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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Game Day--Wisconsin

Today we open UMass's season with Wisconsin. The Badgers are looking to go to their fourth straight Rose Bowl. They would be a challenge for any non-BCS team, and most BCS-level squads too.

But playing Wisconsin is what we need to to go get to full scholarships in 2015. It is another step to a having a competitive football team. Last year UMass football ran a deficit of a couple of hundred thousand dollars. Last year we were a "provisional" FBS team and we received about 60% of the guarantees normally received by visiting teams. The Michigan game provided $550K. This year Wisconsin will give us $900K. Do the math.

Coach Jimmie Reid always said he wanted UMass to play the best. Coach Whipple, when he was asked if UMass could play and compete as a FBS team said sure we could, but we'd "take our lumps the first couple years".

247 Sports has UMass in the top half of the MAC in 2014 recruiting so far. Most recruiting services showed the Minutemen did well in recruiting in 2013 and those rankings do not include Shakur Nesmith and the three BCS senior transfers.

UMass football is on the rise. Today is part of it. I've going to wear my UMass t-shirt and cheer for the Minutemen.

Go UMass!

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MassLive says Coach Molnar is excited to see the Minutemen play.

The Hampshire Gazette says UMass is set to open against Wisconsin.

Wisconsin wants to keep is simple against the Minutemen.

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The Boston Globe says UMass has a tough opener against the Badgers.

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ESPN says UMass is a heavy underdog against Wisconsin.

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Meanwhile, Maine is excited about Norfolk State. The Black Bears have been a good FCS foe over the years and I respect Maine a lot, but that headline says volumes about where we were and where we are going.

The Kennebec Journal says questions follow the Black Bears to Virginia.

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This is sad. Hope Coach Durkin gets this squared away.

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ESPN says Victor Cruz is on the mend.

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Emil Igwenagu will find out today if he made the Eagles.

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Friday--August 30, 2013

UPDATE: More MAC football tonight as Western Michigan takes on Michigan State. Again, the game is on the Big Ten Network available on many satellite and cable systems. Game preview from the Broncos side.

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MassLive previews the 2013 UMass defense and special teams.

Dan also has a MAC East preview and a podcast with Bob McGovern.

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Matty V. says UMass is ready to play in front of another massive Big Ten crowd.

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Wisconsin touts itself as reigning champ.

The Badger Blog "Bucky's Fifh Quarter has a Wisconsin Football notebook and contemplates what would be an acceptable win against UMass.

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The Cleveland Plain Dealer previews the MAC"s weekend games.

The MAC Conference site has reviews of last night's league games.

Kent State edged Liberty and may have lost Heisman hopeful Dri Archer

Ball State had a big second half against FCS Illinois State.

The MAC's best win was Bowling Green crushing Tulsa.

Akron was handled by UCF 38-7. The Zips only had 183 yards of offense going into their final series.

The MAC Report Online has stories from the league's games.

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Ryan Delaire (Towson bio) had a big game against UConn last night. He was in the Huskie backfield all game.

Brian Dowling (no bio yet) also had a big catch for the Tigers. Congrats to both!

The UConn Blog called it an unmitigated disaster. The Huskies really need to burn those hideous helmets. They are bad Ju-Ju for the whole UConn team. Nobody could win with those helmets.

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The Giants' Andre Brown broke his leg against the Pats. Michael Cox could see an expanded role.

The Giants Blog "Big Blue" explains the NFL's practice squad rules and mentions Michael Cox would have to pass through waivers to get there.

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Thursday--August 29, 2013

UPDATE II: Ryan Delaire having a great game for Towson...

UPDATE 9:30 PM Thursday: FYI Towson 13-10 over UConn with 9:32 to go in the third quarter. Kent State struggled against Liberty. And Ball State is struggling against FCS Illinois State. Bowling Green is shutting out Tulsa.

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Dan Malone has a 2013 UMass offensive preview.

He also has sound bites from the Minutemen's latest practice.

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The Associated Press says Chris Borland makes the Badger defense go.

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The Westwood Patch has an article about four Massachusetts kids playing for UMass. Joe Colton, Brandon Howard, Will Giggi and Matt Quinn are all on the 2013 UMass squad. Colton had a fine freshman year.

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Bleacher Report says Tanner McEvoy is a jack-of-all-trades for the Badgers.

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Wisconsin does a lot of out-of-state recruiting.

In 2012, Massachusetts and Wisconsin were shoulder to shoulder in supplying FBS-level recruits.

ESPN says the race never ends for Badger running backs.

Badger Bits says Wisconsin will dominate UMass.

Wisconsin's new 3-4 defense will get its first chance against the Minutemen.

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The MAC starts its season today with Tulsa at Bowling Green and Illinois State visiting Ball State.

ESPNU will have the Bowl Green-Tulsa and ESPN3 will have the Ball State- Illnois State contest. College Football master TV schedule here.

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Keeper's College football rankings has Wisconsin by 52.45 over UMass and Maine 23.67 over Norfolk  State.

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The Daily Blitz ranks Victor Cruz as the #9 player in the NFL East.

Another Giants site thinks Julian Talley may make the Giants practice squad.

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College football players caught being honest.

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Wednesday--August 28, 2013

UMass has the Minutemen's game notes up as well as a depth chart and media information.

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Matty V. has Coach Molnar is excited to see Camp Randall. Matty mentions Comcast Chanel 885 will have the Big 10 Network in HD. Here's the Big Ten's network finder.

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Dan Malone has all eyes are on Wisconsin defenders Beau Allen and Chris Borland. Allen's and Borland's Wisconsin bios here and here.

Gary Anderson talks about UMass' offense and defense.

Dan also looks at Version 1.1 of the UMass depth chart. Devon Brown moves to the starting Safety. Stacey Bedell and Jamal Wilson are the kick returners (Jordan Broadnax did well last year, but he's out of the Wisconsin game).

UMass is still really young. Thirteen FR or RSFR in the two-deep...

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CBS Boston has Coach Molnar saying UMass is "light years" better.

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The LaCrosse Tribune features former Badger assistant and current UMass DC Phil Elmassian.

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The MAC blog "Hustle Belt" has some game previews from the league's first week:

Bowling Green Vs Tulsa (That should be a very good game)

NIU Vs Iowa    (The Huskies vaunted offense did little against Iowa last year.)

Illinois State Vs BSU (FCS Vs one of the better MAC teams)

Western Michigan @ Michigan State (the point spread there is 27 points).

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Victor Cruz is planning to be back by the Giants season opener.

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The Giants blog "Big Blue" again predicts Michael Cox will make the final cut.

NJ.com says Julian Talley hopes to make the Giants final 53.

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James Ihedigbo still looks like he will be the starting Safety for the Ravens.

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The Dolphins cut one of Josh Samuda's competitors.

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Tuesday--August 27, 2013

MassLive reports that Rob Blanchflower is out for the opener against Wisconsin.

Hustle Belt also has a post on Blancheflower.

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Malone's article also has a list of true freshmen who will be making the trip. Ten true freshmen apparently made the two-deep. That's quite a bit given the Minutemen will probably take about 50 players to Camp Randall.

On offense:

• Shaq Harris WR 6-2 206
• Lorenzo Woodley RB 6-0 212
• Tyshon Henderson OL 7-7 339
• Fabien Hoeller OL 6-3 290
• Shakur Nesmith WR 6-4 200

Not many surprises on offense. OL and WR were the two shallowest positions positions on the UMass Spring roster. At one time last year the Minutemen were down to eight or so offensive linemen. Harris, Woodley and Nesmith were among the cream of this year's offensive recruits.

On Defense:

• Peter Angeh DL DL 6-2 245
• Steve Casali LB 6-2 225
• Arthur Williams DB 6-3 200
• Jackson Porter DB 6-1 195
• Shane Huber LB 6-3 230

Again, no surprise that Huber and Casali made the two-deep. With only 14 DL on the roster and probably ten or so scholarship players, Angeh is no surprise. I haven't heard much from training camp on Williams and Porter, but both are big and fast (check Porter's bio). The five should give Coach Elmassian more packages and bodies to rotate in. 

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Dan Malone also reports Joel Stave RSSO 6-5 225 will start for the Badgers against the Minutemen.

Madison.com says there are a few surprises in the Badgers depth chart.

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Matty Vautour ranks the Minutemen's 2013 opponents.

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The Boston Globe says with transfers, UMass is hoping to go places.

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A Bleacher Report writer predicts Wisconsin's stats against the Minutemen.

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The MAC Blog Hustle Belt picks the conference winners and losers in Week #1

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The Wisconsin Blog "Bucky's Fifth Quarter" predicts the Badgers will run wild against the Minutemen defense.

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The Giants Blog "Big Blue" reports on the G-Men's position battles including Michael Cox.

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Monday--August 26, 2013

I pointed out yesterday that the 2013 Fall roster is up. Today I'm going to talk about numbers.

Most football players have a complicated relationship with their number. It's not unusual for a player four decades after he last put on the pads, to still be playing his number at roulette. A lot of players are fairly superstitious about their number. Some won't change the number that they ended up being assigned, feeling it's bad luck change what fate has arranged. Others feel they play better with a specific number and as they move up in class, they'll ask for a number that had been vacated by a senior.

The 2013 roster has 100 numbered players. That's up nine from 2012, which had 91.

There are six duplicate numbers 4, 5, 7, 19, 57 and 99.

Six numbers are unassigned: 53, 62, 63, 65, 71 and 77.

#4

• Shakur Nesmith WR FR
• Randell Jette DB RSSO

Nesmith could be a recruiting steal. Jette wore #17 last year. #4 was worn by departed WR Marken Michel.

#5

• Peter Argeh DL FR
• Ryan Jacobucci WR RSFR

Argeh is a scholarship recruit. #5 is an unusual number for a DL. Jacobucci originally signed with FCS New Haven. # 5 was worn by Michale Cox last year.

#7

• Mark Johnson QB FR
• D'Metrius Williams DB SO

Williams wore #13 last year. Johnson's Be Recruited page. D.J. Adeoba wore #7 last year.

#19

• Connor Lemeiux WR FR
• Hunter Caggiano DB JR

I've blogged about Lemeiux before. Caggiano last played for Assumption. There  was no #19 on last year's roster

#57

• Nick Berus LS FR
• Leo Krizanovic DL RS FR

Berus' NCSA recruiting profile here. Krizanovic held #57 last year.

#99

• Logan Laurent P FR
• Michael Dowe, Jr DL SO

I've blogged about Laurent before. Dowe last played for WNEC. Charles Thompson wore #99 in 2013.

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Matty V. reports Mike Wegzyn is improved and ready for the 2013 season.

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Rant Sports picks five teams who could go winless in 2013. UMass is one of them. BTW, Boston College is another.

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Wisconsin plans on playing the subs on special teams against UMass.

Bleacher Report has eight new starters for the Badgers in 2013.

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Julian Talley got a lot of snaps, but no stats against the Jets.

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Michigan Live says Western Michigan will struggle this year, but not against UMass.

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Sunday--August 25, 2013

Good Morning from Jaffrey! Mrs Blog and are home safe after 31 hours of travel time from the cruise ship to New Hampshire. All is well and we had no major hassles.

We did a lot better than the passengers from this ship. Mrs Blog and I spoke with a guy from Australia who would be getting a refund, but no refund on his airline costs. The offer of a free cruise won't help him much as he will pay another round of air fares to take advantage of it.

Internet time from the Radiance of the Seas was 75 cents a minute! And it didn't like the Blogger interface. It cost me about $15 to write the header of the last post.

I missed the Blog, UMass news and you guys.

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The 2013 Fall roster is up!!! Check out all the new players and number changes.

One interesting number right off the bat: #5, the number assigned to the featured UMass running back in the FCS era, is held by Peter Argeh, a FR DL.

I'll have a lot more to say about the roster as I bring the Blog back up to speed this week.

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UMass Sports Luncheons are back. Excellent food and a chance to hear Coach Molnar discuss UMass football on a weekly basis.

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A couple of UMass videos are up. The interview from UMass Media Day, which I missed this year.

Coach Molnar said Jordan Broadnax is out of the Wisconsin game. Rob Blanchflower is iffy.

Trey Dudley-Giles will be our punt returner.

With Broadnax out, Stacey Bedell is the #1 RB and Lorenzo Woodley is #2.

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Video Offensive Line breakdown by Coach Johnson.

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The La Crosse Tribune reports Wisconsin has some injuries on their OL. The article features Tyler Marz a 6-7 321 pound sophomore.

The Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel says Gary Anderson has won the trust of the Badger players.

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Roster View image

The NY Giants say Michael Cox is an "extra effort" player.

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Blog News---The Blog will be down until Sunday

Friday--August 16, 2013

Mrs Blog and I are starting the third phase of our Alaska adventure by taking a cruise boat down the Alaska coast ending up in Vancouver by next Friday. We'll be stopping at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchican, etc. Hopefully, all is well with our ship. If you missed it, there was another cruise ship breakdown that happened right here in Seward last week. We talked with several of the passengers and they were not happy campers. I think the ship has Wi-Fi, so the blog will continue.

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MassLive says the Minutemen are looking for more offense this year.

The Gazette also has a link to an image of the press box tear down.

Video: UMass practice highlights and interviews.

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Bill McGovern looks at the UMass tight ends.

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The MAC blog "Hustle Belt" looks at intra-MAC rivalries.

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USA Today ranks Kansas State as #24.

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Maine coach Jack Cosgrove invited some Maine National Guardsmen who just returned from Afghanistan to take part in a Black Bear practice.

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James Ihedigbo goes for the ball/ AP image

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Josh Samuda is the feature of this article from the  Sun-Sentinel.

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Glacier Prince William Sound

Thursday--August 15, 2013

The UMass Daily Collegian has an article on true freshmen who have impressed in training camp.

A cut-and-paste from the above article: Final note from Molnar on freshmen: “Those guys I mentioned are all gonna play this year. There’s gonna be others but those guys are clearly gonna be in the rotation.”

Freshmen bios here.

Lorenzo Woodley here.
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Video: Coach Molar talks about the "Minutemen March".

More video: UMass defensive line.

Yet more video: Scrimmage highlights and interviews.

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Matty V. has an article featuring Michigan transfer Ricardo Miller. UMass' website article on Miller here.

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MassLive has an article on Michael Cox's bid to make the Giants.

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The MAC has signed a six-year deal with the "Famous Idaho Potato Bowl".

Hustle Belt also ranks the league's non-conference schedule. They have UMass as the 2nd toughest.

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This article mentions Michael Cox as a kick returner.

ESPN NY also mentions Cox as a special teams player.

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Josh Samuda needs to pass-protect better to keep his job with the Dolphins first team offensive line.

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Brandon London was held out of the Larks latest practice due to a bone bruise.

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Phil Steele says Buffalo HC Mike Quinn is on the hot seat.

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Football Scoop says August 29th is going to be a great day to watch college football.

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Surprise glacier Prince William Sound