Questions and Answers with the "Anchor of Gold" Blog

Christian D'Andrea runs the excellent "Anchor of Gold" blog. He and I swapped question and answer
sessions relating to tomorrow's game.

Christian is a Rhode Island native and will attend the game at Gillette. Thanks to him for helping out with this interview.

#1. Vandy had to open its season with two tough teams: Ole Miss and South Carolina. How will the two opening losses impact the Commodores' chances of winning the SEC East? Is the West Division the stronger division this year?

Winning the East is still possible with two SEC losses, but that's going to take a lot of work. Not only would Vandy have to beat Georgia, Texas A&M, and Florida (all in a three week span!), but they'd also have to hope that a very good South Carolina team would lose two more league games. It's technically possible, but I'm not holding out much hope for it.
The West is certainly the stronger division, though the East is still very good. Georgia/S. Carolina/Florida could make up the upper tier of most of the other BCS conferences, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that Alabama/Texas A&M/LSU is the tougher triumvirate at the top right now.

#2. How will losing Chris Boyd affect Vandy's offense? Any info on his replacement?

Boyd was an excellent player who took pressure off of All-American wideout Jordan Matthews in the passing game. Without him, an already shallow receiving corps has had to ask a pair of role players to step up. Jonathan Krause is an excellent punt returner who can fill in as WR2, but he's not a consistent threat like Boyd was. Jordan Cunningham, a true freshman and high four-star recruit in 2013, has also gotten the call to take Boyd's snaps. he's shown flashes of the ability to get open and make plays, but he's still learning the game. Unfortunately, neither one can provide the combination of good hands, great size, and red zone awareness that Boyd brought to the table.

#3. Tell us about the offense in general. Jordan Matthews looks like he's going to have an All-SEC year. The Commodores seem to practice running backs by committee. Is that right? Who else should we look for?

Matthews has 100+ yards in all three Vandy games this season, and he'll likely add to that total on Saturday. That's not a knock against your secondary, it's just a testament of how good Matthews has been this year. Teams are double and triple-teaming him in coverage and he's still coming down with the ball in key situations.
The running back stable is a committee of players who are trying to replace record setting tailback Zac Stacy. Wesley Tate is the power runner and presumptive starter, Brian Kimbrow has the most pure speed, and Jerron Seymour, despite having to sit on a phone book to drive a car, is a combination of the two, running like a pinball caroms off bumpers. It's a talented group, but no alpha dog has emerged from that fray yet.
Otherwise, the offense has been...nondescript. Steven Scheu seems to be the team's biggest weapon at tight end, but he's underused. Austyn Carta-Samuels is a perfectly competent quarterback who does many things well but is a master of none of them. And we've already covered the non-Matthews receivers in question 3.

#4. Both UMass and Vandy play 3-4 defenses. The Commodores have given up 79 points in their first three games. Does that reflect the quality of the opponents or problems with the defense?

It's a little of both (but hey, we did hold Austin Peay to three points two weeks ago!). Vanderbilt has been garbage against mobile quarterbacks, and Ole Miss and South Carolina exploited that in big scoring efforts. The absence of captain Chase Garnham (lower leg injury) amongst the LBs is also troubling, as he was the fastest linebacker we had and big part of this defense's ability to pursue runners. The 'Dores have a solid secondary and the players to put together a very effective front seven, but they get caught off guard too easily, and they can be exploited by smart offensive coordinators.

#5. Looking at the Commodores' game notes, it seems as if special teams are a real strength for the team. Comments?

Carey Spear is our lunatic kicker. He can make 54-yard field goals and he can do this:  http://www.anchorofgold.com/2013/8/15/4622330/vanderbilt-football-2013-position-primers-kicker-carey-spear-hit-gifs. Darrius Sims, a true freshman, has also been electric on both sides of the ball as a gunner and kick returner. Special teams have been a bright spot in what has been a disappointing season so far.

#6. Obviously, this has been a tough year for Vandy fans. However, the Commodores have an excellent recruiting class coming in. Do Vanderbilt fans still believe that Commodores are on track to be a power in college football's toughest league?

Absolutely. James Franklin turned a group of Bobby Johnson recruits - mostly two and three-star guys - into a nine-win squad last year. Now, he's got his hand-picked players coming in - guys in the high three to high four-star range. His playcalling isn't airtight, but his ability to get his players to believe in themselves and put together great performances is. I have faith that this season can still turn into an eight-win campaign, and that the sky is the limit in the future. After pulling together the things he has on the recruiting trail and coaxing a once-in-a-century season out of Vanderbilt, I'm pretty much forced to believe in Franklin until he gives me a reason not to.

Friday--September 20, 2013

Dan Malone has this week's injury report. Out are Broandax, Nesmith, Casali and Robinson-Woodget. The two WR's make an already thin receiving corps even more narrow.

One player would could help would Ricardo Miller, the transfer from Michigan. So far, he only has two catches for 22 yards.

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Malone also has a story about A.J. Doyle being excited about tomorrow's test against a SEC team. I was there last year in Nashville. Doyle took some really heavy shots from the Commodores defense. Hopefully, this year the offensive line will be a lot more effective. Al Leneus, who started the season as a walk-on DL played most of the game as an emergency OL. He totally wiffed on his first block, but worked hard the rest of the season. If the OL and the UMass running backs could a decent running game going it would go a long way towards a decent game for A.J.

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The Boston Globe another heavyweight comes to Gillette tomorrow.

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Hustle Belt has a MAC blogger round table.

Austin Beay, a FCS schools who has already lost to Vanderbilt, gets Ohio this week. The Governers only had one first down in the first half and totaled 139 yards of total offense.

The Daily Iowan has "Lights, Camera, MACation".

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James Ihedigbo has graded out as the fourth-leading player in the Ravens defense after the first two games of the season.

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Thursday--September 19, 2013

Tomorrow we will have a Q &A session with the excellent Vanderbilt Blog "Anchor of Gold".  I'm traveling today and my WiFi connection is not playing well with Blogger this morning.

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Dan Malone talks with Coach Elmassian on UMass' defensive struggles so far this season.

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Gazette/Josh Kuckens image

The Boston Herald says UMass looks to Stacey Bedell.

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The Daily Collegian reports UMass' tough non-conference schedule comes to an end with Vanderbilt.

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Vamderbilt's Coach Franklin discusses who will replace Chris Boyd in the Commodores' WR corps. Mentioned are Latevius Reyford, Jordan Cunningham and Jonathan Krause.

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In the MAC Conference, Kent State plays Penn State without star player Dri Archer.

Winless Western Michigan has Big Ten opponent Iowa.

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Nebraska's HC Bo Pelini may be disciplined for being caught saying off camera what many coaches probably thnk.

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The Cincinnati Bengals did re-sign Jeromy Miles.

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GQ interviews Victor Cruz about his "style". I don't know about you, but I've never been accused of having a style.

TMZ image

TMZ looks at Victor's new Ferrari. I'm probably not going to have one of those either.

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James Ihedigbo quietly makes a difference for the Ravens.
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An Oklahoma football blogger visits the future.

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Wednesday--September 16, 2013

UMass has it's game notes up for the Vanderblit game.

So does Vandy. The Commodores also have some additional notes about the UMass game.

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Former UMass assistant coach Mike Dunbar (1984-1986) has passed away.

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Dan Malone grades the the UMass team after one quarter of the season. His grades are just about what I would give. Remember the important caveat that playing two BCS teams really distorts the numbers, especially on defense. Vanderbilt, who went 9-4 last year has given up 81 points (27 per game) so far this year. UMass is averaging 35 points per game and both BCS games were on the road. Our numbers should improve when we hit MAC play.

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Matty V. says Rob Blanchflower is closer to returning. He'll make a difference when he's at full strength. The loss of Shakur Nesmith has also constrained the offense. WR was a definite thin spot going into the season. With Nesmith out, Tajae Sharpe has been the only playmaker on the receiving corps.

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The UMass Daily Collegian says UMass is struggling against the run.

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ESPN says Vanderbilt dismissing Chris Boyd was the right call.

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Keepers Collge Football Ratings has Vandy by 28.16 points over the Minutemen.

Most of the Vegas spreads are +32 for UMass.

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In what's got to be a typo, SB nation ranks the MAC as #5 in the nation. Eight or ninth would be a saner rating.

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Fan Sited says Jeromy Miles may have cleared waivers and Cincinnati may resign him.

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Tuesday--September 17, 2013

Soundbites from Coach Molnar's weekly MAC teleconference.

Dan Malone features Joey Colton's play for the UMass defense.

Rob Blanchflower was back in pads for the first time this season. Blanchflower was in a walking boot for the UMass topping off ceremony this summer. I did not mention it in this blog, because I did not want to give anything away. Getting him back for MAC conference play will make a difference.

Shakur Nesmith would help too. He'd prevent opponents double teaming Tajae Sharp.

A.J. Doyle will get his second start against Vanderbilt.

Malone has three helmet stickers for Week #3.

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Matty V. has a feature on UMass QB A. J. Doyle.

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Vanderbilt coach Franklin says the Commodores can't afford slow starts.

Still lots of trouble from the Vandy rape case. Vanderbilt examines it's response. One former player pleads guilty.

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Lots of gripping about UMass not winning this season. That's valid against Maine, but not when we are playing BCS teams.

The whole MAC conference has just one win against BCS teams this year.

Hustle Belt looks at this week's MAC conference games.

Ohio University  has band cams.

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0-2 UConn gets Michigan this week.

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The Cincinnati Bengals waived Jeromy Miles yesterday.

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OT, but Big Ten is going to produce a seismic shift in college hockey starting this fall.

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Monday--September 16, 2013

Dan Malone has a story about UMass adopting the 3-4 defense.

Except for the Maine game, I don't what's the problem is with the UMass defense. Since we have joined FBS UMass has played 15 games----- 7 against BCS teams. If Bear Bryant was coaching UMass and Vince Lombardi was his defensive coordinator, the Minutemen's record would not have changed. The defense has only received about 1/3 of the two FBS recruiting classes. It's just way too early to be ranting about the defense. I know everybody  wants to win and be good, but it's going to be more of a process than 1.25 years :)

FCS is having a banner year. Usually FCS teams go about 3-70 against FBS teams. This year, they're giving everyone a hard time.

See this story:" Buffalo looks to feast on Stony Brook". It took the Bulls five overtimes to beat the Sea Wolves...

 That does not mean that next year that will this continue. That does not mean FCS is a viable Division.

Dan also has A.J. Doyle responds to adversity.

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Kansas State's Bill Snyder has always been willing to take JUCO's and several JUCO recruits took in the UMass game.

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UMass' next football opponent continues to struggle with the fallout from the gang rape incident involving four Commodore players.

Vandy Blog "Anchor of Gold" wonder if Chris Boyd should be allowed to rejoin the team.

Alcorn State suspended on the the players involved after one day with the Braves.

Vandy players have been banned from a popular Nashville bar.

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Western Michigan is having a difficult season. The Broncos lost to Nichols State two weeks ago. Unlike Maine, the Colonels were picked last in Southland Conference. Prior to their win over WMU, Nichols State's only two wins since 2010 were over NAIA schools. The Broncos get Iowa next.

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Brandon London is having an unproductive season for the Larks.

London did have a TD catch against the B.C. Lions Sunday.

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Sunday--September 15, 2013

Joey Colton/ Image by AP Orlin Wagner

Well, UMass sounded like a team yesterday. The first time Mrs. Blog and I visited Kansas State, the Minutemen were led by Mark Whipple. Jeremy Cain, Jeff Krohn and Anton McKenzie were Captains.

UMass ended the day with 10 first downs (three of them in garbage time with a couple of minutes to play) and 27 total yards rushing.

Yesterday, the undermaned UMass offense had 17 first downs, 123 yards rushing and 309 total yards. Stacey Bedell, T.J. Sharpe had good games. A.J. Doyle moved the team. Ed Saint-Vil and Joey Colton combined for 21 tackles.

Unlike the Maine game, were UMass looked like it had nothin', UMass sounded like a FBS team. It's something to build off of. The Minutemen made some mistakes, but the game was nothing to be ashamed of. One more BCS team to go and then we're into MAC play. UMass players and fans need to keep the faith. We'll get there.

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Dan Malone has the sights and sounds of Family Stadium.

He also says after a strong start, UMass was overpowered.

Matty V. has a story about the game and some upbeat comments from the players.

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All the MAC scores and game details from the league site.

The big news from the league was Akron's near upset of Michigan.

Buffalo needed five overtimes to slip past Stony Brook.

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Hey, we did better than Boston College did!

UConn lost again.

Maine is still unbeaten.

Wisconsin lost on a bizarre play.

Vanderbilt made a comeback against South Carolina, but still lost the game.

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Nothing gets done without determination and courage. Read this amazing story from 9/11 about F-16 pilot Heather Penney.

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Game Day --Kansas State

Well, UMass is matched with another BCS team, 2012 Big 12 Champion Kansas State. I've followed the Minutemen to Manhattan, KS twice. Once, UMass was run over by future NFL All-Pro Darren Sproles. During that game, I sat with a bunch of L.A. Love's relatives who had made the trip up from Texas. The second time UMass really made a game of it. We ran the ball effectively and were down by five points with time left in the fourth quarter.

Let's shake off last week, both players and fans. Any BCS team is a big challenge  for a MAC team. Last year the MAC's best team NIU, lost to 4-8 Iowa. The Huskies edged Iowa this year. We're  literally not playing in our league until MAC play starts.

A win is not likely, but let's give a good effort and get some stuff ready for the league season.

As always, Go UMass!!

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UMass looks for positive growth after a slow start.

Kansas State quarterbacks are double-trouble.

Dan Malone has a UMass flashback from 2009.

He also has where to catch today's game. WEEI's live streaming website.

Matty V. says Coach Molnar hopes for a rebound against the Cats.

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ESPN3 has most of the league's game available online.

UMass is not the only MAC team with a load to carry this weekend.

Kent State gets #8 LSU.

Akron gets Michigan.

Eastern Michigan gets Rutgers.

Western Michigan gets #16 ranked Northwestern.

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North Jersey.com says Victor Cruz and West Welker are tops in their field.

Broncos CB Chris Harris says he's ready for Victor Cruz.

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Friday--September 13, 2013

Dan Malone has story about the preparations for the Kansas State game. Rob Blanchflower is still doubfull, Boradnax and Nesmith are out, as is freshman LB Steve Casali.

On the good news front Lorenzo Woodley should be available for Saturday's game.

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Tajae Sharpe takes over the role as the Minutemen's #1 receiver.

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The Kansas City Star previews the K-State-UMass game.

Both the Cats and UMass carry questions into Saturday's game.

UMass turns to A.J. Doyle to look for a spark.

K-State to experiment with a two-QB system.

Two quarterbacks could be a good deal for Kansas State.

The Cats looks to take another step forward against the Minutemen.

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The MAC will have nine televised games tomorrow.

Bryan Vance of Hustle Belt previews all the league games for Week #3.

FCS Eastern Washington, having already defeated #25 Oregon State, plays at Toledo this week.

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Where to College football players come from? Not New York.

Thursday--September 12, 2013

Trey Dudley-Giles runs it back against Maine

A.J. Doyle named starting QB against Kansas State.

Matty V has A.J. Doyle takes over at quarterback.

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Jimmy Kelly has two QB's and one big problem for the Minutemen.

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Daniel Sams has been electrifying at QB for the Cats.

A K-State blog does a Q &A with Bob McGovern.

The Kansas City star expects the Cats to roll against lowly UMass.

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Hustle Belt looks at the point spreads for the MAC's Week #3.

Hustle Belt also has quarterback power rankings for the league.

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The MAC Report online has league power ratings after Week #2.

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SB Nation has the MAC #9 (behind the Sun Belt) in college football league power rankings.

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Mike Pereira questions one of Victor Cruz's TD catches against the Cowboys.

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Wednesday--September 11, 2013

9/11. In 2001 Mrs Blog and I attended the UMass-Marshall game in Huntington, then drove down to Lancaster County in PA so she could shop. We were renting a camping cabin and had no TV. That morning, we were in Bird-in-Hand and it was pouring rain. I stayed on the porch of a shop, watching the rain, and she went in. She came right back out. "Everybody in there is crying.", she said.

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UMass has the game notes for K-State up.

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The weekly depth chart lists both Mike Wegzyn and A. J. Doyle as potential starters.

Hustle Belt has UMass last in the MAC power ratings.

Quotes from Coach Molnar in the leagues weekly teleconference.

Kansas State's speed presents matchup problems for the Minutemen.

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Matty V. reports on the on-going competition for starting QB.

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Kansas State's weekly press conference notes.

The Cats guard against taking UMass too lightly.

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Keepers College football ratings has the Cats by 46 over the Minutemen.

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The Giants believe that Michael Cox is not ready to replace starter David Wilson.

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Emil Igwenagu was inactive for the Eagles opener.

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Victor Cruz can related to David Wilson's situation.

Cruz was honored with the prestigious Point-of-Light award.

The Dallas News shows how Victor smoked the Cowboys defense for three TD's.

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Meanwhile, UConn is trying to shake off their loss to Towson.

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Tuesday-- September 10, 2013

UMass Colonial Color Guard

Dan Malone has three helmet stickers for the Maine game.

Actually as Dan says, the three performances were not that great, but they offer something to build off of. Sharpe was running for a TD and then mysteriously stopped running. He also ran a couple of routes where he didn't know where the first down marker was. He had a decent game, but he could have been a game changer for UMass. I think he's capable of that and will do better in the future.

UMass opens as the 38.5 underdog against K-State. UMass hasn't covered the spread so far this year.

Dan also has a story about the renewed quarterback competition. He also reports (quoting Bob McGovern) that Jordan Broadnax is out for the year. Ricardo Miller, who missed the Maine game (and would have helped) is back practicing. Rob Blanchflower and Shakur Nesmith did not practice.

Blanchflower, Nesmith and Miller give the Minutemen a lot more offensive firepower. It doesn't matter against Kansas State and Vandy, but those three players will make a difference when UMass gets to MAC games.

He also has a Q & A session with Mike Wegzyn.

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Matty V. also has an article on UMass' struggle to find an effective quarterback.

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Under the "Did Hell freeze over ?" category  the Boston Globe has a fairly positive editorial on UMass football. A successful UMass football program would make a positive impact on the economics of Massachusetts. In most states, college football is big business. It provides jobs and economic "buzz". That's why the Media in most states support the state university's college football programs. UMass being successful would even help the Globe sell more newspapers. Given the Globe's dismal finances, you'd think they would realize that.

It would also help Boston College. The Eagles only sell out when they play Notre Dame. Despite Eagle fans having a high opinion of themselves, Boston College has no national recognition. Back when BU dropped football there were dozens of comments on college football message boards saying Boston College dropped their program. A heated UMass, UConn and BC football rivalry would boost all of New England.

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Wildcats coach Bill Snyder handled his loss to FCS North Dakota State with class.

K-State bounced back from their opening loss with a good game against Sunbelt Conference member Louisiana.

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Western Michigan is dealing with the fallout from their FCS loss Nichols.

Hustle Belt blogger wonders if the Broncos go 0-12 for the season.

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Hustle Belt has a Week #3 conference overview.

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Monday--September 9, 2013

Google Blogger seems off kilter today. I checked the html code and everthing looks correct, so I think the trouble is on Blogger's side.

Ok, we got beat. Let's pick it up and support the team. Our next OOC opponent Big 12 Champion Kansas State lost to a FCS team earlier this year. They're moving on. So should we.

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The UMass Marching Band sounded great Saturday. They put on a great show.

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UMass re-opens the quarterback competition.

The Offensive line is a bright spot for UMass.

UMass defense not getting enough pressure on opposing QB's.

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The MAC had a tough Saturday. Western Michigan, an established FBS team lost to Nichols State that was picked last in its conference.

Hustle Belt looks at the Broncos loss.

Baylor hangs 70 on Buffalo.

Akron beat JMU in a barnburner.

CMU kicked a field goal with three seconds left to beat New Hampshire.

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Victor Cruz had a great night against the Cowboys. He went 5-188-3 TD's. Watch video of Victor's catches here.

Michael Cox played on special teams and had one kickoff return for 29 yards. Congats to Michael on his NFL debut.

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Sunday September 8, 2014

Like a collision at sea, you could see this one coming a long way away.

It was a beautiful day. The UMass Marching Band sounded great. More than 15,000 fans showed up for the game.

The UMass football team didn't show up. Some UMass players may have NFL dreams. If you've ever watched any of Ray Lewis' memorable pregame rants on YouTube, then you know what a NFL player has to do. If you are on offense, you need to make plays. On defense, you need to hit. When the whistle sounds both sides have to throw the switch to the "On" position. If there were any NFL scouts at the game, any Minutemen player hoping in playing in the Pros chances just got longer.

Yesterday's game hurt the program, the coaching staff and the players. We need to hit the "reset" button  and start making progress.

Coach Molnar does not even a full compliment of scholarships until 2015. I felt the UMass administration would give him till then to change the UMass program. Yesterday probably knocked a year off that horizon.

Special teams again hurt us. Maine had better field position all game. The UMass punter again shanked a punt and to get any distance, he had to kick low. A Minutemen returner fielded a kick inside the UMass five yard line. Our kicker took the air out of a potential fourth quarter UMass comeback by kicking out of bounds right after UMass scored a TD.

UMass tried two quarterbacks and neither could move the team. Our running back, billed as the fastest player on the squad, never looked like he could break open a long run. Twice, Minutemen series were stopped when a UMass receiver ran a route that was two yards shy of a first down.

The UMass defense has only received about a third of the first two years of recruits. Maybe we should rethink this year's class. The defense was pushed off the line of scrimmage all day. Twice Maine racked up big gains on a simple screen play. It came within an eyelash of working a third time. Black Bear receivers were wide open a number of times.

On coaching, the Minutemen are supposed to be playing a fast up tempo spread offense. The playing calling was glacially slow. UMass had to call a time out because we didn't have 11 men on the field for a punt. Some coach needs to be tasked with counting noses. On most teams, the punter counts too.

I'm going to break tradition and not set any links for game articles.  If I were the coaching staff and players I would not watch any of the game film either.

Let's all UMass fans, players and coaches shake it off and start working on getting better.

Go UMass!!

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Yesterday' MAC scoreboard.

 Akron and CMU both beat CAA teams by a combined total of five points.

Nichols State beat Western Michigan adding another FBS scalp to this year's totals.

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BTW, I liked the new UMass uniforms.

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

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Game Day --Maine

Mrs Blog and I are excited about our first home game of 2013. Can't wait to see this year's edition of the wonderful UMass Marching Band. Hope to see all UMass fans at the tailgate and game.

Go UMass!!

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From the Athletic Office:

Kickoff: 2 p.m.

 Parking lots open for tailgating: 11 a.m.
 The Minuteman Club opens at noon.
 Go here for broadcast media information and essential game notes.
For complete game notes, click here.
 Information on Gillette Stadium, tailgating and activities is available here.
 New this year:

• Ubiquitous WiFi: Gillette Stadium now features WiFi throughout the facility. Bring your devices and follow stats, follow UMass Football social media throughout the game, and share your thoughts, images and video.
• Tailgate Tent: The UMass Amherst Alumni Association has moved its official tailgate out to the traditional environment of the parking lot.
• Patriots Alumni: Each game this season will bring a New England Patriots alumnus to the Minuteman Club to sign autographs and talk football with UMass fans. This week, meet Patriots Hall of Fame member Steve Nelson. 
  

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UMass is looking for it's first win in a pressure packed home opener.

Dan Malone has where to hear and view the game.

Coach Molnar says the matchup is good for New England football.

Malone has game day notes for Maine.

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The Hampshire Gazette has UMass seeks first win of the season.

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The Boston Herald says UMass is not looking past old pal Maine.

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MAboot says UMass will beat the spread against the Black Bears.

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The Press Herald says Maine faces an oversized challenge against the Minutemen.

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The Daily Collegian says UMass seeks more improvement.

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Eleven MAC games will be televised this weekend.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer says beware of upsets.

The MAC game-of-the-week is Bowling Green Vs Kent State.

Hustle Belt has overviews of all the MAC games this week.

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Friday--September 6, 2013

Mike Wegzyn doesn't care what the point spread is for the Maine game.

Dan Malone says the UMass coaches and players are not looking past the Black Bears.

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The Boston Globe has UMass faces Maine in home opener.

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Over at Hustle Belt, Jimmy Kelley has a UMass Vs Maine preview.

Hustle Belt also has Week #2 power rankings.

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The Bangor Daily News says CB Kendall James is a complete player for Black Bears.

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The MAC Report Online has a Conference Wrap Week #2.

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The MAC website has video review of the Week #1 conference games.

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In other MAC games of interest to UMass fans, Central Michigan may have its hands full with visiting New Hampshire.

Over the last two years, Akron's only two victories were over VMI and Morgan State. This week they get James Madison, which is a FCS horse-of-a-different-color.

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The Blog's picks for Week #2

Bowling Green over Kent State. BG gets the MAC East over early.

Penn State over Eastern Michigan. EMU struggled against Howard last week, Howard is not an FCS power.

Miami (Ohio) even against Kentucky. Kentucky lost to Western Kentucky in their opener.

Ball State over Army.

UMass over Maine.

New Hampshire wins against CMU. The Chippewas suffered two devastating injuries last week.

Baylor over Buffalo. The Bulls and UMass have the league's killer schedules.

Missouri beats Toledo.

James Madison over Akron. See above.

Ohio over North Texas. The Mean Green is not Louisville.

Western Michigan over Nichols State. The Colonials lost to Oregon 66-3 in Week #1.

Thursday--Sept 5, 2013

Let's take a look at Maine. Not to open old wounds, but the last time UMass and Maine met, the Minutemen had three fumbles and an an INT in a 32-21 loss in front of 4,400 in Orono. The Black bears had 188 yards rushing and averaged 5.2 yards a carry. The next week JMU would rack up 386 yards rushing and end coach Morris' career at UMass.

Last year the Black Bears went 5-6. They lost their one FBS game to a bad Boston College team  34-3. Three of Maine's wins were over Bryant 4-7, Georgia State 1-11 and Rhode Island 0-11. They did have good wins over Delaware and William & Mary.

Maine has a long history of giving FBS teams a bad time. I listened to the audio feed of their win over Southern Mississippi back about eight years or so. In 2011, Maine lost to Pitt by 29-35. In 2010 and 2009 the Black Bears lost two game to Syracuse by a combined score of 38-79.

Last week Maine beat Norfolk State 24-6. The Spartans were 4-7 in 2012.

Senior QB Marcus Wasilewski was a one-man team against Norfolk State. He went 15-28-1 209 yards 1 TD 85 LONG. He was also the Black Bears leading rusher 11-59 4.9 AVE.

Zedric Joseph (5-9 195) and Ricky Stevens went a combined 22-94 yards rushing.

Derric Johnson (5-11 190) had 8 catches for 82 yards.

Sophomore LB Cabrini Gonclaves (5-10 207) led the Black bears with 9 UT 4 AT 13 TT 3.0-11 TFL and 2-9.0 SACKS.

Maine has their UMass game notes up

I think UMass will beat UMaine. FCS teams have been having a great year against FBS teams, so I don't expect an easy win, but think UMass will get it done.

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Dan Malone reports that Jordan Broadnax is defiantly out for Maine and Rob Blanchflower is a game-day decision.

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Nick Canelas of the UMass Daily Collegian says Maine is a must win situation.

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The MAC Report Online has Week #2 league power rankings.

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Keepers College football rankings has Maine over UMass by almost 20 (What !?) as well as JMU over Akron and New Hampshire favored over Central Michigan.

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The Chicago Tribune says NIU is not going away.

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Wednesday--Sept 4, 2013

UPDATE: UMass has the game notes for Maine up.

Matty V. says Maine is a big game for UMass.

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Dan Malone reports on the progress being made by the Minutemen offensive line. He also says Shakur Nesmith is out for the Maine game. Rob Blanchflower and Jordan Broadnax are still listed as "questionable".

Dan has another injury report here.

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Jimmy Kelly of "Hustle Belt" says UMass faces a different kind of challenge against Maine.

He also says injuries are the talk during the week before the Black Bears.

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UMass is not the only MAC team to face an FCS squad this weekend. Central Michigan gets #11 New Hampshire. This could be a very tough test for the Chippewas as they lost both their star running back and starting QB against Michigan.

And Akron gets James Madison. The Dukes beat CCSU last week 38-14. JMU went 8-4 last year.

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The UConn Blog says Towson is indisputably better than the 2012 and 2013 Minutemen.

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Chip Kelly values versatility in players and that's why Emil Igwenagu made the team.

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The Dolphins cut Josh Samuda. Hope he gets picked up by another team.

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Tuesday--September 3, 2013

AP image

Dan Malone has a story that features UMass true freshman Steve Casali. The story also says the Minutemen got out of Camp Randall with only one significant injury: Shakur Nesmith. The UMass freshmen and subs were able to get a number of series in the fourth quarter. That'll pay benefits in the future. The Minutemen look to have more depth this year.

Coach Molnar's quotes from the MAC's weekly teleconference.

Dan also has an article on Gary Anderson's post game comments on the play of Mike Wegzyn.

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Matty V. has Coach Molnar is upbeat after Wisconsin. Molnar praised OL Matt Sparks for play against Badger NT Beau Allen. Sparks, who is 6-4 290 gave away a lot of size to Allen, who is 6-3 325.

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WCSH has some video of the Black Bears win over Norfolk State.

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Keepers College football rankings has UMass at #123 after the first week of 2013.

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The MAC Blog "Hustle Belt" has a couple of articles:

UMass faces another kind of test against Maine.

MAC Week #1 scores and standings.

UMass got out of Wisconsin relatively injury free, but Central Michigan had two significant injuries. Zurlon Tipton (a great football name) was the difference last year in the Chippewas' victory over the Minutemen. Tipton went 25-186 7.4 AVE against UMass in that game.

The MAC announce the league's players-of-the-week.

The MAC Report Online has Power Ratings for the week.

Buffalo LB Khilil Mack is regarded as the MAC's best NFL draft pick and he showed it against Ohio State.

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The Republic has a story of Michael Cox making the Giants.

Fan Sided says the Giants could use Cox on kick returns.

Tom Coughlin says Cox's play on special teams is what got him into the NFL.

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Doug Jones/USA Today image

The Ravens named James Ihedigbo their starting Strong Safety.

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Seven former Minutemen made NFL rosters. Two more are on IR.

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Monday--September 2, 2013

Dan Malone gives out helmet stickers for good performances in the Wisconsin game. They pretty much agree with my write-up yesterday.

When I looked at the UMass stats yesterday, I missed the fact the Minutemen O-line did not give up a sack against Wisconsin. That's a real achievement.

Stacey Bedell was also a bright spot.

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The Boston Herald says UMass' focus moves to Maine.

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Speaking of FCS, the division had what was probably the best weekend in FCS history.

There were a record number of FBS defeats.

CBS Sports says fear the FCS.

ESPN says FCS got the cash and the game.

ESPN has more on the big weekend for FCS.

In the MAC, Eastern Michigan just got past Howard.

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Ohio played #9 Louisville yesterday and lost 49-7.

Speaking of the MAC, Lindy's Sports has a MAC week #1 notebook.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer looks at the results from this weekend's games.

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Julian Talley was signed to the Giants practice squad.

The Giants sell a #3 Julian Talley shirt.

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John Griffin ended up being placed on the Jets injured reserve list.

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Sunday--September 1, 2013

You know your expectations have changed when you're disappointed you didn't hold Wisconsin to 17 points :)

As expected, the Badgers had a lot more speed and talent than the Minutemen. On the other hand, UMass' opener was a lot better than 3 total first downs against UConn and the 42 points Michigan scored in the first half.

Positives from the game:

Stacey Bedell. He fumbled in his first series, but after that he went 19-70 with 0 carries for  loss. He ran with his head up and made yardage after contact.

The offensive line. The stunting 3-4 Wisconsin defense was a tough test for the new starters, but they looked like a coherent unit, something that rarely happened in 2012. The offensive line's performance looked like a good place to build off of.

Trey-Dudley Giles. He went 6-144 24 AVE on kick returns. Giles looked fast and had good field awareness.

Devon Brown. Led the defense with 9 TT and had an INT.

Experience. Coach Molnar started substituting in the third quarter and the UMass second teamers got about 20 minutes of valuable playing time.

The defensive backfield. The Minutemen defenders had to do a lot of run support. The coverage was pretty good. When the UMass corners got beat, they got beat physically. There was not a lot of blown coverage  They were just covering All-America receivers...

Negative:

Penalties. The good start by the O-line would have been even better if it were not for a number of false starts.

Mike Wegzyn. He again threw into traffic multiple times. We can't tell if he threw to the wrong spot or the receivers ran the wrong route, but Wegzyn's throws hit the turf a number of times with no UMass player near the area. His overall throwing did not look sharp. In Mike's defense, Wisconsin could have had something to do with it.

Colter Johnson. Inexplicably, our All-MAC punter shanked a couple of punts.

The D-line. The huge Badger O-line was going to be a challenge , but the Wisconsin pulling guard collapsed the UMass defensive line all game.

Anyway, game is over and UMass will not see another team as good as the Badgers in 2013.

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Dan Malone has sights and sounds of camp Randall.

He also has UMass run over by Wisconsin.

Matty V. has Wisconsin overwhelms UMass in the second half.

UMass write up on the game. Post game UMass quotes.

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MAC scoreboard. The big news was Northern Illinois' victory over Iowa.

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FCS gave FBS teams fits this weekend.

 North Dakota beat Kansas state.
 Liberty took Kent state to the limit.
Villanova was tied with Boston College at the half.
William & Mary was tied with West Virginia in the fourth quarter.
Eastern Washington knocked off #25 Oregon State.

I've already blogged about Towson beating UConn.

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Maine beat Norfolk State 32-6.

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Vanderbilt had already lost to Ole Miss.

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The Giants cut Julian Talley.

Josh Samuda made the the Dolphins final 53.

AP/ Andrew Webber image

Emil Igwenagu made the Eagles ----- "Shockingly"

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