UMass Football Blog

Recruiting 2012--Stacey Bedell

2012-01-30T08:33:00.000-05:00

Image credit unknown

I'm not sure what is going on with Stacey Bedell, a 5-10 175 pd RB from Mastic Beach, NY.

First he committed to Villanova.

Then in December he verbaled to James Madison.

Now several sources have him committing to UMass. Rivals has him verbaling to both UMass and JMU???

ESPN has him committed to UMass.

He also apparently received some late interest from Boston College.

Recruiting 2012-- Michael Boland

2012-01-30T08:12:00.001-05:00

Rivals.com image

Rivals.com reports that Michael Boland, a 6-7 295 pd OT from Georgetown Prep/North Bethesda MD has verbaled to UMass.

Rivals page here.

Scout.com page here. Scout two-star player. Position rank #185.

Also had an offer from Tulane.

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Recruiting 2012- Dan Connaughton

2012-01-30T07:57:00.002-05:00

ESPN reports that Dan Connaughton, a 6-3 272 pd OL from Sudbury chose Penn over UMass.

Connaughton had eight scholarship offers including Temple and UMass.

Monday-January 30, 2012

2012-01-30T07:53:00.003-05:00

The NY Post has an article on Victor Cruz and the guy who beat him out for a scholarship to Rutgers.

The Boston Globe has a nice story on Cruz that includes his time at UMass.

The Patriot Ledger says Gronkowski and Cruz get a grip.

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The Hogs.net does a positional review on the Senior Bowl and says Emil Igwenagu did well. I watched the game on DVD yesterday afternoon. Emil was open on several plays, but they did not throw to him. His one catch was with about 5 minutes to go in the game. He looked smooth on the catch.

A Bleacher Report writer thinks Igwenagu solidified his chances of being drafted.

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Mid-Major FBS schools like UMass just got a boost from the NCAA in a new regulation banning "oversigning".

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With two days to go before LOI Day, Boston College has just 13 verbals.

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Sunday--January 29th, 2012

2012-01-29T07:56:00.001-05:00

The Boston Globe has a story with a section on Emil Igwenagu's time at the Senior Bowl.

The Worcester Telegram asks if Igwenagu could be the next Victor Cruz.

I havn't watched the game yet, but Emil had one catch for 14 yards according the official stats.

I get a fair amount of e-mail looking to hype some sort of sports website. I usually don't respond to that sort of thing, but I'm going to show this one about a guy writing a book on the NFL draft. I'm linking to it because he has an article on Igwenagu.

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The Boston Herald says James Ihedigbo was born to be a Patriot.

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Tom Shea of MassLive.com talks to a Notre Dame beat writer who says Charlie Molnar is a "terrific hire" for UMass.

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Former UMass cheerleader Jenny Dell replaces Hedi Watney at NESN.

This is slide #5 from a Bleacher Report article on Dell.

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I'm pleased to say my presence did not jinx UMass yesterday, as the Minutemen defeated St. Louis 72-59. The crowd of 8399 was the largest since 2007.

That was the best looking UMass hoops team, Mrs Blog and I have seen in some time. They're fun to watch.

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Saturday--January 28th, 2012

2012-01-28T07:35:00.002-05:00

Emil Igwenagu and the Senior Bowl will be at 4:00 pm on the NFL Network. Set your DVD if, (as Mrs Blog and I are doing), you are going to the UMass hoops game this afternoon.

Emil's Senior Bowl bio here.

The Senior Bowl is sold out.

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Liam Coen and defensive players from the CAA talk about Victor Cruz's days in the CAA.

ESPN's Blog says Cruz is trying to emulate Wes Welker.

During the NFL lockout, Cruz got a call and looked at the ID; it said Eli Manning was on the line.

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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says many local recruits are choosing MAC schools.

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Philly.com says Rutgers is interested in Temple's Steve Addazio.

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Off topic, but today's basketball game between 15-5 UMass and 16-4 St. Louis should be a good one. Since we moved to Jaffrey, Mrs. Blog and I try to drive down to Amherst to see some of the weekend hoops games. Over the last few years, we haven't seen many wins. Today would be a good one to break the streak.

This WEEI article mentions the game and has video of Raphael Putney's Dr. J-style dunk.

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Friday--January 27th, 2012

2012-01-27T07:13:00.000-05:00

Matty V. has a couple of stories on the UMass connections in the Super Bowl: Cruz and Ihedigbo, a match made at UMass. And opportunity knocks for James Ihedigbo.

Cruz's Giants bio page.

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Ihedigbo has a weekly prayer call with his mother before a game.

Ihedigbo's Patriot's bio page.

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UMass recruited the Pats Sterling Moss.

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Athlon Sports has a bunch of coaches with UMass connections as possible replacements for Greg Schiano at Rutgers.

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As every football fan in America now knows, Greg Schiano accepted the HC job at Tampa Bay.

Coach Molnar talked about recruiting the Northeast for UMass. The Scarlet Knights commits list has 18 recruits all but two of them from NJ and PA.

A coaching change invalidates a commitment, even a signed LOI, so I would expect UMass to be making a pitch to some of the Rutgers recruits.

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Boston College loses a three star recruit to Harvard. UMass had recruited McShea as well.

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At the Senior Bowl, the spotlight is on tight ends.

CBS Sports said Emil Igwenagu passed "the eyeball test".

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Is it just me or is Bill Belichick channeling Obi Wan Kenobi?

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Recruiting 2012 update --Robinson and Cooper II

2012-01-26T07:47:00.002-05:00

Two more articles have come out on UMass signing John Robinson and Bryon Cooper.

MassLive has an article on Robinson's signing here.

Philly.com has a story on Cooper's signing here.

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Thursday--January 26th, 2012

2012-01-26T07:42:00.000-05:00

Former UMass star Chris Zardas reflects on his former teammate James Ihedigbo and Victor Cruz.

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Matty V. reports the Cruz and Ihedigbo inspire Julian Talley and Tyler Holmes as they prepare for their shot at the NFL.

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Wendy Laurent a 6-5 285 pd OL from the Hun School in Princeton, NJ chose Penn State over offers from UMass, Buffalo, UConn and Navy.

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The Wall Street Journal says the NFL's best slot receiver could be Victor Cruz, not Wes Welker.

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The Military Times goes point-counterpoint to Navy's joining the Big East.

Army and/or Navy would be great OOC games for UMass. They're Northeast teams and I would think a home game at Gillette would be doable.

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Recruiting 2012--Two UMass commits: Robinson and Krizanovic

2012-01-25T08:20:00.000-05:00

UMass has added two verbals to its 2012 recruiting catch.

First John Robinson a 6-2 225 pd LB from Springfield by way of Worcester Academy has verbaled to the Minutemen.

I've blogged about Robinson before.

Matty V has the story here.

Robinson's ESPN page here.

He's coming off a torn ACL.

Robinson says the ACL is a non issue right now.

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Chris Monroe/To the Record image

Also Verbaling to UMass was Leo Krizanovic, a 6-2 240 LB from Paramus, NJ.

North Jersey.com has the story.

Krizanovic also suffered a torn ACL in HS.

He was drawing some big time interest before the injury.

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Wednesday--January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T07:49:00.002-05:00

Emil Igwenagu took snaps as both TE and FB at the Senior Bowl practice Tuesday.

In this Senior Bowl report Igwenagu gets two "terrifics".

UMass athletic dept story about Igwenagu playing in the Senior Bowl here.

Senior bowl webpage here .

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Victor Cruz teaches fans to Salsa here and here and here.

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A Bleacher Report writer says Boston College has one of the bottom 10 recruiting classes of 2012. As does UConn.

BC spent the second lowest amount in the ACC in recruiting expenses.

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Navy joins the Big East in 2015.

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One week till LOI day.

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Recruiting 2013---Tim Kimbrough

2012-01-24T08:09:00.000-05:00

Image credit unknown

247 Sports reports UMass has offered to Tim Kimbrough, a 6-1 218 pound ILB from Indianapolis.

His 247 page here.

He's a Scout.com four-star recruit.

Rivals page here.

Kimbrough also holds offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota and Indiana.

Recruiting 2012---Jameson McShea

2012-01-24T07:57:00.002-05:00

I've blogged about TE Jameson McShea before.

The 6-4 240 pd player from Boston College High School has picked up an offer from the Eagles.

Tuesday--January 24th, 2012

2012-01-24T07:49:00.000-05:00

ABC40 remarks that UMass has two starters in the Superbowl.

WWLP 40 says there are UMass connections in the Super Bowl.

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The IndyStar.com wonders why it's taking so long to confirm Phil Elmassian as defensive coordinator at UMass. It's been a while, so here is a repeat link to his Purdue bio.

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Toledo and Ohio pick off some Pitt decommits including one four star recruit.

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Victor Cruz is a local idol in Patterson, NJ.

Ann Mara, the widow of Giants owner Wellington Mara, heckled Terry Bradshaw as he was trying to interview Victor Cruz.

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Recruiting 2012--Tajae Sharpe

2012-01-23T07:54:00.000-05:00

Rivals image

I've blogged about Tajae Sharpe before. Sharpe is a ESPN and Rivals two-star WR from Piscataway, NJ.

In the same article about Emil Igwenagu that I linked to in today's news post, Matty V. reports the 6-3 180 pd WR switched his verbal to UMass after visiting last weekend.

ESPN reports Sharpe said UMass was a better overall fit.

Updated Rivals page with his commitment to UMass.

Above is Sharpe's 2011 highlight video.

Monday---January 23rd, 2012

2012-01-23T07:35:00.002-05:00

Matty V. has a story about Emil Igwenagu's performance in the East-West Shrine bowl. He has some quotes and the news that Emil is working with Test Football Academy to improve his draft chances.

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The UMass Daily Collegian says Cruz and Ihedigbo are starring in the NFL.

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SILive.com has a story about former UMass assistant coach (1992-94, 1997) Jerry Azzinaro.

A New Orleans newspaper has a story about former UMass graduate assistant (1992-93) Steve Spagnuolo who is now defensive coordinator for the Saints.

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The Boston Herald reports on Victor Cruz's 10 catches for 142 yards in the first half of yesterday's NFC Championship game.

The Boston Globe says Victor was in total control.

The Rochester Chronicle says Pats-Giants Super Bowl could set TV records.

Chris Fayok/Star Ledger image

The NJ Star-Ledger says Cruz made his point even if he didn't score a TD.

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Sunday--January 22nd, 2012

2012-01-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

I watched the East-West Shrine game. Emil Igwenagu was on the East's first team offense. He had one catch for 21 yards. Took a pretty good hit and hung on to the ball. Igwenagu played fullback on offense. He was on extra point and kicking teams. He played well as far as I could see. Writeup and box score from ESPN.

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We're in Phil Steele's blog post about returning starters for 2012 for FBS teams.

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I've blogged a couple times about West Roxbury LB Camren Williams as UMass had offered.

Williams verbaled to Penn State, but he has now flipped to Ohio State.

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UMass was interested in Ted White, a 6-2 221 pd ILB from West Chester, PA. He verbaled to Villanova. ESPN says he'd flip for an offer from Temple. Wonder if he'd do the same for UMass?

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The Florida Time-Union said Victor Cruz's 99-yard TD against the Jets turned the season for the Giants.

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Sport Illustrated says the Big Ten may be in for a dose of New England offense.

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Recruiting 2012-- Williams and Cooper

2012-01-21T08:25:00.000-05:00

Matty V. reports that D'Metrius Williams a 5-11 DB that had previously committed to Western Michigan has switched to UMass.

Williams Rivals page here.

This website has a good profile on him including listing UMass as his verbal .

Williams is an ESPN two star recruit.

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Matty also reports that Byron Cooper, a 6-1 195 athlete will also attend UMass. It's not clear if he's a recruited walk-on or scholarship.

His Be Recruited page here.

Be Recruited image

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Saturday--January 21st, 2012

2012-01-21T07:49:00.001-05:00

Emil Igwenagu will participate in the nationally televised Senior Bowl on January 28th.

UPDATE: Oops! the Shrine game is today at 4:00 pm on the NFL Network.

NFLDraftScout has Igwenagu ranked as the 4th best available FB in the NFL draft.
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Yesterday I reported on former UMass assistant coacj Dyran Peake being hired at Coastal Carolina. Jeff Thomas has that plus the news Malik Hall has been named defensive coordinator at Wagner.

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This Story focuses on Victor Cruz's time at Bridgeton Academy before he started at UMass.

The Washington Post says Victor has helped Eli Manning and the Giants passing game take control.

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Friday--January 20th, 2012

2012-01-20T07:27:00.001-05:00

Ravens image

SeaCoastToday.com has a feature on Clarence Brooks. Mentions his New Bedford roots and his time at UMass.

Brooks Baltimore bio.

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Our first FBS ranking. College Football News predicts us last in the MAC East in 2012. Just think, next year we will be in all the College Football magazines.

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Victor Cruz is all over like horse poop. Now he's helping unveil the official Super Bowl artwork.

That was after he was disrespected by Carlos Rogers.

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The Pats Patrick Chung says James Ihedigbo is one smart football player.

ESPN says Ihedigbo was one of the Patriots drawing a big media crowd.

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UMass adds assistant coaches

2012-01-19T20:39:00.000-05:00

I was going to wait until tomorrow to blog on two additions to the UMass staff, but enough material is accumulating to make a decent post, so here goes.

Several sources report that former Hawaii offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich has joined the UMass staff as offensive coordinator/ QB coach.

Story from Matty V.

Story from Jeff Thomas.

Rolovich's Hawaii bio. Read it. Wikipedia bio.

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Also reported to join the UMass staff is Ron Hudson offensive line/ run game coordinator from New Mexico.

Hudson's New Mexico bio.

Story about Coach Hudson's early days in coaching.

Coach Hudson talks about the run game at New Mexico's 2011 media day

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Also reported to be joining the Minutemen is Charlie Molnar Jr, a graduate assistant from the Buffalo Bulls.

Story about his hiring at Buffalo.

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Former UMass assistant coach Dyran Peake became the first of the former UMass staff to land a job as he has been hired as an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina.

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Thursday--January 19th, 2012

2012-01-19T06:12:00.000-05:00

A MAC championship and back-to-back 11 win seasons provides a lot of opportunity for NIU coaches.

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A new daughter has Victor on Cruz control.

In his spare time, he's wowing the fans.

Big Blue.com has Victor's portion of the Giants NFC Championship game press conference.

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Meanwhile, James Ihedigbo is getting ready for the Ravens.

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Off topic, but interesting for football fans: the Pats RB BenJarvis Green-Ellis has never fumbled during his pro career.

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No UMass recruiting news today, but does Coach Molnar have a helicopter?

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The NCAA is debating scholarship cuts for both FBS and FCS football.

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Recruiting 2012--Jordan Lucas

2012-01-18T07:58:00.003-05:00

I've blogged about Jordan Lucas twice before.

The Altoona Mirror reports he has verbaled to Penn State. The article mentions his offer from UMass. Lucas will be the first recruit for O'Brien.

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Wednesday--January 18th, 2012

2012-01-18T07:53:00.004-05:00

As mentioned in a comment, former UMass HC Kevin Morris is reported to have been hired as offensive coordinator at FIU.

The UMass Football Blog and all UMass fans wish Coach Morris and all the former staff good luck in finding new positions.

FIU's website here.

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Pro Football Weekly reports Victor Cruz has been named their "most improved player".

Auburnpub.com says Cruz is not really improved, just flat out good.

The Giants looked at Cruz's off-season dedication and were not surprised by his breakout season.

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Salaries are rising for college football coaches.

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Tuesday--January 17th, 2012

2012-01-17T06:32:00.000-05:00

The NY Jets signed John Griffin to a reserve/futures contract.

Thanks to the reader who pointed this out in a comment.

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Jeff Thomas has a short article on Vondel Langston's verbal to UMass.

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James Ihedigbo says Pats fans are turning up the volume.

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SB Nation has the best 20 surprises in college football's 2011' season. The high-scoring MAC games were #18.

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The MAC does it with offense. The Tide did it with defense.

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UMass' 2012 OOC opponents based on their 2011 rankings:

Jeff Sagarin

#11 Michigan 11-2
#42 Vanderbilt 6-7
#76 UConn 5-7
# 139 Indiana 1-11

Keepers

#11 Michigan
#48 Vanderbilt
#86 UConn
#114 Indiana

Indiana's lone victory was a 51-17 blowout win over CAA champ Towson.

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Recruiting 2012---Vondell Langston

2012-01-16T07:36:00.000-05:00

Jonathan Wiggs/Globe image

I've blogged about Vondell Langston before.

Yesterday, the 6-1 215 pd OLB from Everett became the fourth player to commit to UMass.

ESPN Insider: UMass gains LB Vondell Langston.

Boston.com says Langston headed to UMass.

ESPN high school report: Everett linebacker Vondell Langston commits to UMass.

Matty V has a story in the Gazette.

Monday--January 16th, 2012

2012-01-16T07:22:00.000-05:00

Jeff Haynes/Reuters image

Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz lead the Giants to a win at Lanbeau Field.

Rotoworld.com reports Victor had 74 yards receiving and a couple of big plays.

ESPN Blog "Cruz recovery".

"Underneath that pile," Cruz said, "if I told you what happened underneath that pile, you probably wouldn't even believe it.”

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Harvard assistant Tony Reno ended up getting the Yale HC job.

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Sunday--January 15th, 2012

2012-01-15T08:40:00.002-05:00

Brandon London signed a new two-year deal with the Alouettes.

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The MAC Football All-Academic team has been announced.

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Andrew Mills/US Presswire image

Latino News says Kevin Morris put Cruz on the right track.

ESPN says the Giants receivers don't care who's #1.

Boston.com says Cruz and the Giants receiving corps are catching on.

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In Coach Molnar's speech to the Sports luncheon last Wednesday, he emphasized recruiting in: 1. Massachusetts, 2. New England, 3. the Northeast, 4. the East Coast---and not much in Florida.

This article enumerates the FBS signings per state after the 2011 LOI date.

Massachusetts 12
Connecticut 6
Maine 1
New Hampshire 0
Rhode Island 0
Vermont 0
New York 29
New Jersey 45
Pennsylvania 60
Florida 344

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Saturday--January 14th, 2012

2012-01-14T07:26:00.000-05:00

The MAC had more than its share of entertaining games this season.

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The Packers Grant says Cruz won't be dancing this weekend.

The NY Times says the Giants are unlikely to redo Cruz's contract.

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Jeromy Miles was part of the best kickoff coverage team in the NFL.

Another story here.

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Jeremy Horne set a couple of personal bests in 2011 for the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Congrats to UMass hockey for their domination of Boston College last night.

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Recruiting 2012---Edens Sineace II

2012-01-13T07:26:00.000-05:00

Scout.com image

I've blogged about Palm Beach Central OL Edens Sineace before.

This article says he is still uncommitted.

He's a Rivals three star recruit.

Besides UMass, Sineace has offers from FIU, Middle Tennessee State, Kentucky, Marshall and Bowling Green.

Friday--January 13, 2011

2012-01-13T07:17:00.000-05:00

Matty V. has more on Coach Molnar's talk at Wednesday's sports luncheon. One of his contentions that UMass will not schedule FCS teams in the futures, will I think, be revised eventually. Nearly all FBS teams, including the MAC, schedule at least one FCS team per year. It counts towards bowl eligibility and it generally cost 1/3 of the contract for an FBS team. In addition, there is no home and home requirement. I think UMass will need the wins and the money eventually.

More Molar quotes via Matty.

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New MAC foe Central Michigan's OOC for 2012 includes Michigan State, Iowa, Navy and FCS Southeast Missouri State.

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MassLive talks to John McCutcheon about the NCAA's pay-for-play proposal.

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The Worcester Telegram mentions friends James Ihedigbo and Victor Cruz.

Victor says the Giants receivers will be sleeveless for Sunday's game and says his coldest game was in the 30's at UMass. Was he active for that Hofstra game in 2008?

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Recruiting 2012---Jaurice Jones II

2012-01-12T07:35:00.002-05:00

A commenter pointed out I had the wrong Jones.

Checking further he seems to be correct. When I checked on the link, I misread the posting date.

Sorry for the confusion.

January 12, 2012

2012-01-12T07:27:00.001-05:00

I can't find a way to link to it directly, but the UMass Athletic Site has a 30 minute video of Coach Molnar's speech to the Wednesday Sports Luncheon. If I understood his answers correctly during the Q&A (it was hard to hear the questions by the audience), he made some of the following points:

None of the previous staff was retained.
He will have about 80 to 81 scholarships this year, the minimum to be in FBS.
About 20 recruits will visit UMass in the next week, followed by another group of three or so the following week.
All the new coaching staff will have I-A/FBS expierence as coaches not just as graduate assistants.
He seemed to be say that he and his staff were mostly bringing in his recruits, not the group recruited by the previous staff.

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MarketWatch says UMass is upgrading its online video transfer abilities to increase coverage of Minutemen athletics.

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Former UMass All-American Kole Ayi of UMass gets a mention in this article on new Colts GM Ryan Grigson.

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Another big milestone for Victor Cruz. He has a daughter.

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Wednesday-- January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T08:10:00.000-05:00

Dick Baker of MassLive attends the "Frozen Fenway" game and runs into Coach Molnar.

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Keeper College football rankings final FCS report for 2011 has UMass at #51.

His MAC FBS rankings:

#36 Northern Illinois
#39 Toledo
#63 Ohio
#64 Temple
#83 Western Michigan
#94 Ball State
#96 Kent State
#97 Bowling Green
#99 Miami of Ohio
#110 Buffalo
#120 AKRON

Bonus: #87 UConn, #92 Boston College .

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Former Minuteman star Mike Dawson takes charge at North Middlesex athletics.

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The Hartford Courant says contract details derailed Coach Brown's Yale bid.

More from the Yale Daily News.

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I has a post about former UMass assistant coach Ted Roof joining Penn State yesterday. Roof will be defensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions.

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This is nice. A video about Victor Cruz spending time with his family and reflecting on his accomplishments this year (note that you have to sit through a commercial before it starts).

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I thought this was an interesting read: an article on a FBS playoff system based on leagues that were set up according to proximity of the schools to each other. It includes UMass as a member of a new Northeast Conference.

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Off Topic: Coach Cal comments on coaching against Tony Barbee.

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Tuesday--January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T07:28:00.001-05:00

Don Brown has withdrawn his name from the Yale coaching search as per the Hartford Courant. Several sources said he was the front runner in Yale's search. I'm not sure how well he would have fit at Yale. Brown had a significant portion of his success at UMass with FBS transfers and some prop 48 players. Both those sources would not have been available at an Ivy League school.

More from the Daily Yale news.

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NBC's "Inside the Irish" blog says Coach Molnar was going to be let go by Notre Dame before he was hired by UMass.

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Former UMass assistant coach John Strollo (1992-95 has joined the Penn State staff. The article also mentions former UMass coach Ted Roof (1994-96) as a possible hire for Bill O'Brien. That brings the known Penn State staff to seven.

I've blogged about Strollo and Roof several times in the past.

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Speaking of coaching staffs, wasn't UMass' staff supposed to be complete by last week?

Still no announcement from the UMass Athletic Dept.

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No news on recruiting either.

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Monday--January 9, 2012

2012-01-09T06:52:00.000-05:00

Allmediany.com gives Victor Cruz the "Most improved Player' award for the NFL.

Victor declined an invitation to "Dancing with the Stars".

Cruz drew extra defensive attention during yesterday's playoff game and that opened up some space for Hakeem Nicks.

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Northern Illinois stomped Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl to run the MAC's bowl season to 4-1.

Bowl wins by conference. The surprises are the MAC, which could have gone 5-0 and the ACC, who went 2-6.

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Bill O'Brien added another coach to Penn State football, who was not from UMass.

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Sunday--January 8, 2012

2012-01-08T08:13:00.000-05:00

Steve Spagnuolo reflects on his coaching career including his start at UMass. Now that he has been fired as HC for the Rams, there has been a lot of talk on Giants boards that he will return to the G-men as defensive coordinator.

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Northern Illinois hopes to continue the MAC's bowl success tonight against Arkansas State.

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Past Giants Super Bowl hero David Tyree lauds Victor Cruz.

Tyree says Cruz is "Like me on steroids".

The NY Times says Tyree and Cruz are united in Giants lore.

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North Dakota's defense, which had previously shut down prolific offenses from teams like Georgia Southern, did it again yesterday. The Bison's "D" held Sam Houston State to 6 points and won the National Championship for North Dakota.

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The Boston Herald has a story about Bill O'Brien being an unknown to many former Penn State players.

O'Brien has hired an assistant coach who is not from UMass.

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Saturday--January 7, 2012

2012-01-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: MassLive.com reports new Penn State HC Bill O'Brien is interested in two of Coach Molnar's staff at UMass. If they leave, it could put a dent in UMass' recruiting.

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The Attleboro Patch mentions Matt Campbell and UMass' new berth in the MAC East.

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The Berkshire Eagle features Victor Cruz's journey from UMass to the NFL.

Big Blue Blog talks about Cruz as the NFL's 2011 Rookie-of-the-Year.

poster credit unknown

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Northern Illinois talks about the now symmetrical MAC schedule and says they're looking forward to playing UMass.

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NBC Sports has an article on Don Brown's interviewing for the Yale job.

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The FCS Championship Game is today at 1:00 pm. The game will be on ESPN 2 and ESPN3.

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Friday--January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T06:14:00.001-05:00

MassLive has an article on UMass' 2012 season. The Minutemen's home slate at Gillette will be Buffalo, Central Michigan, Miami of Ohio, Kent State ----- and Big Ten team Indiana. UMass' road OOC is brutal with Michigan, Vanderbilt and UConn.

When I work out, one of the songs in my exercise mix is Metallica's "Jump in the fire". Turn your computer speakers all the way up. UMass joins FBS by full immersion.

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The NY Giants Blog "Big Blue View" has "The Legend of Victor Cruz".

BTW, could Cruz's next contract be for $45 million?
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Winners and losers in the MAC's realignment.

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UMass was named one of the Top 100 Public college and Universities by Kiplingers recently. UConn is ranked 30th and reflects the $3.0 billion spend by the state of Connecticut in the 90's and early 00's.

IMHO, much of the support by Connecticut was because of the Huskies high-profile athletic programs.

It would really nice to have UMass move into the Top 50.

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Towson, who went worse to first in the CAA, had their HC Rob Ambrose win the 25th Eddie Robinson Award as the top coach in FCS.

New Hampshire LB Matt Evans won the Buck Buchanan Award for the top defensive player in FCS.

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An honorary Boston driver's license goes out to this New Hampshire driver.

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Thursday---January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T08:07:00.000-05:00

Matty V. reports that it's official, UMass will be in the MAC East Division. Bowling Green gets moved to the West to balance the league.

UMass Athletic Dept post on it.

The MAC Blog "Hustle Belt" has a post about it.

So does Ohio.com. The same source also has an article on Kent State's recruiting that I thought was interesting. UMass likely has a similar system. ESPN has the results for the Golden Flashes so far.

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In addition, Marcel Shipp will be inducted into the UMass Hall-of-Fame.

UMass Athletic Dept article with bios of the six new members of the Hall-of-Fame.

Republican file image

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The NY Post says Victor Cruz is loving the limelight.

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Wednesday's Football Scoop post has Don Brown a finalist for the Yale HC job ?!!

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Wednesday---January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T08:12:00.002-05:00

Jeff Thomas has a story about Coach Molnar being off and running at his UMass job. There have been no JUCO or FBS transfers so far. Full recruiting by UMass will start at the end of this week.

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A NY Times blog discusses the Jets' UMass connections.

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Akron's new HC Terry Bowden left Alabama with two arrest warrants pending.

Bowden also added former another heavy hitter to Akron's staff with the addition of former N.C. State HC Chuck Amato.

The last MAC bowl game is January 8th with Northern Illinois against Arkansas State. The Daily Chronicle says the Huskies won't lack motivation.

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Victor Cruz gets a lot of mentions in this NY Times blog about the Giants chances in the Wildcard game against Atlanta.

Vernon Hill of MassLive.com has a story about Victor and his dance moves.

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College Bowl attendance has taken a dip this year.

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Tuesday---January 3, 2012

2012-01-03T08:04:00.002-05:00

Matty V reports, at the end of the article, that sixth grade Ryan Morris, son of former HC Kevin Morris, won the halftime shooting contest at the Central Conn. State basketball game. Congrats Ryan!

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The Examiner.com says UMass joining the MAC is one of the League's top stories of 2011.

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ESPN New York has a story about Rex Ryan and the Jets that has a lot of UMass football references. As a reminder, Mike Tannenbaum, the general manager of the Jets, is a UMass grad.

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A Boston.com blogger says Victor Cruz did UMass proud.

ESPN has a story about Cruz and the Giants' way.

Bill Perlman/Star-ledger image

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Notre Dame named the replacement for Charlie Molnar on the Irish staff.

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I don't know about you guys, but to me, the QB in the various bowl game that most looked like a sure bet for the pros was Case Keenum of Houston, who threw for 532 yards and three TD's against Penn State.

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The MAC is still third in bowl win percentage after yesterday's games. Note that the Big Ten is 3-6, the ACC is 2-4 and the PAC 12 is 2-5.

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Recruiting 2012--Bryce Jones

2012-01-02T07:57:00.003-05:00

Joshua Gunter image

Rivals.com reports UMass has offered to Bryce Jones, a 5-11 160 pd dual threat QB/DB from Cleavland Heights, Ohio.

Jones' Rivals page here.

Besides football Jones is also a force in track and an honors student.

Junior highlight video.

Cleaveland Heights won the Lake Erie League Championship.

Jones holds offers from Army, Air Force and Northern Illinois.

January 2, 2011

2012-01-02T07:41:00.003-05:00

Football Scoop reports that Shane Waldron will be TE and recruiting coordinator at UMass. Football Scoop further reports Coach Molnar will not be taking any Notre Dame graduate assistants or quality control assistants.

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Victor!!! For the second week in a row Victor Cruz has a big TD catch. He followed up with another 40+ yard catch to seal the win over the Cowboys.

Sports Illustrated says Cruz continues his rise to stardom.

The Star-Ledger says Victor torched the Cowboys secondary.

ESPN says he's Cruz-ed into the record books.

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Mike Moran of the Gazette says UMass will unveil its new look in 2012.

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The Boston Herald lists UMass' move to FBS as one of the Top 10 Sports moments in 2011 for the Bay State.

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Coming into the end of the Bowl season, the MAC is second in the ESPN Challenge cup.

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Saturday--December 31, 2012

2011-12-31T06:47:00.001-05:00

Just a note to say the blog will not be updated tomorrow morning. Mrs Blog and I will be away overnight.

I do have some recruiting news that will be up when I get a chance.

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SB Boston says Emil Igwenagu has received an invite to the February NFL combine.

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The Gazette reprints an AP story about Victor Cruz and his journey to the NFL. It's also nice that Victor is staying down-to-earth.

Giants 101 says it will be Victor Cruz and the G-men's defense against the Cowboys.

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Terry Bowden has his work cut out for him at Akron.

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The FCS Championship game is January 7th, and for once, the game is a hot ticket.

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Recruiting 2012--Jameson McShea

2011-12-30T07:46:00.001-05:00

McShea#83 /Ryan Killian/ ESPN image

Matty V. reports (see previous post) that Jameson McShea, a 6-3 235 pd TE from Boston College HS has decommited from Temple.

UMass has now offered to him.

McShea's ESPN page here.

Rivals page here.

Senior high video here.

McShea also holds an offer from Harvard. He's considering BC, Dartmouth and Maryland.

Friday--December 30, 2011

2011-12-30T07:20:00.000-05:00

Matty V. says Coach Molnar is recruiting champions. Note that Molnar says he wants a staff with FCS experience.

The article says Shane Waldron, a graduate assistant from Notre Dame is expected to join the staff at UMass.

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Jeff Thomas also reports on the addition of Phil Elmassian as defensive coordinator at UMass.

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Notre Dame could've used Charlie Molnar as the Irish got poor QB play and fell 14-18 to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl. Most coaches will tell you they'll take accuracy over a big arm every time.

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The Boston Globe tells us Toledo beat BYU in the Military Bowl.

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Thursday--December 29, 2011 Update

2011-12-29T17:47:00.002-05:00

Football Scoop is saying Purdue linebackers coach Phil Elmassian will join the UMass staff as Defensive Coordinator.

Elmassian's Purdue bio. His hiring story at the Boilermakers.

Recruiting 2012---Mali Evans

2011-12-29T07:59:00.000-05:00

Image credit unknown

Before the UMass coaching change, Rivals.com reported UMass had offered to Mali Evans, a 6-0 190 pd OLB from Jacksonville, FL.

Evans Rivals page is here.

Interview with Evans here.

Evans also holds offers from Elon, Georgia Southern, Iowa State and Southern University.

Thursday December 29, 2011

2011-12-29T07:36:00.000-05:00

Inside the Irish Blog has a writeup on the Champs Bowl. UMass Coach Charlie Molnar gets a mention.

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Toledo outlasted Air Force in the highly entertaining Military Bowl. That runs the MAC's 2011 bowl record to 3-1.

Meanwhile, an older and wiser Terry Bowden returns to coach the Zips.

The last MAC bowl will be the GoDaddy.com bowl on January 8th. NIU coach Dave Doeren does a question-and-answer session with ESPN.

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Back in FCS, TSN has memorable storylines in 2011.

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Victor Cruz doesn't think he's a Pro Bowl snub.

Yahoo Sports Blogger (and UMass alum), Taurus Londono comments on Cruz's selection.

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Recruiting 2012--Eric Hayward

2011-12-28T08:17:00.005-05:00

Rivals image

ESPN.com reports UMass has offered to Eric Hayward, a 6-2 210 pd RB from Orange Park, FL.

Hayward's ESPN page here. ESPN two star recruit.

Rivals.com three star recruit.

Averaged 8+ yards a carry this year.

Hayward also holds offers from Illinois, Arkansas State and Southern Mississippi.

Wednesday--December 28th, 2011

2011-12-28T07:48:00.002-05:00

Victor Cruz was named a Pro-bowl alternative. He's currently third in the NFL in total yards receiving.

Besides football, Cruz is also an entrepreneur.

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I watched the Little Caesar's Bowl and Western Michigan lost a game to Purdue that they could have easily won. The Bronco's QB turned the ball over six times (two fumbles and four INT's). That runs the MAC's bowl total to 2-1.

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Next up for the MAC is tomorrow's Military Bowl with Toledo playing Air Force at RFK Stadium in DC.

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Tuesday--December 27, 2011

2011-12-27T08:17:00.001-05:00

Dave Sollazzo's Maryland bio.

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ESPN has an extensive writeup on today Little Cesar's Bowl between Western Michigan and Perdue.

Official Bowl site here.

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Central Michigan brought in 17 of their 19 recruits in on one weekend.

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NewsDay asks if Victor Cruz will receive an invite to the Pro Bowl?

Julio Cortez/AP image

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Jeromy Miles has 16 tackles on special teams for the Bengals. Note that 15 of them are solo.

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Monday--December 26, 2011

2011-12-26T07:50:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: Football Scoop is saying Villanova defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo will be joining the UMass staff as defensive line/assistant head coach .

Sollazzo's Villanova bio.

Quote from Sollazzo's bio:

"He was also the Terrapin recruiting coordinator for the previous five years. During his last four years at Maryland, the Terps signed 72 student-athletes ranked among the top 100 nationally at their positions, including 17 All-Americans."

Image credit unknown

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The Notre Dame football team is enjoying its stay in Orlando. The story has a mention of Coach Molnar.

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If you haven't seen Victor Cruz's 99 yard TD against the Jets, it's the YouTube clip above. One of the remarkable things about the catch is that it was not busted coverage. Cruz makes three different Jet DB's tackle air.

Rex Ryan calls Cruz " a Jets killer".

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After the first of the year, I going to revise the format of the Blog. I'm going to take out the FCS links and add MAC and FBS sites. One of the links I'm going to have is one you might like to keep. It's future UMass schedules.

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Western Michigan plays Perdue in the Little Caesar's Bowl tomorrow. The Broncos have knocked off a number of BCS teams since 2005.

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Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-24T20:29:00.003-05:00

The Blog and Mrs Blog would like to wish all UMass fans and players and extended football family a very merry Christmas and a happy holidays.

The very best thing about writing the Blog has been meeting other people who follow UMass football.

May 2012 bring everyone peace, health and good fortune.

If Santa brought us a half a dozen three star recruits, it wouldn't hurt either :)

Saturday--December 24, 2011

2011-12-24T08:15:00.000-05:00

Victor!!!

Victor Cruz ties NFL record with 99 yard catch.

Cruz sparks Giants win.

Victor Cruz sets two franchise records.

ESPN says it was one Giant play.

Chris Pastier/Getty Image

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Emil Igwenagu, Tyler Holmes and Jesse Julmiste all made Phil Steele's post-season 2012 FCS All-America teams (.pdf download).

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Phil Steele also rates Akron's hiring of Terry Bowden has the top coaching hire of 2011.

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Boston college's 2012 verbals.

UConn's 2012 verbals.

National team rankings BC #58 UConn # 61

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Forbes rates Texas as the most valuable football team in the USA as the Longhorns brought in $129 million to the university.

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Friday--December 23, 2011

2011-12-23T07:52:00.000-05:00

No UMass related news on the Internet this morning, but some MAC related news.

Akron waited a while to name a coach, but they landed former Auburn HC Terry Bowden. He's been coaching DII North Alabama and has gone 29-10.

This a a big hire for the Zips and the league. Akron actually has good facilities and Bowden could make an impact in a hurry.

Akron spent $61 million on their facilities in 2007 to upgrade their field. If you haven't seen it, take a look.

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Boston College has hired former Kent State HC Doug Martin as their offensive coordinator.

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Back in the CAA, New Hampshire has turned the page after their playoff loss to Montana State. With sub-par facilities even for FCS, New Hampshire has made the playoffs eight consecutive years and their senior class went 37-15 including 3-1 against UMass.

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The FCS Championship game between Sam Houston State and North Dakota State is a sellout.

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Recruiting 2012--Jordan Lucas II

2011-12-22T08:11:00.000-05:00

Frank Becerra Jr/Journal News image

I've blogged about Jordan Lucas before.

The 6-0 184 pd CB is still considering UMass.

Thursday--December 22, 2011

2011-12-22T08:03:00.002-05:00

Former UMass standout Mike Dawson has left Boston College where he has been special teams coach for the last three years.

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Could UMass be part of a "new" Big East basketball league? I still think UMass will draw interest from CUSA or Big East football once we get up and running as a FBS football team.

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Yale coach Tom Williams has resigned after it was learned he padded his resume.

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Keepers College Football Ratings picks Sam Houston State over North Dakota State.

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ESPN on why Victor Cruz isn't on the Pro Bowl ballot.

Cruz needs 150 total yards in the Giants last two games to break Amani Toomer's franchise record of 1,383.

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Recruiting 2012--Abner Logan

2011-12-21T07:50:00.000-05:00

Be Recruited image

I've blogged about Abner Logan before.

Terrapin Station reports Logan has verbaled to Maryland. Lead recruiter for Maryland was Keith Dudzinski.

Another article from the Globe about Abner's commitment to the Terps.

Wednesday--December 21, 2011

2011-12-21T07:41:00.000-05:00

Another story on Coach Molnar leaving Notre Dame to focus on UMass.

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Michael Fusia, the son of UMass legend Vic Fusia, has a guest editorial in the Hampshire Gazette praising UMass' move to FBS football.

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We've been talking about recruiting the last couple of days. Matty V. Story that I linked to yesterday has the following quote:

"Monday began a dead period in the recruiting calendar that runs until Jan. 3, meaning no in-person meetings or phone calls with recruits. Molnar will likely try to have a staff in place by Jan. 4, when another, albeit short, contact period begins for three days Jan. 4-7. Coaches can call, host or have home/school visits with prospects during that time.

Jan. 8 is a one-day quiet period, however calls and on-campus meetings are allowed. Jan. 9-12 is another dead period followed by a contact period that runs from Jan. 13-28. Jan. 29 is quiet followed by a dead period from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2. National signing day is Feb. 1."

That's 18 recruiting days left until LOI day February 1st. Remember LOI Day is the first day recruits can be announced. Recruiting can continue after that.

An SB Nation writer explains the "Dead Period".

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Ratings and advertisement sales in the "Baby Bowls" such as the two Bowls MAC teams have played in have been a hit for ESPN.

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Tuesday--December 20, 2011

2011-12-20T08:17:00.004-05:00

Coach Molnar leaves Notre Dame and will be coaching full time for UMass.

Statement from the UMass website.

More from WSBD.com.
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TSN has no UMass players on it's three FCS All-America teams. Perhaps more surprising was zero Maine players from a team that went two rounds deep into the playoffs.

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The Mac Blog "Hustle Belt" says he has no idea who is going to coach Akron.

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Recruiting is in a NCAA "quiet' period with the coaches not allowed to contact recruits until January 3rd.

Let's look at the MAC's West Division totals.

Northern Illinois (10-3) commits: 13 players, 2 three star, 7 two stars and 1 ones

Toledo (8-4) commits: 20 players, 4 three star, 10 two stars.

Western Michigan (7-5) commits: 0 three stars, 8 two stars and 1 one star

Ball State (6-6) commits: 20 players, 5 three star, 9 two star.

Eastern Michigan (6-6) commits: 15 players, 2 three star, 7 two stars, 1 one star

Central Michigan (3-9) commits: 19 players, 3 three star, 13 two star

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Rivals (with a different way of ranking recruits) has the 2012 MAC team rankings here.

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Monday December 19, 2011

2011-12-19T08:20:00.001-05:00

There is a dearth of football news on the wires this morning, so let's look at recruiting.

In February of 2011, UMass announced 24 recruits. Four of the 24 Derek Beck, John McGrath, Jamal Wilson and Ryan Campbell, ultimately did not appear on the 2011 roster.

Five of the surviving rectuits were defensive players: Iric Harris DB, Randell Jette DB, Quayshun Smith DB, Greg Hilliard LB, and Kyle Morgan DL.

There were fourteen offensive players and a kicker.

Right now ESPN reports we have three commits all on offense.

ESPN gives Jones and Doyle two stars. Mills is NR. I realize the recruiting services ratings can be bogus, but they can give some insight in a macro sense.

ESPN lists the following totals for the MAC East

Ohio (11-4) commits: 11 players, one three star, 6 two star

Temple (10-4) commits: 30 players, 4 three star, 13 two stars, 2 one stars

Kent State (5-7) commits: 16 players, 4 three star, 7 two stars, 1 one star

Bowling Green (5-7) commits: 15 players, 6 three stars, 3 two stars, 1 one star

Miami of Ohio (4-8) commits: 16 players, 3 three stars, 9 two stars.

Buffalo (3-9) commits: 13 players, 2 three stars, 10 two stars, 1 one star

Akron (1-11 and currently no HC) commits: 6 players, 1 three star, 1 two star.

Coach Molnar has some work to do. Eventually, UMass is going to need some defensive players.

Sunday---December 18, 2011

2011-12-18T08:04:00.000-05:00

The MAC had an excellent start to the bowl season as the league went 2-0 yesterday.

Temple crushed Wyoming 37-15.

BTW, Temple has 30 verbals so far! The Owls 2012 class has four three star recruits.

Ohio scored with 13 seconds left to defeat Utah State. I watched most of that game. I've got the Temple victory on DVD.

Who could resist a bowl game that had a press conference for the largest potato on wheels.

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Former UMass star and current Leominster coach Dave Palazzi praises Tim Tebow.

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North Dakota State shut down Georgia Southern's vaunted triple option to win 35-7 and move the National Championship Game in Frisco.

Montana made a second half comeback, but it wasn't enough and the Grizzlies fell to Sam Houston State 31-28.

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Saturday--December 17th, 2011

2011-12-17T07:08:00.000-05:00

More from Matty V about Charlie Molnar and the Champs Bowl.

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Boston.com has more on A.J. Doyle's verbal to UMass.

Jeff Thomas from MassLive also comments on Doyle's verbal.

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Stephen Savoia/AP image

ESPN has a feature on James Ihedigbo. It article has lots of references to UMass football.

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UMass Lax will play Hofstra at Gillette on April 21st, so UMass football won't be the only Minuteman team to use the facility this year.

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I blogged on Tyler Holmes being named AP First Team All-American yesterday. The CAA website has a story on Homes and the other seven CAA players named to the AP All-American squads.

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Two MAC teams play today in bowl games. Set your DVD! Temple Vs Wyoming at 2:00 pm and Ohio Vs. Utah State at 5:30. Both are on ESPN.

Athlon Sports previews the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and also previews the New Mexico Bowl.
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The New York Daily News asks "Why isn't Victor Cruz on the Pro Bowl ticket?"

The Giants and the Patriots are the only two teams in the NFL to have two 1,000 yard receivers.

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Friday--December 16, 2011

2011-12-16T08:05:00.000-05:00

Matty V. reports that A.J.Doyle has verbaled to UMass. More on Doyle's move from the Herald.

More from Matty on Doyle.

ESPN says Molnar thinks Doyle can potentially complete for a starting spot right away.

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Matty V also has Notre Dame graduate assistant Shane Waldon will likely join the UMass staff.

Head Coach Charlie Molnar is fielding a hundred calls a day.

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Tyler Holmes was named to the Associated Press first team All-American.

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Inside the Irish blog says plans for Molnar to stay with Notre Dame through their bowl game has changed.

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UNH looks at a 2012 schedule that will not include UMass for the first time since 1952.

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Liberty announced that they will investigate a move to FBS.

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Former UMass assistant coach Jim Bradley (1998-2000) is rebuilding Monsignor Farrell HS on Staten Island.

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Thursday--December 15, 1011

2011-12-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

Jeff Thomas says could Pitt hire Mark Whipple?

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NJ.com says Victor Cruz is becoming a household name.

Cruz has also dropped some passes this year.

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Michigan led the nation in home attendance again this year. Air Force joins UMass on the Wolverines 2012 home OOC schedule.

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Ya never know in recruiting. The saga of Tyrone Figuroa from East Boston, who was going to attend UMass, but backed out at the last minute.

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Preview of the first of the MAC's bowl games this year. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at 3:30 on Saturday.

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Former Buffalo coach Turner Gill was named HC at Liberty.

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TSN previews this week's FCS Semifinals.

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Long time Harvard coach Joe Restic has passed away. He was a fixture in New England coaching circles for decades.

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Recruiting 2012--Melquawn Pinkney

2011-12-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

Republican/Mike Beswick image

MassLive.com report UMass is interested in Melquawn Pinkney, a 5-9 165 pd RB/DB from Putnam Vocational.

Pinkney won the Norman S. Dagenais Award for the top player in Western Mass. Rushed for 2,899 yards and 43 TD's.

Story here.

ESPN All-state.

YouTube highlight video here.

Also drawing interest from UConn and BC.

Wednesday--December 14, 2011

2011-12-14T07:43:00.000-05:00

The Daily Record has a three page story on Charlie Molnar's appointment as the Minutemen's new HC. It's a good read.

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Jeff Thomas says Molnar has his hands full contacting recruits.

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UMass TE Emil Igwenagu was named co-UMass Fall Scholar Athlete along with Megan Collins of Women's soccer.

NFL Draft Scout has Igwenagu ranked #18 in the 2012 pool of FB/TE/H-backs.

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Vladimir Ducasse has been playing TE in the Jets two-TE packages and doing well.

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Mark Whipple has been mentioned as a possible choice at Arizona State. Whipple considers Arizona his home, so I think he'd jump at the chance to become HC.

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No UMass players listed in Saturday's Senior Scout Bowl.

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Recruiting 2012----A. J. Doyle IV

2011-12-13T07:46:00.002-05:00

Ryan Killan/ESPN.com image

I've blogged about A.J. Dolye three times before.

ESPN says Doyle was the first recruit new UMass HC Charley Molnar called.

Tuesday-- December 13, 2011

2011-12-13T07:41:00.000-05:00

I've blogged about this before, but the UMass Library is featuring a display of UMass football history.

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A StateCollege.com blogger lists Mark Whipple as one of the coaches Penn State might contact.

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Another writer says the Big East could survive by inviting Memphis, East Carolina-------and UMass and Temple.

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Toledo appointed interim HC Matt Campbell as their new Head Coach. The Rockets lived up to their name last season as they averaged 42 points/game and went over 60 points twice.

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Keepers College Football Ratings has Sam Houstin State and GSU as favorites in the semifinals of FCS. He also has three of the five MAC teams as favorites in bowl games.

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Can Dez Bryant steal Victor Cruz' dance?

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The Daily Press says the CAA fell short this year in the playoffs.

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Recruiting 2012---Quinton Perkins

2011-12-12T07:36:00.001-05:00

Sentinel&Enterprise/Brett Crawford image

The Worcester Telegram reports UMass has offered to Quinton Perkins, a 6-0 170 pd DB from Fitchburg, MA.

However, it seems Perkins and UMass aren't that interested in each other right now.

ESPN has Perkins as MIAA All-State.

Monday--December 12, 2011

2011-12-12T07:25:00.002-05:00

Bleacher Report has a article on the Champs Bowl. Charlie Molner is slide #2.

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UMass filled its coaching vacancy quickly. Conference-mate Akron is still looking. Hustle Belt has potential names from UCLA, Michigan State, Toledo and Wayne State.

The News-Herald has the top five MAC teams of the BCS era.

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The MAC tied a conference record with five bowl invites.

The Idaho Statesman discusses bowl payouts and reports the bigger the bowl the more likely the selected school is to lose money.

Quote from the article:

"It seems Temple is lucky to be affiliated with the Mid-American Conference for bowl purposes. In financial terms, the MAC's bowl arrangement sounds better than most in terms of taking care of its schools. MAC deputy commissioner Bob Gennarelli said Monday that Temple will receive a $300,000 stipend out of the $750,000 the league receives from the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, and Temple will get 5,000 tickets at no cost and will keep the revenue from any tickets sold. That's the standard deal the MAC has with its affiliated bowls, Gennarelli said. The stipend is based on travel distance, Gennarelli said, not the size of the bowl payout."

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Meanwhile, back in FCS, the dates for the semifinal games have been announced.

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The NY Times says Victor Cruz already has reason to dance.

Cruz had another big night against the Cowboys. He also had a couple of drops and a personal foul.

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Sunday--December 11, 2011

2011-12-11T07:57:00.001-05:00

Jeff Thomas says Coach Molnar embraces the challenge of moving UMass to FBS.

BostonInno says Molnar puts Boston College on alert.

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Maine lost to GSU 35-28 in the quarterfinals of the FCS tournament. The Black Bear's run reminds me of UMass in 1999, when the Minutemen had to play Furman and GSU on the road.

UMass beat Furman 30-23 in overtime with a one yard run by Marcel Shipp.

In the next game, Don Brown's defense played GSU tough in the first half with the Minutemen finishing the half down 10-7. The Eagles broke it open late to send the Minutemen home 38-21. Brown left for Northeastern after the season ended.

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Tim Beckman hopes to add to the success of former MAC coaches at BCS schools. The article says Dave Doeren of Northern Illinois, Ron English of Eastern Michigan and Pete Lembo of Ball State all might get the call soon.

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More on Victor Cruz' record setting pace for the Giants.

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Jeromy Miles saw his first action other than special teams on December 4th against Pittsburgh. His 2011 stats and action report here.

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Brandon Walsh, a two-time All-Scholastic QB from Andover will attend UMass with a baseball scholarship.

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Saturday--December 10, 2011

2011-12-10T07:48:00.001-05:00

Charley Molnar seeks to make UMass like Boise State.

Molnar said he would eventually like to have his son, Charley Molnar III, join him at UMass.

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The Worcester Telegram on Molnar's appointment.

The Boston Globe says Molnar's a builder.

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Big Blue.com has a post on the amazin' stats Victor Cruz is piling up for the Giants. Cruz is compared to the Giants legendary WR Del Shofner.

John Angelillo/UPI/Fotoglif image

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Montana routed Northern Iowa 48-10 last night on a national ESPN game.

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The Portland Press-Herald says Maine has been playing for its future this year.

Maine plays Georgia Southern at 2:00 PM today on ESPN3.

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Friday---December 9, 2011

2011-12-09T06:51:00.001-05:00

Matty V. has a report from Coach Molnar's press conference including some quotes from the coach.

One quote that does not appear in the story came when Molnar was being interviewed by Josh Mauer. Molnar said " I wouldn't have had any interest in UMass if they were I-AA.".

Matty also related Molnar won the press conference.

Related stories from the Boston Globe.

From the Boston Herald.

MassLive.com has more.

The UMass Daily Collegian said Molnar was officially announced as the Minutemen's head coach.

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The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette says Molnar will continue to help Notre Dame prep for the Champs Bowl.

The Champs Bowl game website.

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ESPN says Molnar's likely replacement for the Irish will likely be Norte Dame's offensive line coach Ed Warinner.

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James Ihedigbo likes what he sees in the UMass upgrade.

More on Ihedigbo's comments from the Associated Press.

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Illinois just hired Toledo's Mike Beckman to replace Ron Zook.

Quote from the above article:

"So in targeting Beckman at Toledo, Thomas is simply returning to a league that has a long and distinguished reputation for churning out top-rate head coaches. Michigan’s Bo Schembechler, Ohio State’s Woody Hayes, Notre Dame’s Ara Parseghian and Northwestern’s Randy Walker not only earned their head coaching stripes in the MAC, they all held the head coaching job at Miami of Ohio.

Current Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel was hired after a successful stint at Toledo. Current Alabama head coach Nick Saban was once head coach at Toledo. And current Michigan coach Brady Hoke was head coach at Ball State."

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Richmond hired former Liberty HC Danny Rocco to lead the Spiders.

Thursday--December 8, 2011

2011-12-08T07:20:00.001-05:00

Matty V. says Charlie Molnar will be named UMass' 28th head coach today at a 4:00 PM press conference at Gillette Stadium.

The Boston Globe says Molnar is the new UMass coach.

The Chicago Tribune says it was just a matter of time.

UPDATE: Watch video of the conference for free.

Also: "UMass will hold a press conference this afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro to make a major football announcement. You can watch the event live by clicking on the link above beginning at 4pm Thursday. It will also be broadcast live on television in Western Mass on CBS 3 Now (Comcast channel 293, Charter channel 230, Campus channel 79."
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Future Notre Dame schedule lists Temple in 2013 and Akron and Temple in 2015. Do you think with an ex-Irish coach and Gillette, we could, you know.....

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Tyler Holmes was named for the second time as a member of the American College Football Association All-America Team.

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Oklahoman sports columnist Berry Tramel ranks the college football jobs that came open.

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The MAC won five bowl invitations.

Bowl payouts:

Ohio-Utah State---Famous Idaho Potato Bowl ($650,000)
Northern Illinois-Arkansas State- -GoDaddy.com Bowl ($1,500,000)
Western Michigan-Purdue--Little Caesars Pizza Bowl ($1,500,000)
Temple-Wyoming--Gildan New Mexico Bowl ($912,500)
Toledo-Air Force-- Military Bowl ($2,000,000)

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TSN previews the FCS quarterfinals---and predicts a Maine win.

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The Richmond Spiders named former Liberty coach Danny Rocco as head coach.

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Wednesday--December 7, 2011

2011-12-07T07:21:00.001-05:00

The Chicago Tribune says a Notre Dame source expects Molnar to land the UMass job.

The Berkshire Eagle has a story about Molnar and some quotes on what he looks for in a quarterback.

The UMass Daily Collegian says Molnar may make a move to the Minutemen.

The Irish Illustrated has a post on Molnar's possible move to UMass.

The ESPN Notre Dame blog says ND coach chip Kelly relates nothing is official yet on Molnar's move.

Report from Football Scoop.

Relevant quote: "The Minutemen are getting a proven offensive coach in Molnar and his background in the MAC will surely help the transition to FBS."

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Fox Sports looks at FBS conference breakdowns after the latest shift. Mentions possible changes in the MAC.

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Opposing Views.com lists the 10 best non-BCS bowl games including the NIU-Arkansas State GoDaddy Bowl.

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Old Dominion's Bobby Wilder says freshman QB Taylor Heinicke is the best QB in FCS football.

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The Savannah Morning News says Maine continues to prove the experts wrong.

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Tuesday--December 6, 2011

2011-12-06T07:33:00.001-05:00

Time-Dispatch image

Matty V. reports that Notre Dame offensive coordinator Charley Molnar is interested in the UMass job. Molnar's Irish bio.

The Boston Globe says UMass will announce Molnar's appointment this week.

The Globe also says Molnar's familiarity with the MAC is what attracted McCutcheon.

Bonus material on Molnar here and here.

UPDATE: Football Scoop claims to have confirmed Molnar is UMass' next coach.

UPDATE II: Matty says Molnar's signing is "imminent".

The Fort Wayne Journal says Molnar could be on the move.

NBC Sports says Molnar targeted for UMass job.

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Montana may get a ESPN Friday night game this week. The Grizzlies last Friday night ESPN game was against UMass in 2006.

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I was remiss in not keeping up with Victor Cruz's dream season with the Giants. He's on track to become the Giants all-time single season receiving leader.

Joe Witt, the Packers DB coach says Cruz is a Pro-Bowl player.

Al Bello/Getty image

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Monday--December 5, 2011

2011-12-05T07:35:00.001-05:00

UMass adds to the the coaching search committee: UMass Board of Trustees member Henry Thomas III and UMass Deputy Chancellor Todd Diacon.

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The UMass Daily Collegian has an article on "What UMass can learn from the Patriots". We talk about upgrading football here, but as I keep saying, it's not just about football. It's about more opportunities for women's sports, more alumni involvement, more support from the state. As a UMass grad, it jerks my jaws when someone uses that "safety school" line on me.

Becoming a top flight public university like the University of Michigan or UCLA requires UMass to excel in all aspects. Athletics is just part of that.

All of us football types are just as interested in UMass having top shelf academics and research. I just don't understand the people who think the two are mutually exclusive. All the top flight public universities play DI football. Comparing UMass to Harvard or Yale or Cal Tech (as one facility senate member did) is mixing apples and oranges big time.

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Three Pitt assistant coaches are moving to Arizona. The article mentions Calvin Magee as a candidate for the UMass HC job.

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The "Hustle Belt" blog looks at the MAC's bowl invite candidates.

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The CAA went 1-3 in the FCS playoffs Saturday. The CAA website has video and interviews from the games.

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Keepers College Football Ratings has Maine a 15 point underdog to GSU in the next round of the playoffs.

TSN's Craig Daley looks at Saturday's FCS playoff games.

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Sunday--December 4, 2011

2011-12-04T07:23:00.001-05:00

Neil Brown had been mentioned as contender for the HC position at Alabama-Birmingham. Arkansas assistant Garrick McGee has been named HC at UAB.

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UMass legend Dave Palazzi is starting another at Leominister.

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Ouch! New Hampshire lost at Montana State on a missed extra point.

Maine held Appalachian State to 3 net yards rushing and crushed the Mountaineers 34-12.

Old Dominion lost to GSU as both sides rang up 500+ yards of offense.

Towson surprised everyone in the CAA this year, but the Tigers ran out of gas against Lehigh

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Should the Florida A&M band get the death penalty? When we were in FCS, I always hoped for a UMass-Florida A&M or Grambling OOC game. Having the UMMB and Rattlers' bands on the field would have been cosmic!

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Saturday--December 3, 2011

2011-12-03T07:40:00.001-05:00

Matty V. reports Alabama-Birmingham is also interested in Neal Brown.

Matty also adds some names to the potential UMass coaching pool:

Curtis Luper--Auburn RB Coach and recruiting coordinator. Would we get some Texas recruits? Luper is a Texas native. L.A. Love was a excellent player for us.

Matty also says UMass could look at former Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman. Sherman is a Mass native and, according to Wikipedia, runs a pro-set offense which would fit our personnel.

AP image

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The Eagle-Tribune says Brian White, RB coach for Florida, is also interested in UMass. White is originally from Haverhill. Bonus material on White.

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Victor Cruz has a hip injury, but is listed as "probable' for the Giants game against Green Bay Sunday.

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Rene Ingoglia will be ESPN3's game analyst for today's Maine-Appalachian State contest.

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Let's hope the faculity senate doesn't try this.

Ukrainian feminists, concerned over the possible exploitation of women at the EURO 2012 soccer draw, are protesting topless.

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Friday--December 2, 2011

2011-12-02T12:25:00.003-05:00

Blogger was down this morning. I could not get in even to moderate comments.

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The faculty senate passes a resolution against the stadium upgrade. MassLive.com has another story.

Not great arguments from one faction of the facility. The Collegian has some illuminating quotes.

"And Sugerman, a lecturer of anthropology, also noted that while the football program’s budget will see a spike, some programs such as University Health Services have been cut back. This includes UHS’ recent cuts in hours and closure of its pharmacy."

Not even Enron's accountants could trace causality between the UMass infirmary and UMass football.

"Bogartz, a professor of psychology, said that the collegiate version of the sport was the “exploitation of student gladiators.”.

Man, I wish I had been athletic enough to play DI football and been exploited.

Mrs blog and I have traveled extensively in the US. States with widely different cultures support their state schools. Walk around Mississippi State, Washington State, Michigan State and others and look at the facilities. Then look at the New England land grant universities like URI, UMass and UNH. The campuses look like minimum security prisons. What would make the citizens of other states identify with their Universities? What could it be? What could it be?

Meanwhile, the Collegian also has an article lamenting the lack of UMass Pride. All the flagship state universities have a common thread-- a high level of involvement with their alumni, the state's citizens and the state's legislators. Maybe the blog's readers can see a link that the faculty can't.

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Meanwhile back in the real world:

The Boston globe has UMass opens football HC search. This article mentions a new name: Mike Kruczek.

MassLive has a story on the search committee and the three former UMass players that are included.

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MassLive has a story on UMass meeting with Neal Brown.

Red Raiders.com has an article on Brown's meeting with UMass. Check out the comments. And you thought some of our commenters were nuts.

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NESN has a story about James Ihedigbo's watching Patriots games when he was in UMass dorms.

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Current UMass player Brian Dowling remembers a "miracle" high school game. Dowling played quite a bit as a true freshman for the Minutemen as a kick returner.

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Thursday--December 1, 2011

2011-12-01T07:28:00.001-05:00

Lots of exciting news this morning.

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The UMass football consultative committee has been announced.

Jeff Thomas of MassLive.com on the committee.

Names include Don Markowski, John Kennedy, Jaime Seguin, Glenn Wong, Marcel Shipp, Brian McNally and Juan Jarrett.

Three former UMass players and two member of my old school, Isenberg Management.

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image by Totally Texas Tech Blog

Matty V. reports that John McCutcheon met with Neal Brown of Texas Tech. Brown's Red Raiders bio here.

Not that my opinion matters much, but I think Brown would be an excellent hire for UMass. He's a hot young coach and he actually is familiar with UMass' situation and likes the place.

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Evan Pinkus/AP image

Matty and Football scoop report that Jack Bicknell, Jr is interested in the UMass job. Bicknell's Wikipedia bio here.

Bicknell's Giants bio here.

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Wednesday--November 30, 2011

2011-11-30T06:54:00.001-05:00

UMass players are staying together and waiting for their new coach.

Tyler Holmes, Julian Talley and Jesse Julmiste were named to the New England Football Writers All-Star team.

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Michigan is considering a night game during the 2012 season, but it doesn't look as if it will be UMass.

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The press is plugging next year's OOC opponent head coach James Franklin of Vanderbilt as SEC Coach-of-the-year. Vandy, BTW, may be in the Liberty Bowl this year.

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Meanwhile, Indiana another 2012 UMass OOC, had a really rough year. The Hoosiers' only win came over FCS South Carolina State.

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Jim Tressel is not interested in the University of Akron job.

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Maine's Jack Cosgrove was named the New England Football Writers Coach-of-the-Year.

The Black Bears are on the road to Appalachian State this Saturday.

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Recruiting 2012--Joe Epps

2011-11-29T08:06:00.001-05:00

David Colantuano/Wicked Local image

Wicked Local Eastham says UMass is interested in Joe Epps, a RB from Bourne, MA.

Story here.

Epps had 1,320 yards and 16 TD's in 2011.

Also drawing interest from UConn and Boston College.

Tuesday--November 29, 2011

2011-11-29T07:37:00.001-05:00

Matty V. reports on UMass' interaction with the Black Coaches and Administrators Association. He also says the consultative committee could be announced today.

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Jeff Thomas says it won't be Mike Leach. He'd like for UMass to take a look at Ben Albert who is a position coach at Temple after spending a year in the NFL.

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Either a 43 or 28 year streak is going to be broken when Northern Illinois and Ohio meet for the MAC Championship Friday.

The MAC will have six bowl eligible teams this year.

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The highest paid coaches in college football.

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The CAA website has video on JMU and Old Dominion's wins on Saturday.

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Seventy-three year old former NFL QB Joe Kapp and seventy-four former DT Angela Mosca get in a fight on stage.

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Monday--November 28, 2011

2011-11-28T07:18:00.001-05:00

McKenzie #42, Williams #9/ Andy Clark/REUTERS IMAGE/ Not from Gray Cup

Keron Williams and Anton McKenzie won rings as the BC Lions won the 99th Grey Cup over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

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Dennis Erickson, Ron Zook and Turner Gil were all fired yesterday.

In the MAC, the Akron Zips fired Ron Ianello.

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Attendance figures from the MAC talk board:

#81 Temple 28,060
#89 Toledo 22,157
#95 WMU 19,985
#96 Ohio U 19,891
#108 Miami U 16,174
#109 Buffalo 15,890
#110 Akron 15,734
#114 CMU 15,291
#115 NIU 15,209
#116 Ball State 15,064
#117 BGSU 15,007
### UMass 12,817 (counting the Colonial Classic as a home game)
#119 Kent State 11,587
#120 EMU 4,267

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It's Huskies Vs Bobcats for the MAC title Friday night on ESPN2.

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Whoa! Keepers College Football Ratings has all five CAA teams as underdogs in this week's FCS playoff games.

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Now that the Thanksgiving Holiday week is over, we should get some news on the committee UMass is forming to find a new head coach.

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Sunday--November 27, 2011

2011-11-27T07:14:00.001-05:00

Mark Blaudschun of the Boston Globe says Bill McGovern would be an excellent fit at UMass.

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A blog reader suggested Texas A&M offensive line coach Jim Turner. He's from Braintree, MA and has extensive Northeast coaching experience.

Video feature on Coach Turner.

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A lot of people expected BC's Frank Spaziani to be fired after a 4-8 season. Apparently not.

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Both James Madison and ODU won their respective opening playoff games against EKU and Norfolk State.

James Madison story here. The FCS playoffs are great, but the economics of FCS football are tough. From the JMU-EKU box score: Date: Nov 26, 2011 • Site: Richmond, Ky. • Stadium: Roy Kidd Stadium • Attendance: 2388

ODU's Taylor Heinicke, who got his start against UMass, threw five TD's against Norfolk State.

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The San Francisco Chronicle picks Victor Cruz as one of the top six NFL TD dancers.

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Saturday--November 26, 2011

2011-11-26T07:13:00.001-05:00

Jason Miller/Getty Image

Matty V. reports Mark Whipple stated he hasn't been in contact with anyone at UMass about the Minutemen head coaching position.

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Paul Johnson, HC of the Georgia Tech yellow jackets, still remembers his 1998 loss to UMass.

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CAA's Game Day Central for today's playoff games.

EKU is confident that they can stop the OVC's eleven game playoff losing streak. James Madison looked to me like a pretty solid team now that they have their QB back. The Dukes could be a dark horse in the Championship run.

UNH is preparing for their seventh opening road trip in eight playoffs.

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Akron Zips fans have started a "We want Jim Tressel for HC" facebook page.

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I watched the Minutemen BB team pressure the Utes last night.

Vaguely related basketball item:

You remember the lingerie football league? Coming soon: a topless basketball league. Puts a new spin on shirts and skins.

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Recruiting 2012--Shane Nastahowski

2011-11-25T08:20:00.001-05:00

CT Post/ Bob Luckey image

The Greenwich Post says UMass is recruiting Shane Nastahowski, a 6-2 215 pd LB/RB from Greenwich, CT.

Article here.

Rivals two-start player.

MaxPreps page here.

Also being recruited by Akron, Temple, Rutgers, UConn and Maryland.

Friday--November 25, 2011

2011-11-25T07:25:00.001-05:00

Matty V. says UMass could get creative on salary issues in order to land a coach.

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The Mike Leach system.

Smart Football looks at how five different starting QB's for Leach averaged 4,000 yards passing and 30 TD's a year.

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A 2010 article on Neal Brown's wild ride to Texas Tech.

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TSN looks at the four FCS playoff games this weekend and predicts the CAA will win two of them.

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The MAC Week #13 Preview.

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Thankgiving --2011

2011-11-24T07:15:00.001-05:00

Mrs Blog and I would like to wish the whole UMass family a "Happy Thanksgiving"!!
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Mike Leach calls the UMass HC job "exciting".

The Pirate's biggest regret was not cutting Adam James.

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Another possible candidate for the UMass job could be Boston College's Bill McGovern. He coached at UMass 1987-90 and 1992-93.

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James Ihedigbo lost a bet to Ross Ventrone when Villanova beat UMass.

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This article mentions Minnechaug's Demetrios Strange and says his dad played for UMass. Would that be Bruce Strange ILB (1984)?

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First Row Sports is listing video for the UMass-Florida State BB game at 4:30 today. First Row's links usually worked during football season. Matty V.'s article on the game.

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Wednesday--November 23, 2011

2011-11-23T07:20:00.001-05:00

Matty V. has a story about Andrew Dees, who is the only football coach at UMass tight now.

I've linked to this story previously, but it has some background on Dees.

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Jeff Thomas has an article on eleven UMass players named to the CAA All-Conference Team. He also mentions what a commenter here said about Jonathan Grimes being named the CAA Special Teams Player-of-the-Year.

Thomas also has an article about UMass searching for leadership in its head coach quest.

He mentions two more names as possible candidates for the UMass job:

George Barlow--current New Mexico DC and interim HC. Bonus material on Barlow.

Michael Haywood-- former Miami of Ohio coach. He's a former MAC Coach-of-the-Year. More material on Haywood.

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Richmond is also searching for a HC.

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I got to watch UMass dismantle Boston College on ESPN3. Matty notes former UMass star Shannon James was in the house.

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Craig Haley looks at the FCS playoff numbers.

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Tuesday -- November 22, 2011

2011-11-22T07:17:00.001-05:00

Matty V. said the writing was on the wall for some time about Coach Morris.

He also says there are plenty of viable candidates for the position of UMass Head Coach.

Matty's candidates:

Mark Whipple- Current QB coach for the Browns.

Don Brown- Current defensive coordinator for UConn.

Neal Brown- Current offensive coordinator for Texas Tech. Bonus material on Neal Brown.

Mike Leach-- Out of football since 2009.

Calvin Magee--Offensive coordinator for Pitt.

Lincoln Riley--Offensive coordinator and RB coach at ECU

Mark D'Onofrio--Assistant HC and defensive coordinator at the University of Miami.

Sean McDonnell- Head Coach New Hampshire.

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The Boston Globe says Morris out at UMass.

The Boston Herald said UMass is moving up without Kevin Morris.

Yahoo Sports says it's a fresh start for the Minutemen.

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UMass placed eleven players on the CAA All-Conference squad.

First team: Emil Igwenagu, Julian Talley, Jesse Julmiste and Tyler Homes.

Second Team: None.

Third Team: Jonathan Hernandez (third team?), Rob Blanchflower, Stephane Milhim, Josh Samuda, Nick Speller, Kevin Byrne and Perry McIntyre.

Blanchflower, Milhim, Speller, Byrne and McIntyre are underclassmen.

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Keepers College football rankings has UMass finishing the regular season ranked #60.

In the first round of the FCS playoffs he has both JMU and Old Dominion as favorites.

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UMass changes coaching staff.

2011-11-21T15:06:00.001-05:00

Coach Morris and the rest of the UMass football staff have been fired.

Matty V, has the story.

Jeff Thomas of Masslive also covers the story.

The UMass Daily Collegian also has an article on the firing.

There are more story links out there, but the three above have the most detail.

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I've tried not to use the blog to advance any personal agenda. However, in this case, I believe McCutcheon did the right thing for the program. UMass has bet the farm on the move to FBS and I believe we need a coach with FBS experience to make the move.

With a reported number of scholarships above the FCS 63 level, UMass was not one of the top teams in the CAA. As McCutcheon's statement indicated, there was no detectable momentum towards a 2012 schedule that included four BCS league teams and a full MAC schedule.

I am sorry for the staff that was let go and hope people remember the work they put in. Football is a hard game.

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It will be interesting to see who will be considered for the position. Stay tuned.

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Recruiting 2013---Matt Walsh

2011-11-21T07:59:00.001-05:00

Mintuemen News/Eric Montgomery image

This article says UMass has contacted Matt Walsh, a 6-1 220 pound junior RB/LB from Daniel Hand HS in CT.

Some highlights here.

Also receiving interest from Georgia Tech, BC, Duke and UConn.

Monday -- November 21, 2011

2011-11-21T07:31:00.001-05:00

Matty Vautour talks about leaving McGuirk for a couple of years and its future. It will be interesting to see how soon the upgrades start. Matty mentions one of the prosaic needs of the stadium--more bathrooms. I get e-mails from visiting fans complaining that they can't find any restrooms except for porta-potties.

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Jeff Thomas says its decision time about Coach Morris.

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The Boston Herald says: next up FBS.

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James Madison goes into the playoffs with momentum.

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Pats Sterling Moore originally committed to UMass, but jumped to SMU when offered a FBS scholarship. I talked with coach Jimmie Reid one day and he said UMass would typically lose two or three recruits right before letter-of-intent day as they jumped for FBS scholarships.

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Two articles from TSN on the playoff selections and brackets here and here.

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The MAC blog "Hustle Belt" has a big day for Buffalo and notes Army went 0-4 against MAC opponents this year.

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Sunday--November 20, 2011

2011-11-20T07:37:00.001-05:00

Another year for my program collection

Well, it was a melancholy end to my 35 consecutive years of season tickets at McGuirk. Hopefully I'll walk back into a renovated stadium in 2014, with a new practice/weight facility and a new press box and watch a FBS/I-A football game.

JMU came into the game leading the CAA in rushing offense and rushing defense. They did just that against the Minutemen. UMass gave up 386 yards rushing and was held to 68 yards (2.7 yards/carry).

Kellen Pagel returned as starting QB and had a poor game. UMass had six first downs in the first half. Pagel threw into coverage all day. One INT was probably not his fault as the DB took a pass away from Gilson, but Pagel narrowly missed INT's on at least three other occasions. It never felt like UMass was going to score enough points to catch the Dukes.

Perry McIntyre, Darren Thellen and Tyler Holmes combined for 45 tackles, but the Dukes made big yardage all day on the outside. The one-play 76 yard TD run in the third quarter more or less finished the game.

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Matty V. said UMass ended FCS play with a loss.

He also said no announcement on Coach Morris before Monday at the earliest.

The Boston Globe said UMass bid farewell to FCS. They also had UMass losing the final game in FCS.

The Boston Herald said UMass misfires.

The Washington Post reports Dae'Quan Scott set the Dukes single-game rushing record.

The Worcester Telegram said UMass left FCS and Amherst on a down note.

MassLive stated UMass was overrun by the Dukes.

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Improbable as it sounds, Towson won the CAA Championship.

It was a bad day for the Maine Black Bears, as they lost the Bryce-Cowell musket, the CAA Championship and probably their first ever home playoff game.

Maine Campus article here.

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UPDATE: The 2011 FCS Playoffs Selection Show airs at 10 a.m. ET Sunday on ESPNU.

UPDATE II: Fordham fires current HC (and former UMass assistant coach) Tom Messela.

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2011 FCS playoff brackets

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Game Day--JMU November 19, 2011

2011-11-19T07:25:00.001-05:00

Matty V. reports UMass plays its season finale today.

Matty also has UMass' Top-10 A10/CAA games.

SBNation has UMass hosts the Dukes on Senior Day.

Jeff Thomas has the Minutemen wrap up the season and FCS today.

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The Gazette looks at the possible impact of the Minutemen's move to Gillette on local businesses. The proposed renovations to McGuirk could allow it's use for more high school game as well a college lacrosse and other sports.

Again this is one of the is the glass half full or half empty questions. There is the potential for UMass to play FBS games on campus in the future. Surely, those will be better attended and generate more business than the current situation. Also, if UMass should have to drop to the Northeast Conference like URI, business would be bad. The NEC was last in the FCS nation in football attendance. Playing Sacred Heart in front of 1,200 fans won't sell many hotel rooms.

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The UMass women's BB team gets to play a MAC team. Men's basketball will play two MAC games a year as part of the Minutemen's MAC football deal.

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The CAA has details of all of today's league games on their Game Day Page.

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The following is a cut-and-past from Matty Vautour's article:

UMass will honor its graduating players as part of senior day prior to the game. Gary Correia (Matty missed that one),James Gilchrist, Tom Gilson, Jonathan Hernandez, Tyler Holmes, Emil Igwenagu, Courtney Jackson, Jesse Julmiste, Manny Nascimento (listed as a sophomore), Sean O'Connor (listed as a junior), Brian Ostaszewski, Dominique Price, Julian Talley, Travis Tripucka, Josh Samuda, Shane Viveiros, and Brandon Yelovich will all play in their final collegiate game.

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The weather in Amherst is supposed to be fine: high in middle 50's and mostly sunny. Let's all turn out for Senior Day and support the team.

Beat the Dukes and leave FCS with a good feeling! Go UMass !!!!!