted for nine minutes...

As an independent, BYU needs ESPN.

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Hawaii football finds its grove with QB Dru Brown.

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Don Brown's Michigan defense is great in the Red Zone.

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Victor Cruz's sprained ankle does not appear to be serious.

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Tajae Sharpe went 4-58 in the Titans loss to the Chargers.

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Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Isaac Zico

Image by JUCO Frenzy.com
Isaac Zico, a 6-0 175 pound WR from Georgia Military College has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247 Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

NCAA Junior College Athletic Association has some stats.

Besides UMass, Zico has offers from Troy, Ball State, Bowling Green, UAB, Southern Mississippi and West Virginia.

Tuesday of the Bye week--November 8th, 2016

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" recaps the Troy game.

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BYU plays FCS Southern Utah this week. Fan Sided has three things the Cougars must do.

The Universe says BYU's passing game is still stalling. BYU is #74 in points per game and # 98 in passing offense. UMass is #107 in scoring and #53 in passing offense.

The Minutemen are #122 in rushing offense going 312-1037 yards and 103.7 yards a game.

The Salt Lake Tribune says the Cougars 2016 season is a success so far.

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Hawaii, which lost to San Diego State Saturday 55-0 gets another challenge as 8-1 Boise State visits Aloha stadium.

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College football is trending towards younger head coaches.

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Monday, November 07, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Chris DiTommaso verbals to UMass

Hudl.com image
UMass added a third player to their 2017 commit list as Chris DiTommaso, a 6-4 250 pound strong-side defense end from Franklin Lakes, NJ announced on Twitter he's verbaled to UMass.

I blogged about DiTommaso back in August.

247 Sports page here. (fixed link)

Hudl.com has video.

Max Preps has some stats.

Chris is the son of former UMass player Peter DiTommaso (lettered 1978, 78, 80 and 1981) and the nephew of Frank DiTomasso (lettered 1978, 79 and 1980). Both Peter and Frank DiTommaso were  first team All-Yankee Conference in 1978 and 1979. Peter was first team All-Yankee conference in 1981.

Chris had one other FBS offer from Temple.

Monday of the bye week--November 7th, 2016

The Dothan Eagle reports Troy shrugs off a slow start to beat the Minutemen.

Underdog Dynasty says Trojans took down the Minutemen.

The Montgomery Adviser has things worth talking about from the Troy-UMass game.

The Adviser reports the Trojans continue to flirt with an AP ranking.

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The Boston Herald has a post on UMass punter Logan Laurant.

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BYU's AD seems to change his tune about being an independent.

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Not a good year for New England FBS football.

UConn HC Bob Diaco laments a bad season.

BC Steve Addazio tries to explain a 52-7 loss to Louisville.


Sunday, November 06, 2016

The Day after Troy University--November 6th, 2016

As I said yesterday, turnovers would make a difference. UMass gave up 14 points on the fumbled kickoff and the tipped interception. Those two events turned a close game into a runaway by Troy.

Nevertheless, we did some good things. We lost a shootout, which given Whipple's offense is what we envisioned when we play teams of Troy caliber. The offense scored 31 points and moved the ball all day as we did against South Carolina. We kicked a field goal.

The short handed UMasss defense forced five punts, added an INT and held Troy to 5-11 in third down situations. UMass finally has an bye week and maybe some of the injured Minutemen can play the last two games.

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UMass writeup here.

Troy Univeristy writeup (along with quotes from both sides) here.

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Dan Malone says a trick play sequence turned a close game into a rout.

Matty Vautour says UMass faltered late.

The Alabama New Network reports Troy rolls past UMass.

The Troy Tropolitan says the Trojans won their sixth straight.

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The Florida Gators lost to Arkansas for the first time in 34 years.

Louisville crushed Boston College 52-7.

Western Kentucky beat FIU 49-21.

Mississippi State stunned #4 Texas A&M.

UCF squashed Tulane.

Old Dominion crushed Marshall to become bowl eligible.

High Octane Louisiana Tech blew by North Texas.

South Carolina beat Missouri to become one game away from bowl eligibility.

Wagner lost for the third straight time.

BYU's defense didn't give up a touchdown in 20-3 win over Cincinnati.

Hawaii was clobbered by San Diego State 55-0.

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Saturday, November 05, 2016

Game Day Troy University--November 5th, 2016

Another Saturday, another very strong opponent for the Minutemen. UMass will play five Power Five opponents this year. Louisiana Tech and Troy are a combined 12-4 (and did you notice Tech beat Rice last week 61-16?). We sure haven't ducked playing good teams. Old Dominion needs one game to be bowl eligible. Not a lot of room in this schedule for wins.

Nevertheless, UMass has played well against strong teams this year. The offense has been scoring points over the last four games. We need to control the ball and keep the Trojan offense off the field. Troy is 6-1, but has played some close games this year. Troy is +7 in turnover margin in 2016. UMass in -6. If the Minutemen could win that stat, we could be in this game.

Go UMass!!!

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The game will be televised on ESPN3.

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Matty Vautour says UMass attempts to take down bowl-bound Troy.

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Hoeller will be on the ballot for Academic All-American status.

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Troy, if it runs the table could be in contention for a New Year's day bowl.

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UConn lost to Temple last night 21-0.

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Friday, November 04, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Devin Darrington II

Baltimore Sun image
I've blogged about Devin Darrington, a 5-9 200 RB from Bullis School in MD before.

This article from NJ.com updates his recruiting and reports UMass is one of five schools he will be visiting.

This article from August features Darrington

Darrington has 22 offers including Pitt, Temple, Rutgers and Syracuse from the Northeast.

The Day before Troy University--November 4th, 2016

Troy has their game notes for UMass up.

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Dan Malone says the Minutemen are preparing for a difficult challenge against Troy.

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More on Troy football player Bryan Slater's help for a mother and two children who were in a scary car crash.

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The Montgomery Adviser preview the Troy-UMass game and predicts Trojans 39-UMass 20.

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Troy will use the game to introduce the campus to prospective students.

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Victor Cruz thinks about his last game in Philly.

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Thursday, November 03, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Michael Smith

Xavier Mascare image
Michael Smith (good name), a 6-2 200 pound WR from Vero Beach, FL has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass

247Sports page here.

HUdl.com has video.

This article from June features Smith.

MaxPreps has some stats.

This article from September mentions Smith's strong start to the 2016 season.

UMass is Smith's first FBS offer.

Thursday before Troy University--November 3rd, 2016

Adam Breneman received a weekly honorable mention from the John Mackey TE Award group for his performance against Wagner.

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Adam Aucoin of the UMass Daily Collegian says UMass looks to upset well-rounded Troy.

Troy WR John Johnson has been on a tear lately for the Trojans.

The "Rank Troy" movement has been gaining national traction.

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UMass is back in a CBS writer's Bottom Twenty-Five.

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College football fans embrace Airbnb.

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GoBlue.com says Don Brown is developing a dominate defense at Michigan.

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Maine will play two FBS foes next year: UMass and UCF.

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Victor Cruz has high goals as his comeback continues.

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Wednesday, November 02, 2016

Recruiting 2017--Sione Taufahema

Image JC Football.com
Scout.com reports UMass has offered to Sione Taufahema, a 6-3 310 pound DT from College of the Canyons.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Partial quote from a 08/15/16 Scout.com article by Scott Eklund

"I visited Montana State in March and then I went to see Hawaii in May," Taufahema said. "UMass definitely would like to get me out there, but I'm just going to take my time and see what else is out there."

"I can play anywhere and my coaches move me around, but at the next level, when I get to a four-year school, I probably fit at nose tackle the best," Taufahema admitted. "I'm really quick off the ball and I have a good first step. I'm also really strong against the run and I have a good hands, so that helps me keep blockers off me."

Hawaii and UMass are Taufahema's two FBS offers.

Wednesday before Troy University--November 2nd, 2016


Sights & sounds from Wagner.

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Logan Laurant has been named a Ray Guy candidate. He has gone 50-2,122 42.4 AVE. He set a single game punting yards record with 12-547 against BC. That broke Christian Keogel's 526 yards also against BC in 2004. The single season AVE record is 44.26 in 2008. Laurant needs 10 more punts and 214 yards to break into the Top-10 career marks for number of punts and yards punting.

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Matty Vautour profiles UMass alum Neal Brown. Soon to be a Power Five head coach.

Troy University football praised for actions at crash scene.

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The UMMB has been invited to participate in the 2018 Tournament of Roses parade. Mrs Blog and I have been talking about going to the parade and Rose Bowl for a number of years. Now we have an excuse to do so. Congrats to the band.

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BYU is fired up and wants to finish the season strong.

The Cougars lose two defensive linemen to season ending injuries.

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