UMass – New England Football Journal

UMass: Minutemen focus on getting bigger up front with their 2020 class

February 20, 2020

Natick’s Josh Atwood could play right away for the Minutemen. UMass signed 21 three star recruits in what is shaping up to be a good class for the Minutemen. Walt Bell and the UMass coaching staff emphasized getting bigger and stronger up front on both the offensive and defensive lines. They also wanted to upgrade the defense particularly at linebacker. They accomplished both. The staff also focused on adding some…

UMass: Blueshirt bungle could come back to hurt UMass later

February 9, 2020

0 comment

Photo courtesy of Jim Young, Associated Press UMass lost three local commitments last week when quarterback Brady Martin, offensive lineman Andrew Nee and defensive back Joe Lusardi all decommitted from the program. The three players reportedly decomitted because UMass was attempting to blueshirt them. The players committed knowing that they were going to possibly have to blueshirt but they were now essentially going to have to walk on. When a…

UMass Preview: BYU Cougars (6-4) at UMass Minutemen (1-10)

November 23, 2019

0 comment

UMass will wrap up the 2019 season today when they take on the BYU Cougars at McGuirk Stadium. It has been a long first season for head coach Walt Bell and the Minutemen program. Nothing has gone right in a season marred by losses, injuries and player defections. A win today would be a major step forward for the Minutemen but it is an unrealistic expectation given how bad the…

UMass: UMass Minutemen (1-9) at Northwestern Wildcats (1-8)

November 16, 2019

0 comment

UMass travels to Evanston, Illinois to battle Northwestern. Both programs have struggled mightily this season. UMass’ defense has been historically bad. Northwestern’s offense has been one of the worst in program history. Something has to give right? Here are three keys to the game for the Minutemen. 1. Defense needs to get a three and out to start: If the Minutemen can get an early three and out, that would…

College: Ten Thoughts on the week that was in D1 football in New England

November 14, 2019

0 comment

Dartmouth’s upset win over Princeton all but locked up the Ivy League title for the Big Green. 1. While Steve Addazio‘s seat is getting warmer at the Heights after Saturday’s loss to Florida State, the Eagles still have a shot at going 6-6 or 7-5 (long shot) and gaining a bowl bid. It will be a fascinating three weeks in Chestnut Hill. 2. Harvard suffered a terrible 17-10 loss in…

UMass: UMass Minutemen (1-8) at Army Black Knights (3-6)

November 9, 2019

0 comment

UMass travels to Miche Stadium in upstate New York to battle Army. The Minutemen continue to struggle in all three phases of the game, particularly on defense. Army will present a new set of challenges today with their flexbone triple option offense. UMass has to stop the run first and foremost but they also have to find a way to not give up big plays. Here are three keys to…

UMass: UConn Huskies (2-6) at UMass Minutemen (1-7)

October 26, 2019

0 comment

The Minutemen had a bye last week so they have had two weeks to prepare for the Huskies. UMass beat UConn last season. It was a huge program win especially when you consider both programs recruit the same players in New England. Here are three keys to the game. 1. Defense must give UMass a chance: It is well documented that the Minutemen defense is among the worst in the…

UMass Preview: UMass Minutemen (1-5) at La. Tech Bulldogs (4-1)

October 12, 2019

0 comment

The Minutemen face an uphill battle tonight when they travel to Ruston, Louisiana to take a good Louisiana Tech team. The Bulldogs are 4-1 but their wins have come against Grambling, Bowling Green, FIU and Rice. All four of those teams however are better than UMass right now so this will be another challenging week for the boys in maroon and white. Here are three keys to the game. 1….

College: Thoughts on Week 6 in New England College Football

October 10, 2019

0 comment

Here are some thoughts on week six of the division one college football season in New England. There were some great interesting results, most notably UNH winning their third straight home game. 1. Boston College lost a 41-39 heartbreaker to Louisville. The defense once again struggled giving up 41 points and over six hundred yards of offense. On the bright side, the offense continued to produce despite quarterback Anthony Brown…

UMass Preview: UMass Minutemen (1-4) at Florida International (1-3)

October 5, 2019

0 comment

After finally getting a win last week over Akron, the Minutemen will look to build on that performance when they hit the Sunshine State to battle FIU today. The two schools have put together a nice little rivalry in recent years that has featured some close games. This is the fifth meeting between the two schools. Here are three keys for the Minutemen in this game. 1. Defense must continue…

1 2 3