UMass – New England Football Journal

UMASS: Spring practice 2021 is an opportunity for the Minutemen to get better

March 30, 2021

UMass kicks off spring practice today in Amherst and it an opportunity for the Minutemen to build on an 0-4 fall season. The season of course was cut short due to COVID-19. After initially saying they wouldn’t be playing a fall season, administration opted to play in early October. The Minutemen played for games in November and lost all four of them. The only game that was remotely competitive was…

UMass: Coaching changes abound for the Minutemen as Walt Bell tries to turn things around

February 16, 2021

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The UMass football staff has been overhauled in recent weeks, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Three new coaches have joined the staff since the end of the season and one needs to be replaced as head coach Walt Bell continues to try to rebuild the program. The most notable departure was that of quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Angelo Mirando who resigned his position last month. Mirando…

UMass: Breaking down the 2021 recruiting class for the Minutemen

December 19, 2020

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Image courtesy of UMass Athletics Walt Bell and his staff needed to upgrade the roster at several key positions and they did that with the 2021 recruiting class. The Minutemen signed 15 total players in the class. https://twitter.com/umassfootball/status/1339357441507602433?s=21 The class features mostly three star recruits from various parts of the country. It reinforces the belief that Bell and his staff can recruit despite the program’s struggles on the field. The…

UMass: Bell and the UMass brass need to make progress this off-season when it comes to fixing the program

December 2, 2020

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Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images UMass wrapped up a shortened season Friday with a 45-0 loss to Liberty. The Minutemen finished 0-4 after losing games to Georgia Southern, Marshall, FAU and Liberty by a combined score of 161-12. UMass initially announced in September that they would not be playing this fall but then changed course and announced they were playing. Athletic Director Ryan Bamford was able to pick up four…

UMass: Minutemen finish the season with a 45-0 loss to Liberty

November 27, 2020

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LYNCHBURG, VA: The UMass Minutemen wrapped up an abridged 2020 season 0-4 after losing to Liberty 45-0. UMass started Redshirt Freshmen Garrett Dzuro. Dzuro got off to a decent start but struggled after the first quarter. Dzuro completed 9 of 22 passes for 172 yards and 1 interception. The Minutemen tried to establish the running game early on but it was struggle as Liberty dominated the line of scrimmage. UMass…

UMass Preview: UMass Minutemen (0-3) at Liberty Flames (8-1)

November 27, 2020

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Line: Flames by 37.5 Opening Kickoff: The Minutemen wrap up their season today when they travel to Lynchburg, Virginia to take on the high flying Liberty Flames. The Minutemen are massive underdogs despite showing improvement last Friday night in a 24-2 loss to FAU. This is the third meeting between the Minutemen and the Flames. UMass beat Liberty 62-59 in a wild game in 2018 but the Flames returned the…

UMass: Defense plays well, offense struggles in frustrating loss to FAU

November 21, 2020

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Image courtesy of Ralph Notaro BOCA RATON, FLA: The UMass defense played its best game in the Walt Bell era but a lack of offense proved to be the difference in a 24-2 loss last night to Florida Atlantic. Bell praised the defense for their effort. “Our best defensive effort since we’ve been here, That’s damn good team defense.” It truly was good team defense. The Minutemen hurried and harassed…

UMass Preview: UMass Minutemen (0-2) at Florida Atlantic (4-1)

November 20, 2020

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Line: Florida Atlantic -33.5 Opening kickoff: The Minutemen travel to Boca Raton, Florida tonight to take Florida Atlantic. The game was put together three weeks ago after FAU was dealing with COVID 19 issues and had to rearrange their schedule. The Owls are coached by former Western Kentucky, South Florida and Florida State coach Willie Taggert. Taggert and Minutemen head coach Walt Bell coached together at Florida State where Bell…

UMass: Primetime game an opportunity for the Minutemen to expand the brand

November 20, 2020

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UMass will travel to Florida Atlantic tonight to take on a talented Owls team led by first year coach Willie Taggert. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network at 8 pm. It is not often that the Minutemen get to play a primetime game that is nationally televised. They did last season at Rutgers in the opener but it doesn’t happen often. The game is a good opportunity…

UMass: Minutemen show improvement in 51-10 loss to Marshall

November 8, 2020

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(Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP) HUNTINGTON. W.V- It wasn’t pretty but the UMass Minutemen showed some improvement in a 51-10 loss to Marshall. UMass was competitive in the first half which is impressive considering they have 22 true or redshirt freshmen on the depth chart. Despite playing better than they did against Georgia Southern, they still trailed 31-10 at the half. The Minutemen got out scored 20-0 in the second…

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