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| Hudl.com image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
Besides UMass, Saint Germain has an FBS offer from Old Dominion. He also holds Ivy offers from Columbia and Yale. Tight End is a position of need for the Minutemen. Saint Germain could see early playing time in Amherst.
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| Twitter image |
MaxPreps has the latest video highlights.
Bond is one of five players from Buford with Nebraska offers.
Had two TD's in the recent Georgia AAAAAA title game.
Bond has Power Five offers from Nebraska and Wake Forest. He would see playing time early and often in Amherst.
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| Hudl.com image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
Listed as one of the top 190 players in MD
UMass is the first offer for Marks. Drawing interest from Liberty and East Carolina.
The Liberty-Coastal Carolina bowl game lived up to expectations. The Flames blocked a Coastal field goal in overtime to win 37-34.
Liberty QB Malik Willis was the Cure Bowl MVP after developing 357 yards of total offense and four TD's. He had 286 total yards and three TD's against UMass.
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Marshall lost to Buffalo 17-10 in the Camellia Bowl. The Herd finished their season 7-3.
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UMass' four 2020 opponents were a collective 30-13. All four opponents went to bowls with Liberty and Georgia Southern winning their games.
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Tennessee fans want the Vols to hire Liberty's coach Hugh Freeze
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| 247Sports image |
This article from March features Brinkley.
This article has a recruiting interview with Brinkley.
Brinkley has 22 total offers including from the MAC, Sun Belt and independent Liberty. Running back and defensive back are positions of need at UMass and he could find a lot of early playing time in Amherst.
Merry Christmas to UMass football fans, players and coaches!
May Santa bring us some wins in 2021. We've had coal in our stockings for so long it's getting hard to remember some football joy.
Stay healthy and strong.
ESPNU used clips from UMass' game against Georgia Southern to illustrated the Eagles triple option in yesterday's game against Louisiana Tech.
Georgia Southern rolled over Tech 38-3. The Eagles gained 448 yards of total offense. The Minutemen defense, despite having terrible field position all game, gave up 436.
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FAU was without two starters on their tough defense and lost to Memphis 25-10. The Owls offense was held to 290 yards and 10 Points.
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Boston College, which usually finishes last in the ACC recruiting rankings, is having a pretty good year. The Eagles are ranked 8th with 26 signed recruits and transfers.
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UConn has 16 signed recruits (no transfers) and is ranked #108.
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All four 2020 UMass opponents are playing in bowls.
Marshall will play in the Camellia Bowl on 12/25 against Buffalo.
FAU plays Memphis today at 7:00 pm in the Montgomery Bowl.
Georgia Southern meets Louisiana Tech today at 3:00 PM.
Liberty plays Coastal Carolina on December 26th at Noon against unbeaten Coastal Carolina. This may be the best of Group-of-Five bowls.
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Michigan fired former UMass coach Don Brown.
The Detroit Free Press says Brown took the fall at Michigan.
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Brown should have multiple Power Five offers as a defensive coordinator. IMHO, there is zero chance he would be associated with UMass.
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| Scott Faytok image |
MaxPreps has some stats (probably abbreviated due to the pandemic)
Honorable Mention All-Super conference.
This article mentions Martin.
Martin has 12 offers including multiple Power Five teams. B.C. Pitt, Rutgers, Temple and Syracuse from the Northeast have offered. UMass is light in running backs and Martin would find a lot of playing time in Amherst.
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| Central Jersey.com image |
Hudl.com has junior season highlights.
Brown is drawing interest from Rutgers, Temple, UConn, UMass and a bunch of Ivies.
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| Twitter image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
Above is a YouTube workout tape for Reirden.
All-ISL and All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention.
WR is a position of need for the Minutemen and Reirden should have a chance to earn a scholarship and have a nice career in Amherst.
Kyle Grabowski of the Hampshire Gazette reports the UMass coaching staff has adjusted to digital recruiting. In the article coach Bell says he expects to use the 25 available scholarships and will probably save a couple for possible transfers.
Grabowski also has a post on Northampton-Williston recruit Eni Falayi and also covers the other early signees.
Joey Aliberti of the Daily Collegian reports UMass signs 15 players on the first day of the early signing period.
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UMass brought in nine defensive players and six on offense. The two transfers Devin Baldwin and Bryson Richardson should contend for immediate playing time.
On offense QB Brady Olsen could be in the mix for 2021.
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Article on his entering the transfer portal here.
On the Banks has a post on Balwin's signing with the Scarlet Knights.
Originally committed to Western Michigan then joined Rutgers. Some pundits had Baldwin as the top recruit in Western Michigan's class.
Balwin had Power Five offers from Iowa State, Virginia and Wake Forest coming out of HS. He should have four years of eligibility and could see a lot of playing time in Amherst.
Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has what to expect from the early signings.
Mike Moran of the Hampshire Gazette reports Coach Bell is not expecting any shortcuts in building the Minutemen program.
247Sports UMass commitments page has 19 hard commits.
The Minutemen still need offensive linemen, linebackers and running backs. The current total is one each in the 2021 recruits. Coach Bell said previously he intends to use the full 25 scholarship allotment. UMass might hold a couple of slots for Spring or for Summer camps.
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Former UMass QB Liam Coan has been hired as offensive coordinator for Kentucky.
Kentucky.com has another story about Coan being hired by the Wildcats.
UK athletics post on Liam's hiring.
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The Berkshire Eagle has a post on Coach Bell reflecting on the 2020 season and the recruiting for 2021.
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Thomas Johnston of the Greenfield Recorder looks at the 2020 season and thinks it wasn't worth it.
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The Minnesota Vikings released former UMass WR Tajae Sharpe.
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Sarah Fuller made two extra points to become the first woman to score a point for a Power Five team.
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Blogger was down earlier this morning. The whole Google empire seemed to be having problems.
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Evan Marinofsky of the UMass Daily Collegian talks to Coach Bell about recruiting during the pandemic.
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Coach Bell likes what he sees in UMass hoops.
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Starting UMass DL Jake Byczko transfers to Boston College.
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Georgia Southern gave up 17 points in the fourth quarter to Appalachian State on Saturday and finished the season 7-5.
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Marshall is 7-1 and will host the C-USA championship game against UAB this Friday.
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FAU finished 5-3 and accepted a bid to go to the inaugural Montgomery Bowl against Memphis.
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Liberty is 9-1 and moved up the Top-25 poll despite losing a show-down game against Coastal Carolina to the COVID pandemic.
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| Twitter image |
Good luck to him in his career with the Minutemen. Helm is the 19th commit and the third DB in the 2021 recruiting cycle.
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| Twitter image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
Honorable Mention All-State in 2019.
The Minutemen were the first to offer to Helm. There should be lots of playing time available in the future in UMass' improving defense.
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| Twitter image |
Story about Richardson's leaving North Carolina.
Suffered a torn Achilles tendon in 2019.
Richardson was a high three-star recruit in 2018. He had 22 offers mostly from Power Five schools (but also UMass). With his tendon injury healed he could make an impact with the improving Minutemen defense in 2012.
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| Hudl.com image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
Earlier committed to Liberty then de-committed in October.
Barnes has 14 total offers including Liberty, Akron, Coastal Carolina, Kent State, Navy and South Alabama from FBS. There should be lots of playing time up for grabs in the Minutemen's receiving corps in the next couple of years.
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| Image credit unknown |
Kibble has his own recruiting page here.
Hudl.com has video highlights.
This article features Kibble.
Besides UMass, Kibble has an Ivy offer from Columbia. There should be a lot of playing time in Amherst up for grabs in the future.
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| Recruiting Guru image |
Hudl.com has some video highlights.
This article features Gill and talks about his 12 offers from FCS and other schools.
Maryland Varsity has Gill as one of the top TE's in Maryland.
TE is a position of need for the Minutemen and Gill would have a good chance to earn a scholarship and play early in Amherst.
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| Twitter image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
247Sports #58 in top safety recruits for 2022.
McLean also has an offer from Toledo.
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| Twitter image |
Hudl.com has some video highlights here and here.
Berry has 10 total offers including Middle Tennessee State from FBS. The Minutemen have the best food in college football and lots of potential playing time available for offensive linemen.
Brother of Vanderbilt DB Jaylen Mahoney.
Hudl.com has video highlights.
Mahoney chose UMass over an offer from Akron. He's the 18th commit in the 2021 recruiting cycle.
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| Hudl.com image |
This article has a paragraph on McKinion and some video highlights.
McKinion has FBS offers from Nevada and Central Michigan. Along with scholarship, the Minutemen have the best food in college football and the prospect of early playing time.
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| Hudl.com image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
UMass was the first offer for Gasaway. Also has offers from New Mexico State and UAB. Also drawing interest from Texas State.
Georgia Southern gave up 17 fourth quarter points to Georgia State and lost 24-30.
The Eagles are 6-4 with two games to play.
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Marshall's last game against Charlotte was postponed, but the Herd achieved their highest ever college football playoff ranking.
Marshall is still undefeated.
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FAU's game against Middle Tennessee State was canceled due to COVID issues.
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The Buffalo Bulls had a record-tying performance from their RB Jaret Paterson as he ran for 409 yards and eight rushing TD's against Kent State. The two teams combined for 60 first downs. The chain crew must have been really tired..
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| UMass Athletic Dept Image |
Losing Avien Peah did not help. Peah had been playing well both rushing the passer and getting into opponents backfield on rushing plays. When he went down, so did our defensive line play. The defense did record 1 sack, five TFL, one forced fumble and had 5 pass breakups.
Also by the fourth quarter, the defense was getting gassed. They did not quit holding off Liberty on the final long drive.
The offense produced 227 yards, but no points. The rushing game was again a problem with only 55 total yards. UMass was only 5-13 on third downs and 0-2 on fourth. The rushing game needs to be a major emphasis during the off season. The Minutemen did play a lot of different linemen and backs even in the first quarter. That should pay dividends in the future.
Special teams were generally good. George Georgeopoulos averaged 43 yards a kick and had two inside the 20. Jeremy Martin missed a 41 yard field goal.
Again, I think Liberty is the best team in the Group-of-Five. The Minutemen have a way to go to be competitive with the Flames.
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MassLive reports UMass was shut out.
Mike Moran of the Hampshire Gazette covers the game and the controversial non-interference call in the 2nd quarter.
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Malik Willis is a Top-15 QB in passing TD's (17) and also in rushing TD's (9). He leads all FBS QB's with 744 rushing yards. He's a defensive nightmare in the air and on the ground.
We all knew 2020 would be about improvement. The defense looks better than I had hoped (although today's score may not reflect the improvement). Last week the Minutemen special teams played better.
The offense has been a disappointment so far. One of our prime objectives the running game, has not worked in the first three games. We do not have a deep threat WR. If we have another game with five or six three-and-outs, the score may not be much different from last year despite our defensive improvement.
Nevertheless, I see hope for 2021 and I'll be cheering for UMass today.
Go UMass!
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The game will be available on ESPN3. It shows in my Comcast schedule so it may be available on some cable services.
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Liberty has their game day information up.
Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the Liberty game.
The Hampshire Gazette reports UMass is ready to close out its season with Liberty.
CBS Sports previews the Flames-Minutemen game.
College Football News previews the game and predicts a Liberty blowout.
Sports Chat Place says the Flames will cover the 37 point spread.
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The Boston Herald says as Andy Isabella returns to Gillette Stadium, UMass watches with pride.
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Mike Moran of the Hampshire Gazette says the Minutemen finally have a "normal" week.
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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" asks five questions of Zack McLearnen from A Sea of Red concerning the UMass-Liberty game.
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The UMass Daily Collegian reports UMass heads to Liberty for the final game of the 2020 season.
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UMass-Liberty will be part of an extensive college football schedule on Friday. The MAC, which owned Black Friday games in the past does not play that day.
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Liberty coach Hugh Freeze continues to receive speculation for coaching jobs at Power Five schools.
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Through nine games in 2020, Liberty has averaged 40.9 points/game and 490.9 yards of offense.
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A Sea of Red has Liberty notes and injury report for this week's game against UMass.
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Mrs Blog and I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. We're grateful 2020 is almost over.
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UMass has its game notes for Liberty up.
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Kyle Grabowski of the Hampshire Gazette says the UMass defense made its entry against FAU.
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A Sea of Red has quotes from Liberty coach Hugh Freeze on the North Carolina State game, UMass and more.
Freeze's podcast show for the UMass game is available here.
A Sea of Red has its players report for the UMass week.
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Winners and whiners previews the UMass-Liberty game.
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Vegas Insider has Liberty by 38.
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| 247Sports image |
The following article about Jeffs appears through the courtesy of the writer Mike Davies and with permission of the Peterborough Examiner. The original article is available here.
"MIKE DAVIES
Examiner Sports Director
Phil Jeffs learned values and principles playing football in Peterborough that helped him land a full ride scholarship to the University of Massachusetts.
The 18-year-old Trent Hills native took a winding path he called “a roller coaster” to get to this point.
He started with six-a-side football in Grade 9 at Campbellford District High School. The six-foot-seven, 280-pound offensive tackle played two seasons for the Peterborough Wolverines junior varsity team winning an Ontario Football Conference championship in 2017 while also playing for Team Ontario. He transferred to Holy Cross Secondary School in order to play 12-a-side football. He then transferred in Grade 12 to St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, CT. Midway through the school year a family emergency which required him to return home to help his father Doug run the family’s dairy farm brought him back to Ontario. He finished high school at Clarkson Football North in Mississauga.
College recruiters on both sides of the border first took notice of Jeffs in Grade 10. Boston College, University of Connecticut and Iowa State were among the schools he narrowed his choice to before verbally committing to the UMass Minutemen in June. He’ll sign his letter of intent next month when the signing period opens Dec. 18.
“It’s a lot of relief,” said Jeffs. “A lot of people won’t understand the hard work and a lot of sacrifices that had to be made to get to this point. It’s a lot of relief because you feel a lot better about yourself and that those sacrifices are paying off.”
Several factors made UMass his first choice.
“They showed a ton of interest and I felt like that was the place I was going to be best set up to succeed and have the best chance to play after that level if that chance is there,” said Jeffs. “The very first time I ever talked to them there was genuine interest. You could tell the people really cared and they weren’t just interested in you as a football player, they were more interested in you as a person. They showed me a lot of support and how the next couple of years of my life were going to look.”
Jeffs will study education and begin classes at UMass, in Amherst, Mass., in January. He’ll train with the football team in the spring and begin playing as a freshman next fall.
Jeffs said he was a young kid kind of full of himself when he came to the Wolverines and coaches Joseph Joncas and Bond Bjorgan, who also coached him at Holy Cross, helped straighten him out.
“It was really humbling,” he said, of getting exposed to a wider football community. “it taught me a lot of great values and principles I live by and try to emulate and use in my everyday life. The coaches really helped mold me as a person and gave me a lot of values I still use.”
Jeffs is finished high school and is currently training with Joncas to prepare himself for UMass,
“Coach Joncas is so much more than just a coach,” he said. “He helped out so many guys. I know I’m not the only one thinking this. There are a lot of guys who would do anything for him. He’s done so much for so many people. It’s rare to see when someone cares as much as he does.”
Jeffs is taking education because the idea of being either a teacher or coach appeals to him.
“I really want to help people in the ways I’ve been helped. I’ve had a lot of great people help me get to this spot. I sure as heck wouldn’t have made it this far without a lot of people helping me and being there for me,” he said.
mike.davies@peterboroughdaily.com
Trent Hills native Phil Jeffs played one season of offensive tackle for St. Thomas More School in oakdale, CT before committing to the University of Massachusetts Minutemen’s football program for 2021. St. Thomas More School Photo."
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| Tackage #10/MaxPreps image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
MaxPreps has stats. 105 solo tackles in 25 games.
This article reports on Tackage's offers from USB and Southern Mississippi.
UMass needs linebackers and running backs. Tackage could see playing time early in Amherst.
Howard Herman of the Berkshire Eagle reports the UMass defense game the Minutemen a chance, but the offense sputtered.
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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" recaps the Florida Atlantic game.
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The News & Observer tells how North Carolina State stopped Liberty QB Malik Willis.
Liberty Coach Huge Freeze says he's not currently interested in other coaching jobs.
Pride Pack says NC State did it with defense.
The one-point loss to State knocked Liberty out the Top-25.
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With all due respect to Coastal Carolina and Marshall, Liberty has played three Power Five teams and beat two of them. Coastal did beat Kansas. Marshall has yet to play a Power Five.
I think Liberty is the best team in the Group-of-Five. The Flames dominated Syracuse and were even with Virginia Tech and NC State.
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| Image credit unknown |
Before the season I thought repairing our train wreck defense would take at least three recruiting cycles, but there has been big improvements in only two. We do have five more defensive recruits committed so far in the 2021 class. We need MLB's and more depth everywhere. The Minutemen DL has far exceeded my hopes so far. Avien Peah has battled through injuries to be a force. Jake Byczko has endured a lot of tough games before his senior year, but he and Peah combined for 15 tackles, which is a lot of production for linemen. The defense was fun to watch, something UMass fans have not have not seen for a long time.
On offense things are not as advanced. We do not seem to have a deep threat WR. Taylor Edwards has the longest reception of the year of 37 yards. No one else is above 25 yards. In the short passing game, from the shotgun, it should be "one-two-three" throw. However, many times during the FAU game Will Koch set up and apparently did not like what he was seeing, i.e. he thought no one was open. On TV it's nearly impossible to see the receivers routes or the coverage.
You've probably noticed from the recruiting posts, UMass continues to offer JUCO WR's and offensive linemen. That makes me think the coaches think they still need help in those two units.
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MassLive has UMass falls to 0-3 with a loss to FAU.
FAU Football (an Owls fan site) didn't like those three consecutive FAU pass plays with a minute left either.
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Georgia Southern lost to Army by a missed extra point.
Marshall's game against Charlotte was postponed due to COVID issues.
Liberty went toe-to-toe with North Carolina and lost by one. IMHO, the Flames are the best team in the Group-of-Five.
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| UMass Athletic Dept/Ralph Notaro image |
The entire defensive line shone, time after time stopping FAU at the line of scrimmage. Senior Jake Byczko and Avien Peah had career nights. RS Sophomore Uchenna Ezewike also had a impressive game. The UMass secondary also played well with Tanner Davis totaling six tackles, 1.5 TFL, one blocked punt for a safety and 1 QB hurry.
In addition, UMass special teams had their best game of the season. George Georgopoulos finally got some forward roll on his punts and dropped two inside the 20 yard line. Samuel Emilus had a 33 yard return.
However the UMass offense was smothered again. FAU defensive pressure flustered Minutemen QB Will Koch. He was usually not able to find receivers or use his legs effectively. The UMass rushing game did look better as Ellis Merriweather ran for 48 yards in eleven carries for a 4.4 yards/carry, his best totals of the season.
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The UMass Daily Collegian says the defense shone and the offense disappointed.
The Hampshire Gazette reports the offense let UMass down.
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Today we play our third game of the 2020 season. This year is all about player development. FAU lost to common opponent Marshall 9-20. The Owls had 234 yards of offense, which is not a significant improvement over UMass' 190. The FAU defense held the Herd to 395 total yards, a 100 less than the Minutemen's 495. The collective record of teams FAU has played so far is 7-8.
I'd like to see the UMass defense continue to play fast and hit people. The defense has not tackled well so far, but I'd bet a steak dinner UMass has not had much time for tackling drills. Those will probably be a priority in Spring and Fall camp in 2021. I'd like to see UMass hold FAU to their average of about 36 points per game.
The UMass offense needs to produce more than they have so far. FAU is currently 5th in the nation in scoring defense. The UMass rushing game needs to improve if the Minutemen are to be in this game.
So far in 2020 the two games UMass has played have been mostly on the Minutemen's side of the field. Better field position would help. We have yet to have a punt that flipped the field.
I'll be watching and cheering for the Minutemen.
Go UMass!
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The Action Network says take the over.
The Berkshire Eagle says it's a reunion day for Coach Bell and Coach Taggart.
The Eagle also reports Will Koch is getting comfortable as the Minutemen's starting QB.
CBS Sports on how to watch the game.
Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the Owls-Minutemen game.
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I'm back and the VA says I'm good for another 50,000 miles.
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UMass has their game notes for FAU up.
The Owls finish their prep for UMass.
FAU gets set for their final home game against the Minutemen.
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Seven FAU players has opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID.
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The Berkshire Eagle reports UMass will close its 2020 season with back-to-back Friday games.
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Athlon Sports previews the game and predicts FAU 52 UMass 7.
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No updates to the blog tomorrow and Wednesday. I'll be up at White River Junction, VT VA hospital for a couple of days. The blog will back up on Thursday.
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| QB Hit List image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
MaxPreps has stats. 140.0 QB EFF and .741 completion %.
UMass is the first school to offer Lainez. He would be a good fit in the UMass offense.
The combined records of UMass' 2020 opponents after this Saturday is 25-3.
Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" has a post on the next two games for the Minutemen.
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Georgia Southern ran (with 386 rushing yards) its record to 6-2 with a 40-38 win over Texas State.
Marshall moved to 7-0 with a 42-14 win over Middle Tennessee State.
FAU ran for 381 yards in a 38-19 win over FIU. The Owls are now 4-1 on the season.
Liberty had 633 total yards of offense in a 58-14 win over Western Carolina. The Flames are 8-0 in 2020.
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Hudl.com has video highlights.
I blogged about Julian back in April.
Tied for 6th in NJ in returning sack leaders.
Has seven sacks so far this season.
DE's have been a position of need for UMass during the entire FBS era. All Minutemen fans hope Julian has an outstanding career in Amherst. He chose UMass over FBS offers from Buffalo, Central Michigan, UConn, Kent State and Temple.
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| Hamlin #11/Randy Litzinger image |
This article from 2019 features Hamlin.
Hamlin has three total offers with UMass as the current only FBS school. Lots of playing time is available in the future in Amherst.
MassLive reports UMass will play at Iowa in 2025.
Future FBS schedules reports Iowa adds UMass and Florida Atlantic to the Hawkeyes' 2025 schedule. UMass will be playing BC, Missouri and Iowa that year. Yikes!
The UMass 2025 season opponents (so far) are here.
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Meanwhile, the Minutemen's next opponent FAU is looking for their fourth straight win over FIU in the "Shula" bowl.
Athlon Sports predicts FAU 24 FIU 7. That would run the Owls record to 4-1. In addition, UMass will be playing another team with a killer defense. FAU is ranked in the Top-25 in total defense and is #4 in scoring defense.
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AND WE CAN'T EVEN GET A UMASS CORONA VIRUS MASK.
New Mexico State rolls out Pistol Pete's Six Shooter whiskey.
Supposedly, the Massachusetts State drink is the "Cape Codder". Western Mass farms produced potatoes back in the day. Maybe UMass could produce its own branded vodka...
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| Twitter image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
2nd Team All-Western Mass in hockey.
Kolodziey will add depth to UMass' special teams. Hope he has a successful career in Amherst and earns a scholarship.
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| 247Sports image |
Hudl.com has video highlights.
A three-star player in high school, Wilkins originally signed with Kentucky.
Transferred to Independence in 2019.
Wilkins has FBS offers from Toledo, Charlotte and Missouri State. The Minutemen have two seniors at ILB and Wilkins could see a lot early playing time in Amherst.
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| 247Sports image |
This article from October features Keeler's offers from Arizona State and East Carolina.
Keeler has offers from Power Five Arizona State and ECU. UMass, besides a scholarship, offers a chance for early playing time and the best food in College Football.
Well, for the second game I don't think the improvement was reflected in the final score.
For one thing, Will Koch is my quarterback. Seriously, the science is settled. For a true freshman without any Fall camp and minimal practices, I thought Koch played really well. He looked like a freshman a couple of times, but I think he has an excellent upside.
The offensive line also improved. Against a veteran Top-10 defense the Minutemen, when we were not handed the ball on our own freakin' seven yard line looked competitive. We had a couple neat plays, which the offense executed. 190 total offensive yards is nothing to brag about, but not many of Marshall's opponents have done much better. The ten points UMass scored in the first half was the most the Herd had given up this year.
In the fourth quarter, I liked instead of trying for a meaningless score to make things look better, Coach Bell played a lot players. This will pay dividends in the future.
On defense, the field position was again lopsided in favor of the opponent. Despite this the defense had seven TFL and two sacks. Marshall star RB Brendon Knox had 119 yards (just about his average) and 2TD's. Compare this with in 2019's final game when BYU fourth-string true freshman James McChesney gained 228 yards on 15 carries (an average of 15.2 yards/carry). The UMass defense also recorded five third-down stops and were one for two on fourth downs.
Jeremy Martin had a nice 46-yard field goal.
Don't tell anybody, because I don't want to jinx us, but I'm starting to think we might have a shot at FAU.
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The Hampshire Gazette reports Marshall raced past UMass.
MassLive has the game story here.
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The Holy Spirit is with Liberty as the Flames beat their second straight ACC team.
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Georgia Southern ran their record to 5-2 with a win over Troy.
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Speaking of the FAU Owls, they edged Western Kentucky 10-6.
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The game will be available on ESPN+. Subscription is $5.99/month. You can unsubscribe after the first month.
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Mike Traini of "Fight Massachusetts" previews the Herd-Minutemen game.
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The Herdzone says unbeaten Marshall welcomes UMass.
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College Football News previews the game and predicts Marshall 45 UMass 6.
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Mike Moran of the Hampshire Gazette reports the Minutemen face a big challange in #16 Marshall.
Moran reports SR defensive lineman Jake Byczko 6-3 260 is now healthy and back in the rotation.
He also mentions FR linebacker Gerrell Johnson 6-3 225 and FR DT Josh Atwood 6-3 360 improving in practice and will see more reps in today's game.
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The Charleston Gazette-Mail says the Herd marches ahead against UMass.
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I thought the UMass defense gained confidence as the GSU game went on. They looked visibly much faster than 2019. Today's game should give the young Minutemen defense more experience and all this will pay dividends in 2021.
The Minutemen offense has a tough task in facing the Herd's defense, which is nationally ranked in just about any defensive category you would care to name. Last week UMass' longest runs were QB scrambles and the longest pass completion was only 15 yards. The Minutemen need to improve on that today.
I'll be there watching.
Go UMass!!
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