Thursday, October 31, 2019

UMass Football recruiting 2020--Jack Gabbe verbals to UMass

Hudl.com image
Jack Gabbe, kicker/punter from Cardinal Neuman has announced he's committed to UMass.

Kohl's Kicking Camps had this to say about Gabbe:

"Gabbe recently competed at the 2019 Senior Challenge. He had a solid showing and has made significant improvements in his punting technique and refinement. He scored 6 points in the field goal charting ans was able to have a big ball of 73 yards with 3.76 seconds of hang time. Gabbe competed at the 2018 National Scholarship Camp. He showed excellent refinement in his ball striking by scoring 26 points during the charting portion of camps. His big ball on kickoffs was a 69 yard 3.47 second ball. His field goals are currently his strength but his kickoffs were solid at camp as well."

Hudl.com has video.

His father was UMass letter winner in 1988,'89 and 1990.

I mentioned his father in this blog post from May 4th, 2014.

UMass Football News--Cotober 31st, 2019


This video is from the Gridiron Club. It details the support the Manganaro family has shown to the UMass football program and the athletic dept in general.

Paul Manganaro was a four-year letter winner in 1982, '83,'85 and was captain in 1986.

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UMass has their game notes for Liberty up.

A Sea of Red has Liberty's game notes.

Speaking of Sea of Red, Mike Traini has five questions with them.

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The UMass Daily Collegian has a post featuring LB Tyris Lebeau. His UMass bio.

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The Daily Hoosier says Northwestern shows success can be fleeting.

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Vanquish the Foe says BYU is facing a program-defining game this weekend.

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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

UMass Football News--October 30th, 2019

Image Credit unknown
Saturday will be Band Day and Military appreciation day. UMass Band Day page.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" recaps the UConn game.

Mike also has recruiting visitors at the Homecoming game.

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A Sea of Red says the UMass game is a "must win" for the Flames.

Hugh Freeze talks about rebounding after the Rutgers loss and mounting injuries.

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Army searches for answers after four straight losses.

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Northwestern's five-star QB Hunter Johnson has been sitting out due to a family health issue.

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The Salt Lake Tribune reports BYU hopes for consistency after a big win over Boise State.

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Tuesday, October 29, 2019

UMass Football News--October 29th, 2019

UMass is dead last in 2019 FBS rushing defense. The Minutemen give up 6.57 yards/carry and we are last in giving up rushing TD's (27) by a wide margin.

The Minutemen are also dead last in total defense: 7.71 yards/play, 54 opponent TD's and 552.5 yards a game opponent offense. All those stats are last by a wide margin.

BC holds the UMass opponent single game rushing record of 518 yards (1973). Boston University holds the opponent rushing TD record of 10 (1957). Both those records might be in jeopardy against Army this year.

UMass is tied for #118 in sacks with 9 sacks in 8 games.

The Minutemen are tied for #115 in tackles-for-loss with 37 TTFL, 4.5 per game.

UMass is #117 in total offense. The Minutemen are #91 in rushing offense.

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BYU and Liberty on November 9th will be available on ESPNU.

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Air Force is highly motivated for their game against Army.

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Northwestern searches for answers in its last five games.

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BYU meets Utah State in the Wagon Wheel showdown.

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Monday, October 28, 2019

UMass Football News--October 28th, 2019

Vegas has Liberty as a 21 point favorite over UMass.

Keepers College Football Rankings has Liberty by almost 34.

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MassLive has UConn defeats UMass 55-35.

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The Hartford Courant says UMass and UConn will support each other as Independents.

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The Ashbury Park press reports Rutgers overwhelmed (?) Liberty 44-34.

NJ.com compares the recruiting classes of Liberty vs Rutgers.

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Inside NU reflects on Northwestern's 38-0 homecoming loss to Iowa.

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The Deseret News wonders if BYU has the most talented and deep group of QB's ever.

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BC coach Steve Addazio said the Eagles ran into a monster.

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Sunday, October 27, 2019

UMass Football News--October 27th, 2019

Well, the off seek did nothing for the Minuteman run defense. UConn decisively won the Battle of the Bottom behind Kevin Mensah and the Huskie running game. Every time a UConn running back made it past the line of scrimmage, it was off to the races. Nobody in the UMass linebacking corps had the speed to catch the UConn RB. The huskies only punted what, once? UMass really needs to get defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim some linebackers in the next recruiting class.


The offense did OK, but if you have to score every time to keep up, it's a long day.

The new practice bubble was glowing in the darkness as I left. Hopefully, its a metaphor for the future.

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The UMass write up says the offense was not enough.

The Hartford Courant reports UConn won their first FBS game in two years.

The UConn Blog says the Huskies won 56-35.

Josh Walfish reports UConn gashed the Minutemen defense.

Josh also says the return of Andrew Brito sparked the UMass passing offense to its first 200 yard game of the season. Brito got a lot of low snaps. It seemed every play he had to take his eyes off the play to field the snap. It didn't make any difference in winning the game, but it could have given Brito more time to make his reads.

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Southern Illinois beat South Dakota (not the ranked team, that's South Dakota State).

Charlotte scored with 48 seconds left to beat North Texas.

Akron lost to Northern Illinois 49-0 to go 0-8.

Middle Tennessee crushed FIU 50-17.

Rutgers upset Liberty 44-34.

Army lost to San Jose State to drop to 3-5.

Louisiana Tech beat UTEP for their seventh straight win.

Northwestern was shut out buy Iowa 20-0 to fall to 1-6.

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BC was crushed by Clemson 59-7.

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Saturday, October 26, 2019

Game Day 2020--UConn


UMass and UConn first met in 1897 (a 37-0 UMass win) and the series stands 37-34-2 in favor of the Minutemen. I saw my first Minutemen-Huskies game back in 1970. The series is back. I'll be there cheering for UMass.

We've got some people healthy during the off week. Some good QB play and a strong run game could win the game. Let's get after the Huskies.

Go UMass!

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The Berkshire Eagle says UMass is ready to renew the rivalry with UConn.

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The Hartford Courant previews the UMass-UConn game.

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Tom Morris image
Josh Walfish chronicles the rise of Josh Wallace to starting cornerback for the Minutemen.

The Daily Collegian reports Josh Wallace is making an impact in his freshman year.

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The Daily Collegian also has a post on Josiah Johnson showing his versatility on the field.

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Ole Miss and UConn will meet in 2020.

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Friday, October 25, 2019

UMass Football News--October 25th, 2019


 The new practice field has the winter bubble near completion. This will be a big help for the football program and UMass athletics in general.

UPDATE: Woah!



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UMass game notes for UConn.

UConn website says the Huskies have a great opportunity at UMass.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the UMass-UConn rivalry game.

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UMass adds FCS Merrimack to its 2023 schedule. The Minutemen have a complete schedule for 2020, 2021 and 2022. UMass currently has ten games for 2013 and 2024. All scheduled future games here.

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The Hartford Courant looks at UConn's game contracts for 2020 and beyond.

The UConn Blog (good name) also looks at the Huskies 2020 schedule.

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Matty Vautour looks at Randy Edsall's fairly bizarre coaching contract.

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NJ.com writers predict the results of the Liberty-Rutgers game.

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Thursday, October 24, 2019

UMass Football News--October 24th, 2019


Josh Walfish has a story on UMass and UConn being linked as Independents.

There's been some talk about having a trophy for the Huskies-Minutemen game now seeing it will probably be an annual event. Maybe there could be another trophy for overall wins between the athletic departments. UMass men's sports play UConn in football, baseball and hockey. Minutemen women's sports play the Huskies in field hockey and soccer.

The last time UMass and UConn met at McGuirk on November 20th, 1999, the Minutemen won 62-20 (I was there).

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Amin Touri reports freshman RB Kevin Brown has been dismissed from the team. This makes an already thin RB corps even thinner. Like the suspension of Ray Thomas-Ishman, the team needs to take care of business in discipline, academics and good citizenship if we are to get UMass football turned around.

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on Brown's departure

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Speaking of an annual UMass-UConn game, here's what the Huskies 2020 schedule looks like.

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Rutgers is a 7.5 point underdog to Liberty.

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Army is a 9 point favorite over San Jose State.

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Wednesday, October 23, 2019

UMass Football News--October 23ed, 2019

Josh Walfish reports UMass has been focusing on getting healthy during the off week . He says DL Wilson Frederic, LB Tyrus Lebeau and CB Donte Lindsey should be available. Josh also reports Isaiah Rogers is on the mend.

Tyrus Lebeau was a starter coming out of camp and he should be a big help to the Minutmen's beleaguered linebacking corps. Josh also reports all three QB's should be available if needed.

There had been no word on Isaiah Rogers injury so it's good he's doing well even if he's not 100%. A season ending injury would be a big loss for him and us.

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Andy Isabella caught his first two catches of his career and Tajae Sharpe caught his first TD of the 2019 season. Isabella went two-for-two in targets-catches and also had a first down on a jet sweep.

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Amin Touri of the Daily Collegian has a really nice story about the UMass coaches and their families. Well worth a read.

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Sports Chat Place picks UConn 37-23 over the Minutemen.

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Randy Edsall says his players aren't as "mentally tough" as before.

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The Ashbury Park Press reports Liberty wants to make Rutgers' tough season worse.

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Inside NU said Ohio State's dismantling of the Wildcats leaves them dead in the water.

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Tuesday, October 22, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Dennis Jackson

Jackson #98/Twitter image
Denis Jackson, a 6-0 308 pound DT from Hutchinson Community College has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Jackson also has a FBS offer from Southern Alabama.

UMass Football News--October 22nd, 2019

Keepers College Football ratings has UConn a nearly 22 point favorite over UMass.

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The AAC receives a NCAA waiver to continue having its conference championship after UConn leaves.

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The Republican American says UConn's lineup continues to get younger.

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A Sea of Red says Liberty is predicted to win nine games this year.

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Iowa opens as a favorite over Northwestern.

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BYU's win over Boise State may have cost the Mountain West conference $4 million.

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Monday, October 21, 2019

UMass Football News--October 21st, 2019

UMass opens as a 9.5 point underdog on the Vegas Line. Boston College is -34.5 to Clemson...

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UConn will be without starting DT Travis Jones for the half of the UMass game due to a targeting foul. Also likely to miss the UMass game are LB Ryan Gilmartin and safety Diamond Harrell.

UConn has 10 of 12 games on its 2020 Independent schedule finalized.

Huskie QB Jack Zergionis struggled in UConn's loss to Houston.

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Jack Driscoll still talks frequently with his friends on the Minutemen football team.

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Ten years after the stabbing death of UConn's Jasper Howard, his family publishes a book about him.

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Maine lost a shootout to Liberty Saturday.

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Northwestern's offensive and defensive lines mostly held their own against Ohio State, but the Wildcast still lost 52-3.

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BYU rallied around their coach to knock off #14 Boise State.

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Sunday, October 20, 2019

UMass Football News--October 20th, 2019

The Berkshire Eagle reports UMass is still busy during an off week.

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UConn may have played their best game of the season, but still dropped a 24-17 game to Houston . Half way through the fourth quarter the Husky defense had held Houston to 1-8 in third down situations

Southern Illinois upset #18 Youngstown State.

Western Kentucky sent Charlotte down to their fourth consecutive loss.

Coastal Carolina lost to Georgia Southern in triple overtime.

Akron fell to 0-7 after a 21-0 loss to Buffalo.

FIU won its third straight with a 32-17 win over the Miners of UTEP.

LA Tech started slow, but scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Southern Mississippi.

Army lost to Georgia Southern 28-21. The Black Knights fell to 3-4. Preseason, some pundits had Army as a Top-25 team.

Northwestern lost to a dominate Ohio State team 49-3 on Friday night.

BYU scored a big upset over #14 Boise State.

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Saturday, October 19, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Trey Coleman

Twitter image
Trey Coleman, a 5-11 213 pound RB from Hutchinson Community College has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Averaging 4.4 yards/carry at Hutchinson.

Transferred to Hutchinson from Tennessee.

Coleman was a top-50 running back coming out of HS. He currently has offers from Akron and Toledo

Friday, October 18, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--James Faminu

Twitter image
James Faminu, a 6-6 343 pound OT from London, England has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Attended camp at TCU.

This article reports on the NFL's launching an American football academy in London.

Also has a FBS offer from Houston.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

UMass Football News--October 17th, 2019

Josh Walfish looks at the results for 2019 by position groups .

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Marquis Young has been drafted by the Dallas Renegades of the soon-to-exist XFL

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UConn tries to pick up practice by playing the opponents fight song.

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Liberty (4-1 in 2019) hosts Maine this Saturday.

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Army's resurgence is partly the result of the Black Knights recruiting the Peach State.

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The top media discussion ahead of the Northwestern-Ohio State game is----------grass.

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Whoever starts for BYU at QB against Boise State will have his hands full.

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Wednesday, October 16, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Chukwudifu Ogbonna



Chukwudifu Ogbanna, a 6-2 172 pound safety from Hutchinson Community College has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Hudl.com has video.

Ogbonna has an offer from Akron. Drawing interest from Arkansas State.

UMass Football News--October 16th, 2019

Dan McGee of the UMass Daily Collegian reports on the Minutemen's off week. He says Andrew Brito, Cam Roberson and Bilal Ally should be available for UConn. No word on Isaiah Rogers.

He also reports the coaching staff is traveling the nation for recruiting.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts' recaps the Louisiana Tech game.

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WMUA video interview with Coach Bell here.

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Northwestern will alternative uniforms during Saturday's game with Ohio State.

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The Deseret News says BYU's season is crumbling.

BYU faces Boise State with third string QB.

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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Myron Green

Twitter image
Myron Green, a 6-3 255 pound DE from Coffeyville Community College has a UMass offer.

247Sports page here.

Coffeyville bio and stats here.

Hudl.com has video.

Green has FBS offers from Troy, Louisiana and Louisiana Monroe.


Monday, October 14, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Ronald Williams

247Sports image
Ronald Williams, a 6-2 188 pound CB from Hutchinson Community College has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

This article reports on Williams' offer from Kentucky.

This article reports on his offer from Texas A&M.

Williams has Power Five offers from Arkansas, Houston, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

UMass Football News--October 14th, 2019

The UMass Daily Collegian said an ugly first quarter sank the Minutemen.

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MassLive reports Louisiana Tech handled the Minutemen.

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Former UMass D-lineman and current Springfield Central head coach Vladmar Bower Tweets a support for the UMass football program. Bower lettered in 2000, '01,'02 and '03. He was first-team All-10 in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Bower is still #1 in the UMass record book for TFL (63) and yards in TFL (250.). He's also #1 in career QB hurries (by a big margin) with 40.

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UMass starts a much needed off week today. The Minutemen surly need it. Hopefully we can get some players healthy and prepare for UConn.

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Sunday, October 13, 2019

UMass Football News--October 13th, 2019

OK, I was proud of the way the Minutemen battled all game. Down to a fourth-string running back Gilberto Torres and led by a limping Randall West, UMass stayed energized the whole game. The offense had 19 first downs. This was a big improvement over the FIU game. We gave the high powered Bulldog offense too many short fields.

Up 52-14, Louisiana Tech still had their regulars in and were still throwing the ball.

A textbook targeting non-call stopped what would have been another UMass score.

I really hope Isaiah Rogers was not severely hurt. He is the heart and soul of the UMass team.

We have an off week coming up. Let's get some players healthy and beat UConn.

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UMass write-up of the game.

The Louisiana Tech website says the Bulldogs ran past UMass.

The News-Star reports Louisiana Tech hung 69 points on the Minutemen.

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UMass 2019 opponents did not have generally have a good day yesterday either.

UConn lost by 42 to Tulane.

Southern Illinois lost to Illinois State.

Charlotte got run over by FIU.

Coastal Carolina lost to Georgia State.

Akron lost to Kent State to run their record to 0-6.

Western Kentucky beat Army 17-8 and held the Black Knights vaunted rushing attack to 137 yards.

South Florida came from behind to beat BYU 27-23.

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Saturday, October 12, 2019

Game Day ---Louisiana Tech 2020

Big challenge today against the 4-1 Bulldogs. One of Louisiana Tech's victories was a 41-31 win over FIU, which absolutely dominated the Minutemen last week.

The UMass offense is the better half of the team and the "O" needs to do better to be more competitive. Nobody on offense made plays last week. We need better line blocking, better separation from the wide receivers,better decisions by the QB.

Last evening I was flipping back and forth between Virginia-Miami and Princeton -Lafayette. The the 0-5 Leopards lost to Princeton to go 0-6. Lots of other teams are having a tough year. I'll be watching and cheering for the Minutemen today.

Go UMass!

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The Latech website says the Bulldogs are ready to host UMass.

Josh Walfish relates how the UMass seniors are committed to helping the team improve. Isaiah Rogers, who is arguably the best player on the team, recently volunteered to play on the punt coverage team. That's the kind of dedication that will get him into the NFL.

Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the Louisiana Tech game.

The Boston Herald says a struggling UMass team heads for Louisiana Tech.

The Berkshire Eagle reports the Minutemen take a 1-5 record south.

The Shreveport Times has how to watch and listen to the Louisiana Tech-UMass game. My Comcast sports schedule shows the ESPN3 game on their network.

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Meanwhile, UConn looks for signs of improvement after a 1-5 start. Tulane really handled a good Army team last week, so the Huskies have a tough task.

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Speaking of Army, the Black Knights are on the road against Western Kentucky after having a 15-game home winning streak snapped last week by Tulane.

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Friday, October 11, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--John Oliver


John "Moomoo" Oliver, a 5-8 185 pound RB from Fort Scott C.C. has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

His Fort Scott bio has some stats.

This article from 2017 features Oliver.

This video link has the Fort Scott coach talking about Oliver.

Oliver has taken a visit to Tennessee.

UMass Football News--October 11th, 2019

LA Tech HC Skip Holtz's weekly press conference for the UMass week.

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The Amherst Wire has a short video segment on this week's game.

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Josh Walfish reports Jesse Britt and James Bowe, Jr have left the team for personal reasons.This was the second time Britt left. Britt previously left under Whipple's tenure. Neither are critical losses.

There are usually a fair number of players leaving a program during a coaching change. Different offensive and defensive philosophies change the type of player in the new systems. We did not initially have many players leaving when Coach Bell was hired.

To me, it was more a concern when Coach Whipple could not keep recruits as a number of his commits never made it to  campus. That made weak recruiting results even worse.

UMass could bring 25 scholarship players this year. The total could actually be higher as the Spring enrollees could be assigned to the previous year's class if UMass was under the scholarship limit, as they very likely were.

The Minutemen currently have 18 hard commits in the 2020 recruiting class, so there are number of scholarships to give. Even so, UMass will likely not reach the 85 scholarship limit for next year.

The current #78 recruiting class ranking by 247Sports is the highest in Minutemen history and if we add another five players or so, it will be even higher. UMass still could use another RB, DL's and LB's. Some JUCO signings for TE and defense would be immediate help for next year.

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Thursday, October 10, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--John Jiles

Jiles #1/ Twitter image
John Jiles, a 6-3 215 pound WR from Fort Scott Community College has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

Fort Scott has some stats from his five games this year.

Jiles has FBS offers from East Carolina, Memphis and Southern Misssissippi.

UMass Football News--October 10th, 2019

UMass has their game notes for Louisiana Tech up.

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The UMass Daily Collegian says the Minutemen are focusing on details.

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The News-Star has bowl game projections for the Bulldogs.

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In Big Ten power ratings, Northwestern is in free fall.

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UConn safety Diamond Harrell is really happy to be with the Huskies.

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Wednesday, October 09, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Drue Jackson

Twitter image
Drue Jackson, a 6-1 195 pound WR from Tyler Community College has Tweeted he's received an offer from UMass.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

Originally signed with Washington State.

Jackson has five FBS offers. Besides UMass, Boise State, Louisiana Monroe, Texas State and Tulsa have offered.

UMass Football News--October 9th, 2019

Josh Walfish has some notes on this week's practice. Two more true freshmen made their first UMass appearances last week against FIU. Offensive lineman Xavier Grham had some snaps at DT. Taj Jones, who has been practicing as a WR also saw some time on defense at CB.

Wilson Frederic and Grant Laws have made their maximum four appearances they can use without burning their redshirt.

Jermaine “OC” Johnson Jr., Josh Wallace, Johnathon Weir and Billy Wooden have made more than four appearances, so they will not redshirt.

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Louisiana Tech is not looking past UMass.

The News Star says the heavily favored Bulldogs are not overlooking the Minutemen.

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Northwestern joins UMass in CBS sports bottom-25.

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BYU will start their third QB of the season at South Florida.

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Tuesday, October 08, 2019

UMass Football News--October 8th, 2019

Vegas has LA Tech a 31 point favorite over the Minutemen.

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Keepers College Football rankings has the Bulldogs by 40.7.

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The News-Star reports competition brings Louisiana Tech's wide receivers closer.

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Randy Edsell tells UConn's players they need to want it themselves.

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The Record Online says Army football is going in the wrong direction after the loss to Tulane.

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Meanwhile Northwestern is off to their worst start since 1992.

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BYU is using an off week to get ready for South Florida.

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Monday, October 07, 2019

UMass Football Recruiting 2020--Jacob Kainer


Jacob Kainer, a 6-4 240 pound TE from Tyler Junior College has a UMass offer.

247Sports three-star player.

Hudl.com has video.

This article mentions Kainer.

Kainer has eight total offers including South Alabama, Eastern Michigan, Louisiana Monroe and UTEP from FBS.

The "larger issues" involving UMass consists of recruiting more size, speed and athletic talent. For one thing, Minutemen currently do not have a pass-catching TE on the roster. Kainer would be in line for a lot of playing time if he signs with UMass.

UMass Football News--October 7th, 2019

Josh Walfish reports UMass football is searching for larger answers.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" recaps the FIU game.

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The Massachusetts Daily Collegian says the Minutemen fizzled again.

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The Miami Herald has takeaways from FIU's dominating victory.

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247Sports predicts bowl games for five UMass opponents: Louisiana Tech, Coastal Carolina,BYU, FIU and Army.

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Sunday, October 06, 2019

UMass Football News--October 6th, 2019

UMass got run over by a visibility bigger and faster FIU team yesterday. The only cure is recruiting. The Minutemen have an off week. The UMass coaching team will have some extra time to finish what looks to be the strongest recruiting class in UMass history.

The Minutemen offense could not get anything going against the Panthers and that put the UMass defense in an impossible situation. The score could have been anything FIU wanted, but given the near total lack of offense, it was not entirely the defense's fault. Shake it off and hit the recruiting trail.

I had to look up UMass' 115 yards of total offense. That was not a record. In 1976 the Minutemen had 45 total yards against New Hampshire. UMass did not come close to our FBS minimum record of 3 first downs and 62 total yards against UConn in 2012.

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UMass' write-up of the game.

FIU's write-up says the Panthers devoured the Minutemen.

Josh Walfish says the Panthers silenced the UMass offense.

Josh also has  FIU ran over the Minutemen.

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It was not a good weekend for New England FBS teams.

BC lost to Louisville 41-39.

South Florida ran all over UConn 48-22.

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South Dakota rolled over SIU 28-10

Liberty edged New Mexico State 20-13.

Tulane handled Army for their best start in over twenty years.

Nebraska beat Northwestern on a last second field goal.

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Saturday, October 05, 2019

Game Day FIU--2019

All right, we made some progress last week. FIU is a better team than Akron and has unloaded 126 points on us in the last two years. I'd like to see some consistent offense, run the ball effectively and no turnovers.

On defense, knocking 20 points off the Panthers scoring would be a good goal. Making progress is the reward this year. The game is showing on my Comcast sports TV schedule. Comcast picks up some ESPN3 games, but they're not consistent. Sometimes the game shows in advance, then is not available at gametime.

If not, I'll be watching online.

Go UMass.

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Josh Walfish reports UMass QB Michael Curtis is playing with new passion.

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The Berkshire Eagle says the Minutemen are looking to build off their first win.

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NBC Miami says the UMass game is a must win for FIU coach Butch Davis.

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The Hartford Courant thinks UConn has a chance against a struggling USF team.

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UnderDog Dynasty previews Liberty-New Mexico State.

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Sports Chat Place picks Army to beat Tulane and the point spread.

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Northwestern-Nebraska will be on national TV.

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Friday, October 04, 2019

UMass Football News--October 4th, 2019

Cooper Garcia won the Lou Groza kicking star-of-the-week for his performance against Akron.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the UMass-FIU game and thinks the Minutemen will beat the spread.

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The Amherst Wire has a video story on UMass traveling to a familiar territory.

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The Miami Herald has what's at stake with Saturday's Panthers-Minutemen game.

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UnderDog Dynasty previews the UMass-FIU game and predicts a 35-13 Panthers victory.

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The Daily Progress reports on Mathieu Masse-Pelletier's commitment to UMass.

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Local 10's sports team is split on the outcome of the UMass-FIU game.

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Sports Illustrated lays off half its staff as the bloodbath in the print media continues.

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Thursday, October 03, 2019

UMass Football News--October 3rd, 2019

Josh Walfish has a post on the progress of James Bowe, Jr at safety and Claudin Cherrelus at linebacker.

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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a report and interview with 2020 LB recruit Mathieu Masse-Pelletier.

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The  Berkshire Eagle has a story on Mike Curtis' rise to the #1 QB.
53-329
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Last year against FIU the Minutemen ran for 34 times for 199 yards, which was the fourth-most rushing yards the Panthers gave up in 2018. However, FIU ran for 53-329, which was a season high for the Panthers. For the second straight year, FIU scored 63 points on the Minutemen.

This Saturday it would be a goal of the Minutemen defense to contain the Panthers rushing attack and stop those long breakaway runs that killed UMass last year. At least slow the Panthers rushing game down.

Some ball-control offense would also help keep the score manageable.

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Hustle Belt has five things learned from the UMass-Akron game.

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After nearly three years of working without a contract, Randy Edsell signs his UConn contract.

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Wednesday, October 02, 2019

UMass Football News--October 2nd, 2019


Josh Walfish reports via Twitter that Mike Curtis is listed as the starting QB against FIU, Randall West is #2 and Mike Fallon is #3. Andrew Brito is still out with a concussion. Fallon's 34 yard completion is the second longest pass this season. Fallon looked pretty loose when warming up to replace Curtis. He was laughing and joking with his  receivers.

Josh also has a report on how Coach Bell and the rest of the staff have changed practice to cope with injuries and a short roster.

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UMass has their game notes for FIU up.

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Sports Chat place previews the game and has FIU winning, but not covering the spread.

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The UMass Daily Collegian reports the Minutemen receiving corps are playing the game together.

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BYU QB Zack Wilson has surgery, but he might me back for the UMass game.

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Six foot five Liberty WR Antonio Gandy-Golden is setting records for the Liberty Flames. He was all over the UMass secondary last year. Gandy-Golden had 9 receptions for 205 yards and 2 TD's

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Tuesday, October 01, 2019

UMass Football News--October 1st, 2019

The UMass Daily Collegian reports the Minutemen and Coach Bell earn their first win of the season.

The Collegian says the UMass defense came through.

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Thom Kendall image

Isaiah Rogers was selected to the weekly Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for his play against Akron.

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Keepers College Football rankings has FIU by 32.39 over the Minutemen. Remember the Panthers scored 62 points against us in both 2017 and 2018.

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FIU has something bigger than a bowl game to play for. They don't want "The old FIU" back.

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The UConn QB carousel just got more complicated.

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BYU also will start a backup QB in the Cougars next game.

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