Continuing on with Coach Bell's comments from the Gridiron Club Zoom meeting. At the end of the meeting someone asked about players coach Bell felt had made improvements or had impressed so far in camp. Again, I did not have my voice recorder and Bell went through the names really fast, so I missed a few.
1. Running backs Ellis Merriweather and Jared Cole. Bell said Merriweather could be UMass' best offensive player. The Minutemen were #114 in rushing offense in 2019 and #126 in Time-of-Possession. A better running game would go a long way towards making UMass respectable.
2. He mentioned TE Taylor Edwards was bigger and stronger.
3. Bell mentioned defensive linemen Taishan Holmes and freshman Josh Atwood. Bell said Holmes could be the starting NT.
4. In the defensive secondary Bell mentioned freshman TeRai Powell. He also mentioned Notre Dame transfer Noah Boykin. Bell noted Josh Wallace started in eight of the 2019 games. Bell mentioned redshirt freshman Taj Jones. I have no idea how good the UMass secondary coverage is because the Minutemen front seven were so porous last year.
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If UMass ends up playing Army, that could be a tough game. The Black Knights have outscored their two 2020 opponents 79-7. I watched both games and Army dominated Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe.
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AND YOU THOUGHT THE MEDIA'S CREDIBILITY COULD NOT GET ANY LOWER.
Reports states New Jersey is the most physically and mentally fit state.
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