Friday, November 30, 2018

UMass Football News--November 30th, 2018

Josh Walfish has a post on A.D. Bamford's letter to Gridiron members that I posted yesterday.

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Meanwhile, Mississippi OC Phil Longo is being mentioned as a candidate for the UMass coaching job.

Longo's Ole Miss bio.

Interviewed for the open Texas State job.

Longo runs a version of Mike Leach's "Air Raid" offense.

Longo looks like a football coach/ Brian Blalock image
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The Greenfield Recorder has a story on Shelburne native Jay Burnham being named play-by-play broadcaster for UMass sports. No word yet if Burnham will do UMass football.

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Thursday, November 29, 2018

UMass Football News--November 29th, 2018

UPDATE:

As a Gridiron member, I received the following message from AD Ryan Bamford:

"Dear Gridiron Members,
 
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving season. 
 
I've received some feedback and questions over the last week from many of you, the public, and the media regarding our search process to find the next leader for the UMass Football Program.  I wanted to share my thought process with you regarding this very important search.
 
Prior to my arrival at UMass, the department often employed head coach search committees to assist in the head coach selection process. In my four years in Amherst, we have had a number of coaching searches that have followed this model which included broad participation from campus and community members. Specifically, our men's cross country, field hockey, women's soccer, women's tennis and baseball searches involved interview sessions and ultimately input from a number of constituent groups prior to making a hire. Conversely, when we conducted searches that yielded Greg Carvel (ice hockey), Tory Verdi (women's basketball) and Matt McCall (men's basketball) we limited the people associated with the search to maintain confidentiality and work efficiently through our recruiting efforts, interviews, candidate selection and contract negotiations in a quiet and effective manner.   
 
Based on our success in those searches and some additional reasons listed below, I've chosen to conduct the search process on my own with a small group of people consulting me, all who shall remain anonymous. Ultimately, I will select the next leader for UMass Football and will ask our Chancellor to accept my recommendation when the process nears completion.  
 
Please understand that I value the input I receive daily from people who care about UMass Athletics. I also see value in including people in our selection process for our next head coach but it is not always in the best interest of the process. At our level of Division I athletics, it is taxing to have a well-run confidential search that ensures the right hire and keeps all of our constituents happy.  That said, I am pleased that in the last 10 days I have secured feedback from many of you regarding the attributes you desire in our next head coach. This feedback has been crucial as I form the profile for our next head coach.  I can't thank those individuals enough for offering their insights and positive encouragement during this process.  
 
I decided to run the basketball, hockey and now football searches with a small group for a number of reasons. First, the confidentiality of the search is vitally important, and the conversations that I have with potential coaches must remain private.  For example, I would not have been able to secure Greg Carvel from St. Lawrence without a high-degree of confidentiality during that process.  It was important to Greg that his name not become public, and he only had meetings with myself and Chancellor Subbaswamy during his offline visits to Amherst. As a sitting head coach, I wanted to protect him so that if we did not come to terms of employment at UMass, it did not jeopardize Greg at St. Lawrence.  
 
In addition, I need to be extremely nimble during this search process. I've been on/off airplanes a great deal this last week, and will continue to do-so throughout this weekend and possibly in to next week.  Because of this, it would be hard to mobilize a multi-person committee to fly across the country recruiting candidates and holding interviews on such short notice.  Most of my time meeting with candidates will be outside Western Massachusetts. This is standard practice for a job with this profile and intensified timeline.    
 
Also, with the increase in activity on social media and all the "unnamed" sources willing to share information, whether accurate or not, I felt it would be best taking the sole lead on this search, and not share any details until an agreement is finalized. 
 
I can't give you a specific timeline at this point for when we'll make the hire, just know that I'm working as hard as I can to find the best leader for the UMass Football Program.  I want to make all of you that have invested in this program proud of the man we bring to Amherst. 
 
Thank you for your understanding during this pursuit. I look forward to introducing the next coach to you very soon!
 
Please feel free to share any additional thoughts or feedback with me directly at rbamford@umass.edu."
 
Thank you, and Go UMass!
 
Ryan Bamford
 
 Note that I'm NOT going e-mail Mr. Bamford. What can I say? Hire a winning coach. He knows that. If I were to contact him, I would say that I support him and the UMass football program.

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Andy Isabella wins the Harry Agganis/Harold Zimman Award. If you've never read it: The Harry Agganis story.

Hogs Haven still thinks UMass is in the MAC, but does a good job of covering Isabella's game against Georgia.

Pro Football Focus looks at the top performances by players from the 46 non-bowl eligible teams.

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Underdog Dyansty looks at Maine's Joe Harasymiak as a candidate for the UMass head coaching position.

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UConn's Daily Campus writers debate the low point of the the Huskies season. Several of them quote to loss to UMass.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2018

UMass Football News--November 28th, 2018


Findley, Isabella added to Senior Bowl roster.

The News Herald reports Mayfield's Andy Isabella gets an invite to the Senior Bowl.

Bleeding Green Nation talks about Isabella's performance against Georgia.

OKState.com makes Tylan Wallace's case for the Biletnikoff Award. Wallace is an excellent receiver but he plays for the #10 ranked offense in the country. Isabella played for the #41 offense.

The Draft Network looks at Isabella's strengths and weaknesses in the NFL draft.

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BTW, UMass finished the regular with the #123 (out of 130) ranked defense.

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Tuesday, November 27, 2018

UMass Football News--November 27th, 2018


Congrats to Bryton Barr and Andy Isabella on being named to the All-Region team.

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on news from UMass athletics that includes Barr and Isabella.

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Josh Walfish has five candidates for the open UMass head coaching job.

I doubt Don Brown would take a massive pay cut to return to Amherst. Liam Coen certainly knows UMass, but he's never been a head coach.

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FIU is the first of the Minutemen's 2018 opponents to be given a bowl invite.

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A 247Sports writer says Texas Tech should consider Neal Brown.

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Monday, November 26, 2018

UMass Football News--November 26th, 2018

Remember: Vote for Andy Isabella!

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I've been meaning to mention if you noticed Elijah Wilkinson is starting for the Denver Broncos?

Broncos RG Elijah Wilkinson is preparing for an "Amazing opportunity". I watched Denver beat the Steelers yesterday and I though Wilkinson played well.

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I also watched the Auburn-Alabama game and Jack Driscoll had a good game even though the Tigers did not.

Driscoll was a member of the SEC players-of-the-week team prior to the Alabama game. He should make the team again this week.

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Georgia is a 13.5 underdog to Alabama, in the opening Vegas odds. Liberty is a four point favorite over Norfolk State. Maine is 1.5 point underdog to Jacksonville state in the FCS playoffs and Duquesne is a heavy (27.5 points) underdog to South Dakota State.

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Sunday, November 25, 2018

UMass Football News--November 25th, 2018

Vote for Andy Isabella!

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Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle has where does UMass football go from here.

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Duquesne shocked CAA member Townson in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

Boston College could not keep up with #20 Syracuse and lost 42-21.

Georgia Southern rolled over Georgia State 35-14.

Marshall knocked FIU out of the C-USA championship game 28-25.

Charlotte is still looking for a coach.

Ohio beat Akron Friday 49-28 to run the Bobcats record to 8-4.

USF lost their fifth consecutive game to finish the season 7-5.

Coastal Carolina lost their fourth game in a row to finish 5-7.

The 2018 UMass defense was bad. Not as bad as UConn's who set records of defensive futility in the Huskies 57-7 loss to Temple.

Liberty played New Mexico State for the second time this season and avenged a earlier loss 28-21.

BYU could not stop a huge Utah comeback and lost 35-27.

Georgia throttled Georgia Tech 45-21. The Dogs scored the first five times they had the ball and held Tech to 66 yards of total offense in the first half. Remember UMass had 200+ yards and 13 points against the Dogs first team defense in the first half.

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Saturday, November 24, 2018

UMass Football News--November 24th, 2018

Josh Walfish has five under the radar candidates for the Minutemen coaching job.

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Marquis Young accepts invitation to the East-West Shrine game.

In 2018 young went 11-11 GP-GS 154-791 5.1 AVE 9 TD's 71.9 AVE/GAME

So Marquis career totals are 685-3,631 29 TD's 5.3 AVE.

That places him 5th in all time career rushing yards. He's also 5th in career rushing attempts and tied for 6th in career rushing TD's with Jonathan Hernandez (2008-2011).

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Have you voted for Andy Isabella today?

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The University of Georgia's football success might be influencing admissions.

Speaking of the Dogs, Georgia opens as a surprisingly heavy favorite over red-hot Georgia Tech.

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ESPN loses 2 million subscribers in 2018.

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Friday, November 23, 2018

UMass Football News November 23, 2018

UMass Athletic Dept image
Andy Isabella wins the George H. "Bulger" Lowe award as the best offensive college football player in New England.

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A Greenfield UMass football fan recounts his visit to Athens to watch the UMass-Georgia game.

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CBS Sports relates Andy Isabella shows the growing value of slot receivers in the NFL draft.

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Brandon Collier thinks Bob Shoop would be a good fit at UMass.

Shoop's Mississippi State bio.

Quote from the bio:

"Bob Shoop, who has coordinated units to Top 25 rankings in total defense in five out of the last seven years, enters his first season on Joe Moorhead’s Mississippi State staff as defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Moorhead officially announced Shoop’s hiring on Dec. 10, 2017.

The 2014 National Defensive Coordinator of the Year, Shoop has proven to be one of the top defensive minds in the game. He has served as a defensive coordinator for 15 years, including two seasons at Tennessee (2016-17), two seasons at Penn State (2014-15) and three seasons at Vanderbilt (2011-13). Over his last 10 seasons, he’s coached 16 NFL Draft picks with five at Tennessee, five at Penn State, three at Vanderbilt and three at William & Mary
."

Shoop's Mississippi State defense is #1 in the SEC.

Shoop is a finalist for the Broyles Award (top assistant coach).

The Bulldogs defense has a number of All-American candidates, so Shoop is working in a different universe than UMass, but his defense put up some impressive numbers this year. So far: 90 TFL, 36 SACKS and 49 QB Hurries. Remember UMass had exactly one QBH in 2018.

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Thursday, November 22, 2018

UMasss Football --Thanksgiving 2019

Getty photo
Happy Thanksgiving to all UMass fans and players from frosty Milford, NH.

The Pilgrims were hoping for better days. UMass fans are too.

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The UMass announcement of the coaching change.

MassLive reports UMass officially announces coaching change.

Josh Walfish reports Mark Whipple steps down as Minutemen head coach.

There are more articles on Whipple leaving, but they all just repeat the UMass press release.

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Wednesday, November 21, 2018

UMass Football news -- Coach Whipple being let go

Multiple news outlets are saying UMass and Coach Whipple are negotiating his leaving UMass.

Josh Wallfish says sources say UMass and Whipple are parting ways.

MassLive reports Whipple out as UMass coach.

The Boston Herald reports the Whipple era may be over.

Hero Sports has some potential candidates for the head coach for the Minutemen.

MassLive also has some potential choices for UMass' next coach.

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My take on this year's problems comes down to recruiting. After a successful year three years ago, the quality of the recruiting classes has declined. On defense we were small and lacked athleticism.

After Jarell Addo was suspended, Tyris Lebeau started for him. After Lebeau went down with a shoulder injury, the coaches thought the next best option was to move a safety to OLB.

Consider this quote by Ed Pinkham from October 6th:

One of the things we’ve been trying to deal with is we’re trying to get our best 11 guys on the field,” Pinkham said. “Sometimes when you have injuries or you don’t have the option of playing a guy, you take a guy from one position and put him in another position, feeling like this is the best 11 guys we have. He hasn’t had all the experience, the amount of time we’ve invested for a guy in a particular position, it does take awhile for them to play. In addition to when I do that, I look at the guy I replaced him with and he’s not as good at that position as the guy I moved from one to the other."

I translate that as "we are exactly one guy deep at OLB".

On the defensive line we had five total sacks in the 2018 season by defensive linemen. Jake Byczko had 4.5-26 and Joe Previte had 0.5-4. That's amazin' stat. In addition UMass had one (1) QB hurry for the entire season. For the last two seasons, if we played a team that had a dual-threat QB we gave up a huge amount of yardage. It's no shame we couldn't compete with Georgia's #1 QB recruit in the nation, but teams like Coastal Carolina had the same results.

Now consider that Bryton Barr, Jarell Addo, both starting safeties and Lee Moses are all graduating. We don't have a pass rushing DE on the roster. We do not have a big run-stopping MLB.

Defensive recruiting has been a train wreck.

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My choice for a new head coach would be someone who is a good fit for the school and I'd probably pick a defensive guy. Most of our wins have been defensive grinds rather than offensive shoot-outs. Offense sells tickets, but losing is worse. We need someone who can recruit enough talent to be competitive. I'm not asking for Power Five recruiting classes. I'm asking for classes that will enable us to compete in the Group-of-Five.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

UMass Football News--Andy Isabella is a Bletnikoff Finalist


The UMass athletic dept story on Isabella being named one of three finalists for the Bletnikoff Award.

"Fans can vote for their favorite receiver on FanVote! . Fans may vote once daily. The aggregate fan tally will be counted as 1 official vote. The FanVote tally provided the 1-vote margin of victory for '13 BA winner Brandin Cooks"

Andy needs your vote. Pretend you're in Chicago and vote early and often.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on Isabella being named a finalist.

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Thanks to the Blog reader who sent me this link: How Georgia DB's can grow from facing UMass' Andy Isabella.

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Underdog Dynasty says Isabella left a record-setting mark on UMass.

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The News-Herald said Mayfield grad Andy Isabella is a Bletnikoff finalist.

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Georgia QB Justin Fields was named SEC Freshman-of-the-Week for his performance against the Minutemen.

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Michigan HC Harbaugh says "Nobody's better" than Don Brown.

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Monday, November 19, 2018

UMass Football News--November 19th, 2019


Let's start the post season with some appreciation of Andy Isabella.

In 2018 Isabella set the single season record of 1,698 yards. That broke Jimmy Moore's 1,494 in 1998 (15 games). He was 2nd in single season pass receptions with 102. Tajae Sharpe had 111 in 2015. Isabella tied Jason Peebler in TD pass receptions (13) for 2nd place in a single season. He was also 2nd behind Tajae Sharpe in single season receptions per game with 8.5.

In career stats:

His 3,526 career receiving yards places him 1st ahead of Tajae Sharpe 3,486. Isabella's 231 career catches places him 2nd to Sharpe (277). His 30 career TD receptions has him 2nd to Adrian Zullo (32).

Dog Nation has "Bulldog secondary torched by Andy Isabella".

There were some Internet trolls who inferred Georgia was not really trying or the game was out of reach anyway.

This article from Dawgs Nation on Georgia's results from the Minutemen game.

 Quote from the article":

"The Bulldogs allowed their independent visitors 390 total yards, 287 yards passing and 219 yards and 2 touchdowns to one receiver. They’ll tell you that most of that offensive production for UMass came in the second half against backups, but that isn’t entirely true.

First, more than half of the total yardage — 206 yards — came in the first two quarters, when Georgia’s front-line defenders were on the field. In that span, the Bulldogs allowed a 42-yard run, a 17-yard pass and three scoring drives. Andy Isabella, who would finish with 15 catches, had eight of them in that opening stanza. The Minutemen also rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries in the first half-hour of play.

Granted, the two big scores — 75- and 45-yard TD passes to Isabella — did not come against the No. 1 defense. The defensive backs that were ultimately burned, Eric Stokes and Christopher White, represented a starter and counted-on reserve. And while one of those plays came on a double-pass, UMass still completed 74 percent of the passes it attempted.

In the end, the visitors averaged 7.2 yards per offensive play
"

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In a topic that will occupy us for a while, Josh Wallfish has the pro's and con's of Mark Whipple.

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Sunday, November 18, 2018

UMass Football News--November 18th, 2018

Well the Dogs offense led by the #1 recruit in the nation rolled over the UMass defense. Georgia scored every time they had the ball. To their credit, the Dogs took their foot off the gas in the second half. Georgia tried to use the full 35 seconds and mostly they ran the ball abet at 12 yards a carry.

The UMass offense however, did well. The Minutemen moved the ball all game. We had nearly 400 yards of offense. Georgia's defense had given a total of 49 points at home for the season. The previous high for a visiting team was 13 by Vanderbilt.


Then there was Andy Isabella. Quote from the Georgia post game notes:

Sophomore QB #11 Jake Fromm

On UMass wide receiver Andy Isabella, who caught 15 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns...

I mean, what a player. He did a phenomenal job. It didn’t matter who we put on him, he was finding ways to get separation and get open. He made some plays and I don’t know if he dropped a ball. He did awesome. It seemed like every time they threw it, there he was again catching another ball. Great player, really exciting, really fun to watch."

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UMass write-up here.

Georgia write-up here.

Josh Wallfish says the Dogs overwhelmed the Minutemen, but Andy Isabella held his own.

Dawg Nation said it was an easy win for Georgia.

Red & Black grades the Dogs position groups.

Dawgs 247 said Justin Fields broke out.

What Kirby Smart said after the UMass win.

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Duquesne won the Northeast Conference and an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.

Boston College gave up a TD with less than a minute left to lose to Florida State.

2018 opponents Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina met and the Eagles won 41-17. Georgia Southern is 8-3 and the Chants fell to 5-6.

Two other opponents FIU and Charlotte met and FIU held on to beat the 49ers 42-35.

USF lost their fourth straight as Temple beat 'em 27-17.

UConn got blown out by ECU (who was 2-7 going into the game) 55-21.

Liberty was crushed by Auburn 53-0. The Flames were held to 134 yards of total offense.

BYU beat New Mexico State 45-10. The win makes the Cougars bowl-eligible.

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Back in the CAA, Rhode Island beat UNH to finish with their first winning record in 17 years.

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Saturday, November 17, 2018

Game Day Georgia--November 17th, 2018


Hey, if we want to be the best, play the best. Georgia is a great team, no doubt about it. Being a UMass fan is not easy. If it were, anybody could do it. I admire hard-core types. I'm a Minutemen fan and I'll die one. The team has played creditably against SEC teams in the past. Every player has to go hard every play. Do your best every play and accept the result.

One of my favorite songs on my Power Lifting workout mix is Hatebreed's "Honor never dies". Turn your speakers all the way up.

Let's get after the Dogs today. Go UMass!

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Inspiring story about UMass DB Martin Mangram.

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Josh Wallfish reports Whipple said Georgia is the best team UMass has ever played.

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A Saturday Down South writer has five things I want to see from Georgia against UMass.

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A Fan Side writer reports Georgia hasn't beaten a Bay State team since 1951. He also thinks UMass has only beaten two FBS teams this season.

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Athlon Sports reports injuries have forced changes in the Dogs offensive line.

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Friday, November 16, 2018

UMass Football News--November 16th, 2018

Josh Wallfish has his weekly "Inside the Press Box" with Georgia.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the Georgia game.

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Dawg Nation has five players they want to shine against UMass.

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Georgia RS Sophomore RB Prather Hudson may see extended time against the Minutemen.

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The numbers behind Georgia's turnaround since the loss to LSU.

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Saturday Down South has five things Georgia does better than Alabama.

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Dawgs 247 has five strengths and weaknesses for Georgia heading down the stretch.

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Ohio crushed 7-1 Buffalo 52-17 Wednesday. Ohio needs Buffalo to lose one more time to take the MAC East title.

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Thursday, November 15, 2018

UMass Football Recruiting 2019--Jackson Cloyd (corrected)

Hudl.com image
Jackson Cloyd, a 6-3 220 OLB from Orange, CA has Tweeted he has an offer to UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from June of 2018 features Cloyd.

Cloyd holds offers from Army, Air Force, Hawaii and Nevada.

UMass Football News--November 15th, 2018

What Kirby Smart said Tuesday before the UMass game.

Smart also hints at another change to the Dogs starting lineup.

Georgia DB Eric Stokes could be the new starter.

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Dawgs Sprots has three things to worry about for the UMass game.

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Dawg Nation thinks the odds of Georgia beating Alabama keep improving.

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Why Georgia's top-ranked 2018 recruiting class is the key to the playoffs.

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UMass stays a #10 in BYU opponent rankings after Saturday's game.

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TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE

New Jersey man arrested for DWI told officers he was drinking because the Jets suck.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2018

UMass Football News--November 14th, 2018

Former UMass player Vladamar Brower has been named New England Patriots High School coach-of-the-week.

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An "Award  Winning" Saturday Down South writer thinks UMass is an FCS team.

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Georgia Coach Kirby Smart says the Dogs are running out of people. Somehow I doubt it.

The Dogs may start five-star QB Justin Fields against UMass this Saturday.

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BYU is determined to find the answer for slow starts.

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Andy Isabella is ranked #11 in this story about the 12 best WR's in college football.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2018

UMass Football News--November 13th, 2018


Andy Isabella has been named to the Biletnikoff award semi-finals. Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on it. UMass athletic dept press release on Isabella.

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Mike also recaps the BYU game.

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The Herald says BYU's aggressiveness paid off against the Minutemen.

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UMass has their game notes for Georgia up.

Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs preview the UMass game.

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AJC.com says UMass will test the Bulldogs focus.

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Savannah Now reports the Bulldogs plan to "Worry about us."

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Dawg Nation looks at Georgia's injury status for the UMass game.

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Monday, November 12, 2018

UMass Football Recruiting 2019--Xavier Gonsalves verbals to UMass

Rich Malone image

Xavier Gonsalves, a 6-2 238 pound DE from Mashpee, MA has Tweeted he's committed to UMass.

The Cape Cod Times has a post on Gonsalves' verbal to UMass.

247Sports page here.

I blogged about Gonsalves back on June 13.

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on Gonsalves.

Hudl.com has video.

The Mashpee Times features Gonsalves in this article from a couple of days ago.

This article from December of 2017 features Gonsalves.

UMass was Gonslaves only FBS offer. Drew interest from UConn and BC.

UMass Football News--November 12thy, 2018

UMass opens a 44 point underdog to Georgia. I can't help but think the Minutemen and the points might be a good thing.

Dog Nation says Georgia opens an eye-popping  favorite.

247Sports reports the Dogs are ranked #5 in the Coaches Poll and #3 in the ESPN Power Ranking.

SB Nation says take UMass and the points.

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Josh Wallfish reports missed chances haunted UMass at the BYU game.

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The Herald Extra gives BYU good marks in all phases of Saturday's game.

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Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle says for UMass fans the glass is full for hockey, half full for hoops and half empty for football.

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Sunday, November 11, 2018

UMass Football News--November 11th, 2018

The Minutemen defense played creditably for most of the game. The defense gained one turnover and forced six punts. However, BYU's defense smothered the UMass offense for most of the game after the first quarter. Ross Comis after the best game of his life last week, seemed out of sync. He missed picking up open receivers and (after the first quarter) seemed indecisive on using his running ability. There were also a couple of drops: one by Kyle Horn and another by Sadiq Palmer that did not help.

The Cougars are a Power Five team. To beat them we would have had to play better. At times it seemed as if we could play with them. For a significant portion of the game, we didn't.

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UMass write-up here.

BYU write-up here.

Josh Wallfish said the Cougar defense was overwhelming.

The Daily Collegian said just 25 yards of offense in the third quarter doomed the Minutemen.

The Daily Herald reports the BYU stood tall.

The Boston Herald said UMass couldn't keep pace with BYU.

It was a bittersweet day for BYU QB Tanner Mangum.

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Duquesne beat conference-leading Sacred Heart to run their record to 7-3.

Clemson ran over Boston College 27-7.

Neal Brown's Troy team scored 32 unanswered points to beat Georgia Southern.

FIU got run over by FAU 49-14.

Marshall handled Charlotte 30-13.

Miami of Ohio beat Ohio last Wednesday for their first victory over the Bobcats since 2012.

Cincinnati beat USF 35-23 in sub-freezing temperature.

 Coastal Carolina was handled by Arkansas State 44-16.

Liberty played Virginia tough, but lost 45-24.

Georgia dominated Auburn 27-10. The Bulldogs looked better than the score indicted.

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Saturday, November 10, 2018

Game Day BYU--November 10th, 2018

Another big test for the Minutemen against an improved BYU team. The Cougars are on a two-week road tour and are starting a true freshman at QB. The UMass offense needs to continue to score. Since the bye week the Minutemen's run  game has improved. If we can run the ball BYU can't sell out on a pass rush. I think Andy Isabella can get  open against anyone.

Let's score some points and see if the defense can shake up a true freshman. The Minutemen played with spirit and grit last week. If we can keep it going it'll be a close game this year.

I'll be there cheering for the Minutemen. Go UMass!

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Josh Wallfish reports Cooper Garcia took an unorthodox route to field goal kicking. Garcia's UMass bio.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has five questions with Cougar Sports Insider.

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247Sports has a UMass vs BYU primer.

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The Lawless Republic has three reasons BYU could have trouble against UMass.

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Underdog Dynasty previews today's UMass-BYU game and predicts a Minutemen victory in a shoot-out.

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The Deseret News predicts Cougars 42-Minutemen 21.

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The SEC Network will visit Georgia next week for the UMass game.

Wanna pickup a UMass-Georgia ticket? The average asking price is $233 from non-school sources.

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Friday, November 09, 2018

UMass Football News--November 9th, 2018

Jarad Lloyd has two things that concern him about the Cougars trip to UMass.

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Jody Genessy of the Deseret News looks for Massachusetts Media coverage of the UMass-BYU game and doesn't find much. We're with ya brother.

The Deseret News also notes the Cougars are in a fight for bowl eligibility.

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The Daily Times has five facts about UMass football.

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The BYU site "Vanquish the Foe" covers the various computer odds and projections  for the Cougars-Minutemen game.

The same site thinks BYU's next three games are critical to Kalani Sitake's future.

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The Salt Lake Tribune wonders if the Cougars' offensive line is regressing.

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Georgia woman shoots at family because she didn't want to watch a Bulldogs game. That's why Mrs Blog and I have separate TV's.

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Thursday, November 08, 2018

UMass Football News--November 8th, 2018

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

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Ryan Ames of the Daily Collegian previews Saturday's BYU-UMass game.

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Athlon Sports previews the game and predicts a Cougars victory.

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BYU's D'Angelo Mandel took a long and varied road to his start against UMass Saturday.

The Herald Extra continues to power rank UMass as #10 in BYU's opponents.

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The Vietnam Moving Wall will be on display at Gillette Stadium in Lot 5 Saturday. The game will be military veterans appreciation day.

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Four things Georgia needs to work on against UMass and Georgia Tech to get ready for Alabama.

Saturday Down South says the Bulldogs' #1 in the nation recruiting class is already paying dividends.

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Wednesday, November 07, 2018

UMass Football News--November 7th, 2018

UMass has their game notes for BYU up.

And BYU has the same for UMass.

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The Deseret News says the BYU offensive line is working overtime to fix issues.

Scoring in the Red Zone is a problem for the Cougars.

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The NJ Herald reports Andy Isabella's 300 yard receiving game last week was only the third 300 yard total in five years.

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After the UMass game, Liberty shuffles its offensive line.

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Barrett Sports Media has a post on Josh Maurer moving to BC and Jay Burnham becoming the Voice of UMass basketball.

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Georgia may wear black jerseys for the UMass game.

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Tuesday, November 06, 2018

UMass Football Recruiting 2019--Mike Ciaffoni verbals to UMass

247Sports image
Mike Ciaffoni, a 6-3 265 pound DT from Sudbury, MA has Tweeted he's committed to UMass.

I blogged about Ciaffoni back in October.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has senior highlights.

Ciaffoni drew interest from BC and other Northeast schools.

UMass Football News--November 6th, 2018


Marquis Young was named to the weekly Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for his 226 all-purpose yards against Liberty.

BTW, Young is currently fourth in FBS in 2018 with a 168.41 all-purpose yards/game total.

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

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The UMass-Georgia game will start at 4:00PM and will be televised on the SEC network.

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Cougar Insider has updated game projections for the rest of BYU's 2018 schedule.

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Bleeding Green nation has Andy Isabella in the top college football prospects from week #10.

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BYU loses a starting cornerback for the rest of the season.

Cougars Sports insider looks at four possible replacements.

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Monday, November 05, 2018

UMass Football recruiting 2019--Eloi Kwete verbals to UMass

Image by Patrick Kreen
Eloi Kwete, a6-1 250 pound DL from Phoenix, AZ has Tweeted he's verbaled to UMass.

I blogged about Kwete back in March.

247Sports two-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from Arizona Central covers Kwete's commitment to UMass. Quote from the article:

 "In 20 varsity games in his career, Eloi, 6-foot-1, 250 pounds, 223 tackles, 135 solo, and eight sacks, and four fumble recoveries."

Selected to play in the 2019 Blue-Gray game.

Kwete also drew interest from Washington State.

UMass Football News--November 5th, 2018

BYU opens as a 13.5 point favorite.

Vanquish the foe report BYU opens as a double-digit favorite.

Cougar Insider also has a post on BYU as a favorite.

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Andy Isabella continues his climb in the UMass record book. This season he's gone 77-1394 18.1 AVE 11 TD's 139.0 AVE/game. That's #2 in season receiving yards behind Jimmy Moore's 1494 in 1998 Championship season. He's 6th in single season pass receptions behind J.J. Moore who had 80 in 2007. His 11 TD's make him 4th in single season TD receptions one behind Tim Berra who had 12 in 1973. An 18.1 reception average places him 7th behind Jalen Williams' 19.26 in 2016.

 
What opposing DB's see when Isabella runs his routes

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Fan sided says UMass has a super receiver.

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Josh Walfish reports Isabella's historic day highlights UMass' comeback Victory.

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The Boston Herald says record numbers pile up for New England stars.

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Liberty Blog "A sea of Red" reports on five plays that changed the game at UMass.

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The Deseret News reports BYU's bowl hopes are hanging in the balance.

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Sunday, November 04, 2018

UMass Football News--November 4th, 2018

Twitter image
Wow what a game! Heroes galore. Andy Isabella set a program record of 303 yards and 2 TD's. The first TD was a thing of wonder. Comis overthrew Isabella by a good ten yards. Isabella saw the ball was over and just went to warp speed to catch up with it. He should have created a sonic boom when he hit the afterburner. Comis supplied 540 passing yards. Samuel Emilus had two overtime TD catches. Sadiq Palmer had two drive-continuing clutch catches. Marquis Young had a fumble that caused a Liberty score and then ran with fury for the rest of the fourth quarter. The offense had a program record 777 yards.

Jarell put on his super hero outfit and was everywhere on the field during the comeback. His INT in the third overtime won the game.

Cooper Garcia was iced twice before the game winning kick. First the officials gave Liberty a time out I thought they didn't have and then stopped play again to review the decision. Garcia, who was perfect on the day, calmly drilled the winning field goal.

It was a happy two hour ride back to New Hampshire.

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UMass write-up here.

Liberty write-up here.

Josh Walfish reports UMass stunned Liberty in overtime.

Mass Live said UMass stormed back.

The Daily Collegian reports UMass came back in the fourth quarter.

The News-Herald said Andy Isabella stood out in a wild UMass win.

The News & Advance said Liberty's defense failed to stop big plays.

The News and Advance wraps up the Flames triple-overtime loss to the Minutemen.

Welcome home to Sargent Major Donna Ortiz who surprised her daughter at the game.

Quick notes from the Liberty blog "A sea of Red".

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Duquesne beat Wagner to tie for the conference lead.

Boston College beat Virginia Tech.

Georgia Southern was upset by ULM. Louisiana Monroe held the Eagles to 216 total yards.

FIU was run over by Florida Atlantic 49-14.

Tennessee ground out a 14-3 win over Charlotte.

Ohio crushed Western Michigan earlier the week.

Tulane routed suddenly failing USF.

Coastal Carolina lost to Appalachian State 23-7.

UConn lost to Tulsa in another rainstorm 49-19.

BYU had a chance to beat Boise State, but fell two yards short.

Georgia handled Kentucky to win the SEC East crown.

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FOOTBALL GUYS IN ACTION

CFL player chugs a beer after a touchdown.

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Saturday, November 03, 2018

Game Day--Liberty November 3rd, 2018

Looks like the rain will blow out by gametime. Windy after that. Liberty is a solid club with a QB who likes to stay in the pocket and sling the ball. The UMass defense, which has eight sacks in nine games can help the cause with some pressure on Calvert.

The Minutemen had 247 yards of rushing last week. Today would be an excellent day to continue those results. With a high wind warning for this afternoon, it may be difficult to pass. Let's hope Marquis Young and the offensive line can win the day for us.

Hope to see everyone on Homecoming.

Go UMass!

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Josh Wallfish has his weekly "Inside the Press Box" with Liberty beat writer Damien Sordelett.

Josh also reports UMass LB James Bowe has been making an impact on special teams.

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Jay Burnham will be the new voice of UMass basketball. Josh Maurer is moving to Boston College hoops. He will broadcast the remaining UMass football games. Not clear who will be doing the football games next season.

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The Lynchburg News says with the UMass game on tap, Liberty has plenty to play for.

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Underdog Dynasty picks UMass 37-33 over the Flames.

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Liberty Blog " A sea of Red" predicts Liberty 37-UMass 34.

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Friday, November 02, 2018

UMass Football News--November 2nd, 2018

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the UMass-Liberty game and predicts a Minutemen victory.

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Athlon Sports writers pick UMass over Liberty by two to one.

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Bleacher Report picks the Minutemen in a shoot-out.

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The News & Advance has notes for Liberty's game with UMass.

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Flames HC Turner Gill previews the UMass game.

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I watched a highly entertaining UCF vs Temple game last night. UCF prevailed 52-40. There was 650 yards of offense in the first half.

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Maine's 2019 schedule will include both Georgia Southern and Liberty.

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BYU has struggled on offense this season, but their pass defense is #31 in the country.

The Cougars are simplifying the offense for true freshman QB Zack Wilson.

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