UMass Football Recruiting 2021--RaSaan Gasaway

Hudl.com image

 RaSaan Gasaway, a 6-8 280 pound OT from Independence C.C. has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

247Sports page here.

UMass was the first offer for Gasaway. Also has offers from New Mexico State and UAB. Also drawing interest from Texas State.

UMass Football News--November 29th, 2020

 Georgia Southern gave up 17 fourth quarter points to Georgia State and lost 24-30. 

The Eagles are 6-4 with two games to play.

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Marshall's last game against Charlotte was postponed, but the Herd achieved their highest ever college football playoff ranking.  

Marshall is still undefeated.

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FAU's game against Middle Tennessee State was canceled due to COVID issues. 

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The Buffalo Bulls had a record-tying performance from their RB Jaret Paterson as he ran for 409 yards and eight rushing TD's against Kent State. The two teams combined for 60 first downs. The chain crew must have been really tired..

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UMass Football News--November 28th, 2020

UMass Athletic Dept Image

 I can't fault the UMass defensive scheme. The Minutemen tried to crowd the line of scrimmage to at least slow down Malik Willis. We held him to 63 yards and one TD and 53 of those yards came on one carry. However Liberty, unlike FAU has an excellent passing game and the Flames were able to throw three TD's . In addition, if the Liberty running back broke through the line of scrimmage, there was no one left to stop him.

Losing Avien Peah did not help. Peah had been playing well both rushing the passer and getting into opponents backfield on rushing plays. When he went down, so did our defensive line play. The defense did record 1 sack, five TFL, one forced fumble and had 5 pass breakups.

Also by the fourth quarter, the defense was getting gassed. They did not quit holding off Liberty on the final long drive.

The offense produced 227 yards, but no points. The rushing game was again a problem with only 55 total yards. UMass was only 5-13 on third downs and 0-2 on fourth. The rushing game needs to be a major emphasis during the off season. The Minutemen did play a lot of different linemen and backs even in the first quarter. That should pay dividends in the future.

Special teams were generally good. George Georgeopoulos averaged 43 yards a kick and had two inside the 20. Jeremy Martin missed a 41 yard field goal.

Again, I think Liberty is the best team in the Group-of-Five. The Minutemen have a way to go to be competitive with the Flames.

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UMass write-up here.

Liberty write-up here.

MassLive reports UMass was shut out. 

Mike Moran of the Hampshire Gazette covers the game and the controversial non-interference call in the 2nd quarter.

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Game Day Liberty--2020

 

Today UMass draws Liberty, which,  IMHO is the best team in the Group-of-Five. The Flames are one point from an undefeated season. 

Malik Willis is a Top-15 QB in passing TD's (17) and also in rushing TD's (9). He leads all FBS QB's with 744 rushing yards. He's a defensive nightmare in the air and on the ground.

We all knew 2020 would be about improvement. The defense looks better than I had hoped (although today's score may not reflect the improvement). Last week the Minutemen special teams played better.

The offense has been a disappointment so far. One of our prime objectives the running game, has not worked in the first three games. We do not have a deep threat WR. If we have another game with five or six three-and-outs, the score may not be much different from last year despite our defensive improvement.

Nevertheless, I see hope for 2021 and I'll be cheering for UMass today.

Go UMass!

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The game will be available on ESPN3. It shows in my Comcast schedule so it may be available on some cable services.

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Liberty has their game day information up. 

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

The Hampshire Gazette reports UMass is ready to close out its season with Liberty.

CBS Sports previews the Flames-Minutemen game.

College Football News previews the game and predicts a Liberty blowout. 

Sports Chat Place says the Flames will cover the 37 point spread.

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The Boston Herald says as Andy Isabella returns to Gillette Stadium, UMass watches with pride.

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UMass Thanksgiving Day news--November 26th, 2020

 Mike Moran of the Hampshire Gazette says the Minutemen finally have a "normal" week.

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Mike Traini of  "Fight Massachusetts" asks five questions of Zack McLearnen from A Sea of Red concerning the UMass-Liberty game.

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The UMass Daily Collegian reports UMass heads to Liberty for the final game of the 2020 season.

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UMass-Liberty will be part of an extensive college football schedule on Friday. The MAC, which owned Black Friday games in the past does not play that day.

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Liberty coach Hugh Freeze continues to receive speculation for coaching jobs at Power Five schools.

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Through nine games in 2020, Liberty has averaged 40.9 points/game and 490.9 yards of offense.

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A Sea of Red has Liberty notes and injury report for this week's game against UMass.

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Mrs Blog and I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. We're grateful 2020 is almost over.

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UMass Football News--November 25th, 2020

UMass has its game notes for Liberty up.

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Kyle Grabowski of the Hampshire Gazette says the UMass defense made its entry against FAU.

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 A Sea of Red has quotes from Liberty coach Hugh Freeze on the North Carolina State game, UMass and more.

Freeze's podcast show for the UMass game is available here. 

A Sea of Red has its players report for the UMass week.

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Winners and whiners previews the UMass-Liberty game.

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Vegas Insider has Liberty by 38.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Phil Jeffs II

247Sports image

 Phil Jeffs, a 6-6 280 OT from Ontario, is a 2021 commit who will be joining the Minutemen in January. I blogged about Jeffs back in June.

The following article about Jeffs appears through the courtesy of the writer Mike Davies and with permission of the Peterborough Examiner. The original article is available here.

"MIKE DAVIES

Examiner Sports Director

Phil Jeffs learned values and principles playing football in Peterborough that helped him land a full ride scholarship to the University of Massachusetts.

The 18-year-old Trent Hills native took a winding path he called “a roller coaster” to get to this point.

He started with six-a-side football in Grade 9 at Campbellford District High School. The six-foot-seven, 280-pound offensive tackle played two seasons for the Peterborough Wolverines junior varsity team winning an Ontario Football Conference championship in 2017 while also playing for Team Ontario. He transferred to Holy Cross Secondary School in order to play 12-a-side football. He then transferred in Grade 12 to St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, CT. Midway through the school year a family emergency which required him to return home to help his father Doug run the family’s dairy farm brought him back to Ontario. He finished high school at Clarkson Football North in Mississauga.

College recruiters on both sides of the border first took notice of Jeffs in Grade 10. Boston College, University of Connecticut and Iowa State were among the schools he narrowed his choice to before verbally committing to the UMass Minutemen in June. He’ll sign his letter of intent next month when the signing period opens Dec. 18.

“It’s a lot of relief,” said Jeffs. “A lot of people won’t understand the hard work and a lot of sacrifices that had to be made to get to this point. It’s a lot of relief because you feel a lot better about yourself and that those sacrifices are paying off.”

Several factors made UMass his first choice.

“They showed a ton of interest and I felt like that was the place I was going to be best set up to succeed and have the best chance to play after that level if that chance is there,” said Jeffs. “The very first time I ever talked to them there was genuine interest. You could tell the people really cared and they weren’t just interested in you as a football player, they were more interested in you as a person. They showed me a lot of support and how the next couple of years of my life were going to look.”

Jeffs will study education and begin classes at UMass, in Amherst, Mass., in January. He’ll train with the football team in the spring and begin playing as a freshman next fall.

Jeffs said he was a young kid kind of full of himself when he came to the Wolverines and coaches Joseph Joncas and Bond Bjorgan, who also coached him at Holy Cross, helped straighten him out.

“It was really humbling,” he said, of getting exposed to a wider football community. “it taught me a lot of great values and principles I live by and try to emulate and use in my everyday life. The coaches really helped mold me as a person and gave me a lot of values I still use.”

Jeffs is finished high school and is currently training with Joncas to prepare himself for UMass,

“Coach Joncas is so much more than just a coach,” he said. “He helped out so many guys. I know I’m not the only one thinking this. There are a lot of guys who would do anything for him. He’s done so much for so many people. It’s rare to see when someone cares as much as he does.”

Jeffs is taking education because the idea of being either a teacher or coach appeals to him.

“I really want to help people in the ways I’ve been helped. I’ve had a lot of great people help me get to this spot. I sure as heck wouldn’t have made it this far without a lot of people helping me and being there for me,” he said.

mike.davies@peterboroughdaily.com

Trent Hills native Phil Jeffs played one season of offensive tackle for St. Thomas More School in oakdale, CT before committing to the University of Massachusetts Minutemen’s football program for 2021. St. Thomas More School Photo."

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Tyler Tackage

 

Tackage #10/MaxPreps image

Tyler Tackage, a 5-11 205 pound athlete from Washington Court House, OH has a UMass offer.

247Sports Page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

MaxPreps has stats. 105 solo tackles in 25 games.

This article reports on Tackage's offers from USB and Southern Mississippi.

UMass needs linebackers and running backs. Tackage could see playing time early in Amherst.

UMass Football News--November 23rd, 2020

 Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle reports the UMass defense game the Minutemen a chance, but the offense sputtered.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" recaps the Florida Atlantic game.

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The News & Observer tells how North Carolina State stopped Liberty QB Malik Willis.

Liberty Coach Huge Freeze says he's not currently interested in other coaching jobs.

Pride Pack says NC State did it with defense.

The one-point loss to State knocked Liberty out the Top-25.

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With all due respect to Coastal Carolina and Marshall, Liberty has played three Power Five teams and beat two of them. Coastal did beat Kansas. Marshall has yet to play a Power Five. 

I think Liberty is the best team in the Group-of-Five. The Flames dominated Syracuse and were even with Virginia Tech and NC State. 

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UMass Football News--November 22nd, 2020

Image credit unknown

 I was talking to a UMass fan off site and he used the phrase "We've been connoisseurs of defeat", meaning Minutemen fans have had to try hard to find silver linings while watching us get hammered. However, the UMass defense supplied the most enjoyable performance against FAU I've seen in a long time. I'll replay the game on DVR again several times this winter.

Before the season I thought repairing our train wreck defense would take at least three recruiting cycles, but there has been big improvements in only two. We do have five more defensive recruits committed so far in the 2021 class. We need MLB's and more depth everywhere. The Minutemen DL has far exceeded my hopes so far. Avien Peah has battled through injuries to be a force. Jake Byczko has endured a lot of tough games before his senior year, but he and Peah combined for 15 tackles, which is a lot of production for linemen. The defense was fun to watch, something UMass fans have not have not seen for a long time.

On offense things are not as advanced. We do not seem to have a deep threat WR. Taylor Edwards has the longest reception of the year of 37 yards. No one else is above 25 yards. In the short passing game, from the shotgun, it should be "one-two-three" throw. However, many times during the FAU game Will Koch set up and apparently did not like what he was seeing, i.e. he thought no one was open. On TV it's nearly impossible to see the receivers routes or the coverage.

You've probably noticed from the recruiting posts, UMass continues to offer JUCO WR's and offensive linemen. That makes me think the coaches think they still need help in those two units.

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MassLive has UMass falls to 0-3 with a loss to FAU.

FAU Football (an Owls fan site) didn't like those three consecutive FAU pass plays with a minute left either.

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Georgia Southern lost to Army by a missed extra point.

Marshall's game against Charlotte was postponed due to COVID issues. 

Liberty went toe-to-toe with North Carolina and lost by one. IMHO, the Flames are the best team in the Group-of-Five. 

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UMass Football News--November 21st, 2020

UMass Athletic Dept/Ralph Notaro image

 Well the defense came to play with maybe the best performance since BYU on November 17th, 2017. The defense had six sacks and 14 TFL. FAU QB Javion Posey got loose for 49 yards and a TD on one play. Subtracting that run leaves FAU with 43 rushes for 70 yards, a 1.6 yards/carry.

The entire defensive line shone, time after time stopping FAU at the line of scrimmage. Senior Jake Byczko and Avien Peah had career nights. RS Sophomore Uchenna Ezewike also had a impressive game. The UMass secondary also played well with Tanner Davis totaling six tackles, 1.5 TFL, one blocked punt for a safety and 1 QB hurry.

In addition, UMass special teams had their best game of the season. George Georgopoulos finally got some forward roll on his punts and dropped two inside the 20 yard line. Samuel Emilus had a 33 yard return.

However the UMass offense was smothered again. FAU defensive pressure flustered Minutemen QB Will Koch. He was usually not able to find receivers or use his legs effectively. The UMass rushing game did look better as Ellis Merriweather ran for 48 yards in eleven carries for a 4.4 yards/carry, his best totals of the season.

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UMass write-up here.

FAU write-up here.

The UMass Daily Collegian says the defense shone and the offense disappointed.

The Hampshire Gazette reports the offense let UMass down.

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Game Day FAU--2020

 

Today we play our third game of the 2020 season. This year is all about player development. FAU lost to common opponent Marshall 9-20. The Owls had 234 yards of offense, which is not a significant improvement over UMass' 190. The FAU defense held the Herd to 395 total yards, a 100 less than the Minutemen's 495. The collective record of teams FAU has played so far is 7-8.

I'd like to see the UMass defense continue to play fast and hit people. The defense has not tackled well so far, but I'd bet a steak dinner UMass has not had much time for tackling drills. Those will probably be a priority in Spring and Fall camp in 2021. I'd like to see UMass hold FAU to their average of about 36 points per game.

The UMass offense needs to produce more than they have so far. FAU is currently 5th in the nation in scoring defense. The UMass rushing game needs to improve if the Minutemen are to be in this game. 

So far in 2020 the two games UMass has played have been mostly on the Minutemen's side of the field. Better field position would help. We have yet to have a punt that flipped the field. 

I'll be watching and cheering for the Minutemen.

Go UMass!

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CBS Sports previews the game.

The Action Network says take the over.

The Berkshire Eagle says it's a reunion day for Coach Bell and Coach Taggart. 

The Eagle also reports Will Koch is getting comfortable as the Minutemen's starting QB.

CBS Sports on how to watch the game. 

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

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UMass Football News--November 19th, 2020

 I'm back and the VA says I'm good for another 50,000 miles.

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UMass has their game notes for FAU up.

The Owls finish their prep for UMass.

FAU gets set for their final home game against the Minutemen.

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Seven FAU players has opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID.

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The Berkshire Eagle reports UMass will close its 2020 season with back-to-back Friday games.

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Athlon Sports previews the game and predicts FAU 52 UMass 7.

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Vegas has the Owls by 32.5.

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UMass Football Blog News

 No updates to the blog tomorrow and Wednesday. I'll be up at White River Junction, VT VA hospital for a couple of days. The blog will back up on Thursday.

UMass Football Recruiting 2023--Marco Lainez III

 

QB Hit List image

Marco Lainez, a 6-2 207 pound pro-style QB from the Hun School in NJ has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

MaxPreps has stats. 140.0 QB EFF and .741 completion %.

QB hit list profile here.

UMass is the first school to offer Lainez. He would be a good fit in the UMass offense.

UMass Football News--November 15th, 2020

The combined records of UMass' 2020 opponents after this Saturday is 25-3. 

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on the next two games for the Minutemen.

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 Georgia Southern ran (with 386 rushing yards) its record to 6-2 with a 40-38 win over Texas State.

Marshall moved to 7-0 with a 42-14 win over Middle Tennessee State. 

FAU ran for 381 yards in a 38-19 win over FIU. The Owls are now 4-1 on the season. 

Liberty had 633 total yards of offense in a 58-14 win over Western Carolina. The Flames are 8-0 in 2020.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Louce Julian commits to UMass

 Louce Julian, a 6-2 228 pound DE from Orange, NJ has verbaled to UMass.

247Sports three-star athlete. 

Hudl.com has video highlights.

I blogged about Julian back in April. 

Tied for 6th in NJ in returning sack leaders.

Has seven sacks so far this season.

DE's have been a position of need for UMass during the entire FBS era. All Minutemen fans hope Julian has an outstanding career in Amherst. He chose UMass over FBS offers from Buffalo, Central Michigan, UConn, Kent State and Temple.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Jalen Hamlin

 

Hamlin #11/Randy Litzinger image

Jalen Hamlin, a 6-4 205 pound WR/TE from Woodbridge, VA has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video.

This article from 2019 features Hamlin.

All-District 2nd team.

Hamlin has three total offers with UMass as the current only FBS school. Lots of playing time is available in the future in Amherst.

UMass Football News--November 12th, 2020

 

MassLive reports UMass will play at Iowa in 2025.

Future FBS schedules reports Iowa adds UMass and Florida Atlantic to the Hawkeyes' 2025 schedule. UMass will be playing BC, Missouri and Iowa that year. Yikes!

The UMass 2025 season opponents (so far) are here.

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Meanwhile, the Minutemen's next opponent FAU is looking for their fourth straight win over FIU in the "Shula" bowl.

Athlon Sports predicts FAU 24 FIU 7. That would run the Owls record to 4-1. In addition, UMass will be playing another team with a killer defense. FAU is ranked in the Top-25 in total defense and is #4 in scoring defense. 

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AND WE CAN'T EVEN GET A UMASS CORONA VIRUS MASK.

New Mexico State rolls out Pistol Pete's Six Shooter whiskey. 

Supposedly, the Massachusetts State drink is the "Cape Codder". Western Mass farms produced potatoes back in the day. Maybe UMass could produce its own branded vodka...

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021-- CJ Kolodziey commits to UMass

Twitter image

 CJ Kolodziey, a 6-0 170 pound kicker from East Long Meadow, MA has committed to UMass as a PWO.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

2nd Team All-Western Mass in hockey.

Kolodziey will add depth to UMass' special teams. Hope he has a successful career in Amherst and earns a scholarship.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Tra Wilkins

247Sports image

 Tra Wilkins, a 6-1 225 pound MLB from Independence C.C. has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

A three-star player in high school, Wilkins originally signed with Kentucky.

Transferred to Independence in 2019.

Wilkins has FBS offers from Toledo, Charlotte and Missouri State. The Minutemen have two seniors at ILB and Wilkins could see a lot early playing time in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2021--Matt Keeler

247Sports image

 Matt Keeler, a 6-6 295 pound OT from Coffeyville C.C. has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video.

This article from October features Keeler's offers from Arizona State and East Carolina.

Keeler has offers from Power Five Arizona State and ECU. UMass, besides a scholarship,  offers a chance for early playing time and the best food in College Football.

UMass Football News--November 8th, 2020

 Well, for the second game I don't think the improvement was reflected in the final score.

For one thing, Will Koch is my quarterback. Seriously, the science is settled. For a true freshman without any Fall camp and minimal practices, I thought Koch played really well. He looked like a freshman a couple of times, but I think he has an excellent upside.

The offensive line also improved. Against a veteran Top-10 defense the Minutemen, when we were not handed the ball on our own freakin' seven yard line looked competitive. We had a couple neat plays, which the offense executed. 190 total offensive yards is nothing to brag about, but not many of Marshall's opponents have done much better. The ten points UMass scored in the first half was the most the Herd had given up this year.

In the fourth quarter, I liked instead of trying for a meaningless score to make things look better, Coach Bell played a lot players. This will pay dividends in the future.

On defense, the field position was again lopsided in favor of the opponent. Despite this the defense had seven TFL and two sacks. Marshall star RB Brendon Knox had 119 yards (just about his average) and 2TD's. Compare this with in 2019's final game when BYU fourth-string true freshman James McChesney gained 228 yards on 15 carries (an average of 15.2 yards/carry). The UMass defense also recorded five third-down stops and were one for two on fourth downs.

Jeremy Martin had a nice 46-yard field goal.

Don't tell anybody, because I don't want to jinx us, but I'm starting to think we might have a shot at FAU.

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UMass write-up here.

Marshall's write-up here.

The Hampshire Gazette reports Marshall raced past UMass.

MassLive has the game story here.

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The Holy Spirit is with Liberty as the Flames beat their second straight ACC team.

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Georgia Southern ran their record to 5-2 with a win over Troy.

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Speaking of the FAU Owls, they edged Western Kentucky 10-6.

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Game Day--Marshall 2020

 UMass game notes here.

The game will be available on ESPN+. Subscription is $5.99/month. You can unsubscribe after the first month.

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

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The Herdzone says unbeaten Marshall welcomes UMass.

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College Football News previews the game and predicts Marshall 45 UMass 6.

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Mike Moran of the Hampshire Gazette reports the Minutemen face a big challange in #16 Marshall.

Moran reports SR defensive lineman Jake Byczko 6-3 260 is now healthy and back in the rotation.

He also mentions FR linebacker Gerrell Johnson 6-3 225 and FR DT Josh Atwood 6-3 360  improving in practice and will see more reps in today's game.

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The Charleston Gazette-Mail says the Herd marches ahead against UMass.

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I thought the UMass defense gained confidence as the GSU game went on. They looked visibly much faster than 2019. Today's game should give the young Minutemen defense more experience and all this will pay dividends in 2021.

The Minutemen offense has a tough task in facing the Herd's defense, which is nationally ranked in just about any defensive category you would care to name. Last week UMass' longest runs were QB scrambles and the longest pass completion was only 15 yards.  The Minutemen need to improve on that today.

I'll be there watching.

Go UMass!!

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UMass Football News--November 6th, 2020

 Well, once more into the breech dear friends. Sometime it would be nice if we caught a break. We get two of the best recruiting classes in the FBS era and promptly there is a global pandemic that cancels Spring practice and then Fall camp.

We get good news UMass is going to play in 2020, but circumstances cancel all our competitive games and we end up playing not just good teams, but probably three of four will be rated in the Top-25. Camus concluded his famous essay on life by concluding that Sisyphus is a happy man. We just have to be happy we're playing. Just keep rollin' that rock uphill...

Against Marshall, I would like to see another effort by the defense like they did against Georgia Southern. I thought the defense was trying to play fast (you remember Coach Brown's motto was "Play fast!". Marshall has a more conventional offense than the Eagles, so the Minutemen's defense should be able to play a more "vanilla" defensive scheme. UMass had 5 TFL against Georgia Southern (the same as the Eagles had against us). It was a good defense effort especially since most of the game was played on our side of the field.

The UMass offense, on the other hand, had a much less successful opener. The only bright spot was both Will Koch and Josiah Johnson both looked mobile. The offensive line had a bad day as there were no holes for Ellis Merriweather. He ran 16 time for a 1.3 yards/carry average. In addition, there were not a lot of passing lanes available for any of the three QB's. The combined QB efficiency rating for the Minutemen was 74.86. We need more offensive production against the Herd. 

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Mike Moran of the Gazette has a story about how Avien Peah overcame two knee injuries and made a successful comeback against Georgia Southern.

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Sportsbookreview.com thinks Marshall will cover the 44-point spread.

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The Charleston Gazette and Mail thinks the Herd's special teams will make an impact against the Minutemen.

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An iconic Marshall memorial returns to the Herd's campus.

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UMass Football News--November 5th, 2020

UMass has its game notes for Marshall up.

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The Boston Herald says UMass has a tough task upcoming with #16 Marshall.

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The UMass team talks politics on the day before the election.

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The West Virginia Gazette says the Herd is not overlooking UMass.

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Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle reports the Marshall Coach is excited for his team to play the Minutemen.

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Conference USA reschedules two Marshall games.

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Winnersandlosers.com previews the Herd-Minutemen game and predicts Marshall by 44.

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UMass Football Recruiting--Jared Miles

247Sports image

 Jared Miles, a 6-1 185 pound WR from Coffeyville C.C. has received a UMass offer.

Red Ravens bio page here.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

Miles originally signed with SMU after receiving multiple Power Five offers in high school.

247Sports high school page here. 

Miles is a speedy wide receiver with good size. He would be in line for a lot of playing time in Amherst.

UMass Football News--November 3rd, 2020

 Vegas Insider has UMass a 44-point underdog to #15 Marshall. 

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The UMass Daily Collegian checks in on the mid-season status of Minutemen in the NFL.

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The West Virginia Gazette reports Marshall is preparing for "mystery" team UMass. 

Marshall in #14 in the Coaches Poll and #16 in the AP. 

Herd Zone puts Marshall's climb into the Top-25 in context.

The Herd is doing on defense:

"Entering this Saturday's game, Marshall ranks No. 3 in scoring defense (9.4 points per game), No. 3 in rushing defense (72.0 yards per game), No. 22 in passing defense (193.0 yards per game), No. 15 in yards per passing attempt (6.1), No. 5 in total defense (265.0) and No. 6 in yards per play allowed (4.3)." 

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Meanwhile, 2020 opponent Liberty is relishing its own Top-25 ranking.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2021-Terrance McClain

 

Twitter image

Terrence McClain, a 6-4 290 pound OL from Coffeyville C.C. has a UMass offer.

Hudl.com has video highlights.

Originally signed with South Carolina State.

McClain is a big, mobile OL who can play both guard and tackle. He could find a lot of playing time available in Amherst.

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Tom Weston verbals to UMass

Twitter image

 Tom Weston, a 6-3 200 pound punter from Perth, Australia has committed to UMass.

I just blogged about Weston last Saturday.

Welcome to Amherst for Weston. Hopefully he's follow in the steps of Andy McClay, David Sanger, CJ Koegal and John Romboli and have a great career at UMass.