Sunday, August 31, 2014

Sunday-- August 31st, 2014

UPDATE 7:20 PM: Giants sign Michael Cox to practice squad. He was cut yesterday; see below in this morning's blog post.

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Well, things went about as expected yesterday. Everyone knew BC was a running team with a huge and experienced OL. That meant the Eagles were going to have big rushing totals and dominate the time of possession. In addition, Don Brown has a veteran defense with the entire defensive backfield returning. So the stunting, blitzing Boston College defense was going to be tough to handle. It pretty much played out that way.

Despite the script, there were some good things and bad things for the Minutemen.

The Good:

Everyone expected the UMass defense to be over matched by the Eagles and they weren't.  Despite being on the field most of the game, the smaller Minutemen defense repeatedly stopped BC in the Red Zone. The UMass defense added an interception. In addition, the defense played a lot players. It looks like we have some depth and that'll make a difference later on. You can't hold the rushing totals against the defense. That's BC's game and they'll have a large rushing edge on most teams they play.

J.T Blyden looked good running the ball. The Frohnapfel-to-Sharpe 77 yard TD is the look of things to come.

In addition, did anyone notice we had good clock management and UMass had only one penalty in the first half? UMass looked well-coached. Brian McDonald did a good job with the punts.

The Bad:

Blake Frohnapfel was starting his first game and he looked rusty. For most of the game the UMass receivers didn't get much separation from Don Brown's defense and that didn't help him.

UMass needed to make some plays in a limited window of opportunity due to BC's offense. We didn't score after the defense's interception.

The UMass D did blow one coverage that allowed a Boston College TD. I thought the fourth-and-one should have been a J.T. Blyden run or a Fronapfel keeper instead of a screen pass.. Those two plays cost us 10 points. Everybody would have been more encouraged by 20-7.

Boston College easily won the battle of students by better than two-to-one.

The Results:

We didn't beat a BCS team in the first game of the second Whipple era. We still need seniors and more recruits, but it wasn't a bad start. One good thing is we're through with BC and they can now go to Hell or Connacht, as Cromwell once said. And they can take the Globe with them.

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UMass drew 30, 479 to Gillette.

Opening home totals in the MAC:

UMass-30, 479
Kent State-22,754
Buffalo-20,329
Toledo-20, 185
Central Michigan-15,793
Northern Illinois-12-398
Ball State-9,659
Akron-9,104
Eastern Michigan-8,748

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Dan Malone says Blake Frohnapfel was inconsistent.


Nick O'Malley says the BC running game pushed UMass to the breaking point.

Dan also says J.T. Blyden impressed.



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Matty Vautour has first impressions of the 2014 Minutemen.

Matty says Boston College ground down the Minutemen in the second half.

He points out UMass got good weather and 30,479.

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Michael Cox and Julian Talley were cut by the Giants yesterday.

Rob Blanchflower was cut yesterday by the Steelers.

We'll have to see if anyone gets picked up on waivers or added to the practice teams.

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The MAC results are here.

Not a great weekend for the MAC. Morgan State, non-scholarship Duquesne, and Colgate all made it close against league teams. Western Michigan had the best result as they lost by just nine at Big Ten bottom feeder Purdue.

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Colorado lost to rival Colorado State 31-17.

Penn State edged UCF 26-24.

Vanderbilt got run over by Temple, but that wasn't the only thing that went wrong.

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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Game Day Boston College-- August 30th, 2014

Welcome to game day! Hope to see a bunch of UMass fans at Gillette.


UMass cadence. Turn your speakers up all the way up.

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Dan Malone has his Season Preview II covering UMass hopes for a more aggressive defense and more consistency on special teams.

He also say the Minutemen open with an emotional game against the Boston College Eagles.

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Matty Vautour says both UMass and Boston College have a lot of unknowns to start the 2014 season.

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Lots of vitriol from BC Interruption: Gloating about the 1974 70-8 Eagle victory in 1974. A.J. Black makes fun of UMass and the Boston area working class.

Smile UMass fans. We're inside their heads already :)

As a direct descendant of some working class Irish ------ and eight years of Catholic school, I'll comment with the following:

 Sarcasm and abuse are the mark of an arrogant man,
     but vengeance lies in wait like a lion for him.

                           Ecclesiasticus 27:28

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The Hamsphire Gazette has an editorial saying we're heading in the right direction.

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WBUR rehashes the move to FBS debate and quotes UMass professor Richard Bogartz who says we can't compete in the MAC.

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Steelers Depot thinks Rob Blanchflower will end up on the Steelers practice squad.

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All the pundits picked Bowling Green to win the MAC this year. The Falcons were waxed by Western Kentucky last night 59-31.

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UConn lost to BYU 35-10 in a penalty filled game.

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Villanova took Syracuse to double overtime.

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Friday, August 29, 2014

Friday-- August 29th, 2014

UPDATE: I received the UMass Game Day Guide by e-mail. It's available in a browser here.

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The UMass Radio Network adds 50,000 watt WXKS 1200 Bloomberg Radio. That should give us a big signal in New England for Minutemen football and basketball.

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The UMass game notes for BC are up.

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The Boston Herald has a story about Boston College's offensive line. The Eagles' line looks to be:

Four fifth-year seniors and one senior offensive lineman. I know what I'd do if I was coaching the Eagles. Their starting RB will probably be Myles Willis SO 5-9 203. The Eagles also have a four-star Freshman RB Jon Hilliman 6-0 215.

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The Boston Herald says new-look UMass ready to take on BC.


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The Boston College Blog Soaring to Glory expects a crowd of 20,000 for Saturday's game.

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Jesse Allen of Hustle Belt trades questions with the BC Interruption.

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The MAC conference season opened last night. Akron and NIU cruised to easy victories over weak FCS teams and Central Michigan struggled with Southern Conference Tennessee Chattanooga.

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BTW, Temple crushed Vanderbilt last night. Hope for UMass on September 13th?

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Michael Cox ran well in the Giants' game last night.

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Steeler's Depot has some game film of Rob Blanchflower against the Eagles.

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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Thursday--August 28th, 2014

Coach Whipple quotes from the MAC's weekly teleconference.

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The first Mark Whipple football show will be tonight at 7:00 pm at the Hanger.

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Matty Vautour has Camp Superlatives II.

He also has Tatoo Tuesday: Jovan Santos-Knox.

Matty also sorts out the new-look UMass offense.

The Eagle Blog BC Interruption interviews Matty.

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Dan Malone says Whipple is going to use the BC game and Gillette stadium as a recruiting moment.

He also reports Whipple thinks UMass will play well despite being the 3rd youngest team in the nation.

Whipple also thinks if you need a team to emulate, then the Pats would be a good choice.

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Fox News previews Boston College.

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Boston Inno says UMass-Boston College rivalry is lame.

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CBS Boston has an audio interview of Coach Whipple here.

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The Boston Herald says Trey Dudley-Giles does it all.

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The Hampshire Gazette reports on the annual UMass Community Breakfast pep rally.

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BC Interruption wishes there was a word for taking enjoyment in the misfortune of others.

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Rant Sports looks at Friday's Colorado-Colorado State matchup.

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The NY post looks at the Kendall Gaskins-Michael Cox battle for a roster spot on the Giants.

Julian Talley is still in contention for one of the Giants WR spots.

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James Ihedigbo speaks at the Lion's kickoff luncheon.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Wednesday--August 27th, 2014

There's been a lot of depressing news over the last month of so. This prank made me smile. Kudos to the UMass fan or fans who dressed the statue of Doug Flutie at BC stadium in a UMass jersey.


Story by CBS News here. Matty Vautour has UMass players reaction here. Note that the game will probably set a UMass home attendance record.

BC Blog "Soaring to Glory" reacts with the sense of humor that Eagles fans are noted for.

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Dan Malone has Mark Whipple talks freshman contributors and physical conditioning.

He also reports Jamal Wilson looks like the starting RB against BC.

After three years of waiting, it looks like TE Brandon Howard will start Saturday.

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Matty Vautour looks at the amazin' career of Minutemen punter Brian McDonald.

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Speaking of BC, the Globe says the Eagles captains are a study in perseverance .

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Cleveland.com rates UMass' schedule as the toughest in the MAC.

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Michael Cox and Julian Talley both survived the Giants first round roster cuts.

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The Colorado Buffs release their first 2014 depth chart.

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Anchor of Gold looks at the new Vandy starters.

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Meanwhile Penn State prepares for a very long road trip.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Tuesday--August 26th, 2014

I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to get excited---and nervous. I want to see UMass do well.

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Two articles on the Minutemen's first official two deep: Dan Malone and Matty Vautour.

I'd take the two-deep with several grains of salt. I doubt UMass would break true freshman J. T. Blyden's redshirt just to return kicks. Ryan Johnson, Jean Sifrin and Shane Huber could start later in the season.

QB- Blake Frohnaple, A.J. Doyle

Austin Whipple would be the 3rd QB

RB- Jamal Wilson, Lorenzo Woodley
FB-Rodney Mills, Daquan Mack

Mills at 6-1 215 would likely be another receiver out of the backfield

WR- Tajae Sharpe, Shakur Nesmith
WR -Jalen Williams, Alex Kenney

Marken Michel will also see a lot of snaps

TE: Brandon Howard, Jon Denton

LT-Tyrell Smith, Tyshon Henderson
LG-Fabian Hoeller, Michael Boland
C-Matt Sparks, Rich Queen
RG-Josh Bruns, Lucas Kolter
RT-Elijah Wilkinson, Cameron Mock

Hoeller would probably backup Sparks. Henderson will probably back up both tackle spots.

Defense

DE-Peter Angeh, Enock Asante
NT-Robert Kitching, Daniel Maynes
DT -Sha-Ki Holines, Leo Krizanovic


OLB -Kessan Messiah, Lucas Amato
ILB-Stanley Andre, John Robinson Woodgett
ILB-Jovan Santos-Knox, Steve Casali
OLB-Trey Seals, DaSean Downey

Along with WR's, this is a deep unit.

CB-Randall Jette, Iric Harris
S-Joe Colton, Khary Bailey-Smith
S-Trey Dudley-Giles, Zeke Edmonds
CB-Jackson Porter, Jesse Monteiro

Monteiro would probably be the nickle back. Edmonds, a true freshman, has had a good camp.

Special Teams

K-Blake Lucas, Matthew Wylie
P-Brian McDonald, Logan Laurent
LS-Nick Berus, Emmett Odegard
H-Blake Frohnapfel
KR-Trey Dudley-Giles, J.T. Blyden
PR-Trey Dudley-Giles, Bernard Davis

Five freshmen in the two-deep. Seventeen new starters.

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Matty Vautour also has 2014 may be the most important season in UMass history. Just remember opening with four BCS teams does not really measure the progress UMass has made.

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UMass is picked last in the MAC preseason coach's poll.

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BC loses LB Tim Joy for the season. Always hate to see a player get hurt.

The Boston Herald says mystery awaits the Eagles in their opening game.

A writer on BC Interruption predicts Boston College's season.

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Another game Saturday with interest by UMass fans:

Idaho plays at Florida.

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Monday, August 25, 2014

Monday-- August 25th, 2014

More info on student and fan buses to Gillette from Amherst on the UMass website.

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Boston area alums and fans can join the UMMB, UMass Board of Trustees Chair Henry Thomas, UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and Football Coach Mark Whipple in a UMass pep rally one Wednesday!

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The BC blog BC Interruption has the Vegas odds makers have the Eagles as a 15 point favorite.

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Rob Harms of the Boston Globe says Whipple is ready for the next challenge.

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The Boston Globe has an editorial saying UMass should reconsider football. Because, you know, the Globe has great regard for Massachusetts taxpayers.

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The Berkshire Eagles reports that Minuteman freshman Jordan Fiske has been moved to FB from TE. Fiske's UMass bio.

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The Boston Herald reports on UMass DT Daniel Maynes and his struggle with Crohn's disease. Hang in there Dan. Crohn's is a bitch. I know 'cause I have it too.

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The Star Press predicts Ball State's season and a win over UMass.

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State College.com looks at Penn State's 2014 season including it's game in Ireland. It also states UMass played Rhode Island in Ireland in 1993. Musta missed that game.

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The Eagle Tribune looks at local men with football connections including UMass assistant coach Mike Cassano.

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Metro Daily News says BC transfer Tyler Murphy could be a bridge to the future for the Eagles.

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Sunday, August 24, 2014

Sunday-- August 24th, 2014

The Power and Class of New England is also in camp. Can't wait to hear them in action!

The Philipsburg Stateliner Marching Band will be at UMass' Band Day.

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The Boston Herald says welcome back Whipple.

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Image credit unknown
Boston College names 6-2 213 pound transfer QB Tyler Murphy starting QB. Murphy's BC bio.

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Lancaster Online previews the 2014 Nittany Lions.

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The Eagles cut Emil Igwenagu.

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Rob Blanchflower is still contending to make the Steelers roster.

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The Cleveland Plain Dealer says Miami (Ohio) is rebuilding.

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The 2014 college football season kicked off yesterday with Eastern Washington defeating Sam Houston State 56-35. Sam Houston State is now coached by old friend K.C. Keeler.

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Saturday, August 23, 2014

One week to Boston College--August 23rd, 2014

Matty Vautour has superlatives from training camp: best looking Minutemen player and best athlete.

He also has "Can UMass exceed low expectations?" The answer is yes. I really don't know why we are ranked below teams like Eastern Michigan. UMass does have a significantly tougher schedule this year. We play four BCS teams OOC (and nobody, including Alabama does that) and we play three of the top four teams in the MAC.

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Angeh #5
Dan Malone has five questions with Peter Angeh.

Angeh's UMass bio.

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Dan reports Marcel Shipp likes his running backs.

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Cleveland.com previews UMass. This is the article Matty Vautour references in the article above.

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NCAA.com says Blake and Eric Frohnapfel remain close despite the distance between them.

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UMass fans going to the Gillette games attend one of only 32 college venues that sell beer.

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The Vanderbilt Commodores will have a new starting QB this season.

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James Ihedigbo was inactive for last night's game against Jacksonville.

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Friday, August 22, 2014

Recruiting 2015--- Mark Wright

Wright #24/ Image credit unknown
ESPN Boston reports UMass is showing interest in Mark Wright, a 5-8 168 pound RB/CB from Auburn, MA

ESPN story here.

Hudl.com has video

BeRecruited has stats.

Besides UMass, Wright is drawing interest from Boston College, UNH and Wagner.

Friday--August 22nd, 2014

Nice article from Martin Jacobson about getting the UMass community together with football.

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Besides being the new starting QB, Blake Frohnapfel will be the holder on kicks.

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Dan Malone has five questions with freshman QB Ross Comis. His UMass bio.

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Dan reports about a bad day at camp. It's been a long camp and it's natural to not be into it sometimes. However, if you want to play in the pros, you've got to be ready when the light goes green. The pro teams release veterans who had one bad game. Remember Ray Lewis' memorable motivational rants before the Ravens' games?

Football in addition to all of its other challenges, is a lot like boxing. Unlike baseball, or basketball or many other team sports, you don't get do-overs football.

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Dan also reports there are still positions up for grabs with a week to go before Boston College.

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Matty Vautour has a story about camp and reports no captains have been chosen yet.

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BC Interruption has quotes from the last Eagle preseason scrimmage.

Three Eagles named to the Reese Senior Bowl Watch List.

BC fans think seven wins is about right for the Eagles 2014 season.

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Cleveland.com says Kent State is facing adversity to start the 2014 season.

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James Ihedigbo has some quotes on the NFL's new no-touch rule for defensive backs.

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NJ.com says Emil Igwenagu still has a shot to make the Eagles.

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Televison, live streaming video and other distractions have made an impact on college football student attendance at games.

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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Thursday-- August 21st, 2014

The Mark Whipple Football radio show will start August 28th, at the Hanger.

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UMass runs a "mock game" at Gillette. First visit to Gillette for the freshmen.

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Dan Malone updates the starters on offense and defense. Graduate transfer Brian McDonald seems ahead on the battle for starting punter.

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UMass starting QB Blake Frohnapfel will also be the new holder on kicks.

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Speaking of Frohnapfel, the WV  Gazette says the Frohnapfel brothers are separated, but still tight.

Matty Vautour says Blake Frohnapfel receives support from the Herd.

The Boston Herald says Frohnapfel and UMass center Matt Sparks snap to it.

The UMass Daily Collegian on Frohnapfel being named starting QB.

Frohnapfel and potential backup Marshall QB Gunnar Holcombe remain close.

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Boston College holds final scrimmage before the UMass game.

Sports Chat Place picks the odds on the UMass-BC game.

The Patriot Ledger says the Eagles defense should be better. Oh joy.

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The Boston Globe reports Jamal Wilson is looking to be the man at running back.

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While UMass has their man at QB, Northern Illinois is still searching for Jordan Lynch's replacement.

Kent State center Jason Bitsko dies in his sleep.

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The Colorado Buffs lose a starter for the season.

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The New Zealand Herald reports an Icelandic volcano threatens the UCF-Penn State opening game. They follow college football in New Zealand?


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Wednesday--August 20th, 2014

The results for the "Away" uniforms poll were interesting. The top vote getter was maroon helmets, white jerseys and maroon pants. In the locker room they had a manikin with white helmet, white jersey and maroon pants. I voted for all white myself. The least favorite combination was a maroon helmet and white jerseys and pants, which in my opinion, would make us look like Temple clones.

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UMass QB coach Liam Coen explains how Blake Frohnapfel won the QB contest.

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Video interview with Eric Frohnapfel, Blake's twin brother.

The Huntington Herald-Dispatch has a story about the Frohnapfel brothers.

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Dan Malone has five questions with three-star running back recruit J. T. Blyden. Blyden's UMass bio.

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Brandon Howard
Matty Vautour looks at the TE situation with two weeks to go before Boston College. Right now the depth chart looks like:

  1. Brandon Howard RSJR 6-5 250 GP 12 4-55 13.8 AVE 20 LONG
  2. Rodney Mills Jr 6-1 215 GP/GS 12/4 5-47 9.4 AVE 25 LONG also had 6 TT on special teams.
Also in the mix are Jon Denton, JR 6-6 260, who probably will see a lot of action. Sharif Custis RSFR 6-3 210 and QB-turned-TE Tod Stafford 6-7 261.

Still waiting for academic clearance is Jean Sirfin, JR 6-7 250.

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The Orlando Sentinel previews the 2014 Minutemen.

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The Penn State band, which will be performing with the UMass Band on September 20th, has a tradition canceled.

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Vavel.com looks at the 2014 Buffalo Bulls and predicts a win over UMass.

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BC Interruption discusses trap games for the Eagles and mentions UMass and its 42-man fan base.

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Speaking of the NFL, I'm glad I'm a college football fan. The new penalty rules have made NFL games unwatchable. The Giants-Colts game had nearly 30 penalties. Other preseason game have had similar totals. 

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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Tuesday--August 19th, 2014

Blake Fronapfel
Lots of news this morning. First off Blake Frohapfel has been named starting QB.

Dan Malone has the story about Blake.

He also reports A.J. Doyle will remain at QB. I stand by my assertion that A.J. will play better this year. He's the only experienced backup we have, so he'll be a significant cog in the UMass offense.

Matty Vautour also has a post on Fronapfel being named starter. Note the chance to study at my old school UMass'  Isenberg School of Management was instrumental in Fronapfel considering joining the Minutemen.

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In other news, four-star RB Drew Harris and UMass have parted ways. Coach Whipple's only comment was "It wasn't a good fit."

From Dan's article the running back chart looks like this:

  1. Jamal Wilson RSJR 5-10 206
  2. J.T. Blyden FR 6-0 196
  3. Shadrach Abrokwah SO 5-9 202
Limited with injuries so far in camp are Lorenzo Woodley SO 6-0 212 and Jordan Broadnax RSJR 5-9 184.

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The MAC Conference and ESPN have signed a new thirteen year deal.

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Hustle Belt previews Ball State's season and predicts an easy win over UMass.

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The Vegas odds makers have BC double-digit underdogs in at least six games this season. BC Interruption looks at the chances of an Eagle upset.

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Fosters.com previews UNH's offensive line and has a number of quotes from former UMass star Alex Miller.

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Monday, August 18, 2014

Monday--August 18th, 2014

I watched the Giants-Colts game on DVD last evening. Michael Cox, who finally had some blocking, ran well and ended up the Giants leading rusher. Cox totaled 7-32-1 TD. Julian Talley continued to catch everything thrown to him. Talley was also playing on special teams. The Colts had a couple of old foes, including Colt Anderson. Remember his leaping interception against the Minutemen at Montana? Seems like a long time ago. The Colts also have Zirlon Tipton, who flat ran over our asses the last two years.

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The Minutemen took an afternoon off and went to Northampton's Look Park.

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Dan Malone looks at Fabian Hoeller and Josh Bruns and their opportunity to start.

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The Boston Herald says Tajae Sharpe leads the Minutemen wide receivers.

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The Patriot Ledger says Boston College's special teams are in a state of transition.

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Both Vanderbilt and Penn State were in the "others receiving votes" section of the first AP 2014 football poll.

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Cleveland.com says the Toledo Rockets should have few equals in the MAC.

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Last Wednesday I attended the UMass Media Day I have some images in a Picasa Web album.

The Performance Center will be a big operational upgrade for the team. Probably most fans never saw the previous video room. It wouldn't have made a decent walk-in closet. Now the video guys have large working space. Video can be routed directly to the coaches' offices. Each position coach has an office big enough to have seats for his players. The training room is light and airy (a big change from the dungeon-like atmosphere of the old field house). The weight room is awesome! Having all the facilities in the same location should make a big boost in efficiency for the team and the coaches.






Sunday, August 17, 2014

Sunday--August 17th, 2014

Video of UMass coach Charles Walker leading linebacker drills. Walker's UMass bio.

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More video with LB Jovan Santos-Knox leads a tour of the new Performance Center. Jovan's UMass bio.

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Tajae Sharpe
Dan Malone features UMass WR Tajae Sharpe in the second-to-last UMass Top 25 series. When Sharpe and Blanchflower played together last year the Minutemen looked at times like they had an offense. This year, with lots more talent around him, Sharpe may have less catches, but look for him to be more of a playmaker, with more yards after catch. In 2013 UMass had 9 TD catches. Opponents had 22.

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Boston College had many turnovers in their second scrimmage.

The Boston Herald says the Eagles offense was in a giving mood.
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Penn State has a pretty good motivational video here.

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Michael Cox had a two-yard TD run in the Giants comeback win over the Colts.

In his post-game interview, Coach Coughlin praised Julian Talley.

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The Columbus Dispatch says the MAC Conference is willing to adapt to changing college landscape.

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Northern Illinois unveils new all-red and all-black uniforms.

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Saturday, August 16, 2014

Recruiting 2016-- Will Fries II

I've blogged about Will Fries, a 6-5 260 pound OL from Cranford, NJ before.

This article from NJ.com updates his recruiting.

Fries currently holds offers from UMass, Rugers and Army.

Saturday--August 16th, 2014

Matty Vautour says Mark Whipple has brought fun back to UMass football. Wins will follow as long as Minutemen fans are realistic about the schedule. UMass opens with four BCS teams and Bowling Green, everybody's pick for MAC champion. There will be bowl-eligible teams from the AAC, Sunbelt and MAC that would go 0-5 against that schedule. The 2015 schedule is much more reasonable and the win totals will look much better.

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Chuck Crow image
Former UMass WR Tom Gilson will play in the Arena Football league's championship game on August 23rd. Gilson's UMass bio. Gilson's Gladiators bio.

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Hustle Belt looks at MAC recruiting power rankings as of August.

Hustle Belt also looks at the best football names in the MAC.

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Speaking of the MAC, Cleveland.com says the Northern Illinois Huskies are a breed apart.

Cleveland.com also says Central Michigan has stuff to win it all.

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Lightly buzzed.com looks at the ugliest uniforms in college football.

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Notre Dame holds out four players while probing academic fraud.

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Boston College is working hard in the second week of practice.

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On August 30th, Penn State kicks off its 2014 season in a unique venue.

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Friday, August 15, 2014

Recruiting 2015 --D'Won Parker

Andrew Mills image
NJ.com says UMass is showing interest in D'Won Parker, a 6-0 180 DB from St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey.

NJ.com article here.

Hudl.com has video.

Rivals.com two-star player.

Parker has offers from Pitt and Syracuse. Interest from UMass and other Northeastern schools.

Friday--August 15th, 2014

Dan Malone has a post about DaSean Downey. As Dan says Downey during the Spring Game looked like an impact player. The linebacking corps is one unit the Minutemen appear to have enough depth to run some situational packages. Downey's UMass bio.

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Dan also has a feature and video about the UMass receivers.

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Both A.J. Doyle and Blake Fronapfel will be able to run with the ball this year. I dunno. Having a healthy QB is a big part of being effective. If I was coach, I'd tell both players if the play breaks down, hit the turf and we'll get 'em next time...

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Dan has five questions with freshman DL Jake Largay. Largay's UMass bio.

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ESPN looks at Penn State's schedule and concludes UMass has the least to offer.

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The Concord Monitor looks at Jim Kelley and his New England roots.

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The Warwick Beacon has a feature on Minutemen verbal Lee Moses.

Quote from the article: “We’re really comfortable with Liam Coen,” said Hendricken head coach Keith Croft, who has helped Moses through the entire recruiting process. “Coach Whipple whose reputation is great – I remember when he was at Brown. If I could pick a school, with a coaching staff that you trust, UMass is a great fit for him.”

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The Tampa Tribune says Trey Dudley-Giles is looking for a turnaround.

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The Boston College Blog BC Interruption says it's time for the Eagles to make Boston their own.

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Rick Neuheisel thinks the Colorado Buffs are on the right track.

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Like UMass, Vanderbilt is switching to a 3-4 defense this year.

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Penn State gets a $1 million donation to the football program.

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Behind the Steel Curtain says Rob Blanchflower is making progress with his high ankle sprain.

They also say Blanchflower helped himself in drills against the Buffalo Bills.

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ESPN reports James Ihedigbo is helping the chemistry of the Lions defense.

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Thursday, August 14, 2014

Thursday-- August 14th, 2014


Yesterday was Media Day at McGuirk. I attended and will have a image album up soon. It was the first time the position group images and head-shot portraits have been done inside. That was a good thing as there was a frog-drowning downpour going on outside. Special thanks to UMass and John Sinnett for allowing a blogger to take part.


UMass has video of Coach Whipple's talk to the media here. To me the most interesting part of his responses were his comments on the facilities and his hopes for the program. He said he came to UMass when we were FCS because we had the resources to win a national championship. Yesterday, he said UMass has the resources to win a league championship and go to a major bowl.

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Matty V says the new Performance Center is a good start, but it needs to be part of a larger commitment. UMass goes from having the worst facilities in FBS to the bottom ten. The Minutemen program could use a covered practice facility and a couple of artificial turf practice fields.

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Dan Malone has a story on Coach Whipple's comments on the BC game.

Whipple said the QB decision will be made this week. Dan reports on the competition between Doyle and Fronapfel.



Dan also updates the status of Daniel Maynes, who everyone expects to be the starting NT if he's healthy. Maynes UMass bio.

Boston College is not just another game to Joey Colton. UMass bio for Colton.
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The Daily Collegian says the QB decision is looming.

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The Boston Herald says UMass is better all around.

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The Greenfield Recorder says it's time for a turnaround.

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Channel 3 Spring field reports on the new Performance Center.

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Matty Vautour will make a guest appearance in BC Interruption's radio show.

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The Sentinel & Enterprise looks at Jarell Addo and Connor Lemieux who were rivals in high school and now are teammates at UMass.

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Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur takes questions from Patriots.com and comments about former UMass player Emil Igwenagu.

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Rob Blanchflower supplied a big hit in Steelers camp.

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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Wednesday--August 13th, 2014

The home uniforms poll showed a clear preference for the white helmets, maroon jerseys and white pants (58%). I think the "default" combination will be maroon helmets and maroon jerseys w/white pants, but we'll see on August 30th.

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Matty Vautour looks at veteran UMass DB Randall Jette. He also mentions potential CB starter Jackson Porter. Jette's UMass bio. Porter's bio.

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Dan Malone has a 30+ minute podcast with Daily Collegian writer Mark Chiarelli about UMass' first week of camp. Listening to them talks I was struck by how much last year was a lost year. The increases in depth and competition should have occurred in 2013.

Dan also has UMass working on situational plays.

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The UMass website has video featuring the Minutemen wide receivers.

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The Boston Herald features Todd Stafford's move to TE.

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The Sentinel & Enterprise has a feature on former UMass star Mike Dawson, who's now coaching with the Eagles. Dawson's Eagles bio. Two other Eagles coaches with UMass ties are Jerry Azzinaro and Bill McGovern.

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The Boston College blog "BC Interruption" looks at the Eagles-Maine game. The Black Bears, last year's CAA champs lost a ton of first-string All-CAA players to graduation. They could drop back into the middle of the CAA this year.

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The Worcester Telegram has a feature on Emil Igwenagu. He still keeps in touch with other UMass players including Rob Blanchflower.

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PreGame.com looks at the 2014 Minutemen as says UMass has the worst defensive front seven in the MAC and the secondary is flat out bad.

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OT, but BC Interruption has a post that says UMass, BU, Holy Cross and Northeastern have one thing in common---they all hate BC basketball.

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In MAC news

Ball State looks to regroup.

Buffalo strives for a MAC championship.

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