Monday, September 30, 2013

Monday--September 30, 2013

As of this morning, comments concerning the "Combatives" video and the dueling petitions are shut off. A long running flame war does not do UMass football any good.

If you have feelings about the subject, then the proper thing would be to contact the A.D's office or Chancellor Subbaswamy's office. They are the people who count. 

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UPDATE: UConn fires HC Paul Pasqualoni . Anyone willing to bet on Don Brown?

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The Cleveland Plain Dealer says the best MAC teams are true to the run.

Hustle Belt has updated post-season projections have six MAC teams going bowling.

The Northern Illinois Huskies crack the AP Top-25 list. Wisconsin is in the "others receiving votes" category.

In Bowling Green Vs Akron, Gabe Martin's deflection may have been a game changer.

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Former players will receive $40 million, but there may be as many as over two hundred thousand players eligible, so each player may receive < $400.00.

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Victor Cruz second guesses Tom Coughlin as the Giants come unglued.

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Sunday, September 29, 2013

Sunday--September 29, 2013

UMass Football supporters  launch a petition in support of the program.

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All the MAC scores and write-ups from the league site.

The Chicago Tribune says NIU's rout of Purdue was a historic win.

UMass's next foe Bowling Green ran their record to 4-1 by beating Akron 31-14 in front of 13, 262 at home.

MAC conference-mate Buffalo flat trounced UConn 41-12.

MAC Report Online has more game reports.

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Vanderbilt's offense had an easier time against UAB and won 52-24.

Wisconsin ran up 399 yards of offense, but fell to #4 Ohio State 31-24.

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Maine knocked off #20 Richmond 28-21 to run the Black Bears record to 4-1.

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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Saturday--Bye Week #1

Collegian/Stephen Hewitt image
Mark Chiarelli of the Hampshire Gazette says A.J. Doyle and the offense seeks consistency.

The UMass Daily Collegian has A.J. Doyle is living the dream as quarterback.

The Minutemen's offense gets another stiff test next week in Bowling Green. After facing three BCS defenses in four weeks, UMass gets another team with a BCS-class defense. As I said in yesterday's blog post the Falcons lead the MAC in scoring defense and total defense. They're no slouch in offense either, being third in scoring and second in total offense. If the rejuvenated UMass defense could get some turnovers and give the offense some short fields, then maybe we could get some momentum going. I don't remember any short fields so far in 2013. Next week would be an excellent time to start.

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Seven televised MAC games this week.

Toledo has a showdown with Ball State.

Purdue braces for NIU.

Don't forget UConn @ Buffalo.  The UConn Blog looks at the Bulls.

MAC Blogger round table.

The MAC Report Online has "Inside MAC Football Week #5"

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Friday, September 27, 2013

Friday--September 27, 2013

UMass Chancellor  Kumble Subbaswamy gets involved over the football training video.

Matty V. has the same story.

The Boston Globe has UMass Football coach under fire.

NESN has UMass Football Alumni raise concerns over "combatives" in off season workouts.

Jimmy Kelly of Hustle Belt also checks in with coverage.

All this is not good news for UMass football. One way or another, the UMass administration needs to get this squared away.

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Youngstown State is finding increasing difficulty from recruiting competition from the MAC and other FBS teams.

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Bowling Green, which was picked by most football preview magazines to win the MAC East, hosts Akron this Saturday.

The Falcons could be in line to make those predictions come true. BG leads the MAC in scoring defense by a wide margin.

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Victor Cruz explains his passion and why success will come to the Giants.

ThePostGame goes one-on-one with Victor Cruz.

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Brandon London comments on the Bear's new HC Marc Trestman.

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Recruiting 2013 and 2014 Holines and Sylva

UMass has added Sha-ki Holines, a 6-4 240 pound DE has transferred from UConn to the Minutemen.

The Torrington Register-Citizen also has an article on Holines transferring to UMass.

I've blogged on Holines three times before.

Article about Holines' original signing with UConn.

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In addition, Jason Sylva, a 6-3 250 pound LB from Dean College (JUCO) will join the 2014 UMass recruiting class.

Sylva is a Scout.com three-star recruit.

Sylva's Dean College stats.

I've blogged about Sylva before.

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Thursday--September 26, 2013

The UMass Football Alumni Group has a petition for Coach Molnar to change his methods.  I was never a fan of making players pound on each other in practice. If you're playing organized football, you're tough by definition. High contact drills just lead to injuries.

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Dan Malone has a recruiting post and an injury report. I'll deal with the recruiting in a separate blog post.

Stacey Bedell, Lorenzo Woodley and Trey Seals will be back for the Bowling Green game. Shakur Nesmith is listed as probable. 

LB Steve Casali is listed as questionable and Joey Colton will miss at least a few weeks with a slight tear in his MCL.

Bedell, Woodley and Nesmith represent a substantial portion of the Minutemen's offensive firepower. Having them back should keep opposing defenses from concentrating on Tajae Sharpe and Rob Blanchflower.

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The Muncie Star-Press has a MAC Football notebook.


The Daily Chronicle has MAC teleconference notes.

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Image credit unknown

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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Wednesday--September 25, 2013

The UMass video section has "Getting to UMass offensive coordinator John Bond". Note that Bond thinks UMass is on track for a good recruiting year. In addition, the Minutemen are trying to expand their efforts in Georgia, which is improving its reputation in the recruiting wars.

Coach Bond's UMass bio.

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Dan Malone catches up with former MassLive UMass beat writer Harry Plumer.

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The Tennessean says Vanderbilt has owned the fourth quarter.

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The Milford Daily News catches up with former UMass football player John Welsh.

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Western Michigan, who off to an 0-4 start (sound familiar ) is looking for a reset with the start of MAC conference play.

UMass' next opponent Ball State, 3-1 so far this season, hosts the 2-2 Toledo Rockets this weekend.

The MAC's website has a feature on Ball State's HC Pete Lembo.

The Chicago Sun-Times says the unbeaten NIU Huskies are not pretty, but pretty good.

Cleveland.com states Akron is ready to make its move in the MAC conference.

Hustle Belt takes a look at Week #5's MAC Odds.

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Ravens Safety James Ihedigbo is the glue that holds Baltimore's defense together.

Ihedgibo is proving to be an important part of the Ravens defense.

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The NCAA is reducing Penn State's scholarship penalty. The Nittany Lions will have 75 scholarships available when they play the Minutemen next year.

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A recent study shows no correlation between playing football and Alzheimer's Disease or CTE.

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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Tuesday--September 24, 2013

Dan Malone has four helmet stickers for the Vanderbilt game. If you were at the game, you know that Vanderbilt's last two scores were by truly exceptional plays. Commodore QB Carta-Samuels escaped a sack and completed a pass to Jordan Matthews on the first score. A Vandy RB made a real good run to score the final TD. The defense really did all they could on those two plays.

Coach Molnar is pleased with the play of the defensive secondary.

For UMass, the bye week couldn't have come at a better time. With Broadnax out long-term, losing Woodley and Bedell certainly impacted the second half of the Vanderbilt game.

Sorry to hear Joey Colton might be out for a while. He's been a real spark plug in the defense.

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Matty V. says UMass running backs look to heal up during the bye week.

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The UMass Daily Collegian has a story about the gift from the Manganaro family to UMass football.

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Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens claimed Jeromy Miles off wavers from Cincinnati.

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Rant Sports reports changes to the Ravens secondary are working out.

Ravens.com says James Ihedigbo is leading the Baltimore secondary.

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2012 was a banner year for MAC runners. This year is a different story; see the end of this article.

Hustle Belt previews the Week #5 conference games. It will be interesting to see if Buffalo can keep UConn on the skids.

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Quote of the week by a professional football player:

Mychal Kendricks says he was hit so hard he farted.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Monday --Sept 23, 2013



Video: Justin Anderson, Rob Blanchflower and A.J. Doyle discuss the loss to Vanderbilt.

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Jimmy Kelly atr Hustle Belt has injuries derail UMass' upset bid.

Byron Vance has Hustle Belt's Week #4 MAC power rankings.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer says MAC conference favorites have not changed.

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UMass is #123 in scoring in 2013.

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If you missed it, the Maine Black Bears gave #16 Northwestern a hard time Saturday.

Wisconsin trampled Purdue 41-10.

Kansas State rallied, but still lost to Texas 31-21.

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James Ihedigbo and the rest of the Ravens defense is having a great year. Read the third-do-last paragraph of this link.

Victor Cruz and the Giants had a rough time against the Panthers.

Vladimir Ducasse is starting for the Jets and showing his skills.

A Connecticut newspaper says Ducasse finally emerges for the Jets.

The Bengals waived Jeromy Miles again.

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Does any blog reader know the play list of songs at Gillette? The only one I can think of is "Welcome to the Jungle". I'd like to add some to my exercise  mix.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Sunday--September 22, 2013





Click on an image and Blogger gives a larger view.

Well, the UMass defense turned in an absolutely heroic performance yesterday against a very good SEC team. The Minutemen defensive numbers are distorted by the time of possession. The 166 yards rushing-240 yards passing-406 total yards do not reflect the fact the defense was on the field almost five more minutes than the offense and the defenders were out there a brutal 10:47 in the fourth quarter...

Kevin Byrne had a career high in tackles. He drew a couple of "Hey that Byrne kid can tackle!" on Vanderbilt boards. Tom Brandt had an excellent game. Devin Brown had another double-digit tackling game. Justin Anderson looked like the the guy we expected him to be.The defensive secondary repeatedly smothered the Vanderbilt receivers. Basically, the defense did just about anything you could ask except score.

On offense, things went less well. Liam Coan would have won that game. Maybe Kyle Havens 2.0 would have too. A.J.Doyle continued to struggle. He missed a hand-off on a routine running play. Doyle again threw early INT and had another negated by a penalty  At least three more times he threw the ball close to Vanderbilt defenders, including a mammoth Commodore defensive tackle who was the only player in the area. Doyle's longest pass was just 10 yards. We really need to fix this.

UMass again lost the special teams contest. We continue to be 0 for 2013 in field goals. The Vandy punter only punted once, but it was for 54 yards and was out inside the UMass ten yard line.

What was up with the play review? Every time something positive happened for UMass there was a four minute review that sucked all the momentum out of our play.

One other thing I want to point out. Has anyone noticed that even with us losing the attendance has been good? Working with the 2007 UMass Press Guide, (the NCAA banned them after that year) and assuming we didn't have any near sellouts in the Morris era, the 15, 624 of the opening game would have been the 15th largest attendance in McGuirk history (in the new 17,000 configuration) and yesterday's 16,491 would have been the second largest crowd at McGuirk. If we start winning, UMass will easily average 20,000 or more at Gillette.

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Dan Malone has UMass falls to Vanderbilt as injuries take their toll.

He also has UMass gets positive results from the return to a 4-3 defense.

Dan also write the Minutemen give Vanderbilt all it can handle.

Dan's football notebook talks about Rob Blanchflower's return and the various injuries suffered by the Minutemen in the first half.

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Boston.com says Vanderbilt grinds out a win over UMass.

The Gazette has Vanderbilt pulls away from the Minutemen.

The Boston Herald thinks we play too tough a schedule.

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The Anchor of Gold blog has Vanderbilt grinds out a win over UMass.

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All the results from yesterday's MAC games.

More MAC coverage from Hustle Belt.

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UConn put a scare into Michigan.

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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Game Day--Vanderbilt

UMass football continues to receive financial support in its move to FBS. The Athletic Dept has announce a major gift from brothers David and Paul Manganaro.

Dan Malone also has a report on the gift.

Paul Manganaro was a 5-11 224 pound ILB for the Minutemen. He lettered in 1982, 83, 85 and was Captain in 1986.

I swung by McGuirk yesterday and the place was a beehive of activity. Construction on the new press box has started. Note the construction guy standing on the iron.



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Lots of fan activities for today's game.

Dan Malone has another tough OOC opponent for the Minutemen.

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Mark Chiarelli of the Gazette has story about today's game.

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My Q & A with the Anchor of Gold Blog is up on that site.

Christian D'Andrea has getting to know UMass.

He predicts the Commodores over UMass 44-6.

The Commodores arrive at UMass (image gallery).

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The MAC Report Online has a preview of Week #4.

Ten televised MAC games today.

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Today will be another test of the Minutemen's determination. Vanderbilt is a rising SEC team who went  9-4 last year with a bowl win.

The Commodores will be significantly bigger than UMass on both sides of the ball. The Minutemen have one 300 DL in the two-deep (Robert Kitching III 6-1) and only one other 300-pound DL on the roster (Elijah Wilkinson 6-4 330 a true freshman). Terrell Correia 6-7 305 true freshman is listed as OL/DL. Vanderbilt has four 300-pounders on the two deep.

It would be great to see some offensive production. UMass moved the ball for a couple of long drives against Kansas State, but did not score. Keeping the big play Vandy offense off the field would keep the score respectable.

I was at the game last year and the UMass defense played fairly well. The Commodores scored on an INT and punt return. The UMass offense also turned over the ball deep in UMass territory. Less mistakes will make for a better game today.

Come out to support the team. Go UMass!!



Friday, September 20, 2013

Questions and Answers with the "Anchor of Gold" Blog

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

#4. Both UMass and Vandy play 3-4 defenses. The Commodores have given up 79 points in their first three games. Does that reflect the quality of the opponents or problems with the defense?
It's a little of both (but hey, we did hold Austin Peay to three points two weeks ago!). Vanderbilt has been garbage against mobile quarterbacks, and Ole Miss and South Carolina exploited that in big scoring efforts. The absence of captain Chase Garnham (lower leg injury) amongst the LBs is also troubling, as he was the fastest linebacker we had and big part of this defense's ability to pursue runners. The 'Dores have a solid secondary and the players to put together a very effective front seven, but they get caught off guard too easily, and they can be exploited by smart offensive coordinators.
#5. Looking at the Commodores' game notes, it seems as if special teams are a real strength for the team. Comments?

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

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

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

Friday--September 20, 2013

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

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

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

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The Boston Globe another heavyweight comes to Gillette tomorrow.

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Hustle Belt has a MAC blogger round table.

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

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

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

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Thursday--September 19, 2013

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

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

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Gazette/Josh Kuckens image
The Boston Herald says UMass looks to Stacey Bedell.

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

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

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

Winless Western Michigan has Big Ten opponent Iowa.

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

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The Cincinnati Bengals did re-sign Jeromy Miles.

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

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

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

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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wednesday--September 16, 2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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ESPN says Vanderbilt dismissing Chris Boyd was the right call.

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

Most of the Vegas spreads are +32 for UMass.

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

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

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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Tuesday--September 17, 2013

Soundbites from Coach Molnar's weekly MAC teleconference.

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

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

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

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

Malone has three helmet stickers for Week #3.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ohio University  has band cams.

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0-2 UConn gets Michigan this week.

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The Cincinnati Bengals waived Jeromy Miles yesterday.

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

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Monday, September 16, 2013

Monday--September 16, 2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vandy players have been banned from a popular Nashville bar.

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

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Brandon London is having an unproductive season for the Larks.

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

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Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sunday--September 15, 2013

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

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

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

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

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Dan Malone has the sights and sounds of Family Stadium.

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

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

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

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

Buffalo needed five overtimes to slip past Stony Brook.

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Hey, we did better than Boston College did!

UConn lost again.

Maine is still unbeaten.

Wisconsin lost on a bizarre play.

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

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

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Saturday, September 14, 2013

Game Day --Kansas State

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

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

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

As always, Go UMass!!

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UMass looks for positive growth after a slow start.

Kansas State quarterbacks are double-trouble.

Dan Malone has a UMass flashback from 2009.

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

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

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

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

Kent State gets #8 LSU.

Akron gets Michigan.

Eastern Michigan gets Rutgers.

Western Michigan gets #16 ranked Northwestern.

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

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

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Friday, September 13, 2013

Friday--September 13, 2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two quarterbacks could be a good deal for Kansas State.

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

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The MAC will have nine televised games tomorrow.

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

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

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






Thursday, September 12, 2013

Thursday--September 12, 2013

Trey Dudley-Giles runs it back against Maine
A.J. Doyle named starting QB against Kansas State.

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

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

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Daniel Sams has been electrifying at QB for the Cats.

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

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

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

Hustle Belt also has quarterback power rankings for the league.

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

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

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

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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Wednesday--September 11, 2013

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

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UMass has the game notes for K-State up.

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

Hustle Belt has UMass last in the MAC power ratings.

Quotes from Coach Molnar in the leagues weekly teleconference.

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

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

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Kansas State's weekly press conference notes.

The Cats guard against taking UMass too lightly.

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

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

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Emil Igwenagu was inactive for the Eagles opener.

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Victor Cruz can related to David Wilson's situation.

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

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

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

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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Tuesday-- September 10, 2013

UMass Colonial Color Guard
Dan Malone has three helmet stickers for the Maine game.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hustle Belt has a Week #3 conference overview.

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