Wednesday, September 30, 2026

UMass Football News--September 30th, 2026

 The Minuteman Command has a post about Coach Harasymiak trusts the team to handle the win-streak attention.

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

NCAA.com has a story about seven teams that could end a multi-year AP Top-25 drought.

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


Pop Watson is one of UMass' athletes-of-the-week.

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

UMass is in the top-10 in FBS football in rushing defense. 

After being dead last in scoring last year, the Minutemen are #37 in the nation scoring 36.3 points a game.

Remember how I kept harping on UMass' run offense? Last year UMass was near the bottom of FBS. This year they're #35. Of the top-35 teams leading the nation in rush offense, only three have losing records. Run the damm ball.

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

Next week's opponent, Miami (Ohio) may have QB injury problems for the game.

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

For the first time in years, we don't have to check ESPN's bottom-10 rankings.

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

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

UMass Football News--September 29th, 2026

 

Coach Harasymiak's Monday press conference.

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

Eastern Michigan has its game notes for UMass up.

UMass' game notes for Eastern Michigan. 

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

Coach Harasymiak updates the Minutemen's injury situation.

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

The MAC blog By-the-Belt has its "Monday Musings" edition on the weekend's MAC games.

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

Vegas has UMass as a -5.5 to -6  favorite over Eastern Michigan.

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

A Yard Barker writer thinks if UMass goes to a bowl, Coach Harasymiak should be National Coach-of-the-Year.

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

In ESPN's weekly bowl projection article, UMass gets more than one bowl this week.

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

And we're still in contention for the Group-of-Six's slot in the college football playoffs.

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

The Athletic notes UMass hits an all-time high it its weekly FBS power rankings.

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

The Greenfield Recorder notes UMass is eyeing an FBS record win total in its game against Eastern Michigan.

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

Monday, September 28, 2026

UMass Football News--September 28th, 2026

 

Coach Harasymiak's post Sacramento State game press conference.

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

UMass gets 9 votes in the Week #4 Top-225 Coach's Poll.

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

The Sacramento Bee says UMass blew out the Hornets in their first home MAC game.

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

The Daily Collegian thinks UMass will reach bowl eligibility for real this time. 

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

College Football News projects UMass vs Wyoming in the Snoop Dogg Bowl. Please God, not the Snoop Bowl..

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

The MAC Blog By-the-Belt said it was a dominate win over Sacramento State.

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

Separated at birth? 

Mississippi State's road whites

UMass' road whites

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

Sunday, September 27, 2026

UMass Football News--September 27th, 2026

 

Watch this.

Well it turned out I should'na fretted. UMass got up early due to Pop Watson and ran the ball to shorten the game. The Minutemen were in control from the git-go and never trailed.

The defense though was phenomenal . AFAIK, no UMass defense has held an FBS team to zero touchdowns in the FBS era. The defense held Sacramento State to the lowest score since November 10th, 2017 when UMass beat BYU 16-10.

The Hornet moved the ball between the 20 yard lines, but UMass was near perfect in the Red Zone. The defense added 4 TFL, 4 SACKS, 1 INT for a pick-six. The UMass pass rush tormented the Sacramento State QB all game.

UMass dominated on both sides of the ball. Welcome to 4-0. 

UPDATE: I gotta include this image from the Sacramento Bee

Jose Luis Villegas image

 UMass defense!!!

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

UMass write-up here. 

Sacramento State write-up here.

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

The Minuteman Command says UMass rolled past Sacramento State. 

 MassLive reports UMass dominates the Hornets.

Fox Sports reports the Minutemen are 4-0.

The MAC conference web site says the Minutemen are 4-0 for the first time since 2007. 

The Daily Collegian says UMass subdued Sacramento State.

The Collegian also says Pop Watson did it. 

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

Rutgers won big Friday night.

Sacred Heart upset New Hampshire for their first ever CAA win.

Stonehill played another good first half, but faded in the second against MAC Ohio. 

Eastern Michigan dominated FCS Lindenwood.

In a game that may have implications for UMass, Miami (Ohio) beat UConn. 

Buffalo had trouble against FCS Robert Morris, but won 31-28. 

Ball State lost to Kent State 26-13.

Toledo crushed San Diego State 41-16. 

Akron lost to UNLV 38-10. 

Bowling Green lost a close one to USF.

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

If you didn't see the game, ESPN has video highlights here. 

Saturday, September 26, 2026

Game Day--Sacramento State 2026.


 This may be the most difficult game UMass has played since the start of the season. Just the time and travel adjustments are tough.

However, I think the UMass defense will play well. If UMass matches the physical effort that the Hornets will provide, I like the Minutemen's chances.

You know of course, if UMass does lose a game, all the students and bandwagon people will immediately jump off. UMass has already achieved a lot this season, and a loss does not derail the chance for a bowl game and a FBS-era record number of wins.  One game at a time..

I'll be watching the game on ESPN+ and cheering for the Minutemen.

Go UMass!!

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

Liam Coan talks about his connection to UMass and his happiness about the Minutemen's start.

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

By-the-Belt previews the Minutemen-Hornets game and one writer likes Sacramento State and one writer likes UMass.

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

Mens Journal thinks UMass is the best story line in football right now.

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

 Action Sports says take the under for Sacramento State's offense.

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

The Sacramento State website has five facts for the Hornets-Minutemen game.

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

Sports Illustrated has UMass #8 in its Group-of-Six power rankings.

They also like the under for the whole game. 

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

Ex-UMass player Jeremiah McGill is making an impact for the Maine Black Bears.

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

 Rutgers bombed an out-maned Howard 58-7 last night for their first win of the season.

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

Friday, September 25, 2026

UMass Football News--September 25th, 2026

 UMass has some travel images and video over on "X".

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

Zeke Altman and Cam Pellegrino join Christian McCollum in the Latest edition of the Flagship Pod.

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

Yahoo Sports has a story about the 2029 UMass-UConn game.

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


The Sacramento Bee has a story about Hornets QB Jackson Sharman. 

Sharman's Sacramento State bio.

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

MassLive.com says Pop Watson has UMass buzzing.

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

The Daily Collegian reports UMass travels cross country to open MAC conference play.

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

 A CBS Sports betting pundit picks Sacramento State to upset UMass.

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

The MAC Blog "By-the-Belt" has its week #3 MAC conference power rankings.

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

By-the-Belt also previews a game featuring two of UMass' 2026 opponents:UConn vs Miami (Ohio). 

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

Sports Illustrated has UMass #6 in its Group-of-six power rankings.

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

San Diego Sports predicts Hornets 29 UMass 23.

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

Thursday, September 24, 2026

UMass Football News--September 24th, 2026

 

UMass is still alive in the college Football playoff hunt. Click on the image an Blogger displays a larger view

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

The Minuteman Command says Coach Harasymiak considers Sacramento State a tough road opponent.

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

After Week #3, the Athletic ranks UMass #95 in college football.

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

UMass and UConn reschedule a game for 2029.

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

NBC Boston reports UMass start 3-0 for the first time .

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

Whoever is doing the video highlights for UMass games is doing a nice job.

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

Today is the travel day to the West Coast for UMass football. Except for Hawaii, I think that's the longest road game in UMass history. It's also the first regular season game with a California team.

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

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

UMass Football News--September 23rd, 2026

 

UMass at Sacramento State is a game UMass fans have not seen in many a year----a significant game. It's a league game, an historic fourth win-in-a-row and a game UMass is favored, rarity right there.

The Greenfield Recorder reports UMass heads to California for its league opener. 

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

Sacramento State has their game notes for UMass up.

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

William DePaepe UMass DT has been selected as one of the student athletes-of-the-week. 

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

Football Scoop says three games into the season UMass has already hit its preseason over,

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

Press Break wonder if the world is ready for a 4-0 UMass? 

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

Channel 10 Boston reports UMass students are enthused about the Minutemen's win streak. 

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

The MAC Blog "By-the-Belt" has an interesting editorial about ESPN Game Day spurning  Western Michigan-Boise State game this weekend. That matchup could be the Group-of-Five's game of the year.

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

UMass is in the Top-10 in the nation in rushing defense !!! Offense gets the fans excited; defense wins games.

UMass is #27 in total defense. 

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

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

UMass Football News--September 22nd, 2026

Coach Harasymiak 's Sacramento State week press conference.

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

UMass has it's game notes for Sacramento State up. 

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

 UMass' next home game against Eastern Michigan will kickoff at 3;30 pm.

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


 UMass punter Edward Phillipson was named to the Ray Guy Ray's Eight award for his performance last Saturday.

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

UMass continues to rake in MAC conference Player-of-the-Week awards. DE William Depaepe and Derek Morris were named defensive and special teams players-of-the-week by the MAC 

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

The Minuteman Command has a post about how not losing all the time has helped UMass recruiting. 

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

The MAC blog "By-the-Belt" has it's Monday Morning Musings.

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

UConn's Daily Campus has UMass included in a story about the most intriguing story lines in college football.

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

ESPN has UMass #116 in it's weekly power rankings and has the Minutemen with a 95.9% chance of making 6 wins in 2026.  Holy crap!

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

Monday, September 21, 2026

UMass Football News--September 21st, 2026

 

The Minuteman Command reports UMass responded to their first "storm" of the season.

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

Sports Illustrated projects UMass vs Delaware in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. That would be a fun reunion with the Blue Hens.

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

By-the-Belt reports UMass receives a couple of votes is the Top-25 Coaches Poll.

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

USA Today has the complete Coaches Poll. Western Michigan is under rated.

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


ESPN ranks the 35 unbeaten teams. 

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

UMass opens -6 against Sacramento State.

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

Press Break wonders if the world is ready for a 4-0 UMass? 

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

Sunday, September 20, 2026

UMass Football Blog News

 Mrs Blog and I will be traveling for the next four days. As usual, I'll try to keep the blog going, but if for some reason I go dark, I'll be back up on Thursday.

Go UMass.

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

UMass Football News--September 20th, 2026

 


Well UMass' first half offensive stutters masked what was the finest defensive performance Minuteman fans have seen for some time.

Stonehill had 491 yards of offense against New Hampshire and was held by UMass to 161 total yards. Stonehill QB Jack threw for 390 yards against the Wildcats had only 134 against the Minutemen. UMass allowed only 27 yards of rushing offense and that should keep the Minutemen in the top-10 nationally in rushing defense. 

In addition UMass had 5 TFL, 2 SACKS, 1 INT and 2 FF. An outstanding effort.

On offense, UMass had a slow first half, but ended up scoring 36 points, one point off their season average.

3-0!

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

UMass write-up here. 

Stonehill's write-up here. 

The Minuteman Command says UMass took care of Stonehill.

CBS Sports reports UMass is 3-0 for the first time in FBS. 

The Greenfield Recorder says T.Y. Harding propels UMass past Stonehill.  

The Daily Collegian says UMass improves to 3-0.

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

Rutger gave it a valiant effort but fell to #11 USC.  

Sacred Heart fell to Elon 21-24.

 Sacramento State lost to  North Dakota State.

Eastern Michigan was pounded by Wisconsin 54-10. 

Miami (Ohio) was edged by Cincinnati 35-31.

Buffalo lost to #14 Penn State 55-13. 

UConn pasted Southern Mississippi 48-20. 

Ball State got run over by Liberty 51-15.

Toledo beat Temple in overtime.

Akron lost to Big10 Minnesota 41-7. 

Bowling Green got crushed by Iowa 55-7.

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

 

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Game Day--Stonehill 2026

 The Minuteman Command has "know your opponent --StoneHill".


The Skyhawks are a decent FCS team with an outstanding QB. Jack O'Connell is a fifth-year senior from North Andover, MA. In Stonehill's last game he accounted for 433 yards of offense and 4 TD's all by himself.

I'm sure controlling O'Connell will be a top priority for the Minutemen. Stonehill's defense is only average (they gave up 5.5 yards/rush against New Haven). The best defense against O'Connell is having him on the sidelines watching the UMass offense.

The projected return of RB Jordan Washington for UMass should make a good Minuteman offense even better. I'm excited to watch him run.

This is a game UMass should win. Today they have to go out and do it.

I'll be there cheering for the Minutemen.

Go UMass!

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

UMass will have some coveted recruits visiting for the game.

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

The MAC blog "By-the-Belt" has UMass ranked fourth in their Week #3 power rankings. 

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

MAC Reporter Online previews all of today's MAC conference games including UMass-Stonehill.

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

Also we should enjoy the beautiful Fall season..


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

 

Friday, September 18, 2026

UMass Football News--September 18th, 2026

 Christian and Rene reunite over at the Flagship podcast.

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

CBS News has Pop Watson in their "Top-20" college football quarterbacks.

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

A Wisconsin blog reports the Badgers may be replacing Colorado State with UMass in the 2027 season.  The Minutemen's 2027 schedule is already filled with Stony Brook, @Indiana, @Temple and UConn, so one of those would have to go.


Visiting Camp Randall would be fun! 

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

The MAC Blog By-the-Belt previews the UMass-Stonehill game and predicts UMass 42 Stonehill 14.

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

The Athletic reports UMass fans are giddy.

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

The Daily Collegian says UMass prepares for its second straight FCS opponent.

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

UMass game against Sacramento State will start at 6:00 pm local time, so I think that will be 9:00pm EDT..

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

Thursday, September 17, 2026

UMass Football News--September 17th, 2026

 


Stonehill has their game notes for UMass up.

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

The Minuteman Command has a post on the return of Jordan Washington. 

Washington's UMass bio. 

Washington's availability adds another weapon to the UMass offense. The Minutemen are a bad-weather team and one third of the season's games are in November. League championships are won in the cold and dark of that month. This year the last four games of the season are Ball state, @Toledo, Akron and @ Bowling Green. Except for Toledo, three of those games are winnable without being an upset. Run the damm ball.

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

ESPN has UMass out of the bottom ten.

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

Next week's opponent (and first league game) is Sacramento State. The MAC blog "By-the-Belt" looks at Sacramento State's Saturday game with North Dakota State.

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

Will Toledo be a solid favorite over UMass in November? Saturday's game between the Rockets and Temple should be informative.  

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

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

UMass Football News--September 16th, 2026


The Minuteman Command says as UMass keeps winning, Coach Harasymiak keeps raising the standard.

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

 T.Y. Harding is one of UMass' student ahtletes-of-the-week.

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

The MAC Conference is moving to a nine-game conference slate in 2027. 

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

The Greenfield Recorder reports UMass to host second straight FCS opponent.

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

ESPN's Week #2 projected bowl games has UMass vs Old Dominion in the Puerto Rico Bowl. 

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

UMass is -33.5 against the Stonehill Skyhawks in Vegas odds.

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


 T.Y. Harding is the Comeback player-of-the-week.

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

The Athletic has a post about Boston College's life at the bottom of college football's spending leaderboard.

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

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

UMass Football News--September 15th, 2026

 UMass' game notes for Stonehill are up.

Stonehill's game notes for UMass aren't up yet, But Stonehill QB Jack O'Connell just won his second straight NEC conference offensive-player-of-the-week award.

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


 T.Y. Harding wins the MAC conference Special Teams player-of-the-week. Who else?

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


 Coach Harasymiak's press conference for the Stonehill game.

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

The MAC blog "By-the-Belt" covers last weekend's results for all the MAC teams.

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

WAMC reports UMass celebrates its second win of 2026. 

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

Monday, September 14, 2026

UMass Football News--September 14th, 2026

 Keeping the trivia questions going: when was the last time UMass opened its season with three straight wins? Answer at the end of this blog post.

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


 Pop Watson and T.Y. Harding at the press conference after the Sacred Hear game.

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

Amazin' stats:

Pop Watson is #2 in FBS in pass completion percentage! 

Pop Watson is #5 in FBS in pass efficiency! 

UMass is #45 in FBS in points scored per game! No longer dead last. 

UMass is #35 in FBS in run defense! Holy crap! We're good things on both sides of the ball.

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

The Hampshire Gazette reports UMass moves to 2-0 with a dominate win over Sacred Heart.

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

UMass' win over Sacred Heart caused it to drop four slots in ESPN's power rankings.

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

Answer to trivia question: The last time UMass opened its season with three straight wins was 2007. The Minutemen under Coach Brown beat Holy Cross 40-30, Colgate 35-17 and Towson 38-7---and then beat Maine 38-7 on the way to the FCS Quarterfinals. UMass was CAA Champions that year also.

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

Sunday, September 13, 2026

UMass Football News--September 13th, 2026

 Well UMass set an FBS record of two season opening wins before a crowd of almost 15,000. Ty Harding was the star of the show with 141 return yards and 2 TD's. Pop Watson went 9-10 152 a and 1 TD.

It was 37-0 in the third quarter and from then on, UMass emptied the bench. If I counted right, the Minutemen played 29 players on defense. Sacred Heart's only TD came against UMass' deep defense bench.

Aedan McCarthy came in as the #2 QB in the third quarter and looked like a true freshman, however he was working with mostly 2nd string offensive players.

It was a dominating win by the Minutemen. It's been a long time since UMass has played a game that was under control from the start.

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

Dylan Podlinski image


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


UPDATE: Coach Harasymiak's post-game press conference.

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

The UMass website says the Minutemen ran away from Sacred Heart. 


The Pioneers website reports Sacred Heart battled on the road. 

MassLive.com says UMass sprinted past Sacred Heart. 

 The Daily Collegian reports UMass pioneered past Sacred Heart.

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

Rutgers lost Friday.

Stonehill rang up an astonishing 514 offensive yards but fell to New Hampshire 42-35. 

Fresno State crushed Sacramento State 49-3.

Eastern Michigan lost to Big10 Michigan State 35-7.

Miami (Ohio) blew out Holy Cross 45-7. 

Buffalo lost to FIU 33-20. 

UConn had an eight-game home winning streak broken with a 38-14 loss to Maryland. 

Ball State won 41-17 over Stony Brook. 

Toledo crushed Central Connecticut 63-10. 

Akron thumped Robert Morris 45-10. 

Bowling Green met a different class of opponent and lost to Nebraska 56-7.

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

Saturday, September 12, 2026

Game Day-- Sacred Heart 2026

 Well, (and I can't really remember when I said this last) Sacred Heart is a team UMass should be able to handle.

The Minutemen are flat bigger than the Pioneers. Sacred Heart's starting LG is Ben Mercado 6-2 288, C is Christian Blackwell 6-1 269, RG is Justin Sokol 6-0 264.

On defense, they apparently play a 3-4. The Pioneer three down linemen are DE Janier Armstead 6-2 267, NT Jared Hirschfield 6-4 280, and DT Jaylin Johnson 6-4 265.

 UMass should have a big advantage in size on both lines. If we can continue to run the ball, Pop Watson should be able to pass efficiently.  The Minutemen have not opened with two wins in the FBS era. So another milestone is available today.

I'll be there, cheering for the Minutemen.

Go UMass!!

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

Yahoo Sports predicts UMass 42 Sacred Heart 20.

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

The MAC Blog "By-the-Belt" previews a Saturday when most MAC teams play a FCS team. 

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

By-the-Belt also has UMass up to #4 in their conference power rankings. Highest ever?

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

The Dayton News says Dayton native Derek Morris played a big part in UMass' upset of Rutgers.

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



Edward Phillipson is MAC's Scholar Athlete of the week.

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

Rutgers lost last evening to Boston College  

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

Friday, September 11, 2026

UMass Football News--September 11th, 2026


That's Pioneer WR Dean Hangey 6-0 190 with the catch. Against Monmouth, Hangey had 110 receiving yards and 2 TD's.

 Sacred Heart reports they're ready for their FBS challange at UMass.

Pioneers' game notes for the Minutemen. 

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

The Daily Collegian reports UMass hosts Sacred Heart at McGuirk on Saturday.

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

The Minuteman Command says UMass coach Harasymiak embraces attention, not Gatorade.

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

UMass is a 24.5 favorite over Sacred Heart. 

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

Sports Illustrated has a CFP eliminator report after Week #1.  UMass knocks out Rutgers; Minutemen are still alive.

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

The MAC conference plays eight FCS teams this weekend and the MAC blog "By-the-Belt" covers all eight matchups.

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

Thursday, September 10, 2026

UMass Football News--September 10th, 2026

 Blogger will not insert images this morning. So no graphics until that changes.

UPDATE:  I tried again and apparently Google has fixed their problem..

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

Still no games notes from Sacred Heart that I can find.

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


Coach Harasymiak is named Dodd Trophy Coach--0f-the-Week  

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

The MAC Blog "By-the-Belt" reports UMass DB Isaiah Reed's performance against Rutgers increases his chance being selected to the Senior Bowl.

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


UMass kicker Derek Morris is one of three kickers honored for their Week #1 performance.

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

If the coaches need any motivation material for Sacred Heart, ESPN still has UMass in their "Bottom-10" list.

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

The MAC Blog "By-th-Belt" updates the league's appeal of the Western Michigan-Michigan screw-up.

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

Former UMass star Peter McCarthy has passed away. McCarthy lettered in 1974,1975,1976 and was Captain in 1977. He was first-team All Yankee Conference in 1977.

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

Wednesday, September 09, 2026

UMass Football News--September 9th, 2026


 Coach Harasymiak's Sacred Heart press conference. 

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

UMass is up to #98 in the latest USA poll.

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


 UMass is the Pop-Tarts Bowl team of the week.

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

This post talks about Curtis Kimmons IV who had an excellent game for UMass against Rutgers. 

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

Pop Watson makes the Davey O'Brien "Great 8" quarterback list.

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

Pop Watson and Derek Morris make two of the three UMass Student-Athletes of the week.

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

ESPN updates their CFP predictions and also bowl predictions. 

This is one of them:

 IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Liberty vs. Louisiana Tech
Schlabach: UMass vs. Louisiana

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

AP News reports Rutgers' coach Greg Schiano said the Scarlet Knights "laid an egg". 

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

This isn't going to work, but I approve the effort.

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

Tuesday, September 08, 2026

UMass Football News--September 8th, 2026

 UMass Football Blog trivia question: In the FBS era, has UMass ever opened with two consecutive wins? Answer at the end of this post.

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


 UMass sweeps Week #1 MAC offensive, defensive and special teams player-of-the-week awards.

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

Coach Harasymiak's press conference for the Sacred Heart  game.

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

UMass game notes for the Sacred Heart Pioneers. 

Sacred Heart game notes not up yet.

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

The Greenfield Recorder says UMass moves its focus to Sacred Heart.

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

Sacred Heart hopes to make an impact in their first season in the CAA.

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

On the Banks blog revises their predictions for Rutgers season win totals.

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

The MAC Blot "By-the-Belt" has their weekly Monday Musings.

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

Answer to Trivia Question: No, UMass has never opened with two wins in FBS.

The last time the Minutemen opened the season with two wins was 2011 under Kevin Morris. UMass beat Holy Cross 24-16 and on 09/17/2011 beat Rhode Island 39-27.

That's 5,474 days if UMass wins on 09/12/2026.

That's 14 years 11 months and 26 days.

That's 782 weeks..

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

Monday, September 07, 2026

UMass Football News--September 7th, 2026

 The UMass Athletic Dept has home opener updates.

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

This is fun!

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


 Derek Morris was one of many heroes last Saturday. He went 3-for-3 on field goals and also put all 8 kickoffs into the endzone. Rutgers never had a chance for a big return to ignite a scoring drive. It seems like for the last decade, we'd score, then the ensuing kickoff would go out of bounds and the other team would get the ball on the 35..

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


 Click on an image and blogger displays a larger view. The Minuteman defensive line dominated.

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


 As I've been saying forever, if you can run the ball good things happen.

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

ESPN takeaways for Week #1 has UMass wins.

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

Pop Watson is this week's New England Gold Helmet winner!

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

UMass jumps up 25 slots on ESPN's 2026 power rankings. 

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

Yahoo Sports reports after a winless 2025, UMass beats a -29.5 spread. 

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

At Rutgers, even the politicians are griping.

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

The Scarlet Knights open a -4.5 underdogs to Boston College.

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

Sunday, September 06, 2026

UMass Football News--September 6th

 The Minuteman Command says Pop Watson took Springfield with him.

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

UMass walking into the Rutgers Athletic Dept for their $1.5 million.

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

Sports Illustrated's Patrick  Andres says he's in love with UMass.

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

The Rutgers Blog "On the Banks" analyses the loss to UMass and says it's the worst in program history.

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

Indiana's Curt Cignetti takes a shot at Rutgers as the pile-on continues.

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

The Ashbury Park Press analyses Rutgers' embarrassing loss. 

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

UMass students celebrate.

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


Next week's opponent Sacred Heart lost to Monmouth in their CAA opening game. 

 Stonehill rode a strong first half in a win over New Haven.

 Sacramento State blew away Mississippi Valley State 52-0.

Eastern Michigan lost a close game to San Jose State 27-21. 

Miami Ohio gave up 649 yards of offense and lost to Pitt 59-14.

Buffalo had already won on Thursday.

UConn rang up a program record 679 yards of offense and thumped Lafayette 56-7. 

Ball State had the unenviable task of playing Ohio State and lost 56-3. 

Toledo's second half rally fell short and they lost to Michigan State 30-20. 

 Akron was competitive with Wake Forest but fell 38-16.

FCS Tarleton State won their 2nd consecutive FBS game as they edged Bowling Green 20-13.

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

 

Saturday, September 05, 2026

UMass Football News--September 5th, 2026

 Well, UMass's win set off a lot of stories. It's good to be a blogger with lots of material and it's great when it's positive news for a change..

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

The Minuteman Command says UMass just changed the entire conversation.

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

Pop Watson on Sports Center.

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

Sporting News says UMass stops college football's longest losing streak.

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

Athlon Sports reports UMass stuns Rutgers in a week #1 upset.

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


 Coach Harasymiak's post-game press conference. Notice he almost breaks into a smile once or twice.

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

The UMass Daily Collegian does a nice professional job covering UMass sports. I like their reporting.

The Collegian says a fast start provokes a historic win. 

There were many heroes in the win and the Collegian covers the UMass running backs. 

The Collegian reports the UMass defense showed up. 

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


 The WMUA broadcast team has a post game video.

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

Rutgers fans are melting down.  

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

In 2026 opponent news Buffalo dodged a FCS upset. 

Eastern Michigan faded in the fourth quarter to lose to  San Jose State.

New-look Toledo gave Michigan State a hard time but fell in the fourth quarter.

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

UPDATE: Sacred Heart opens its season with a CAA league game against Mommouth. 

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