UMass Football News--October 31st, 2021

 Some observations on yesterday's game:

1. If George Georgopoulos is not an All-American, I don't know who is. He went 7-346 yards 48.6 AVE 59 LONG and 3 inside the 20. Liberty has one of the top punt returners in the nation and the Flames had ZERO punt return yards for the game. We've been hearing crickets from the athletic dept lately but they really need to dust off a memo machine and send out press material on Georgopoulos so that someone outside of the 413 area code knows about him. It'll be a shame if a bunch of parochial sports writers from the Big Ten or the SEC give him a "Honorable Mention" All-American.

2. The UMass running game averaged 4.6 yards a carry and Ellis Merriweather averaged 6.2. If we had any sort of passing game, the Minutemen could have a much better total offense.

3. Which brings me to the quarterback situation. Brady Olson has struggled with his accuracy all season. Yesterday, he was not putting the ball anywhere near his receivers. He could have thrown another 3 or 4 INT's. He missed Merriweather on a sure TD situation. Olson went 9-25, 74 total yards 1 INT, 1 TD. That's an NCAA efficiency rating of 66.0. If we have to shorten the passing game to 8 yard inside slants to get a completion, why not give that opportunity to Zamar Wise or Garrett Dzuro? Maybe sitting him down for a game with no pressure will help him get his feet back under his game. Right now it seems to me that he is regressing. 

4. Kudos to the UMass team for staying together. It's not easy losing, but the team seems to be still engaged and trying.

UMass write-up here. 

Liberty write-up here.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitt lost a QB duel with Miami.

Boston College lost their fourth straight game. 

Eastern Michigan plays Tuesday night.

Coastal Carolina beat Troy Thursday night.

Toledo plays Eastern Michigan Tuesday night.

UConn had a bye.

Florida State lost by 10 to Clemson.

Rhode Island got beat by Maine for their third straight loss.

Army had a bye.

New Mexico State had a bye.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Game Day--Liberty October 30th, 2021

 

UMass will be in their all-whites for the Liberty game.

Another Saturday and another strong opponent for the Minutemen. UMass faces a potential first-round draft pick in Malik Willis. He's a dual-threat QB and we have not defended the rushing game well at all this year. On the up side, Willis is nicked up a little and Liberty might take him out early. The Flames have been good this year, but they're not as dominate as they were in 2020.

One goal for UMass is to simply play better on the road. We've played respectable games against BC, Eastern Michigan and UConn at home, but on the road we have not. Make some positive plays today.

Go UMass!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sports Chat Place has odds and predictions for the UMass-Liberty game.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle wonders what the conference realignment might mean for the Minutemen. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 29th, 2021

 Winners and Whiners picks UMass to cover the 36 point spread.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Deseret News says UConn, Liberty and New Mexico State are in discussions to join Conference USA. 

Fan Sided looks at potential destinations for the remaining teams in C-USA if the conference goes under. 

James Madison to the Sun Belt?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yahoo Sports reports Liberty QB Malik Willis could be a first-round NFL pick.

This NBC Sports mock NFL draft has the Eagles taking Willis #13.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News --October 28th, 2021

 UMass has the game notes for Liberty up.

Liberty's game notes for UMass. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post about, and interview with, UMass commit Cornelius Wright.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UnderDog Dynasty says UMass may be left behind in conference realignment and it's the athletic administration's fault.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two UMass opponents tangle this Saturday as Maine travels to Rhode Island.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Could New Mexico State join C-USA?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 27th, 2021

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hampshire Gazette reports on Coach Bell's thoughts on realignment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CBS Sports reports UMass reclaims the #1 spot in the bottom 25. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sports Illustrated has odds, plays and insights for the Liberty-UMass game. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rhode Island falls to #25 in the FCS Coaches poll following their loss to Villanova. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The NY Post predicts more struggles ahead for Boston College. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 26th, 2021

 Sports Illustrated has UMass vs Liberty odds, plays and insights.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lines has more Minutemen-Flames betting stats and lines.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ole Miss releases the game time for Hugh Freeze's and Liberty's  return to Oxford.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The News Advance reports Liberty's A.D. Ian McCaw thinks the Flames are in a good place as an Independent. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass A.D. Ryan Bamford Tweets he's going to have a virtual meeting of UMass supporters (I'm assuming the Grid Iron Club) about conference realignment.

If UMass gets an offer to join C-USA, I think we should jump for it. Yes, the C-USA will be the bottom FBS league. And their media package will be even worse after their losses. However, UMass currently has no media package at all and no bowl tie-in's. 

What may suck for other teams, is an improvement for us. As an Independent we play teams who schedule us because they think they can win. Not counting the money games against Power Five opponents, we get Toledo instead of Bowling Green. 

As a league member we would get to play three or four games against the bottom half of the league. UMass would have a league championship to play for and at least a chance at a bowl game. 

If it ends up with a larger number of Independents, say 10 or 12, then a scheduling alliance could work, but how stable would that be?  Independents would still be angling to get in a conference.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 25th, 2021

 Liberty is a 36.5 point favorite over UMass.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tomahawk Nation says Florida State blew out UMass. 

Chop Chat says the 'Noles blew past the Minutemen.

War Chant reports Florida State demolished UMass.

Norvell pleased with the Seminoles dominate win over the Minutemen.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sports Illustrated has Liberty vs UMass odds, plays and insights.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liberty QB Malik Wills went from the field to a medical facility and then back to the field to lead the Flames to a victory over North Texas.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liberty A.D. Ian McCaw reflects on the Flames football future.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Donta Whack commits to UMass

Donta Whack a 6-0 205 pound RB from Sanford, FL has committed to UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

MaxPreps has stats. 

Chose UMass over offers from Eastern Michigan, UAB and Western Kentucky.

UMass Football News--October 24th, 2021

 Well we were a bad match-up for the Seminoles. Our best thing is a power running game, which could not work against a big, fast Florida State defensive front. To be at least competitive we needed to be able to throw the ball like we did against Boston College. Yesterday, the Minutemen could not throw the ball and so did not have any offense. 

There are still some missing pieces on our road to respectability. UMass needs a more effective QB and the Minutemen need more size, speed and athletic ability at linebacker. With only one available RB, did did not have a speed guy to match the 'Noles defensive speed.

Forget about it and move on. We still have three winnable games left. Tyler Lytle, if he can play effectively, will help.

UMass write-up here.

Florida State write-up here.

The Hampshire Gazette reports Florida State shreds UMass.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitt handled Clemson. The Panthers are 6-1.

Louisville held BC to 266 total yards and handed the Eagles their third straight defeat.

Eastern Michigan crushed Bowling Green 55-24. 

Coastal Carolina lost earlier in the week.

Toledo beat Western Michigan 34-15  

UConn lost earlier in the week.

Liberty had a bye.

Rhode Island was held to 165 total offensive yards and lost to Villanova 44-0. 

Maine beat Albany 19-16. 

Army lost to Wake Forest 70-56. Not a basketball score. 

New Mexico State lost to Hawaii 48-34.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Game Day Florida State--October 23rd, 2021

 Another tough match-up for the Minutemen today. To play as an Independent we need these games to pay the bills. Some goals today would be to play better on the road--no turnovers or bad snaps. Work on the passing game and run stopping. The Seminoles lost to Jacksonville State, so they put their pants on one leg at a time just like us. It would be great to give them a hard time today.

Go UMass!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hampshire Gazette says UMass is playing an improving Florida State team.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tomahawk Nation does a Q & A about the game with someone not familiar with UMass (?!).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noles247 says Florida State has a chance to make another step forward against UMass. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UConn lost to Middle Tennessee State last night 44-13. The Huskies put up a good fight in the first half being only down eight points, but the second half was all MTS.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 22nd, 2021

 Mike Norvell promises the Seminoles won't look past UMass.

He's also sick of "up-and-down" practices.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

College Football News predicts Florida State 48 UMass 13.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hampshire Gazette says Florida State is not much of a homecoming for Coach Bell. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Berkshire Eagle says the Minutemen head south to take on Florida State.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jordan Travis is becoming more comfortable as the 'Noles quarterback.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liberty, Old Dominion and JMU moving to new conferences?

The Virginia Pilot looks at Liberty and JMU possibly moving to C-USA. 

So far, no mention of UMass and UConn.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football Recruiting 2022--Cornelius Wright commits to UMass

247Sports image

 Cornelius Wright, a 5-11 165 pound CB from Miami, FL has committed to UMass.

247Sports bio here.

Hudl.com has video. 

MaxPreps has some stats. 

Wright, a three-star player, chose UMass over a Power Five offer from Louisville and Group-of-Five offers from Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, FAU, Colorado State and Utah State.

 

UMass Football News--October 21st, 2021

Florida State has their game notes for UMass up.

UMass has their game notes for Florida State up.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The Action Network says take the "over" in the UMass-Florida State game.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chop Chat has takeaways from the Florida State Depth chart for UMass.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How to watch or listen to the Seminoles-Minutemen game.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

War Chant explains what has changed in Florida State recently improved offense. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seminole QB Travis Jordan is more comfortable running the Florida State offense.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Appalachian State upset Coastal Carolina last night. It was the Chants first loss since 2019.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 20th, 2020

 The Hampshire Gazette says the bye week was just what the banged-up Minutemen needed. On the injury report, it appears QB Tyler Lytle is still not medically cleared to play. I would think Lytle still has three appearances to burn this year. An improved passing game could make a difference against Army, New Mexico State and the two FCS teams. 

DL's Devin Baldwin and Billy Wooden appear to be available for Florida State. OL Max Longman probably won't be.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How to watch and listen to the Seminoles-Minutemen game.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WTXL says Florida State is focused on the task at hand against UMass.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BroBible reports for the first time in 10 years the state of Florida does not have a team in the Top-25.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reuters reports Florida State wants to run their winning streak to three against UMass.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

After Wisconsin, Army gets another Power Five team in Wake Forest. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 19th, 2021

 Sports Illustrated has Florida State vs UMass :odds, plays and insights.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike Norvell promises the Seminoles won't look past UMass.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Florida State's coordinators talk about UMass, recruiting and development.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Fan Duel reports the 'Noles have a 98% win chances. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Orlando Sentinel says Florida State used the bye week to evaluate progress and to prepare for UMass.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SB Nation says Florida State has two running back who are averaging 7+ yards/carry. The Minutemen have not been good at stopping the run. That's one reason the spread is 37 points.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Washington State HC Nick Rolovich and four assistants were fired for refusing to comply with the state's vaccination decree. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WTXL reports the Seminoles are refreshed from the bye week and are ready for Homecoming.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rhode Island's loss to Towson dropped the Rams to #19 in the FCS coach's poll.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 18th, 2021

 Tomahawk Nation reports FSU opens as a 37-point favorite over UMass. The Minutemen have not played well on the road so far this year. In addition, UMass will probably not be able to grind out running plays against the big, fast Seminole defense. We will have to throw the ball. UMass was able to do that against Eastern Michigan and the second half against BC. We will need to do that again to keep it under the point spread.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sport Illustrated has odds, plays and insights for the Seminoles-Minutemen game.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noles247 says Florida State opens as a massive favorite.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AP reports there is no Florida team in the Top-25. Gasp!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Liberty is a 21.5-point favorite over North Texas.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An Army fumble on their own 1-yard line helped Wisconsin get past the "pesky" Black Knights.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitt is an actual 3-point favorite over over Clemson. Mark Whipple's offense against Clemson's defense.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 17th, 2021

 I watched the UConn-Yale game. The first 20 minutes were kinda low energy, but three Huskie INT's in the first half got UConn going. With a couple of seconds left and the Huskies up by six, UConn got a too-many-players-on-the-field penalty, which gave Yale an untimed Hail Mary shot into the endzone for the win. That was a strange mental error. 

The UConn players awarded Coach Spanos the game ball.

Sports Illustrated reports on the Huskies first win in 721 days.

For the Win says UConn almost blew it. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitt powered past Virginia Tech 28-7 to go 5-1 for the season.

North Carolina scored four times in the second half to crush Boston College 33-7.

Eastern Michigan lost to Ball State 38-31.

Coastal Carolina plays Wednesday night.

Toledo lost in overtime to Central Michigan.

Florida State had a bye.

Liberty was upset by ULM.

Rhode Island was upset by Towson 28-7. The Rams were held to 162 total yards.

Maine upset William & Mary 27-16 for their first CAA victory of the year.

Army just missed upsetting Wisconsin.

New Mexico State had a bye.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--Bye Week October 16th, 2021

 Thanks to the Blog reader who sent me this clip from College Football live about UMass' win over UConn.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sports Illustrated has odds, plays and insights of the UConn-Yale game today.

Sports Chat  Place picks UConn to win outright.

The Journal-Inquirer says the Huskies are starving for a win.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Florida State's Treshaun Ward is the top graded RB in the country. He's a former walk-on BTW.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

College Football News predicts Liberty 48 ULM 13. Louisiana Monroe lost to Coastal Carolina 59-6 earlier in the season.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Army plays Wisconsin tonight at 8:00 pm on the Big Ten Network.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 and 3 Colorado State is an 11.5 favorite over New Mexico State. The Aggies are 0-6 against the spread in 2021.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 15th, 2021

 ESPN asks where does the Bottom 10 go after UMass-UConn?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The UConn A.D. is on a mission to find the right coach for Husky football.

The Yale News reports the Bulldogs and the Huskies restore a historic rivalry Saturday.

Yale is a 3-point favorite over UConn.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Florida State has 25 transfers on its roster and they're making a big impact with the Seminoles.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Madison.com has five things to know about Army football. Army is only a 14-point underdog to the mighty Badgers.

College Football News predicts Wisconsin 24-Army 10.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rhode Island is #14 in the FCS Coaches Poll.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 14th, 2021

 Extra Points has a sympathetic essay on "What would football success at UMass look like?".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UConn restores an old rivalry with Yale.

Husky HC Lou Spanos is keeping a virtual eye on his team this week. 

The UConn blog (good name) looks at the Huskies remaining opponents in 2021. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I DVR'ed the Florida State-North Carolina game and watched it last evening. The Seminoles are a load. They're a true Power Five team: big, fast and athletic. 

They have 6-2 338 pound NT Robert Cooper and 6-5 262 pass-rushing DE Jermain Johnson. Dual-threat QB Jordan Travis gave the Tarheels defense fits last week.

Mike Norvell is pleased with the second practice of bye week.

Florida State freshman DB Kevin Knowles is a surprise starter for the Seminoles.

State of the U has the Seminoles #4 in state power rankings. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rhody looks to keep their five-game winning streak going against Towson this week.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maine gets William & Mary for Saturday's Homecoming weekend.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

UMass Football News--October 13th, 2021

 Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on UMass' first win of the 2021 season.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Daily Collegian reports Ellis Merriweather and Zamir Wise rushed UMass to victory.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Connecticut Governor states UConn is "All in" despite its current struggles. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The Warchant asks if Florida State's win over North Carolina was the biggest upset in program history.

The 'Noles HC Mike Norvell talks about Florida State's first practice of the bye week.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liberty HC Hugh Freeze is in favor of the temporary signing limit. The NCAA is allowing the standard 25 maximum recruits per class plus up to seven additional signees to replace players who leave via the transfer portal. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky's fourth quarter looks at how Army football has been fairing this season.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New Mexico State and Utah State play each other for the 40th time this weekend.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 12th, 2021

 

The video is of the UMass Drum Line at the UConn game. Be warned it's "shaky cam". I was trying to hand hold at a fairly long focal length and I had had a lot of caffeine. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Florida State announced a 12:00 noon kickoff for the UMass game.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The UConn Blog (good name) has takeaways from the UMass game.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hampshire Gazette reports Ellis Merriweather carried an historic load at the UConn game.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UConn coach Lou Spanos was in communication with the Huskie team during last week's game against UMass.

The Journal-Inquirer says different coach, same results for the winless Huskies.

I think UConn has a good chance to beat Yale this Saturday. The Bulldogs are 2-2 on the season and just lost to Dartmouth. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Florida State loses a former four-star recruit to the transfer portal.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 11th, 2021

NESN replayed a two-hour version of Saturday's game last evening. The announcers referenced Ellis Merriweather's carries were the most since Marquis Young's total against Buffalo on November 17th, 2015. UMass won that game. If you can run the ball, your offense looks good.

Brady Olson connected with seven different receivers at the UConn game. I still believe the Minutemen WR room has talent. With a more experienced QB, I think UMass could have a good passing game.

The UConn game stats moved UMass out of the NCAA cellar in a number of categories. The Minutemen are now #127 in total offense, #124 in scoring offense and #125 in total defense.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Arizona is alone atop the NCAA losing streak at 16 games following the UMass win. The Wildcat streak reached 17 games when Arizona lost to UCLA that night.

You remember Don Brown is Defensive Coordinator at Arizona. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UnderDog Dynasty has a post on why the UMass-UConn game was important.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The UConn Blog (good name) has a photo gallery from Saturday's game. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you haven't seen the UMass Football Twitter post of the emotions after the UConn game, it will make you fell good.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

UMass Football News--October 10th, 2021--Hallelujah!

 Click on a image and blogger displays a larger view.

Well, UMass finally broke through yesterday. There were lots of heroes. Ellis "Ironman" Merriweather had 39 (!) carries for 171 yards and two TD's. A truly amazin' performance.

Zamir Wise added a dimension to the UMass offense out of the Wildcat. He ran for 64 yards and a TD.

Brady Olson struggled with his accuracy, but he ran the offense well and had 10-162 yards passing, which was enough to score 27 points.

The defense held the Huskies to 1-10 on third downs and added two INT's. They had eight TFL and 1 SACK. The defense dominated in the fourth quarter.

Cameron Carson went 2-3 in field goals and was perfect on extra points.

The win made my 80-mile drive back to New Hampshire more pleasant than it had been in a long time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass write-up here.

UConn write-up here.

The Hampshire Gazette reports the UMass fans stormed the field. 

MassLive said UMass snapped a 16-game losing streak.

The UConn Blog said the Huskies had a chance to win. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitt had a bye.

Boston College had a bye.

Eastern Michigan had a one-point victory over Miami.

Toledo lost to NIU on a late field goal. 

Coastal Carolina crushed Arkansas State 52-20. 

Florida State had a big win over North Carolina.

Liberty rolled over Middle Tennessee State 41-13. 

Rhode Island beat Delaware to go 5-0 for the season.

Maine lost to Elon 33-23.

Army had a bye.

New Mexico State lost 52-28 to Nevada. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Game Day UConn--October 6th, 2021

 

UMass will be in the traditional Maroon jerseys and white pants with script "umass" white helmets. Maroon jerseys and white pants are what some people think college uniforms should look like.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

College football News predicts UConn 30 UMass 24.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three UConn coaches and two players (one a starter) will miss the UMass game due to testing positive for COVID.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hartford Courant says UConn favored to break 10-game losing streak against winless UMass.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The Hampshire Gazette reports an elusive win is on the line for both teams.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 8th, 2021

From the Gridiron Club weekly e-mail: " This weekend’s game is Band Day, led by the Power the Class of New England, the Minuteman Marching Band.  We’ll have nearly 1,100 high school band members in attendance.  The UConn band will also be in the stadium and perform as part of the festivities.  "

Band Day is always fun and UConn's band being there will add some rivalry to the performance. Come to the game and cheer for the Minutemen.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The spread for the UMass-UConn game is up to -3.5 for UConn. Ouch.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

USA Today says UMass-UConn could be the worst game of the season. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The UConn Daily Campus previews the Huskies-Minutemen game.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Athlon Sports "experts" pick UMass by 2 to 1 over UConn.

Athlon also picks North Carolina over Florida State by 17.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 7th, 2021

UMass has their game notes for UConn up.

Brady Olson is listed as the starting QB. This will be his fifth game of the season and that will, I believe, burn his redshirt.

Carter Scudo and Jared Chisari are listed as the #2 or #3 RB. Chisari has appeared in four games going 4-15 3.8 yards/carry. Scudo has played in 2 games going 6-35 5.8 yards/carry.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ESPN says it's the Battle for the Bottom.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Huskie TE Jay Rose is playing with spirit for UConn.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kalen DeLoach is the "Energizer Bunny" for the Florida State defense.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Undefeated Rhode Island has a big game against Delaware Saturday.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 6th, 2021

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hampshire Gazette recaps George Georgopoulis' great game against Toledo. 

Bell states in the report Kay' Ron Adams is out for the season with ankle surgery. DB's Josh Wallace and Donte Lindsey are uncertain for the UConn game. OL Max Longman is a game-day decision for Saturday.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CBS Sports reports UMass and UConn #1 and #2 in the bottom 25 are set for an epic game this Saturday.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NCAA.com says one of the teams Saturday will break a long losing streak. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sports Illustrated says only one team has been eliminated from bowl eligibility so far this season: UConn. A Huskie win this Saturday will eliminate UMass.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Journal Inquirer reports UConn QB Tyler Phommachanh will be out indefinitely.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 5th, 2021

 Fan Duel has UConn with a 63.7% chance of defeating UMass Saturday.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Daily Campus says UMass-UConn will be the game of the year.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hartford Courant reports the Huskies are re-tooling their offense.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The UConn Blog (good name) looks at the Husky's future opponents including UMass. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Warchant says Jordan Travis has been the Seminoles' best quarterback. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 4th, 2021

 UConn opens as a 2 point favorite over UMass. Man, losing to UConn is really going to put a cherry on the top of three years of football misery.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

MassLive notes the Minutemen were held to 134 yards of offense against Toledo.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Berkshire Eagle says UMass went from bad to worse.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lines has UMass-UConn lines, trends and odds.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The UConn Blog (good name) says the Huskies lost in the last seconds.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

UConn QB Tyler Phommachanh had a leg injury during the Vanderbilt game and did not return. Phommachanh had really supplied a spark to the Husky offense. It would improve UMass' chances if he did not play Saturday.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

247Sports has reactions after Florida State beats Syracuse in the final seconds.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 3rd, 2021

 I gotta tip my hat to UMass fans. Over 9500 showed up to watch the 16th consecutive loss. It actually looked like more than that.

Click on any image and Blogger displays a larger view.

Next, the UMMB is having its finest year of Anderson era. They sound great and somewhere George Parks is smiling.

Next is George Georgopoulos, he punted like an All-American. Georgopoulos averaged almost 53 yards/punt and dropped three inside the 20.

The UMass defense also played well. The defense had a number of TFL's and one sack. Late in the second quarter UMass had the ball and three or four first downs would mean UMass would go into the second half down 10-0. That didn't happen.

Four turnovers doomed a good defense effort.

The offense was putrid. If we continue to play this way, we're going 0-12. Coach Bell tried three QB's. Nobody moved the ball. UMass averaged 0.9 yards a rush and the longest run all day was six yards. 134 yards total offense is not going to beat anybody. The Minutemen were 1-11 on third down conversions.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass write-up here.

Toledo write-up here. "The rockets smother UMass"

The Hampshire Gazette says the UMass offense let the defense down.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitt crushed Georgia Tech 52-21.

BC hung with Clemson most of the game but lost 19-13.

Eastern Michigan lost to Western Illinois 27-20.

Coastal Carolina demolished ULM 59-6.

UConn led most of the game but lost to Vanderbilt 30-28. 

Florida State beat Syracuse for their first win of the season.

Liberty beat UAB 36-12.

Rhode Island stayed undefeated, beating Stony Brook 27-20. 

Maine lost to Northern Illinois 41-14.

Army lost to Ball State 28-16.

San Jose State edged New Mexico State 37-31.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Game Day Toledo--October 2nd, 2021

 

Another Saturday, another good opponent for UMass. If you follow recruiting rankings you are aware the Rockets sign 20+ three star recruits every year. This leads to lots of depth and lots of seniors in the two-deep.

It also leads to a near upset of Notre Dame. Toledo is maybe a half a notch below Power Five teams like BC and Pitt. They're probably better than Florida State.

UMass needs to play a focused game. The sloppy start against Coastal Carolina seemed to fluster the Minutemen. We need some offensive production and the defense needs to make a couple of plays.

I drove 500 miles back from PA yesterday and I'll be hitting the road again to drive to Amherst this morning to cheer for the Minutemen.

Go UMass!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Winners and Whiners predicts UMass to cover the 27-point spread.

Sports Chat Place also thinks the Minutemen will cover.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hampshire Gazette says the early season gauntlet continues for UMass. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UMass Football News--October 1st, 2021

 The Boston Herald says UMass brings a fifteen-game losing streak to Saturday's Toledo game.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coastal Carolina is another 30+ favorite over Louisiana-Monroe.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

College Football News thinks Toledo will cover the spread.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

UConn wants to prove they're not an easy target at Vanderbilt.

The CT Post reports the Huskies are looking to upset Vanderbilt. 

The UConn Blog (good name) breaks down the Huskies depth chart for the Vanderbilt game. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Syracuse looks to run over winless Florida State.

Athlon Sports predicts a 24-20 "Noles win.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

College Football News predicts UAB will upset Liberty. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you missed it, the 3-0 Rhode Island Rams are ranked in the FCS Top-25 poll.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------