Well, I actually had a good day at McGuirk yesterday. It was a beautiful clear November day. UMass found its spark in the second half. The Minutemen played with spirit and never quit.
A tip of the hat to BYU who took their foot off the gas. The two faith-based schools, BYU and Liberty showed the most class this year.
In addition to the game, I got to meet a Blog-friend who at one time led the UMass Olympic weightlifting team. The UMass team would lift in the basement of Boyden. The team did well despite receiving minimal support from UMass (the team only had two bars). Great guy.
I also sat with UMass freshman DL Johnathan Weir's parents. Nice people. Weir is a 5-10 230 pound defensive lineman with a big heart. He led the team in TFL before banging up his knee. Now I have someone personal to root for.
Then I came home and watch the UMass hoops team play Virginia on DVD. The Minutemen basketball team was not intimidated by the #7 Cavaliers. If a few more of those three-pointers fell, it would have been a really tight game. I really like the freshman players.
That's what UMass football needs. We need more talent and kids like Weir who want to be here. Pro Football has "capologists". We need a guy to figure out how to pack as many recruits into the 2020 class as we can get. A big motivated class will turn this thing around. Let's get after it.
Go UMass.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UMass write-up here.
BYU write-up here.
Cougar RB Jackson McChesney set a freshman rushing record for BYU.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UConn had a close loss to ECU.
#25 Southern Illinois kept it close against #1 North Dakota State.
Charlotte is bowl eligible with a win over Marshall.
Coastal Carolina lost a close one to Louisiana-Monroe.
Akron lost to Miami earlier in the week.
FIU upset Miami for their first win over a Power Five team.
Louisiana Tech lost to UAB in a game that may have cost Tech the C-USA title.
Virginia ran over Liberty 55-27.
Minnesota beat Northwestern 38-22.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------