Game Day UConn--2024

 

I think we've got a shot at winning this game. First, UConn has played a stunningly mediocre group of opponents. Have they beat anybody with a winning record?

Second, the Minutemen offense has come alive in the last three games. The QB duo of Ahmad Haston and AJ Hairston have moved the ball even against SEC teams. Little noticed was the offensive line reshuffle moving Josh Atwood to RG and Benjamin Roy to C. The new-look UMass O-line repeatedly caved in Georgia's defense front. The Minutemen rushing game has markedly improved over the last three games.

I'll be there cheering for the Maroon & White. Go UMass!!

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The Hampshire Gazette says UMass has one last shot at an FBS victory.

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The New Haven Register reports UConn believes "It's a big week for us". 

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The UConn Blog (good name) previews the Minutemen-Huskies game. 

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Winners and Whiners thinks UMass will beat the spread. 

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Fox News 61 report UConn looks for their 8th victory of 2024. 

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Georgia needed eight overtimes to beat Georgia Tech last night. 

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UMass Football News--November 29th, 2024

 

The Midnight Ride Collective has named the new UMass-UConn trophy "The Southwick Jug".

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Yet another recap of the UMass-Georgia game from the Dogs 247Sports page. 

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The UConn website has the Huskies head to New England rival UMass. 

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BVM Sports previews the UMass-UConn game.

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Fox Sports predicts UConn 33 UMass 20.

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Temple fired their head coach about the same time UMass fired Coach Brown. HERO Sports says the Owls are still searching for their next Matt Rhule.

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Thanksgiving Day --2024

 

Hope all UMass Football fan, blog readers, players and coaches have a Happy Thanksgiving!

UMass Football News--November 27th, 2024

 

 

UMass has their game notes for UConn up as well as Shane Montgomery's video press conference.

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UMass and UConn will play for a new version of the Bean Pot trophy this year.

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What Kirby Smart and the Georgia defensive players said after being run over by UMass.

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Berkshire Eagle UMass stories are usually paywalled, but this story by  is not. Howard Herman reports UMass A.D. Ryan Bamford said moving on from Don Brown wasn't easy.

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The Voice of MoTown report rumors of Neal Brown to UMass heat up. Brown as head coach of the Minutemen would be an excellent hire.

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Georgia rose to #7 after beating UMass and Missouri rose to #21 after beating Mississippi State.

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The UMass Daily Collegian report UMass faces rival UConn for the final game of the season.

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UMass Football News--November 26th, 2024

 Georgia moved up two slots in the Coaches and AP poll to #6 after their victory over UMass.

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UG Wire grades the performance of the offensive and defensive units in Georgia's win over UMass.

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The Hampshire Gazette has a post on UMass A.D. Ryan Bamford's firing of Coach Brown, the timing of the dismissal and the hiring process for the new coach.

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Doc's Sports Service thinks UConn will cover the 10.5 point spread over UMass Saturday. 

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Dale Zanine-Imagn image

SI.com has a post on Shane Montgomery taking over the post of interim HC at UMass.

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UMass Football News--November 25th, 2024

 Georgia's head coach Kirby Smart said "UMass wanted it more the we did".

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Dog Nation give final grades for Georgia's win over UMass.

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247Sports has a bunch of images from the UMass-Georgia game.

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UGA Wire has takeaways from the Bulldogs-Minutemen game. 

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CCSU made the FCS playoffs! They'll meet Rhode Island in the first round of the playoffs.

This is Rhody's first trip to the playoffs since 1985. UMass lost to the Rams 7-3 at McGuirk on October 5th 1985. Only 6871 UMass fans attended. I was surely one of them, but I don't recall the game. That was Bob Stull's second (and last) year with UMass. Jimmie Reid would be named UMass coach in 1986.

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UConn opens as a 10.5 point favorite over UMass.

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UMass Football News--Novemer 24th, 2024

 Well, UMass did a very credible job against a very good Georgia team. Three fumbles (one that stopped a UMass scoring drive and two others that gave Georgia a cheap TD) altered the results more than play on the field warranted.

UMass ran for a net 226 yards. Jalen John had a 11.9 yards/carry. We had some long plays with a 68 yard rush by John, a 22 yard rush be CJ Hester and a 38 yard scamper by AJ Hairston.

The UMass defense could not slow down the Dogs offense though. Georgia had 34 first downs and 550 total yards of offense. They're a very good team and showed it. The Dogs kept their first line in most of the game.

UMass really needs to recruit a kicker for 2025...

After a chaotic week, the UMass staff and players made an excellent effort and I was proud of them.

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UMass write-up here.

Georgia write-up here.

The Hampshire Gazette said UMass was impressive early.

BTW, Georgia is in the SEC Championship game.

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Eastern Michigan lost to Buffalo Wednesday night.

Toledo lost to Ohio also on Wednesday. 

CCSU won the NEC championship! 

Miami (Ohio) beat NIU Tuesday.

Missouri beat Mississippi State.

Wagner lost to LIU to finish their season at 4-8.

 Liberty beat Western Kentucky to remain in contention for the CUSA championship.

UConn lost a close game to Syracuse. 

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Game Day--Georgia 2024

Image credit unknown

The way things are going in the athletic dept, we're probably not going to get a "Georgia Game Day" graphic.

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 IN THE MESS THAT IS UMASS FOOTBALL

School calls meeting with frustrated players after Senior day backlash.

When the original idea was floated, the immediate response should have been "What !? No."

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The Hampshire Gazette says UMass' off-the-field problems dominate the week prior to Georgia,

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The Red & Black previews the UMass-Georgia game.

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Goals for the Bulldogs against the Minutemen. 

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On the other hand, we are getting $1.8 million for the experience. 

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Pickwise thinks Georgia will rest the starters and not cover the spread. 

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Georgia's injury list. I would think they would try to get players healthy for the possible CFP.

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Mike Farrell Sports has five possible head coach candidates for the UMass position.

I tell you some of the names being bandied about on social media do not make my scalp tingle. You fire Don Brown, a former DC at Arizona and Michigan, and you're considering  7-4 New England FCS coaches?

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UMass Football News--November 22nd, 2024

 

2018/ Getty-Scott Cunningham image

On the next-to-last week of the season, Hustle Belt has UMass #12 in their MAC power rankings.

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Newsday reports Georgia is a heavy favorite over the Minutemen.

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The UMass Daily Collegian says UMass takes on Georgia after a head coaching change. 

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BVM sports looks a three concerns for Georgia before the UMass and doesn't find much.

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Online Athens predicts Georgia 56 UMass 3.

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HERO Sports has five candidates for UMass' head coaching job.

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Earlier this week Ohio knocked Toledo out of the MAC title game.  The Rockets have been a fixture in the MAC championship game for a number of years.

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Buffalo reached seven wins for the first time since 2019 with a win over Eastern Michigan.

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UMass Football News--November 21st, 2024

 

Well, we do have a game to play this week and it's Georgia no less.

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Georgia fans are warned it may  be a chilly 61 degrees for the kickoff.

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The SEC channel has its commentators set for the Dogs-Minutemen game. 

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Kirby Smart and the Georgia players break down the Tennessee win and look forward to UMass.

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The sports AI known as "data skrive" predicts Georgia 49 UMass 2.

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College Football News, which may be written (mostly) by a human predicts Georgia 42 UMass 10.

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Mrs Brown blasts UMass over the disparity in NIL money. I understand Mrs Brown being upset, but this is not an accurate comment. Comparing one schools NIL to the aggregate NIL total of all the schools on its schedule is not correct. Ohio State's NIL would be dwarfed if compared to the total NIL of all the Big 10 schools on its schedule.

A more accurate description is how does UMass' NIL compare with Eastern Michigan's or Buffalo's?

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UMass Football News--November 20th, 2024

Shane Montgomery/Chris Tucci image

 The Hampshire Gazette report interim HC Shane Montgomery speaks about "uncertainty".

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Athens Online looks at the genesis of UMass' third SEC game of the season.

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College Football News predicts Georgia 42 UMass 6.

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UGA Rivals looks at the point spread and the stats from the the last Bulldogs-Minutemen matchup.

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Akron kept Kent State winless last night winning 38-17.

Miami (Ohio) stayed in first place in the MAC by beating NIU 20-9.

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UMass Football News--November 19th, 2024

Hampshire Gazette/Chris Tuicci image

 By now, you've probably heard that Coach Brown has been let go. If it were me, I would have given Coach Brown one year in the MAC. An independent schedule with three SEC teams, plus Liberty, plus the top of the MAC is just not a schedule for success.

A 6-6 year in the MAC should be doable. Joining a conference should make an immediate improvement in UMass football. We'll get to play Kent State and Akron as well as the league leaders. The Minutemen will also get part of the MAC's media money (1/2 share in 2025), which will make a difference in resources. The MAC's media package runs out in 2027 and should make a big jump after that as "MACation" has been a ratings success. Maybe with the extra funds we could hire a full-time special teams coach. Being in the MAC should stabilize the program.

I'm sorry Coach Brown is gone. We have to stick together, players, fans and coaches. This is just another trial to get through. 

Go UMass!

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Athletic Dept press release.

The Midnight Ride's press release.

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The Hampshire Gazette on Brown's firing.

The UMass Daily Collegian on the change. 

Hustle Belt's take on the coaching change at UMass.

There are a lot of national press stories from ESPN and the like, which do not add anything much to the coverage.

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Georgia HC Kirby Smart discusses the Bulldogs' health and the UMass game.

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Ball State fires their head coach. 

Charlotte fires their head coach. 

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UMass Football News--November 18th, 2024

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 UMass opens as a 44.5 point underdog to Georgia. Currently 42.5.

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On3.com has a short post on the odds and commentary on Georgia.

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Hustle Belt recaps Saturday's UMass-Liberty game.

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Rival.com looks at the point spread and also the last Bulldogs-Minutemen game.

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Pick Dawgz thinks UMass will beat the spread.

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Georgia coach Kirby Smart rants about the CFP committee.

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The latest College Coaches poll has Georgia at #8. Missouri dropped out of the top-25 after losing to South Carolina.

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UMass Football News--November 17th, 2024

 

UMass played well against a strong Liberty team. New starter AJ Hairston went 13 -25 for 163 yards. He managed the best showing by the Minutemen offense in 2024. UMass had 426 total yards and only 4 penalties for 38 yards and no sacks.

The UMass rushing attack shined totaling 263 yards. Jalen John gained 121 yards and a 7.9 yards/carry average. C.J. Hester had 53 yards and a 5.1 yards/carry. Hairston rushed 6 time for over 10 yards a pop.

The UMass defense did a good job on Kaidon Salter. He had only 58 yards rushing and threw for 114 with no passing TD's. 

The Liberty rushing game gained 309 total yards, averaging 6.4 yards a carry.

If we had made that field goal at the end of the game, UMass deserved to win. If we had made kicks in both the overtime games we would be gunning for five wins against UConn..

It was the best game we played this year. We've got a shot against UConn.

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UMass write-up here.

Liberty write-up here.

The Hampshire Gazette reports UMass falls in overtime. 

The Daily Collegian said UMass lost in an overtime thriller.

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Eastern Michigan lost to Ohio midweek.  

Toledo blew out Central Michigan on the 12th. 

Buffalo won a shoot-out against Ball State on the 12th.

CCSU won in double overtime to set up the NEC championship next week. 

Miami (Ohio) blew out Kent State on the 13 to become bowl eligible.

Northern Illinois also became bowl eligible on the 13th with a win over Akron.

Mississippi State had a bye.

Georgia had a come back win over Tennessee to keep their CFP hopes alive. 

UConn had a bye.

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Game Day--Liberty 2024

 UMass has a chance to put a positive spin on the 2024 season with an upset win over Liberty or UConn. The Flames have proved to be mortal this season with two league losses. The Minutemen need to contain Liberty's high-octane offense and score more than 19 points.

With Taisun Phommanhach out, AJ Hairston and Ahmad Haston need to move the offense. The Flames still have an excellent defense and UMass has to generate some rushing offense to keep Liberty' offense off the field. The Minutemen have been running better lately, so there is a chance.

I'll be cheering for the Maroon & White! Go UMass!

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Sports Book Wire expects a lopsided Liberty win.

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The Liberty Student newspaper "A Sea of Red" predicts Liberty 37 UMass 20.

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The Greenfield Recorder says Kaidon Salter and the Liberty Flames come to Amherst.

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The Berkshire Eagle (who's UMass articles are usually paywalled) reports undermanned UMass faces Liberty.

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Action Network predicts UMass will cover the 14.5 point spread.

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 Sports Chat Place picks UMass to cover the 14.5 point spread.

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Miami (Ohio) became bowl eligible after keeping Kent State winless Wednesday.

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Eastern Michigan started the season strong, but fell to 5-5 and 2-4 in the MAC Wednesday. 

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Georgia is a 10-point favorite over Tennessee tomorrow. The Bulldogs absolutely need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Georgia's troubles this year reflect a big drop off on offense.

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How UConn pulled an improbable comeback to win over UAB last week.

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UMass Football News--November 14th, 2024

The Liberty athletic dept has game day UMass. 

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SFGate.com has how to watch the Flames-Minutemen game with statistical factoids. 

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One of the factoids that has sunk UMass this year is scoring. The Minutemen are currently #120 in the nation in scoring at 19.7 points/game. The UMass offense has struggled to score. Twenty points a game will not beat many teams.

Ahmad Haston/Chris Tucci image

With two new quarterbacks the Minutemen can't have a great opening drive then kick a field goal on the second drive and then go into a shell until eight minutes are left in the game. By then, it'll be 38-10 Liberty. Taisun Phommachanh seemed to be tentative in his mobility this year. Maybe he was still feeling the effects of his previous injury. He is/was not a real pocket passer. Ahmad Haston and AJ Hairston are in good health according to Coach Brown. They need to move the team and score in every quarter to keep up with Liberty. The Flames are not world-beaters this year. They lost to a 0-7 team. If we score 28+ points, good things could happen.

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Fox Sports predicts Liberty 29 UMass 22.

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Winners and Whiners predicts a Liberty victory.

Quote from the article "UMass needs to score more".

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UMass Football News--November 13th, 2024

 

Hustle Belt has MAC power rankings for week #12 and UMass remains the same number in the  rankings.

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Liberty has their game notes for UMass up.

Also from the Flames media room.

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UMass vs Georgia will be televised on the SEC network at 12:45 PM.

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Dawn of the Dogs predicts Georgia 49 UMass 3.

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If you want to place a prop bet on Kaidon Salter for the UMass game, Doc's Sports suggests you take the over (25.5) on pass attempts. 

Doc's Sports also thinks Liberty will cover the spread, although they don't know Taisun Phommachanh is not playing.

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UMass Football News--November 12th, 2024

 

UMass Athletic dept image

The Hampshire Gazette report UMass QB Taisun Phommachanh is out for the season after suffering injuries to both legs during the Mississippi State game.

That's a shame, as it will end his college career. Phommachanh led the Minutemen to two notable victories over CUSA champion New Mexico State and he played a perfect game against Army. In addition, he believed in the program and has been a leader on and off the field since his arrival.

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UMass has its game notes for Liberty up as well as Coach Brown's Monday press conference.

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The Hampshire Gazette report UMass prepares for Liberty after the second bye week.

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Liberty opened as a 12.5 favorite over UMass and the line has moved to 14.5 

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Doc's Sports Service thinks the Flames will cover the spread. 

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Sports Book Wire thinks UMass will beat the spread. 

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UMass Football News--November 11th, 2024

 

The UMass-Liberty Game will be streamed on ESPN+.

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San Diego Tribune image

I watched last week's Liberty-Middle Tennessee State game on the treadmill yesterday.

The man who makes Liberty go is (like last year) Kaidon Salter. He rushed for almost 100 yards in the first half of the game. To control Salter you have to "spy" him with a defensive player fast and quick enough to close on him. Against Middle Tennessee State, no one the Blue Raiders had could do this. Running the option, Salter would fake the pitch, then tuck the ball and run. He's down from last year though. In 2023 he had 32 passing TD's and 12 rushing. This year he has 13 passing and 3 rushing, a major reason the Flames have lost two games. He put the ball on the ground twice running the option early. 

The other reason Liberty dominated was RB Quinton Cooley. He's averaging 6 yards/carry in 2024. Against Middle Tennessee State he ran straight up the "A" gap, usually for 8 to 12 yards a pop. When the Blue Raiders packed the box to try to stop the Flames rushing attack, Salter threw (generally short) passes to wide open Liberty receivers.

To win the game against Liberty UMass will have to contain (stopping him is probably impossible) Salter and not let Cooley rumble through the Minutemen's defensive front.

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Hustle Belt recaps the Northern Illinois-Western Michigan game. That was the Broncos first conference loss.

Bowling Green, Ohio, Miami and Western Michigan are all tied at 4-1 at the top of the MAC standings. 

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