UMass Football Blog open for business

Well, we're back. Burned 3,000 miles in the rental car in 2.5 weeks. Survived our 20-hour return flight back to New Hampshire. Landed in a Wagnerian lighting storm at Manchester Airport.

As soon as I recover a little there is lots of UMass Football news to cover. We seem to have added a Quarter Back recruit. Construction has started on McGuirk's Field Turf and lots of other stuff.

Good to be back. Go UMass!

UMass Football Blog on Vacation until 06/02

The UMass Football Blog will be on vacation until 06/02/06.

As you read this, Mrs. Blog and I will be flying to Las Vegas. Then make our way to Utah to visit some of the National Parks.

We will be finishing up our vacation visiting relatives in Oregon.

I will be back blogging as soon as I recover from vacation :)

There will be lots to blog about. UMass has added a recruit I’ve not talked about. There is a rumor that UMass is in the running for a I-A transfer that will be an instant starter and lots of other UMass Football news.

See you in two and a half weeks. In the meantime, there are over 500 past posts and more than 1000 links in the blog achieves for you to re-explore...

Matt Dougherty looks at the 2006 I-AA schedule

Matt Dougherty of The Sports Network has an interesting article on the various strengths and weaknesss of I-AA schedules. It's here .

UMass is mentioned twice. Our Arch-foe Delaware is awarded the prize for the "weakest non-conference schedule"

If you want to do some figuring yourself, the A10 composite schedule is here. For example, JMU plays Bloomsburg, Appalachian State and VMI as its OOC. If the Dukes loose to last year's National Champions Appalachian State, and a win over Bloomsburg as a Div II win does not count towards playoff eligibility, then JMU needs to go 7-2 in the A10 just to get an at large bid....

Someone You Should Know---Photographer Karen Winger

The internet is a wonderful thing. I was Googling on UMass Football images and several layers deep in the Google page rank was the site of Photographer Karen Winger.

Her images have been used extensively on the UMass Sports site.

She has a vast portfolio of UMass Sports images including some amazin' UMass Football shots as well as the UMass Marching Band. Worth a look.

Construction Boom Hits I-AA Football

As UMass fans know, installation of Field Turf surface for McGuirk Stadium will start on May 29th. UMass will add permanent lights in 2007.

Actually, UMass is on the low end of football enhancements going on in A10 and the northeast, but I'm happy we're making progress.

James Madison is adding field turf to their stadium.

• An article on field turf installation is here
• A webcam to watch the installation is here . (use "demo" in the username in the popup. No password required.

Rhode Island is adding a $2,000,000 extension to Meade Stadium.

• An article on the construction is here .
• Images galleries of the construction are here and here.

William & Mary is adding an $11,000,000 rebuild to their football program.

• A story on the construction of the new 30,000 sq-foot football offices and locker room and field turf is here .
• A construction gallery is here .

Non-Scholarship Lafayette of the Patriot League is investing $23,000,000 in a totally new football stadium.

• An article on the construction is here .
• A live Webcam is here .
  

Minuteman Legend Steve Schubert Honored

Former UMass All-American Steve Schubert has been honored by the Joe Yukica Foundation as a Distinguished American.

Read my 09/01/05 Blog on Schubert first.

The articles on his award are here and here.

Shannon James & L.A.Love win UMass awards

UMass Senior's Shannon James and L.A. Love have won awards from UMass. James was named one of the top three UMass athletes during a ceremony this Monday.

L.A. Love was named UMass' Most Inspirational Athlete. He was hampered by a knee injury and played only a little in his senior season.

The UMass article is worth a read. I've heard L.A. Love speak and "Inspirational" is the word for him.

UMass Game Jerseys

Well, purchasing the game jersey was an adventure. When we arrived at the game no knew how to purchase the jerseys or had even heard about the sale.

Eventually we grabbed Mike Hodges who told us to go into the UMass Field House and ask UMass equipment manager Paul Bys. Paul hauls out a huge sack and says "Pick any you want. They're $50/each' He sold six right there.

According to the UMass Press Release, the remaining jerseys (maroon or road white) will be available on May 15th at Currey Hicks Cage.

Get one if you can. The jerseys are real football jerseys by Nike.

Mine is in excellent condition. There is a small rip on one shoulder. The "A10' logo patch is soiled. Any other imperfections are invisible from farther away than 12 inches.

Mine even fits! I've been wearing it around the house pretending I'm a QB and calling signals. Mrs. Blog sez that "Men are goofy".

Hey! Age is inevitable----maturity is optional.

Get one if you can. The jerseys are "collectible" because they have the soon to be history A10 Football patch.

But better than that---they are totally cool. You will be the envy of all the other kids UMass fans!

Report on Spring Game

The official UMass report is here . The Springfield Republican has a short article here . Matt Vautour will probably have an article later in the day. I'll post an update.

Update 1:44pm. Matty Vautour at the Hampshire Gazette (subscription required, but worth it) has his take here in an article about the scrimmage. One interesting bit of information is that UMass will be wearing Maroon Jerseys and White pants for home games and White Jerseys with Maroon pants for away games (same color combination as the National Championship year). I grew to like the all white road uni's but never warmed up to the all Maroon home outfits.

My take:

First, there has been some comment on the various message boards about the completion ratio of the passing game. In this scrimmage/exhibition, the main objective was to not get anyone injured. The UMass defense has a lot more than it showed.

Coach Brown said he only has seven Offensive Linemen and he definitely did not want any injuries from that group. Seven more OL recruits will join the UMass team in August.

The DNP list (unofficial and probably not complete):

• Patrick Powell--double knee surgery. Brown says he will be ready for August
• Matt Silver and John Hatchell
• Chris Koepplin---on crutches with his left knee wrapped

The best think UMass fans can take from the day was the play of the UMass wide receivers. J.J. Moore (broken foot) and Brandon London (broken bone in hand) seem totally recovered. Both them and Rasheed Rancher made acrobatic catches---causing the Minutemen fans in attendance to cheer. Those three wideouts are going to cause problems for a lot of teams this year.

Matt Lawrence seems totally recovered and Steve Baylark seemed a step faster than last year. UMass should be able to run a "thunder and lighting" ground attack in '06

On Defense, highly rated Sean Smalls was working as db in the first team defense. He was played out-of-position last year because of injuries to the WR corps.

UMass looks really deep at LB. Brown should have multiple packages to torment opposing offensives.

I nominate UMass Captain James Ihedigbo as the guy I'd most like to have on my side in a bar fight. He has a set of NFL muscles...

Images from the 2006 UMass Spring Game

Below are 20 images from the 2006 UMass Spring Game.

Right Click on any image for a larger View.

Note that Blogger may not display all 20 images. If not, click on the "Past Blogs by month-May 2006" to load them all.

I'll be doing a writeup on the game tomorrow.

End of Spring Drills 2006

Matt Silver and John Hatchell DNP

Last look at McGuirk's grass

2006 Captains Baylark-Ihedigbo-Miller

Kick Off 2006 Spring Game

Baylark leads the way for J.J. Moore

New UMass LB Tony Rouzier wears #52

UMass Defense

First Team Offense Vs First Team Defense

Coen was 9 for 9

UMass kicking Duo Koegel & Cuko

JUCO WR Mike Omar wears #15

Baylark Runs

Baylark Breaks Through

Scott Woodward went 3-3

New UMass TE Rob Getek wears #87

Red Shirt RB Tony Nelson

Good turnout of Fans

Starting LB's for 2006 Anderson-Walker-Hatchell

Coen looked Cool

Matt Dougherty on I-AA changes

On 4/26/06 I blogged on the possibility of various changes in I-AA.

The biggest difference would have been a change in the nomenclature for the various divisions. I-AA would have become the "Championship Division" for example.

That did not pass. Read Matt's take on the ins and outs here .

IMHO, this is just more evidence, as if we needed any, that College Football is run by and for the BCS schools...

UMass Football Banquet Friday May5,2006

UMass will hold its annual Football Banquet tomorrow. There will be a Guest Arrival/Social Hour starting at 5:30 pm. Buffet dinner is at 6:30 pm.

If any UMass fan has not attended the annual banquet, it's a great time. The food is excellent and the ticket price helps pay for the players meal.

The coaches give out awards for "most improved player" and the like. Coach Brown will thank his staff and the parents of the players. Various players will give a short speech.

The banquet is fun and has a family feel. Every UMass fan should try to attend.

Spring Game Saturday at Noon !

UMass finishes its Spring Football with a scrimmage/scripted play game this Saturday.

I called the Football Office and was told that the game would start at 12:00 Noon.

Weather for Saturday is warm (70 degrees) with 40% chance of showers. The UMass Football Blog will be there (Allah willing).

I hope to publish images of the game by Sunday or so. Out-of-towners who would like see some of the action should stop by the Blog.

Update:5:32 PM. The official UMass notice on the Spring Game is here .

Keron Williams invited to Tampa Bay Mini-Camp

UMass DE 6-1 254 Keron Williams has been invited to Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mini-Camp. See this article from the UMass website.

Williams was one UMass' top defenders and did not get the ink he deserved. During his career his stats were 43/20 GP 87 UT 53 AT 137 TT 12-81 SACKS 33 TFL.

In 2005 he was:

• First Team All-A10
• All-New England by New England Sports Writers

Good luck Keron! The UMass defense will miss you.

James signs with Ravens and Cobbs with Vikings

The UMass football site has details of UMass' Safety Shannon James signing a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

UMass WR /CB R.J. Cobbs signed a free agent contract with the Vikings. Cobbs was one for four I-AA players signed by the Vikings

Good luck to both Shannon and R.J. All UMass fans will be cheering for you to make the team.

Update: 12:39 pm Monday. Chris Kennedy of the Springfield Republican has an article with quotes from Cobbs and James here .

Update II: 12:49 pm Monday. Matt Dougherty of Sporting News has detailed coverage of I-AA players who were drafted over the weekend. Kevin McMahan WR from Maine was the last player chosen in the draft.

UMass Coaching Tree Expands-- Part IV

I've blogged in the past about UMass legend Jimmie Reid being appointed head coach at VMI.

Recently, Reid added two names that will be familiar to the UMass faithful. Already on the VMI staff was former UMass assistant coach Chris Malone who had left UMass in 2004 when the coaching staff changed due to Whipple leaving.

Reid announced that Ken Conaster has been added to the Kaydets staff. Conaster coached as an assistant UMass from 1971-1972 and then again from 1977-1979 under UMass legend Dick Macpherson.

In the images, Conaster is the top image and Malone is the lower.

More on James and Cobbs NFL hopes

John Connelly of the Boston Herald has a nice article here about New England players hopes for the NFL draft. It's worth a read.

Former UMass LB Jeremy Cain plays in Europe

Former UMass LB Jeremy Cain has been allocated by the Chicago Bears to play in Europe. He is writing a weekly column on the Bears website. It's worth your time.

Cain was a four-year letter winner for UMass (2000-2003) and team captain his senior year. Cain was All-American and All A10 while at UMass. His UMass bio is here .He has been with the Bears organization since he signed a free agent contract in 2003.

Mrs. Blog and I attended the UMass-North Carolina State game in 2002. Cain was the best defensive player on the field.

2006 Opponent Navy accepts Commander-in-Chief Trophy

The Navy football team visited the White House to accept the Commander-in-Chief Trophy for the third year in a row.

The U.S. Navy article is here. DOD has an article here. President Bush's remarks are here.

Navy won the trophy by defeating Army and Air Force . Navy also blew out Poinsettia Bowl opponent Colorado State and had over 600 yards of offense.

Changes in I-AA coming soon

Matt Dougherty of The Sports Network has a long article on the NCAA meeting scheduled for this Thursday. It's worth a read.

The NCAA committee has a lot on its plate. Likely are several changes to the I-AA division intended to make it a more attractive place.

The committee is considering:

1. Changing the nomenclature of Div I football to two parts. The new titles will be "Bowl Division (the old I-A) and the "Championship Division" (the old I-AA)
2. Enhancements to the Championship game (more money)
3. Allow all Division I teams to play 12 games per season

My take:

All the enhancements seem to make sense. The big attraction of I-AA football is the fact that the national championship is won on the field. I believe that marketing the division as Championship football can only add interest and TV exposure.

I am also in favor of 12 games. The pros are older and fatter than college players and they play 16 games. Adding a sure 6th home game would increase UMass' revenue 16% in one shot.

Update 04/28/06: Without explanation, the NCAA did not pass the 12 games extension and delayed implementation of the division name changes. Looks like we're stuck in I-AA for a while yet...

UMass Coaching tree expands

UMass Defensive Tackle (2002-2003) Malik Hall has joined former UMass Defensive Coordinator and current Fordham Head Coach, Tom Masalla at Fordham as an assistant coach. The Fordham article is here.

Hall is the 4th UMass guy coaching at Fordham. Also with the Rams are ex-UMass assistant coach Frank Forucci and recent UMass coach and player Matt Dawson.

Blogger has been down for two days.

Faithful readers should be aware that Blogger has been down for the better part of two days.

No publishing has been possible. If you have been trying to leave comments or send me an e-mail, try again.

Note: Blogger will be down again today from 4:00 PDT to 4:45 PDT for more maintenance.

More on James and Cobbs and the NFL Draft

Chris Kennedy of the Springfield Republican writes on UMass seniors Shannon James and R.J. Cobbs in this article.

The NFL has a very good draft site here. It's worth a visit.

Another UConn transfer considers UMass

Former UConn player John Baranowsky 6-3, 290 DT will decide today between UMass and JMU.

The Daily News Article by Mike Barber is here .

Baranowsky was suspended from UConn on 11/08/2005.


Hope you choose the Minutemen, John!

2006 Opponent Stoney Brook Moving UP

On 09/23/06 UMass and Stoney Brook will meet for the first time in football. This Blog thinks it won't be the last.

Stoney Book is leaving the restricted scholarship NEC league and has announced that it will play as an independent in 2007 and will work towards the full I-AA scholarship level of 63.

The Seawolves will play UMass and UNH in 2006 and move to a full national schedule in 2007 with Richmond, Youngstown State and Elon on deck.

Football is booming at Stoney Brook. They have an beautiful new stadium, which sells out.
Success has also followed new A10 member Towson, who beat Delaware with only 38 scholarships last year! 2006 will be the first year UMass will play Towson. Wonder how the Tigers will do when they hit 63 scholarships.

There is speculation that 2005 opponent Albany will follow Stoney Brook's and Towson's lead and go full scholarship.

Northeast football is certainly going through a growth spurt. With Stoney Brook already having better attendance than Hofstra, things might get interesting in the Northeast in a few years...

Shannon James & R.J. Cobbs and the NFL

This article by Matt Dougherty for The Sports Network discusses I-AA NFL prospects. Scroll all the way to the end for Defensive Backs. Shannon James and R.J. Cobbs are listed.

Remember to check Frank Cooney's NFL DraftScout site for more UMass-NFL info. I have a permanent link to Cooney's site on my "other site of interest" section.

R.J.Cobbs is listed as a Cornerback. Note that he volunteered to play out-of-position in order to help UMass.

Images of R.J. and Shannon will be added to this blog entry later (Blogger is not taking images just now)

2006 Umass Secondary------ Life after Shannon James

Perhaps the biggest change in the the 2006 Minutemen will be the loss of Shannon James and two other members of the defensive backfield. Along with James Starting corner and fifth-year senior Steve Costello. James' back-up at free safety Greg Scott also graduated. All three of those players were solid performers.

This article in the Springfield Republican by Jeff Thomas discusses the 2006 UMass secondary.

The article states that Senior Brandon Smith 27 GP 39 UT 17 AT 4 Sacks 4 INT should be the starter at free safety. Backing him will be highly rated Michael Meggett.

Costello's replacement will probably be junior Brandon Freeman 27 GP 46 UT 23 AT 1 Sack 2 INT. The third corner should be Sean Smalls, who is one of the best athletes on the team.

James Ihedigbo returns as the starting Strong Safety and will be backed up by Brian Ellis a converted linebacker. Ihedigbo is an All-A10 candidate and possibly an All-American.

Tracey Belton is back at one corner and will be backed up by senior Dominique Milton. Belton has been a fixture at CB for the Minutemen and Milton runs a 4.3 forty.

In the images Freeman is # 34 and Smith is #23.

All-American Shannon James will be a big loss, but the 2006 secondary looks like it has good talent and speed.

2006 Recruit OL Kyle Lightner

Joining the Minutemen in 2006 will be Kyle Lightner a 6-2 290 pd OL from Gulf Coast H.S. in Naples FL. The MaxPreps Gulf Coast team page is here . A local paper bio of him is here . A Scouts.com bio is here .

Lightner:

• played OG in H.S.
• was named All-Region, All-District, Honorable mention All-County
• three year starter
• drew recruiting attention from Central Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and South Florida.
• turned down a I-A scholarship offer from Florida International to attend UMass

Coach Brown showed some video of Lightner at the Spring Friends of Football meeting. Lightner was shown comming out of his guard position to pick up a outside blitz. He looked like a smart and mobile player.

His head coach at Gulf Coast was Frank Tudryn. Tudryn played for UMass in 1968. Tudryn went on the become Northampton High's Head Football Coach.

Tudryn's son, Jason Tudryn was a four year letter winner for UMass (92-95) playing safety for the Minutemen.

Football broadcast team wins AP Award

The UMass broadcast team of Bob Behler, Matt Goldstein(his 2004 players bio), Derek Voolner and Mike Marzelli has been honored for the second time as the best collegiate play-by-play team in MA and RI. The UMass press release is here .

Behler & Goldstein won previously in 2003. The Associated Press selected the UMass-Army game as the best broadcast in the category.

UMass fans are fortunate to have an excellent media relations dept at UMass. This blog would be impossible if UMass were run like some I-AA schools (see my blog about UNH star WR David Ball below--- his bio has not been updated since 2004).

Congrats to the UMass football broadcast team!

2006 recruit OL Kevin Macon

Joining UMass in the Fall of 2006 will be Kevin Macon an OL from Oliver H.S. in Pittsburgh PA.
Macon is listed variously in height as 6-5 to 6-7 and about 325 pds.

• three year starter
• Ranked #1 lineman in Pittsburgh and #7 in PA
• Named to Western PA Fabulous 22
• runs a 5.2 40
• drew recruiting interest from Akron, Cincinnati, Penn State, Pitt (did a recruiting visit there), West Virginia and N.C. State

I saw video of Macon at the Spring Friends of Football meeting (another good reason to belong to Friends of Football, in my opinion). He looked mobile and a dominating blocker. This article mentions him .Coach Brown stated that Macon was coming off an injury and that's why we were able to recruit him.

Welcome to UMass Kevin! The UMass Faithful believe in you.

UMass Opens Spring Practice Today

UMass opens practice for the 2006 Football Season today! The weather in Amherst will be in the high 40's with rain showers.

Possibly the biggest question on the 2006 football team is who will back up starting QB Liam Coen

• Coen went 274-175 with 7 Int
• 2175 yards in 2005 was 6th best in UMass history
• 63.9 % completion ratio was 1st in UMass history (surpassing Todd Bankhead's 63.5% in 1999)
• Passing efficiency of 137.0 was 3rd best in UMass history
• 217 ave/game was 6th best in UMass history

Looking to be the #2 QB will be Taylor Humphrey . Humphrey appeared in one game in 2005 against Delaware.

Humphrey has a stellar prep school career. He was hampered last spring by a shoulder injury.

Joining the mix is lefty QB Scott Woodward from Mahar Regional in Orange, MA. Woodward was 1st team All-State and threw for over 4,000 yards and 46 TDs in high school.

Hopefully at least on of the two will step up and give UMass some depth at quarterback.