Memorial for George N. Parks will held at Homecoming on Oct 16th. Amherst Bulletin story here.
Official UMass webpage here.
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Former UMass star Brandon London has signed with the Montreal Aloulettes.
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The Sports Network's Andrew Gaddess previews Week 6 in the Division in his "In the FCS Huddle" column.
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The Seacoast Online says New Hampshire needs to finish strong.
UPDATE: UNH DB JeRome Wilkins charged with rape.
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After a long time wandering in the wilderness, Georgia Southern is ranked #13 in the FCS nation.
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There is a new CAA Football and A10 Basketball Blog. I've added it to my links in the sidebar.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Recruiting 2011--Andrew Kestenbaum
UMass is recruiting Andrew Kestenbaum a 6-5 290 pd OL from Dartmouth, MA.
Kestenbaum's ESPN profile here.
More from ESPN on Kestenbaum here.
Drawing interest from CAA schools UNH, URI as well as Tulane.
Kestenbaum's ESPN profile here.
More from ESPN on Kestenbaum here.
Drawing interest from CAA schools UNH, URI as well as Tulane.
Recruiting 2011-- Sean Ford
UMass is interested in Sean Ford a 6-6 255 pd DL from Whittier Tech in Haverhill, MA.
Eagle-Tribune story here.
Also interested is UNH.
An Eagle-Tribune image.
Thursday of the off week--Oct 7th, 2010
The CAA has seven ranked FCS teams; five in the Top Ten.
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Josh Buchanan has his weekly FCS NFL risers and sliders. Rising Richmond's Justin Rogers; sliding Villanova's Matt Szczur and Delaware's Pat Devlin.
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Craig Haley's latest edition of his "In the FCS Huddle" has news from around the division.
The Sports Network's latest 2010 playoff prediction bracket has UMass hosting South Carolina State in the first round (a .pdf download)
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The Dunkle Sports Index has UMass as #8 in FCS. Check out #1.
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CAA's commissioner Tom Yeager defends FCS.
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Josh Buchanan has his weekly FCS NFL risers and sliders. Rising Richmond's Justin Rogers; sliding Villanova's Matt Szczur and Delaware's Pat Devlin.
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Craig Haley's latest edition of his "In the FCS Huddle" has news from around the division.
The Sports Network's latest 2010 playoff prediction bracket has UMass hosting South Carolina State in the first round (a .pdf download)
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The Dunkle Sports Index has UMass as #8 in FCS. Check out #1.
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CAA's commissioner Tom Yeager defends FCS.
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Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Wednesday of he off week--Oct 6th,2010
Tyler Holmes was named FCS Linebacker-of-the-week by College Football Performance.
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WSHM-TV has UMass Football Weekly-Week 6.
The UMass Daily Collegian has a CAA conference notebook.
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You will remember JMU knocked Delaware QB Pat Devlin out of last week's game with a concussion. Both teams have been jawing about the incident since then. The CAA Commissioner has issued a statement about the incident. This is he first time I can remember that the Commissioner's office has been involved in something like this.
Three personal fouls against Towson in Saturday's game against the Minutemen apparently does not merit any attention. Of course it was Delaware, that was involved, so that makes it special.
More from The Sports Network on the CAA statement here. Extended coverage of the controversy from Delaware Online.
The CAA has its regular weekly press release up here.
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The Boston Globe continues its negative slant on FCS football. DII and DIII however, they like.
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Strength of Schedule update:
William & Mary knocked off Villanova ( with the Wildcats being without Matt Szczur) and moved to 4-1. That win jumped the Tribe ahead of UMass to #4 in FCS polls.
Holy Cross went to 2-3 with a win over Fordham.
Michigan continues to be undefeated with a win over Indiana.
Stony Brook had an off week, but has yet to play a Big South league game. The Blog still thinks the Sea Wolves have a good chance to play for the Big South Championship. Statement by Stony Brook's HC about the UMass game.
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Mrs Blog scored two Amish quilts yesterday, including one from Riels Quilts & Crafts, so she's a happy woman. We leave Lancaster County today and head north for the second leg of our vacation.
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WSHM-TV has UMass Football Weekly-Week 6.
The UMass Daily Collegian has a CAA conference notebook.
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You will remember JMU knocked Delaware QB Pat Devlin out of last week's game with a concussion. Both teams have been jawing about the incident since then. The CAA Commissioner has issued a statement about the incident. This is he first time I can remember that the Commissioner's office has been involved in something like this.
Three personal fouls against Towson in Saturday's game against the Minutemen apparently does not merit any attention. Of course it was Delaware, that was involved, so that makes it special.
More from The Sports Network on the CAA statement here. Extended coverage of the controversy from Delaware Online.
The CAA has its regular weekly press release up here.
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The Boston Globe continues its negative slant on FCS football. DII and DIII however, they like.
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Strength of Schedule update:
William & Mary knocked off Villanova ( with the Wildcats being without Matt Szczur) and moved to 4-1. That win jumped the Tribe ahead of UMass to #4 in FCS polls.
Holy Cross went to 2-3 with a win over Fordham.
Michigan continues to be undefeated with a win over Indiana.
Stony Brook had an off week, but has yet to play a Big South league game. The Blog still thinks the Sea Wolves have a good chance to play for the Big South Championship. Statement by Stony Brook's HC about the UMass game.
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Mrs Blog scored two Amish quilts yesterday, including one from Riels Quilts & Crafts, so she's a happy woman. We leave Lancaster County today and head north for the second leg of our vacation.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Tuesday of th Off Week--Oct 5th,2010
Tyler Homes has been added to Buck Buchanan Watch List. See the stats section below.
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Matty Vautour says UMass has goals within reach.
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Delaware QB Pat Devlin has been cleared to play against Maine after suffering a concussion last Saturday against JMU.
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UMass is #8 in The Sports Network Poll.
The Minutemen are also eighth in the NCAA Coaches Poll.
In both polls William & Mary is ahead of UMass despite the fact we beat the Tribe head-to-head.
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Good UMass CAA stats through Oct 4th, 2010.
TOTAL OFFENSE G Rush Pass Plays Yards Avg/P TD Yds/G
1. Massachusetts....... 5 1042 1187 398 2229 5.6 19 445.8
SCORING OFFENSE G TD XP 2XP DXP FG Saf Pts Avg
1. Villanova........... 5 20 18 0 0 2 2 148 29.6
Massachusetts....... 5 19 16 0 0 6 0 148 29.6
PASS EFFICIENCY G Att Cmp Pct Int Yds TD Effic
--------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova........... 5 107 71 66.4 4 889 9 156.4
2. James Madison....... 4 57 31 54.4 3 510 4 142.2
3. Massachusetts....... 5 148 96 64.9 3 1187 6 141.6
SACKS AGAINST G Sacks Yards
---------------------------------------
1. James Madison....... 4 2 15
2. Massachusetts....... 5 4 38
FIELD GOALS G Made Att Pct
--------------------------------------------
1. Massachusetts....... 5 6 6 1.000
Richmond............ 4 2 2 1.000
4TH-DN CONVERSIONS G Conv Att Pct
-------------------------------------------
1. Massachusetts....... 5 10 11 90.9
2. James Madison....... 4 3 4 75.0
TIME OF POSSESSION G Total Time Avg/G
----------------------------------------------
1. Massachusetts....... 5 178:06 35:37
2. Rhode Island........ 4 130:28 32:37
RUSHING Team Cl G Att Yds Avg TD Long Yds/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
1. Andrew Pierce....... DELA FR 5 104 653 6.3 7 40 130.6
2. John Griffin........ UMAS SR 5 100 500 5.0 5 22 100.0
3. Jared Turcotte...... MAIN JR 4 81 361 4.5 3 51 90.2
4. Jonathan Hernandez.. UMAS JR 5 104 433 4.2 7 25 86.6
TOTAL OFFENSE Team Cl G Rush Pass Plays Total Yds/G
--------------------------------------------------------------
1. R.J. Toman.......... UNH SR 5 124 1203 214 1327 265.4
2. Kyle Havens......... UMAS SR 5 17 1187 167 1204 240.8
TACKLES (All positions)
Player Team Cl G Pos Solo Ast Total Avg/G Sack
----------------------------------------------------------------
1. Matt Evans.......... UNH SO 5 LB 30 24 54 10.8 1.0
2. Tyler Holmes........ UMAS JR 5 LB 25 26 51 10.2 2.0
3. Eric McBride........ RICH SR 4 LB 19 29 48 12.0 0.0
4. Jordan Dangerfield.. TOWS SO 5 DB 27 16 43 8.6 0.0
Alan Buzbee......... UNH SO 5 LB 21 22 43 8.6 0.0
6. Brian Thompson...... W&M SO 5 DB 23 18 41 8.2 0.0
7. Mike Mele........... UMAS SR 5 LB 18 20 38 7.6 1.
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Matty Vautour says UMass has goals within reach.
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Delaware QB Pat Devlin has been cleared to play against Maine after suffering a concussion last Saturday against JMU.
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UMass is #8 in The Sports Network Poll.
The Minutemen are also eighth in the NCAA Coaches Poll.
In both polls William & Mary is ahead of UMass despite the fact we beat the Tribe head-to-head.
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Good UMass CAA stats through Oct 4th, 2010.
TOTAL OFFENSE G Rush Pass Plays Yards Avg/P TD Yds/G
1. Massachusetts....... 5 1042 1187 398 2229 5.6 19 445.8
SCORING OFFENSE G TD XP 2XP DXP FG Saf Pts Avg
1. Villanova........... 5 20 18 0 0 2 2 148 29.6
Massachusetts....... 5 19 16 0 0 6 0 148 29.6
PASS EFFICIENCY G Att Cmp Pct Int Yds TD Effic
--------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova........... 5 107 71 66.4 4 889 9 156.4
2. James Madison....... 4 57 31 54.4 3 510 4 142.2
3. Massachusetts....... 5 148 96 64.9 3 1187 6 141.6
SACKS AGAINST G Sacks Yards
---------------------------------------
1. James Madison....... 4 2 15
2. Massachusetts....... 5 4 38
FIELD GOALS G Made Att Pct
--------------------------------------------
1. Massachusetts....... 5 6 6 1.000
Richmond............ 4 2 2 1.000
4TH-DN CONVERSIONS G Conv Att Pct
-------------------------------------------
1. Massachusetts....... 5 10 11 90.9
2. James Madison....... 4 3 4 75.0
TIME OF POSSESSION G Total Time Avg/G
----------------------------------------------
1. Massachusetts....... 5 178:06 35:37
2. Rhode Island........ 4 130:28 32:37
RUSHING Team Cl G Att Yds Avg TD Long Yds/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
1. Andrew Pierce....... DELA FR 5 104 653 6.3 7 40 130.6
2. John Griffin........ UMAS SR 5 100 500 5.0 5 22 100.0
3. Jared Turcotte...... MAIN JR 4 81 361 4.5 3 51 90.2
4. Jonathan Hernandez.. UMAS JR 5 104 433 4.2 7 25 86.6
TOTAL OFFENSE Team Cl G Rush Pass Plays Total Yds/G
--------------------------------------------------------------
1. R.J. Toman.......... UNH SR 5 124 1203 214 1327 265.4
2. Kyle Havens......... UMAS SR 5 17 1187 167 1204 240.8
TACKLES (All positions)
Player Team Cl G Pos Solo Ast Total Avg/G Sack
----------------------------------------------------------------
1. Matt Evans.......... UNH SO 5 LB 30 24 54 10.8 1.0
2. Tyler Holmes........ UMAS JR 5 LB 25 26 51 10.2 2.0
3. Eric McBride........ RICH SR 4 LB 19 29 48 12.0 0.0
4. Jordan Dangerfield.. TOWS SO 5 DB 27 16 43 8.6 0.0
Alan Buzbee......... UNH SO 5 LB 21 22 43 8.6 0.0
6. Brian Thompson...... W&M SO 5 DB 23 18 41 8.2 0.0
7. Mike Mele........... UMAS SR 5 LB 18 20 38 7.6 1.
Monday of the off week---Oct 4th,2010
Matty Vautour says UMass overcame errors to beat Towson.
Matty has three stars from the Towson game.
He also has his weekly path to the post season column.
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Keepers College Football Ratings has UMass up to #3.
He picks Delaware, UNH, JMU and William & Mary in this week's CAA games.
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The Boston Globe has an article on former Northeastern players moving on to other schools.
Key Quote"’’I knew how much of a powerhouse they were every time I played them,’’ said Niland. ’’I played UMass for three consecutive years and it was always a battle. I knew the team had a great attitude and was coached well and it was something I wanted to be a part of.’’
The Boston Globe tries to put a positive spin on Northeastern dropping football. Not until the third page or so do they state that dozens of schools are starting new football programs.
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Delaware lost Pat Devlin to a concussion in the JMU game.
In an outcome that helps UMass' strength-of-schedule, William & Mary beat #1 Villanova.
Craig Haley of The Sports Network says the FCS Sharks are in the water.
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Someone with a Bleacher Report account ought to tell this college football "expert"that UMass is not Division II.
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Sound-a-likes: Towson's PA guy and former UMass announcer Bob Behler.
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UNH is heading into the CAA danger zone.
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Matty has three stars from the Towson game.
He also has his weekly path to the post season column.
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Keepers College Football Ratings has UMass up to #3.
He picks Delaware, UNH, JMU and William & Mary in this week's CAA games.
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The Boston Globe has an article on former Northeastern players moving on to other schools.
Key Quote"’’I knew how much of a powerhouse they were every time I played them,’’ said Niland. ’’I played UMass for three consecutive years and it was always a battle. I knew the team had a great attitude and was coached well and it was something I wanted to be a part of.’’
The Boston Globe tries to put a positive spin on Northeastern dropping football. Not until the third page or so do they state that dozens of schools are starting new football programs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaware lost Pat Devlin to a concussion in the JMU game.
In an outcome that helps UMass' strength-of-schedule, William & Mary beat #1 Villanova.
Craig Haley of The Sports Network says the FCS Sharks are in the water.
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Someone with a Bleacher Report account ought to tell this college football "expert"that UMass is not Division II.
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Sound-a-likes: Towson's PA guy and former UMass announcer Bob Behler.
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UNH is heading into the CAA danger zone.
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Sunday, October 03, 2010
Sunday after the Towson Game -Oct 3rd,2010
The UMass defense dominated Towson on a clear and cool night. The defense held the Tigers to 11 first downs and 263 yards of total offense.
Towson scored on a fumble by Kyle Havens in our own endzone, and then on a fumble by Hernandez on the UMass five yard line. Towson was up 14-7 and I believe they had one first down at that time.
Tyler Holmes and Mike Mele had 16 and 13 TT each. I think it was Shane Viveiros who had the fourth down goal line stand tackle.
The offense had a wonderful 97 yard drive in the last three minutes of the first half to take the lead.
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UMass writeup here.
Towson writeup here.
The Boston Herald says John Griffin and UMass ran past the Tigers.
The Boston Globe said UMass finally got in gear.
The Baltimore Sun said the Minutemen muffled the Tigers.
The Worcester Telegram said Oakmont's Griffin leads the Minutemen.
WWLP22 News said #8 UMass takes down the Tigers.
The Towson Patch said the Minutemen took down the Tigers.
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The Towson Band did a classy tribute to George N. Parks during halftime. The Tiger band wore black ribbons on their uniforms to honor UMass' band director.
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The Tiger's team was less welcoming as they had three personal fouls including a chop block on a UMass defensive lineman that had the Minutemen defense fired up.
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UNH lost to Maine, which puts a serious dent in the Wildcats playoff chances. William and Mary took down Villanova.
That leaves UMass and Delaware the only CAA teams with no league losses.
All the CAA game results here.
Towson scored on a fumble by Kyle Havens in our own endzone, and then on a fumble by Hernandez on the UMass five yard line. Towson was up 14-7 and I believe they had one first down at that time.
Tyler Holmes and Mike Mele had 16 and 13 TT each. I think it was Shane Viveiros who had the fourth down goal line stand tackle.
The offense had a wonderful 97 yard drive in the last three minutes of the first half to take the lead.
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UMass writeup here.
Towson writeup here.
The Boston Herald says John Griffin and UMass ran past the Tigers.
The Boston Globe said UMass finally got in gear.
The Baltimore Sun said the Minutemen muffled the Tigers.
The Worcester Telegram said Oakmont's Griffin leads the Minutemen.
WWLP22 News said #8 UMass takes down the Tigers.
The Towson Patch said the Minutemen took down the Tigers.
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The Towson Band did a classy tribute to George N. Parks during halftime. The Tiger band wore black ribbons on their uniforms to honor UMass' band director.
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The Tiger's team was less welcoming as they had three personal fouls including a chop block on a UMass defensive lineman that had the Minutemen defense fired up.
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UNH lost to Maine, which puts a serious dent in the Wildcats playoff chances. William and Mary took down Villanova.
That leaves UMass and Delaware the only CAA teams with no league losses.
All the CAA game results here.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Game Day Towson--Oct 2nd,2010
The Baltimore Sun has a scouting report Towson Vs UMass.
Matty Vautour has a story about the Towson game and new starting center Quinton Sales.
He also picks today's winners and losers.
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The CAA's game day central will all the details on today's league games here.
There have been some changes in today's CAA television schedule.
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The News Journal talks about today's battle of CAA unbeaten teams: Delaware Vs JMU.
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New Patriot League powerhouse: Georgetown.
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Digital Sports Daily has today's FCS Top-25 games.
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Having trouble with the wireless connection. Will try to add more to this post later
Matty Vautour has a story about the Towson game and new starting center Quinton Sales.
He also picks today's winners and losers.
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The CAA's game day central will all the details on today's league games here.
There have been some changes in today's CAA television schedule.
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The News Journal talks about today's battle of CAA unbeaten teams: Delaware Vs JMU.
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New Patriot League powerhouse: Georgetown.
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Digital Sports Daily has today's FCS Top-25 games.
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Having trouble with the wireless connection. Will try to add more to this post later
Friday, October 01, 2010
Blog News --- 2010 Road Trip II
Mrs Blog and I will be on vacation for the next ten days. We are leaving for Bird-in-Hand, PA this morning. Mrs. Blog will be in her shop-till-she-drops mode in the heart of Lancaster County.
We do have plans to swing over to the Towson game on Saturday.
Then we will be changing base camp and moving to North Conway NH. The Fryeburg Fair is right across the river.
I will try to keep the Blog going as long as I have intertube access. I managed to brick Mrs. Blog's Asus netbook by running a Linux update that screwed up the boot sequence for both Windows and Ubuntu. So, until I figure out how to fix that, I'll be relying on my ancient laptop. Should the Blog go silent, you'll know I'm having computer problems and I'll be back up as soon as possible.
Hopefully, see everyone tomorrow from Bird-in-Hand.
Friday before Towson--Oct 1st, 2010
WWLP22 covers UMass' continuing road trip.
MassLive.com say Brandon Flanagan has seen both sides now.
Matty Vautour says UMass turns to the CAA.
The Boston Herald states UMass is right for Anthony Nelson.
The Daily Collegian has two game articles here and here.
Towson is hungry for its second win.
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Craig Haley has a long FCS article with news from the Division.
The Sports Networks's Andrew Gaddess has "In the FCS Huddle:Week 5 Preview" and predicts Towson's defense will lead to the Tigers defeat by UMass.
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Maine and New Hampshire play their rivalry game early this year.
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I was watching the Oklahoma State-Texas Aggies game last night and ESPN ran a commercial by Toshiba. The football clip on the Toshiba was Steve Baylark's TD run against Montana. It looked good then and it looks good now in HD.
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Sometimes I miss the UMass scene. MassLive.com reports "Lord Jesus Christ III banned from the Belchertown Library." Didn't we see him play at the Blue Wall back in the day?
MassLive.com say Brandon Flanagan has seen both sides now.
Matty Vautour says UMass turns to the CAA.
The Boston Herald states UMass is right for Anthony Nelson.
The Daily Collegian has two game articles here and here.
Towson is hungry for its second win.
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Craig Haley has a long FCS article with news from the Division.
The Sports Networks's Andrew Gaddess has "In the FCS Huddle:Week 5 Preview" and predicts Towson's defense will lead to the Tigers defeat by UMass.
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Maine and New Hampshire play their rivalry game early this year.
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I was watching the Oklahoma State-Texas Aggies game last night and ESPN ran a commercial by Toshiba. The football clip on the Toshiba was Steve Baylark's TD run against Montana. It looked good then and it looks good now in HD.
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Sometimes I miss the UMass scene. MassLive.com reports "Lord Jesus Christ III banned from the Belchertown Library." Didn't we see him play at the Blue Wall back in the day?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
A look at Towson
A Baltimore Sun/Lloyd Fox image. Towson QB Chris Hart leaps over the Coastal Carolina defense.
The Towson Tigers are 1-3 for the 2010 season. They have losses to Indiana, Villanova and Columbia. The Tiger's lone win was over 1-3 Coastal Carolina.
I was able to watch most of the Towson-Indiana game on the Big Ten Network. The Tigers stayed with Indiana into the second quarter where the score was 24-14. Indiana scored the next 30 points to pull away.
The star of that game for the Tigers was QB Chris Hart (6-4 220). Hart is a JUCO from Georgia Military College. Hart went 16-125 yard rushing with a 7.7 yards/carry ave. He also threw 16-35 165 for 288 total yards against a Big Ten team. Several times Hart got into the Indiana secondary and just out ran the Indiana DBs.
Hart has thrown six INTs and has a low 115.4 EFF rating.
Recently Citadel transfer QB Bart Blanchard has played more. Blanchard had six series against Columbia.
That's about all the good news for the Tigers offensively. The two leading Tiger running backs are Tremayne Dameron and Nygee Carmichael who have a 46.9 and 25.9 yards/game average respectively. Both backs together have only 288 rushing yards for the season. The longest run by either player this season is 12 yards.
The leading receivers are Hakeem Moore with 13-352 5 TD's 88 yards/game and Tom Ryan 9-60 2 TD's 30 yards/game.
The Tigers have averaged 20.2 points/game. In their three losses, Towson averaged only 11.2 points a game.
Defensively, Towson has given up 163 points for a 40.8 points/game average. The Tigers defense has allowed 200 yards/game rushing.
Towson's leading tackler is safety Jordan Dangerfield 21 UT 13 At 34 TT 1.5-6 TFL. After Dangerfield, it's defense by committee as the tigers have five players with 20 or more tackles.
Towson cumulative season statistics here.
The Tigers have no players from Massachusetts or New England.
Thursday before Towson--Sept 30th, 2010
Ron Chimelis reports that senior UMass center John Ihne will miss the Towson game. Senior DT Bob McLaughlin is expected to be available after not playing against Stony Brook.
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Bob George of BosSports.net and a former member of the UMMB pays tribute to George N. Parks.
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ESPN.com has a story on Victor Cruz. the former UMass star may be the third receiver this Sunday when the Giants host the Bears.
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The Sports Network reports the WAC is targeting Montana and four others to fill two open slots in the league for the 2012-13 school year. If the Grizzlies jump, it will be a big loss for FCS football. Montana is one of the top five teams in the FCS/I-AA Division in attendance and fan interest.
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The 3-0 James Madison Dukes host the 4-0 Delaware Blue Hens this Saturday.
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Bob George of BosSports.net and a former member of the UMMB pays tribute to George N. Parks.
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ESPN.com has a story on Victor Cruz. the former UMass star may be the third receiver this Sunday when the Giants host the Bears.
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The Sports Network reports the WAC is targeting Montana and four others to fill two open slots in the league for the 2012-13 school year. If the Grizzlies jump, it will be a big loss for FCS football. Montana is one of the top five teams in the FCS/I-AA Division in attendance and fan interest.
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The 3-0 James Madison Dukes host the 4-0 Delaware Blue Hens this Saturday.
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Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday before Towson--Sept 29th, 2010
UMass game notes for Towson: html here and pdf here.
Towson game notes for UMass: html here.
From the Towson game notes"Dating back to 2005, the Tigers have won nine of their last ten home games under the lights ... Their only defeat during that stretch was a 27-3 loss to Joe Flacco and Delaware on September 22, 2007."
Towson is appointing a new Athletic Director today.
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The Dunkle Sports Index has the Minutemen as #5.
Sagarin/USA Today has UMass as #84 in the nation.
In Sagarin's conference rankings, the CAA continues to be ranked ahead of FBS/I-A conferences MAC and Sunbelt. UMass is ranked fourth in the CAA.
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NCAA.com has UMass' stats page here. The Minutemen lead the CAA in passing offense, total offense and punt returns. Nationally, UMass ranks in the Top-20 FCS stats in rushing offense, total offense, passing offense, punt returns and sacks allowed.
Bad stats: UMass is last in the CAA in net punting. In national rankings we are in the bottom reaches of the Division in net punting, sacks and TFL.
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Current Oregon HC and former UNH OC Chip Kelly has signed a six year contract extension worth $20.5 million.
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The Richmond Spiders like their new stadium.
However, Richmond will continue to be the only CAA school with no band.
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Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday before Towson--Sept 28th, 2010
Matty Vautour says the 2010 schedule favors UMass. I still think Stony Brook has a chance at the Big South title. If they do, that would make six potential playoff teams on the Minutemen's schedule -----plus Michigan.
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The UMass website has excerpts from this week's CAA teleconference by Coach Morris and by Towson's HC Rob Ambrose.
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In The Sports Network poll, UMass and William & Mary have identical records. The Tribe lost ot UMass head-to-head. William &Mary lost to UMass and the Minutemen lost to Michigan. We are ranked one slot behind them.
The FCS Coaches Poll has the same standings.
UMass dropped to #5 in Keepers College Football Ratings.
Keeper does have UMass by 22.09 over Towson.
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The CAA's weekly press release here.
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SeaCoast Online says both UNH and Maine need a win this Saturday.
Two big games in the CAA with playoff implications this Saturday. Villanova @ William & Mary plus Delaware @ JMU.
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The triple option is back at our old playoff foe Georgia Southern. The Eagles had 379 yards rushing against Elon Saturday.
Michigan's QB Denard Robinson had 129 yards rushing and 2 TD's against Bowling Green in five carries.
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The UMass website has excerpts from this week's CAA teleconference by Coach Morris and by Towson's HC Rob Ambrose.
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In The Sports Network poll, UMass and William & Mary have identical records. The Tribe lost ot UMass head-to-head. William &Mary lost to UMass and the Minutemen lost to Michigan. We are ranked one slot behind them.
The FCS Coaches Poll has the same standings.
UMass dropped to #5 in Keepers College Football Ratings.
Keeper does have UMass by 22.09 over Towson.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The CAA's weekly press release here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SeaCoast Online says both UNH and Maine need a win this Saturday.
Two big games in the CAA with playoff implications this Saturday. Villanova @ William & Mary plus Delaware @ JMU.
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The triple option is back at our old playoff foe Georgia Southern. The Eagles had 379 yards rushing against Elon Saturday.
Michigan's QB Denard Robinson had 129 yards rushing and 2 TD's against Bowling Green in five carries.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday before Towson---Sept 27th,2010
The UMass Daily Collegian says UMass got over its road woes.
MassLive.com says the UMass tandem of Griffin and Hernandez keep paying dividends.
Matty Vautour looks at some of the details from the Stony Brook game and notes UMass ran the Wildcat twice.
He has three UMass stars from the Sea Wolves game. Matty also does his weekly "Road to the Playoffs" column.
The Springfield Republican has a nice article about former UMass All-American and current Baltimore Ravens coach Clarence Brooks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sports Network said defense dominated the game between JMU and Liberty.
Craig Haley reviews the state of FCS with his "In the FCS Huddle" column and says it was a September to remember.
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The CAA Blogger has video, stats and other news from all of Saturday's league games.
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Philly.com states Villanova can't afford to decline the Big East invitation.
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Click on the image and Blogger displays a larger view.
I have 34 images from the Holy Cross game in a Picasa Web album here. It contains a couple of images of George N. Parks last performance in McGuirk. I took the above image as I was walking out after the game. Look at the expressions on the band members faces.
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CSN's Gridiron Power Index will again be included in the NCAA FCS playoff selection process.
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UNH is on an eleven game home winning streak, their longest since 1929-31.
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MassLive.com says the UMass tandem of Griffin and Hernandez keep paying dividends.
Matty Vautour looks at some of the details from the Stony Brook game and notes UMass ran the Wildcat twice.
He has three UMass stars from the Sea Wolves game. Matty also does his weekly "Road to the Playoffs" column.
The Springfield Republican has a nice article about former UMass All-American and current Baltimore Ravens coach Clarence Brooks.
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The Sports Network said defense dominated the game between JMU and Liberty.
Craig Haley reviews the state of FCS with his "In the FCS Huddle" column and says it was a September to remember.
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The CAA Blogger has video, stats and other news from all of Saturday's league games.
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Philly.com states Villanova can't afford to decline the Big East invitation.
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Click on the image and Blogger displays a larger view.
I have 34 images from the Holy Cross game in a Picasa Web album here. It contains a couple of images of George N. Parks last performance in McGuirk. I took the above image as I was walking out after the game. Look at the expressions on the band members faces.
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CSN's Gridiron Power Index will again be included in the NCAA FCS playoff selection process.
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UNH is on an eleven game home winning streak, their longest since 1929-31.
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Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday after Stony Brook----Sept 26th, 2010
Image by the UMass website.Full UMass writeup with stats, box score, notes and video here.
Stony Brook's game coverage here. The Sea Wolves didn't come close to a sellout for the Minutemen.
The Boston Globe says UMass avoided a big setback.
The Worcester Telegram said Griffin scored the winning TD for the Minutemen.
The Stony Brook Independent said UMass edged the Sea Wolves.
MassLive said UMass struggled, but held on to win.
Matty Vautour says the Minutemen escaped the upset.
Only 5 people picked a close scoring game for the second week in a row in the Poll.
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Looking at our strength-of-schedule:
William & Mary threw a TD with 20 seconds remaining to beat Maine and run their schedule to 3-1.
Holy Cross fell to 1-3 as they lost to Georgetown 17-7. The Crusader offense has fallen off a cliff this year. Against UMass, Harvard and Georgetown, Holy Cross has scored a total of 20 points.
Michigan smoked Bowling Green 65-21. The Wolverines rang up 721 yards of offense. Denard Robinson banged up his knee. Michigan goes to 4-0.
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Next week's opponent Towson lost to Columbia 24-10. The Tigers fall to 1-3.
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CAA standings after last night's games.
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Saturday, September 25, 2010
Whew! UMass wins 26-21
Tyler Holmes does it again with another game sealing INT.
UMass writeup on the game here.
The Big South video worked, but it was like watching the game through an aquarium. To me, UMass looked flat out tired from the long trip to the midwest. UMass got better as the night went on and the defense pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter.
More tomorrow.
Game Day Stony Brook--Sept 25th, 2010
The UMass defense will have to stop the Sea Wolves running game today. Click on the image and Blogger displays a larger view.The Boston Herald says the big game at Michigan has given the Minutemen confidence.
The Sarasota Tribune says the USF used a lot of short hitch patterns and bubble screens against the Sea Wolves. The Bulls won 59-14.
Stony Brook's HC Priore talks about the UMass game.
Matty V says the Minutemen are looking to avoid the trap.
The Stony Brook student newspaper says their star running Eddie Gowens (5-11 225) is questionable for the game.
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Comparative stats (from the Sea Wolves Game notes)
Category SBU UMASS
Scoring Avg. 25.0 31.7
First Downs / Game 16.3 25.7
Rushing Avg. 231.0 221.3
Passing Avg. 140.7 246.0
Total Offense 371.7 467.3
Time of Possession 30:41 36:51
Touchdowns 10 13
Interceptions 3 3
Sacks/Yards 1/8 2/11
Fumbles/Lost 1/1 7/2
Net Punt Avg. 28.9 28.0 (ouch on both teams)
Kick Return Avg. 16.6 20.7
Punt Return Avg. 4.0 16.2
Penalties / Avg. Yds. 19/48.3 25/77.0
The Seawolves have good size on both sides of the ball. RT Mike Bamino is 6-8 350. Besides Gowins, running backs Brock Jackolski and Miguel Maysont are 5-10 200 and 5-10 205 respectively.
QB Michael Coulter (6-1 210) stats 3 games 113.9 Eff 33-56-7 58.9 % 415 yards 3 TD's 67 LONG 138.3 yards/game.
On defense, like UMass, Stony Brook has a 300 pd nose tackle Andrew Nelson. The trio of linebackers Julian Glenn SLB is 6-1 220. MLB Craig Richardson (injured in Brown game, but is "probable" for UMass) is 6-1 230. WLB Kenney Tuiloma is 5-10 230.
SS Arin West (6-0 212) leads the Sea Wolves defense with 23 TT.
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CAA Game Day page for all today's league games.
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The Minutemen have a long history of playing poorly on the Island. We need to shake off the Michigan game and take care of business today.
Go UMass!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Friday before Stony Brook---Sept 24th, 2010
This page (scroll down) from the Big South Network says we can subscribe to the UMass-Stony
Brook game for a one-time fee of $5.95. Don't blame me if you end up making a $5.95 donation to the Big south, because I'll be in the same boat. Hope it works.
UPDATE: I just signed up via the link above. I received an e-mail saying my credit card had been charged $5.95. So, it appears the worse case scenario is that I'm out a couple bucks. I tried logging in on their "Live feed" and it worked with my Linux/Firefox combo.
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WWLP22 says UMass is ready for its road test.
MassLive.com say UMass is determined to win on the road.
Matty Vautour says UMass wants to shake the "road" monkey.
Matty's week four football picks.
Ron Chemelis looks at the impact on UMass if Villanova jumps to the Big East.
CSN's Terrance Thomas has his weekly "CAA Today" column here.
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I found this image of George over on the UMass Drumline FaceBook page. Not sure who to credit it to.
Three articles from the Amherst Bulletin on George Parks editorial and here and here.
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Josh Buchanan has his weekly NFL stock report of FCS players moving up and down. Kyle Havens is moving up.
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Andrew Gaddess of The Sports Network has the weekly "In the FCS Huddle" column. He predicts a Stony Brook win over UMass. Read the article and see if you can figure out why?
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Over on the MGoBlue blog they are still obsessing about UMass. Read the following post on a UMass running play.
I have a little different take on the play: note the blue line of scrimmage. By the time Jonathan gets to the line of scrimmage, (12:20 game clock image above) Emil Igwenagu, Andrew Kervis and Stephane Milhim have pushed the Michigan defenders three yards back. Jonathan does a quick shake which freezes the Wolverines outside contain and then runs down hill three yards in the crease. Great blocking and heady running leads to a six yard gain. The Minutemen did that all game long as Hernandez averaged 4.4 yards/carry and Griffin had 5.6 yards/carry.
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Speaking of Michigan, they play Bowling Green at noon Saturday. The game is on ESPN2. You could watch Michigan, follow with Richmond -Delaware on Comcast Sports New England at 3:30, then catch the UMass game at 6:00 on streaming video. Mrs Blog probably would not be happy with me if I do that.
Bowling Green's HC Dave Clawson coached at Richmond and Villanova before his gig at Bowling Green. Former UMass assistant coaches Sean Spencer and Bill Durkin are on the same staff.
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