Friday, August 31, 2018

UMass Football News--August 30th, 2018

My Comcast Xfinity NCAA football games list shows the UMass-BC game as an upcoming game with the notation "internet". That's a new one on me. Maybe they are going to stream the game?

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Josh Walfish answers this week's questions about the BC game including how to stop A.J. Dillon, position matchups an more.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has five questions with the BC Interruption blog.

Mike returns the favor as he answers five questions from BC Interruption.

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The Berkshire Eagle previews the UMass-BC game.

The Daily Collegian reports UMass seeks back-to-back wins to start the 2018 season.

The Dorcester Reporter says it's be Miranda vs Miranda Saturday at the Heights.

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The Duquesne Duke recaps last week against the Minutemen. The Dukes play DII Lock Haven this Saturday.

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The Boston Herald reports A.J. Dillion is ready to run the ball and catch it too.

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UConn was run over by UCF last night 56-17. The game featured some poor tackling by both sides. UConn QB David Pindell looked good running the ball, less good passing. Huskie RB Kevin Mensah, who UMass recruited heavily, did not get any running room from the Knights defense. Mensah rushed 20 times for 60 yards.

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Thursday, August 30, 2018

UMass Football News--August 30th, 2018

UMass has their game notes for Boston College up.

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Josh Walfish reports Amherst native Taj-Amir Torres will start against the Minutemen this Saturday.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the Eagles-Minutemen game.

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The Naples Daily News has a post on Claudin Cherrelus and Patrick Volcy getting some playing time in UMass' game against Duquesne.

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The AAC.com has a long segment on Steve Addazio's comments on the leagues weekly press conference. Addazio talks about the UMass team and his relationship with Mark Whipple.

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The Herald updates the power rankings of BYU's 2018 opponents.

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The Roanoke Times previews Saturday's games including BC-UMass.

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Writers for the UConn Daily Campus discuss which games they are most excited about in the 2018 season and one writer picks UMass. UConn has not yet announced the time of the contest.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

UMass Football News--August 29th, 2018


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Josh Walfish has an update on UMass news for Tuesday. Josh reports that Whipple would not comment on if suspended starters Jarell Addo and Isaiah Rogers would be available for BC. He did say injured DE Leon Flanagan would practice, but is "questionable" for Saturday. Addo's backup Tyrus LeBeau was out of a sling but is also questionable. Xavier Steele is the next man up after LeBeau. Jesse Britt is another starter should return.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on A.D. Ryan Bamford's August Facebook interview.

During halftime of last week's game Bamford said the Jacobson gift would be used to build a practice bubble outside of the stadium. My impression of what Bamford said is that the bubble would be erected over a new turf field. UMass certainly could use a turf practice field. Back in 2011 when Mrs Blog and I went to the UMass-Delaware game the Hens had two turf practice fields in addition to their stadium.

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Eagle Insider previews the UMass-BC game.

The Eagle Insider has weekly rundown of BC news and lists the UMass game as a "certain win".

BC Interruption looks at the Eagles depth chart.

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BC High has a nice story about UMass freshman DE Elijah Miranda and his brother Isaiah Miranda who plays for Boston College.

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A 247Sports writer predicts Georgia's 2018 season and rates UMass worse than Austin Peay.

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Tuesday, August 28, 2018

UMass Football News--August 28th, 2018

Boston College has their game notes for UMass up.

BC says the game will be telecast on the ACC Extra channel. Here's how to view it.

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There will be a UMass alumni/gridiron club event at BC this Saturday.

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Josh Walfish has plays that mattered against Duquesne.

Josh also reports Minutemen RB Victor Santiago had a big week.

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The Boston Herald reports Steve Addazio and Mark Whipple know each other well.

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Vegas Insider has BC -18 over UMass. That's down from -20.

ESPN predicts Addazio as the ACC Coach-of-the-Year and an 8-4 record for the Eagles.

BC names their captains for 2018.

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The UConn Blog previews the Huskies-Minutemen game and predicts a UMass victory.

The Huskies get a tough draw Thursday as they host UCF.

A dime back says there are five reasons for UConn to be positive about the 2018 season.

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The Georgia Southern student newspaper previews the Eagles' 2018 season and predicts an 8-4 record.

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Monday, August 27, 2018

UMass Recruiting 2019--Tyrell Wiggins verbals to UMass

Hudl.com image
UMass picked up its second win of the day Saturday when Tyrell Wiggins, a 5-11 177 pound athlete from Roxbury, MA Tweeted he's joining the Minutemen.

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on Wiggins' verbal.

Hudl.com has video.

Chose UMass over offer from Maine. Also drew interest from Kent State and Old Dominion.

UMass Football News--August 27th, 2018

We saw some good performances from new players Saturday.

George Georgopoulos- Uncorked a 50-yard punt and another sky high for no return. Let's hope that was the start of a four-year stellar career. Honorable mention to Cooper Garcia and Mike Caggiano who didn't miss an extra point or kick out of bounds.

Joseph Norwood-He already looked bigger and stronger than his HS highlight video. Didn't look lost and, when he was in, he was around the ball, which is a good sign for a defensive player.

Kyle Horn-- Five catches, four for first downs. Andrew Ford needs a TE he can check down to. Great start to 2018.

Larnel Coleman--Jack who? Coleman graded out as one of the top performances Saturday. UMass ran for 282 yards and when you can run the ball, the opposing defense is in trouble.

Bryce McAllister--UConn didn't want to file for the medical redshirt on Mcallister? He looked like a senior out there. Two INT's because he knew where the ball was going to be.

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

Pittsburgh Sports Now says Duquesne was out-classed.

The Boston Herald says the Minutemen found plenty of positives.

SB Nation has eleven fun things from college football's Week 0

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Sports Chat Place previews the UMass-BC game and thinks the Minutemen will beat the spread.

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Sunday, August 26, 2018

UMass Football News--August 26th, 2018

Well, UMass started the 2018 season with a bang. The Minutemen played a lot of players (did you notice Joseph Norwood was in the game in the first quarter?) Nobody got hurt. The Minutemen rang up 282 yards rushing. Bryce McAllister had two INT's. TE Kyle Horn had five catches for 49 yards.

Not counting the starters, UMass played 41 (if I counted right) players. Most pundits thought it would a pretty close game. It wasn't.

Great start the season.

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Click on an image and Blogger displays a larger view.



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UMass write-up of the game.

Duquesne's write-up.

Josh Walfish reports UMass cruised.

Josh said explosive plays led to the blowout.

He also said Joseph Norwood stood out in his first game as a Minutemen.

The UMass Collegian reports Andy Isabella exploded.

MassLive has their first UMass football story of the fall as they report UMass dominated Duquesne.

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Saturday, August 25, 2018

Game Day Duquesne--2018


All right, here we go for 2018. We've all been waiting a long time to see players in Maroon & White running around McGuirk.

I still think UMass will play a reduced package today. We'll save the line stunts and five wide receivers for Boston College.

I do want to see Kyle Horn, Travis Reynolds and Taylor Edwards catch some passes. The TE has always been a significant part of Whipple's offense. We'll see what happens today.

I want to see George Georgopoulos punt. Kicking has been such a thorn in our side a four-year flip-the-field punter would be wonderful. I want to see Cooper Garcia or Mike Caggiano kick in a game situation. Last year we started 0-4 and didn't make a field goal until the Ohio game half way through the season.

I want to see the new defensive line be active. Jake Byczko, Joe Previte, Mario Patton and Leon Flanagan should be able to control the line of scrimmage against a FCS team.

2018 will be my 42nd consecutive year with UMass football season tickets. Hope it's one to remember.

Go UMass!

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The game is available on NESN+, which is available from Xfinity. NESN channel finder for New England.

The Berkshire Eagle says UMass opens its home slate with a game against Duquesne.

Josh Walfish reports UMass hopes to shine in national spotlight.

The Boston Herald has three things to watch for in today's game against the Dukes.

Duquesne is set for the first of two FBS showdowns.

Fan Sided previews the Minutemen-Dukes game and predicts UMass by eleven.

Sports Illustrated previews Week 0's games.

Fan Buzz predicts UMass by four.

Fan Sided predicts the Minutemen by 19.

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Friday, August 24, 2018

UMass Football News --August 24th, 2018

Andrew Ford has been named to the watch list for College Football Performance Awards performer-of-the-year.

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UMass extends its radio partnership with WEEI-Springfield for five years.

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Josh Walfish interviews FCS writer Chase Kiddy about Duquesne.

Josh also responds to e-mail questions about UMass' opener.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the Minutemen-Dukes game.

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UMass Football awards former walk-on RB Victor Santiago a scholarship.

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The Duquesne Duke reports the Dukes starting QB is still up in the air.

The Trib Live has five things to watch in Duquesne's opener.

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Underdog Dynasty says former UMass great Victor Cruz salsas into the sunset.

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Matty Vautour has the 14 best college football games in Massachusetts for 2018.

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Yard Barker previews Saturday's games including UMass-Duquesne.

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State College.com profiles former UMass assistant coach Sean Spencer.

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Thursday, August 23, 2018

UMass Football News--August 23rd, 2018

UMass has game notes available for Duquesne including a depth chart.

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Josh Walfish says UMass can't afford to overlook FCS Duquesne.

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The Boston Herald says UMass hopes for momentum and a bowl game.

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The Pittsburg Post-Gazette has the Dukes have a quarter back battle on their hands.

Hero Sports reports Duquesne's revenge quest highlights the NEC conference's 2018 season.

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Athlon Sports previews the Minutemen-Dukes game and predicts a UMass win .

Actually, three different Athlon writers predict a Minutemen victory.

However, everyone at Athlon thinks Georgia is going to defeat UMass on November 17th

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Flo Football has five reasons to watch the UMass - Duquesne game.

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Penn Live has a nice post on how Andrew Ford and Bryton Barr ended up on the same team.

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If you have high blood pressure, don't click on this link where an "award-winning" SEC journalist ranks Georgia's opposing QB's. He has Andrew Ford last and starts his review "There’s still no sure-fire starter at UMass" and goes down hill from there.

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Wednesday, August 22, 2018

UMass Football News--August 22nd, 2018

I think August 25th against Duquesne is the Minutemen's earliest ever opening date. The latest starting date (not counting the no-coach era in the 1890's) was in 1945 when UMass played a war-shorted schedule that started on October 20th. The latest modern date is September 23rd 1972 vs Maine. UMass went 9-2 that year, beat BC 28-7 and won the Boardwalk bowl...

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Josh Walfish reports UMass OL blocking is taking the next step.

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As of Tuesday, Duquesne has yet to decide on a starting QB.  The choice is Brett Brumbaugh, and redshirt junior FAU transfer Daniel Parr.
between

Former UMass WR Victor Cruz retires and joins the ESPN broadcast team.

The Dukes All-American RB A.J. Hines has plenty of motivation for the 2018 season.

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Eagle Insider has video of BC QB Anthony Brown talking about getting ready for UMass.

The Heights says a Eagle victory over UMass is "All but expected".

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Former UMass player Brandon Collier talks about helping European players get scholarships to play American football.

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Tuesday, August 21, 2018

UMass Football News--August 21st, 2018


UMass has some game notes for Duquesne up. No depth chart yet.

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The UMass Minutemen Club sets a record for donations.

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Josh Walfish has a post on the UMass defense needs to have discipline in order to stop opponents running game.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the Minutemen's 2018 season and predicts a 7-5 result.

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Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle reports UMass is making strides on defense.

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UMass and Duquesne kick off the season for Flo Football.

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Boston College receives preseason top-25 votes.

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The UConn blog previews the Huskies quarterbacks.

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Monday, August 20, 2018

UMass Football News--August 20th, 2018

Thom Kendall image
Josh Walfish reports Larnel Coleman is fitting seamlessly into the UMass offensive line.

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 Ex-UMass strength coach Joe Connelly posted this image of Andy Isabella shoveling off McGuirk so he could run sprints in the winter.

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The UMass Twitter feed has video of coach Hankerson talking about the Minutemen's receiving corps.

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Duquesne's 2018 prospectus and quick facts (a .pdf) download. Lots of good stuff by the Dukes sports info office. Duquesne has an impressive 102-28 home field record. They also have 13 FBS transfers on their roster.

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GBM Wolverine says Don Brown is the heart of Michigan's defense.

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The NCAA explains college overtime play.

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Sunday, August 19, 2018

UMass Football News--August 19th, 2018

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a fifth and final position review: special teams.

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Shaun Gordon of Fan sided previews UMass as a BYU opponent.

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The News-Herald has a story about how 6.72 seconds changed Andy Isabella's football life. Good read.

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Jack Driscoll is making an impact at Auburn.

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Sports Chat Place previews the UMass-Duquesne game. They have UMass as -23.  Usually there is no line on FBS-FCS matchups. Vegas Insider has no line on the Minutemen-Dukes game.

If I could find a line. I think UMass will be playing "plain vanilla" on both offense and defense against the Dukes, so the Minutemen brain trust would be shooting for a 14 point or so win and lots of playing time for the new players.

The Dukes RB A. J. Hines gathers another preseason All-American award.

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Friday, August 17, 2018

UMass Football News--august 17th, 2018

Blog note: there will be no update tomorrow. I'll be away from the computer all day. I'll catch up on Sunday.

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The 2018 version of the UMass record book is available for download as a .pdf.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" does a position review for the offensive line.

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Andrew Ford was named to the Manning Award Watch List.

The complete list is here. Nathan Rourke of Ohio is the only opposing QB on the list.

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Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle says UMass is in a good place going into the last week of practice.

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UMass will receive $1.3 million to play at Rutgers in 2019.

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Looks like UMass transfer Jack Driscoll will start for Auburn.

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Boston College may start the season ranked in the top-25.

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Paul Finebaum thinks Georgia will win the SEC East.

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Thursday, August 16, 2018

UMass Football News--August 16th, 2018

Josh Walfish reports the UMass offensive line has plenty of experience.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has another position review: this time backs and receivers.

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The UMass Twitter feed has Coach Wissman talking about the defensive line.

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Underdog Dynasty has underdogs against the spread. They have UMass as 5.5.

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Time.com has UMass at #87 out of 727 colleges as a best value for a student's money.

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Duquesne will play West Virginia in 2023.

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UConn loses their #1 running back Donevin O'Reily for the 2018 season with a torn ACL. The article says the Huskies starting back could be Kevin Mensa. He's from Worcester and I've blogged about him several times here.

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Eagle Insider says the sky is the limit for the 2018 Boston College team.

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Wednesday, August 15, 2018

UMass Football News--August 15th, 2018

Josh Walfish has two experienced quarterbacks leading the UMass offense.

It would be nice if they can integrate Comis into the offense. If he came in on third-and-seven, the opposing defense could not be sure UMass would pass.

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Mike Traini continues his position review with the defensive secondary.

If the Minutemen stay health, the defensive secondary should be one of the strongest units in 2018. The safety position is deep and I really like the UMass corners Lee Moses and Isaiah Rogers.

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Yesterday's live Facebook presentation by UMass A.D. Ryan Bamford is here.

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The UMass Football Twitter feed has video on the Minutemen linebackers.

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The UMass-BYU game will kick off at 12:00 Noon on November 10th.

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Eleven Sports and NESN will televise UMass Football in 2018.

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The Lynchburg News & Advance previews Liberty's opponent UMass.

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A Saturday Down South writer previews Georgia's 2018 schedule and says the UMass game won't be close.

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Tuesday, August 14, 2018

UMass Football News--August 14th, 2018

Josh Walfish has lessons learned during the first two week of UMass' Fall camp.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a defensive front seven position review.

Mike points out several UMass DL, three in fact, are over 300 pounds. DaVonn Hall, Chris DiTommasso and Mario Patton are all over 300.

The latest version of the roster also lists Almost Titi 6-3 275 and Burnis Brown 6-1 295. The Minutemen should have at least seven DL who could play.

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The UMass Twitter feed has video on new players in the special team units.

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Underdog Dynasty thinks UMass is optimistic about playing in a bowl.

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Every UMass home game will be live streamed by Flo Football.

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Excel Sports Academy looks to develop football talent in Western Mass.

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Duquesne Football has a video report from the Dukes first two weeks of camp.

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HERO Sports says Ohio's Nathan Rouke is the best player wearing #12 in the country. Includes a video snip of him playing against UMass.

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Monday, August 13, 2018

UMass Football News--August 13th, 2018


New Adidas uniforms for the UMass cheerleaders. UMass Cheer Twitter is here.

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USF wants another year of success without being mistaken for UCF.

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The Hartford Courant breaks down UConn's season and rates each opponent. It rates the difficulty level of the game against UMass as "low".

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Jackson Porter is on the roster of the Baltimore Ravens.

Validmir Ducasse is starting his 9th year in the NFL.

Elijah Wilkson is starting his second year with the Broncos.

Tajae Sharpe starts his third year with the Titans.

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Sunday, August 12, 2018

UMass Footbal News --August 12th, 2018

Cougar Sports Insider ranks Andrew Ford #6 in BYU opposing QB's rating.

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Speaking of BYU, they're trying to stay focused.

The Cougars want to improve their running back unit.

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Ohio sets its sights on the MAC championship.

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USF unveils their new Adidas uniforms. The Bulls should be wearing the white version when they visit McGuirk.

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Defensive improvement is vital for Liberty's first FBS season.

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Saturday Down South lists four teams that could upset Georgia in 2018. UMass is not one of them.

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Saturday, August 11, 2018

UMass Football News ---August 11th, 2018

Sarah Crosby image
Josh Walfish has a post on George Georgopoulos being the designated starter at punter for the Minutemen this year.

Georgopoulos is 6-2 225 and the only listed punter on the current roster.

UMass has four kickers on the 2018 roster

Mike Caggiano RSJR 1-3 career in field goals. 14 GP 57-3383 yards 59.4 AVE 8 TB 3 OB in kickoffs.

Cooper Garcia JR. Lindy's Football Magazine picked Garcia at the top newcomer for UMass in 2018. At Ventura College Garcia went 59-59 in EP and 15-20 in FG's in 2017.

Evan Padilla RSFR. Redshirted his freshman year.

Theo Yongue RSSR. Has not played in his UMass career.

The Minutemen have three long snappers on the roster.

Peter Comaroto RSJR. DNP in 2017. Was listed has the #2 LS in the December 2017 two-deep.

Harry Blair RSFR. Redshirted in 2017.

Evan Deckers FR.

I would think the starting punter job is Georgopoulos' to lose. The kicking position is between JUCO Cooper Garcia and Mike Caggiano. Evan Deckers was a highly-rated recruit and at 6-3 250 he could help in kicking coverage.

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Mike Traini Tweets one third of the Canadian recruits have finally arrived in Amherst.

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Friday, August 10, 2018

UMass Foothball News--August 10th, 2018

The UMass Football Twitter feed has a video on the offensive line. Coach Foley praises Larnel Coleman, who is 6-7 and now over 300 pounds. He will probably take over the LT spot.

So the starting OL could be:

RT Larnel Coleman 6-7 300

RG Lukas Kotler 6-4 315

C Derek Dumais 6-4 330

LG Jake Largay 6-4 335

LT  Ray Thomas-Ishman 6-5 350

That's a big offensive line.

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UMass announces beer and wine will be available at McGuirk this year.

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Fan Sided site "Chowder and Champions" says UMass is set to have it's best FBS season.

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Taylor Edwards/ Sarah Crosby image
Josh Walfish reports a trio of players look to replace Adam Breneman at TE

Taylor Edwards is up to 6-4 255.

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Coastal Carolina, who beat UMass last year and then went on to lose nine straight games (sigh) looks to improve in 2018.

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Thursday, August 09, 2018

UMass Football News--August 9th, 2018

Blog Note: I'll be away from home tomorrow morning. There will be no blog update until Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

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The UMass Twitter feed has video about Minutemen RB coach Darrius Smith talking about the development of the UMass running backs.

In 2018 UMass returns:

Marquis Young 6-1 215 36 GP 531-2840 20 TD's 95 LONG 5.3 AVE 78.9 y/game. Young is currently 6th in all-time rushing yards. He needs 47 yards to pass Frank Alessio and 1,047 yards to pass Garry Pearson. He's tied for 10th in career TD's and 6th in yards/rush. His yards/game puts him 5th ahead of Jerome Bledsoe , but behind Rich Jessamy (89.0).

Bilal Ally 5-11 185 21 GP 106-466 3 TD's 57 LONG 4.4 AVE 22.2 y/game

Nick Orekoya 5-10 18 GP 15-113 1 TD 23 LONG 7.5 AVE

New to the Minutemen this year are:

Jordan Fredericks 5-10 225. Transfer from Syracuse. Sat out last year per transfer regulations. Was on two freshman All-American teams during his first year at Syracuse.

Victor Santiago 5-9 165. I blogged about Santiago back in March. Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" also had a post on Santiago's signing with the Minutemen.

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Yahoo Sports does a "coaches-on-the-hot-seat" article and mentions BYU and UMass.

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Tennessee attempts to get out of a home-and-home series with UConn.

The Huskies practice in full pads despite the heat.

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Charolotte looks for a fast start to 2018.

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Liberty adds a 3000 square foot video board.

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Wednesday, August 08, 2018

UMass Football News--August 8th, 2018

Isaiah Rogers/Sarah Crosby image
Josh Walfish reports the UMass defense is settled in with the second year of Ed Pinkham. (fixed link)

Whatever happens with the Minutemen defense this fall, the secondary should be a strong point. The two starting corners Moses and Rodgers are two of the top players in the group of five. Tyler Hayes started every game in 2017. The Safety position is deep with UConn transfer Brice McAlliser, Tryis Lebeau and Bakhari Goodson. Freshman Safety Joseph Norwood was the top-rated recruit in the 2018 incoming class.

The UMass Twitter feed has some video featuring the defensive backs.

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UMass dinning is rated #1 in the nation for the third year in a row.

Why would linemen even think about signing somewhere else 😀

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Former UMass QB James Sosinski has transitioned from the Kansas basketball team to a TE in Jayhawks football.

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Former UMass strength coach Joe Connolly is making an impact at Arizona.

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James Madison is ranked #2 and New Hampshire is ranked #7 in the first FCS preseason poll.

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Tuesday, August 07, 2018

UMass Football News--July 7th, 2018


UPDATE: Mike Traini Tweets Josh Jefferson is on campus and is enrolled.

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Joe Previte/Thom Kendall image



Josh Walfish reports depth adds competition to the Minutemen defensive line.


If I had to guess, I'd say the "base package" DL will be:

Jake Byczko 6-3 250

Charlie Timite 6-3 275

Joe Previte 6-2 265

Chris DiTommaso 6-4 275

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Yard Barker lists Andy Isabella as one of college football's 10 unstoppable wide receivers.

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Duquesne receives votes in the first FCS preseason top-25 poll.

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Nate Hopkins, who led UConn in rushing TD's last year, has left the squad and plans to transfer.

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After a devastating knee injury, Boston College QB Anthony Brown seeks to lead the Eagles in 2018.

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Monday, August 06, 2018

UMass Football News--August 6th, 2018

The Minutemen ran their first scrimmage of the Fall camp yesterday. The UMass website has an image gallery from the scrimmage.

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Not a lot of football news on the intertubes this morning. Mass Live has not done a UMass story in more than a month.

Lets look at the redshirt freshmen for 2018. If I counted right, UMass will have 18 RSFR available this year.

In the already crowded WR corps we have:

Zac Simon 5-10 180.

Jovohn Tucker 5-8 165

Patrick Volcy 6-2 210

Melvin Hill 6-2 195

One new TE becomes available.

Solomon Siskind 6-4 220

One RB.

Victor Santiago 5-9 165

Three offensive linemen.

Spencer Goldberg 6-2 280

Jaylen Larry 6-3 275

Brian Abosi 6-8 310

One LS

Harry Blair 6-3 205

One kicker

Evan Padilla 5-7 160

Seven defensive players become available:

One Safety

Claudin Cherrelus 6-1 210

Two CB's

Chris Hunt 6-0 185

Brian Roberts Jr 6-0 195

Four DL's

Chris DiTommaso 6-4 275

Zack Loan 5-11 240

Alex Piechocki 6-5 255

Caeleb Washington 6-1 250

Of the  offensive linemen Brian Abosi could make the two-deep. Maybe all of the defensive linemen might be in the rotation. Chris DiTommaso could start. The Safety position is pretty deep, but Claudin Cherrelus will get some reps.

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Sunday, August 05, 2018

UMass Football Recruiting 2019--Joseph Harper

Hudl.com image
Joseph Harper, a 6-2 230 pound DE from Houston, TX has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on UMass recruiting Harper.

First Team Division II All-State in 2017.

The Minutemen were Harper's first offer. UMass has five (if I counted right) players from the Lone Star state on its current roster.

Saturday, August 04, 2018

UMass Football Recruiting 2019--Thomas Kiessling

Hudl.com image
Back in February, UMass offered to Thomas Kiessling, a 6-4 230 pound inside LB from St. Xavier HS in Cincinnati, Ohio.

247Sports two-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has stats.

This article has Kiessling as one of the top-19 players in the Cincinnati area.

Just named one of four captains for St. Xavier's 2018 season.

Kiessling has 14 offers including UMass and Buffalo from the Northeast.

UMass Football News--August 4th, 2018

A Georgia State student writer previews the first half of the Eagles season and predicts a 42-24 win over UMass.

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A Dawg Nation writer takes a look at Georgia's 2018 season and predicts 12-0.

The Virginia Pilot also thinks the Dogs will go 12-0 in 2018. A blog reader reminded me Georgia plays UMass the week after meeting Auburn and the week before facing Georgia Tech's triple-option running game. The Dogs might not spend a lot of time on preparing for the Minutemen. Georgia will still win, but UMass could play another respectable game against the SEC.

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A humbled, but hungry BYU team starts Fall Camp.

Quote from the article:

"You lose to UMass at home before a dwindling crowd, your winter, spring, and summer are spent cleansing the taste from your throat."

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UMass transfer Jack Driscoll was getting reps with the "2's" as Auburn opens camp.

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UConn opens its 2018 season playing UCF at home and then Boise State in Idaho. Those two teams went 23-3 in 2017.

BOISE, IT'S OUT OF CONTROL OUT THERE.

Dozens of goats invade Boise neighborhood

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Friday, August 03, 2018

UMass Football Recruiting 2019--Kym-Mani King II

Tampa Bay Times image
I've blogged about Kym-Mani King, a 5-10 170 pound athlete from New Port Ritchey, FL before.

The Tampa Bay Times has King as #19 in the Top-100 players in the Tampa Bay area.

King has eight offers with UMass as the only school from the Northeast.

UMass Football News--August 3rd, 2018

Josh Walfish reports the UMass offense is sticking with the preseason script.

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The UMass Alumni office is sponsoring a pregame reception at Boston College from 10:30 to 12:30.

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Andy Isabella is one of the top-25 flex fantasy football players for 2018.

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Boston College is replacing defensive stars.

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Georgia is ranked #4 and BC and USF received votes in the first 2018 college football coaches poll.

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Speaking of USF, they're getting new uniforms this year.

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Thursday, August 02, 2018

UMass Football News--August 2nd, 2018

I called the UMass ticket office yesterday and they said season tickets will be going out next week.

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The latest version of the 2018 roster is now current to July 23rd.

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The UMass Tweeter feed has a short video interview with Coach Pinkham about the defense.

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Josh Walfish reports the Minutemen's younger receivers are following Andy Isabella's lead.

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Underdog Dynasty has a post on three games that will make or break the Minutemen's 2018 season.

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The Boston Herald has five BC players to watch during Fall camp.

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FIU News has crunch time for FIU players. Among those discussed is WR Bryce Singleton, who set a FIU freshman record with three TD's against UMass.

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Duquesne RB A.J. Hines was named to the Walter Payton Award Watch list.

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Wednesday, August 01, 2018

UMass Football News--August 1st, 2018

UPDATE: UMass Football Twitter has some video from today's early morning work.

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Yeah, the beginning of august! Another year of college football begins. Lots to talk about. There's actually something to watch on TV. Life is good when there's football.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts' has an interview with UMass Associate A.D. Alan Pandiani about the 2018 season, McGuirk improvements, future scehedules and more.

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The UMass Twitter feed has video from yesterday and some comments from Whip.

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Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle has a story on UMass opening Fall camp.

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AJC lists the Georgia Bulldogs 2018 schedule and has a video showing Andrew Ford and Marquis Young.

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DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB, YESH.

Yesh Ginsberg of "The Comeback" critiques the ACC's OOC schedule. He calls UMass a 'virtual cupcake" and gives a grade of "D" to Boston College. Clemson gets a "B" for playing Georgia Southern. I'd remind Ginsberg of last years UMass blow-out win over the Eagles , but he does not seem to have an e-mail address. After reading the site's privacy and terms-of-service I decided not to leave a comment.

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Two Duquesne Dukes, RB A.J. Hines and WR Nehart Crawford have been named to a FCS preseason All-American team.

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Jovan Santos-Knox was named the CFL's top performer for Week #7.

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