UMass Football News--October 21st, 2026

 UConn's game notes for UMass are up.

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Western Mass News says the UMass-UConn rivalry is drawing national attention.

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The Minuteman Command reports Coach Harasymiak said UConn is an explosive team.  

UConn is currently #33 nationally in both 1st downs and scoring offense. The Huskies average 35.7 points a game.

I think the the UMass defense will play their usual tough game. However, scoring 18 points will not win this game. UMass will need to score 28+ to win.

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 TJ Magee was comeback player-of-the-week.

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The Hartford Current says the 24-team playoff means UConn really needs a league affiliation.

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UMass Football News--October 20th, 2026

 UMass has its game notes for UConn up.

Three freshmen in the two-deep in the WR position. Drew Alsup, Tavian Dashiell and Kai Owens are listed in the two-deep. 

No games notes for UConn yet.

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Coach Harasymiak's Monday press conference for the UConn game. Some of the walking wounded will be a game-time decsion.

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Yahoo Sports has UConn's QB Kaleb Osborne prepares to face UMass. 

Osborne's UConn bio.

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UMass is #118 in this week's ESPN power rankings.

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The MAC blog "By-the-Belt" reviews the weekend's conference games including UMass-Buffalo.

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UConn HC Jason Candle is impressed by the Huskies resiliency. 

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Yahoo Sports says the expansion of the CFP to 24 teams won't help UConn's chances (or any other Group-of-Six team).

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UMass Football News--October 19th, 2026

 X has Coach Harasymiak's post-Buffalo game press conference.

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WWLP has UMass moves to 4-3 after a defeat at Buffalo.

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Amherst Wire said UMass dropped a heartbreaker to the Bulls.

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The Daily Collegian reports the UMass defense crumbled in the clutch.

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 The Minuteman Command reports no one cares about the Minutemen's injury problems.

All this is true to some extent, there is no denying the offense team that opened with four victories has not been on the field the last two games. It is impressive that we've been so competitive playing players who were 3rd on the depth chart opening the season. 

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Channel 8 says the Huskies are preparing for a Friday night game against the Minutemen.

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Vegas has UMass a 15.5 point underdog to the Huskies.

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 UConn coach Jason Candle's press conference for the UMass game.

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Fox 61 reports Candle is impressed with UConn's resilience this year.

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UMass Football News--October 18th, 2024

 Some special teams misplays in the first half contributed to yesterday's loss. A long kickoff return gave Buffalo a short field. A missed field goal, a muffed punt all contributed to a slow start. The UMass offense had bad field position a number of times.

UMass was missing most of their offensive stars. I think if Pop Watson, Ty Harding, Joe Griffin could have played--even one of them would have been enough to flip the scrip on the last three games. We were very close to a win against Buffalo. Curtis Kimmons was another player who DNP yesterday. The offensive team that had the four game win streak was just not there.

The UMass defense again played well. Scoring sub-20 points is not going to win many games. 

We get a bye after UConn and hopefully get some offensive stars back for the last four games of the season.

UMass write-up here. 

Buffalo write-up here.

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 The Minuteman Command said UMass fell in overtime.

The Greenfield Recorder reports UMass faltered late. 

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Rutgers broke through with a win at Maryland. 

Sacred Heart won again over Hampton. 

Stonehill lost late to Duquesne.

Sacramento State was crushed by Ohio 48-7. 

Eastern Michigan lost to Toledo 34-14. 

Miami (Ohio) beat Akron 34-14. 

UConn had a bye.

Ball State won in overtime over Bowling Green. 

 

 

Game Day--Buffalo 2026

Well, it was a rainy and windy drive from New Hampshire to Buffalo yesterday It's just about dawn as I write this and it looks clear and cold. It's 40 degrees now and the game is only supposed to hit about 45.

UMass needs to stop the losing streak as UConn and Toledo are on the horizon. The UMass defense has been playing well and I expect a low scoring game. If the defense can generate a couple of turnovers, I think the game is winnable.   Logan Inagawa performed well in last week's final drive. He'll center stage today.

BTW, in the Amherst vs Amherst thing, my GPS insists we're in Buffalo.. 

I'll be there cheering for the Minutemen. Go UMass!

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 The Minuteman Command has "Know your Opponent" for the Buffalo game.

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The Big Lead thinks UMass will beat the spread.

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By-theBelt  predicts Buffalo 24 UMass 21.

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College Sports Wire thinks the reverse: UMass 24- Buffalo 21.

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UMass Football Blog News

 

Mrs Blog and I are off to Buffalo to see the Minutemen-Bulls game. 

 The last time I was there was in 2013 when the Bulls and Khalil Mack crushed the Minutemen 32-3 in a freezing cold rainstorm. 

Khalik Mack personally wrecked the UMass offense with a dominate performance. 

I'm hoping for better weather and a better result tomorrow. 

UMass Football News--October 16th, 2026

 The Minuteman Command has what changed for UMass during its two-game loss streak according to PFF.

I subscribe to PFF. They purport to analyze every play of every game. Then they assign player effectiveness grades per game and per year. Like recruiting ratings that go to three digits you have to take this with several grains of salt. The ratings are probably broadly informative, but not something to get too worked up about.

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Barstool  Football Broadcast Show will be at Rentschler  Stadium for the UMass-UConn game!

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UMass drops to 8th in By-the-Belt's Week #5 MAC conference power rankings.

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By-the-Belt also comments on the soon-to-be 24 team college football playoff. 

They don't like it, but it brings FBS football in line with the playoffs of the other divisions.

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UMass Football News--October 15th, 2026

 The Minuteman Command reports UMass faces quarterback adjustments at Buffalo.

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 UMass is in the top-30 in total defense so far in 2026. It's an amazin' change from 2025 when we were dead last or near dead last in every defensive category.

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UMass' game notes for Buffalo. 

Buffalo's  game notes for UMass.

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The Hampshire Gazette says UMass faces quarterback uncertainty in its game against Buffalo.

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UMass is #105 in ESPN's power rankings after the loss to Miami (Ohio).

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UMass Football News-October 14th, 2026

 

Derek Morris nails a program record 56 yard field goal.

Morris is one of the Athletic Dept's athletes-of-the-week.

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Buffalo coach Pete Lembo relates the Bulls are also dealing with a spate of injuries.

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The Bulls media team recaps Buffalo's big win over Toledo.

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Buffalo is a -6 to -6.5 favorite over UMass according to Vegas.

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UMass Football News--October 13th, 2026

 

Coach Harasymiak's Buffalo game weekly press conference.

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The MAC Blog recaps the UMass-Miami (Ohio) game.

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The Minuteman Command reports UMass' quarterback depth could be tested again against Buffalo. 

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Player stats for the Buffalo Bulls. Messiah Burch makes the Bulls rushing attack go.

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The MAC blog "By-the-Belt" recaps Saturday's games.

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UMass' last game in FCS was a November 19th 2011 loss to James Madison 34-17. JMU just announced they're leaving the Sun Belt to jump to the American Conference.

James Madison is interested in increasing their athletic footprint. They have to pay $23 million to join, but the American has a reported $1 billion media package. Ya gotta pay some to get some..

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UMass Football News--October 12th, 2026

 Adam Breneman breaks down UMass' failed two-point conversion.

After reading Christian McCollum's post and watching Adam's video, the play was much closer than it appeared from the stands. Inagawa was wide open and would have walked in for the conversion. The Miami linebacker just made a great play, timing his blitz perfectly and blew up the attempt.

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 Tyler Martin's post Miami press appearance.

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ESPN recaps the UMass-Miami (Ohio) game.

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The MAC blog "By-the-Belt" recaps next week's opponent Buffalo's stunning upset of Toledo.  

The Buffalo News has three takeaways from the Bulls upset of Toledo. 

The Bulls were looking like they were headed for a down year prior to that game. They were 2-3 for the year and they struggled for their two wins over FCS opponents. The Bulls will be amped up for next week's game against the Minutemen.

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UMass Football News--October 11th, 2026

 

Well, a failed two-point conversion upstaged a awesome effort by the UMass defense. Of the 20 points Miami scored 10 came after two offensive turnovers (downs and a fumble). In the second half its seemed the Redhawks had the ball at mid-field the entire half. The UMass defense really played well, repeatedly stopping Miami. It was the best defensive effort UMass fans have seen in years.

Aedan McCarthy played most of the game at QB. He did OK. Pop Watson was at the game in a walking boot. 

Logan Inagawa came in and immediately jump started the UMass offense. The Minutemen made a length-of-the-field two minute drill to score with 1 second remaining.

I haven't watched the post game press conference yet, but I did not  like the two-point conversion decision. The defense was playing great. UMass was amped up and had the momentum. I think Inagawa and the defense would have won it in overtime. Just one man's opinion..

Also I didn't like the two-point call. I would have gone five-wide to spread the Redhawks defense and given Inagawa the choice to throw it or run. He's quick.  However, UMass may have had a special play they liked. It went nowhere during that try, however.

UPDATE: Christian McCollum has a detailed breakdown of two-point decision and the play call. 

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UMass write-up here. 

Miami (Ohio) write-up here. 

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The Minuteman Command says the UMass comeback fell short. 

Coach Harasymiak's post game press conference. 

MassLive.com said UMass falls on a failed two-point conversion.

Pro Football Network has a post with lots of rumors about Watson's injury. 

The Daily Collegian reports UMass lost a heartbreaker. 

The Hampshire Gazette said a failed two-point conversion stops a UMass come-back. 

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Rutgers had a bye.

UMass' two FCS opponents (Sacred Heart and Stonehill) played each other and Stonehill won. 

 Bowling Green clobbered Sacramento State 38-10.

Eastern Michigan escaped Akron 25-23. 

Buffalo went to the Glass Bowl and stomped Toledo 23-8 to blast open the MAC conference championship race. 

UConn rang up over 500 yards of offense and beat Temple 34-20. 

Ball State lost 45-14 to Power Four Northwestern. 

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Game Day Miami (Ohio)--2026

 Miami (Ohio) is one of the three top teams we will meet this year. Toledo and UConn are the other two. Miami is the only one of the three we get at McGuirk. The other two are on the road. Miami is in the top echelons of MAC resources. They are near the top in NIL money. They have an excellent athletic administration and the university is interested in increasing their athletic footprint.

From the Redhawks website: Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (742), conference wins (330), MAC Championships (17) and bowl wins (9).  Historically, Miami's 742 career wins are third all-time among Group-of-Five programs, behind just Navy (758) and Army (747).

They are down to their third-string QB, Caleb Heavner. He's a transfer from Fort Hays State.  Most pundits picked Miami to return to the MAC championship game in 2026. They'll be a challenge today.

If UMass can play with the intensity we displayed in the first four games and control turnovers, our chances should be good.

I'll be there cheering for the Minutemen. Go UMass!

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Miami's game notes for UMass. 

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The Minuteman Command has know your opponent Miami (Ohio).

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The MAC blog "By-the-Belt" power rankings for Week #5.

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Yahoo Sports says take the over in the Redhawks-Minutemen game.

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Athlon Sports thinks UMass will beat the spread.

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The Oxford Free Press says the Redhawks are dealing with some weaknesses.

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UMass Football News--October 9th, 2026

 

The latest edition of the Flagship Podcast with Rene Ingoglia.

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Officially official. See you in Madison in 2027. #Flagship 🚩 https://t.co/H2Q33hcoe2

— UMass Football (@UMassFootball) October 8, 2026

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The UMass "X" feed has some images of a classic (and maybe my favorite) Minuteman helmet.

The terror of the Yankee Conference

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The MAC conference blog "by-the-Belt" previews the UMass-Miami (Ohio) game.

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The Miami student newspaper previews the Redhawks-Minutemen game.

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The Dayton Daily News has five things you need to know about the UMass-Miami game.

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UMass Football News--October 8th, 2026

 

If you missed ESPN's game day picks mentioning UMass (for the first time ever, maybe) it's above.

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The Minuteman Command has a post on UMass using its early games to provide information on improving.

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MAC Reporter Online previews the UMass-Miami (Ohio) game.

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Bleacher Reports picks Miami 24 UMass 22.

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After Week#5, ESPN predicts UMass to the Salute to Veterans Bowl.

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UMass Football News--October 7th, 2026

 In his Monday press conference Coach Harasymiak said transfer RB Jordan Washington is out for the season. He played in 2 games and went 11-54. Washington was considered one of the top transfers for the 2026 season.

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The Greenfield Recorder says UMass strives to respond for the Miami (Ohio) game.

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UMass and Indiana have canceled their 2027 game by mutual agreement. 

The revised 2027 schedule is here.

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"Indiana saw what UMass did to Rutgers and got spooked."

— Rutgers Rant (@RutgersRant) October 6, 2026

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Buffalo loses their opening game QB to a season-ending injury.

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UMass Football News--October 6th, 2026

 UMass opens as a 2.5 underdog to Miami (Ohio).

The Red Hawks have been a consistent winner in the MAC, reaching the MAC championship game the last three yeas in a row. Miami has bigger dreams than the MAC. They recently offered between $30 million to $40 million to join the American conference.  Note that the American conference has a reported $1 billion dollar media package. .

Miami (Ohio) is down to their third string QB. Caleb Heavner's Red Hawks bio here.

Heavner's press conference after the loss to Bowling Green.

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

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WWLP reports UMass seeks a comeback after Eastern Michigan loss.

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Amherst Wire reports Coach Harasymiak said UMass needs to change the narrative against Miami (Ohio). 

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The Minuteman Command writes Coach Harasymiak feels Eastern Michigan flipped the script against UMass.

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UMass Football News--October 5th, 2026

Coach Harasymiak's Monday press conference.

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The MAC blog "By-the-belt says Eastern Michigan humbled UMass.

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Pop Watson takes ownership for the loss. It was not all his fault.

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The Hartford Courant says the buzz is building for the UMass-UConn game.

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The Amherst Wire discusses what went wrong in the Minutemen's loss to Eastern Michigan.

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The Eastern Michigan student newspaper says the Eagles silenced the hype.

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UMass drops 17 slots to #120 in ESPN's power rankings.

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Yahoo Sports predicts Miami (Ohio) 31 UMass 21.

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UMass Football News--October 4th, 2026

 Well, UMass looked flat and uninspired in a loss to Eastern Michigan. We fumbled a scoring chance, missed a field goal (a long one admittedly) and threw a costly interception. Eastern Michigan QB Noah Kim was in control all game and picked apart the UMass secondary. The Eagles repeatedly converted third-and-long situations. 

The Eastern Michigan defense was as good as advertised. The Eagles held UMass to its lowest offense stats of the year.

Pop Watson was not sharp and did not influence the game. Conference play is tough. We have a chance to play better against Miami (Ohio) next week and they are one of the MAC's top teams. Shake it off and play better next week.

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UMass write-up here. 

Eastern Michigan write-up here. 

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The Minuteman Command said the Eagles crushed UMass' unbeaten dreams. 

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CBS Sports says Eastern Michigan routs UMass.

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The Greenfield Recorder says Eastern Michigan sank UMass in front of a sell-out crowd.

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MassLive reports UMass is perfect no longer.

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The Daily Collegian says UMass handed itself the loss.

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Rutgers got whacked by #6 Indiana 47-15. 

Sacred Heart continued their run through the CAA beating Maine in Orno 24-16.

Stonehill had a bye.

Sacramento State had a bye.

Miami (Ohio) also had a bad day and was upset by Bowling Green 24-20.

Buffalo lost a close one to Western Michigan 20-17. 

 UConn lost a thriller to Syracuse in overtime.

Ball State lost to Toledo 39-24. 

Central Michigan ran over Akron 41-17.

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Game Day--Eastern Michigan 2026

 

UMass has lost four straight to Eastern Michigan. The last win was eleven years ago in 2015. This year, the Minutemen are in  a much better place. The Eagles are in the middle of the MAC in power rankings. We beat Sacramento State, which is the bottom of the MAC.

Eastern Michigan is 2-3, but two of their losses are to Michigan State and Wisconsin. They have an excellent QB in Noah Kim (himself a Spartan transfer). 

From the Eagles website:

" Individually, quarterback Noah Kim ranks 24th nationally and first in the MAC in completions per game at 21.2. Kim also ranks 38th nationally and third in the MAC in passing yards with 968, and 60th nationally and third in the conference in passing touchdowns with six".

Despite Kim, the Eagle offense has been pedestrian. It's on defense where Eastern Michigan has been good, only giving up an average of 13.5 points/game to their non-Big10 opponents.

This game might be a close grind. If Pop Watson and the UMass offense can score 21+ points I think the Minutemen will win.

I'll be there cheering for our side.

Go UMass!

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The Minuteman Command has know your opponent: Eastern Michigan. 

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Yahoo Sports reports UMass achieves their first sellout in a decade.

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Covers.com thinks UMass will cover the 6.5 point spread.

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The Detroit News also thinks UMass will cover.  I get nervous when the legacy media starts jumping on the band wagon..

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The MAC conference blog "by-the-Belt" previews the Eagles-Minutemen game.

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The Boston Herald reports Pop Watson says "He's all UMass".

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The Action Network goes the other way and predicts an Eastern Michigan upset.

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Dave Portnoy wants the Barstool Sports College Football Show for the UMass-UConn game.

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Western Mass News reports UMass football will help local businesses. In just about every section of the country, college football is an economic engine.

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UMass Football News--October 2nd, 2026

 Yahoo News has "is UMass' turnaround the greatest ever"?

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ESPN says take the over on UMass.

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"Jump around" at Camp Randall.

In a scheduling change UMass will travel to Wisconsin in 2027.

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College Football News says take UMass to cover the spread against Eastern Michigan.

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The MAC blog "By-the-Belt" has Week#4 Power rankings. Their rankings pretty much match my thoughts. Right now, fourth in the conference is about level with UMass' performance. Western Michigan and Toledo seem to be the most talented squads, with Miami (Ohio) right behind.

UMass gets Miami (Ohio) at home in a week from Saturday. We have to play the Rockets at the Glass Bowl. Going 1-1 against those two should produce a pretty memorable season for UMass. Eastern Michigan has an excellent defense and UMass has to show up on both sides of the ball tomorrow to keep the win streak rolling.

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UMass Football News--October 1st, 2026

 Wow! An undefeated September. It's been a long, long time..

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 A couple of nice images from the Sacramento State game here.

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The MAC Reporter Online has a preview of the Eastern Michigan-UMass game. 

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On3.com has the best and worse of September in college football.

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UMass is tied for the top of the MAC Conference.

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Last sellout at McGuirk:  12/02/2006 a win over New Hampshire 24-17 (I was there)

Biggest recent crowd: 10/12/2024-16,102 a 45-3 loss to Missouri.

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