Rivals 3-star linemen Antonio Harris has committed to the Minutemen. Another big offensive linemen is just what the doctor ordered.
“I went up there this weekend and UMass. blew my mind,” Harris told the Washington Post. “Last year they had a rough year in their first year [in the Football Bowl Subdivision.] They need people, and I want to be part of what they’re building. I saw other people committing, and I figured I’d better hurry up.”
[via ESPN]
The Boston College Eagles won the same amount of games against 1A opponents as the UMass Minutemen in 2012. Things in Chestnut Hill are not exactly looking great. Now there head coach of four seasons is gone. If ever there was a chance for an upstart local program to gain ground — it’s now.
Boston College makes the trip down 95 to Gillette to open the 2014 season on August 30th.
So you are saying there’s a chance…
For starters, I am thankful that the football program got that first win out of the way. That is actually a bigger deal than you may realize. Sure the win means nothing in the long run, bBut it takes that money off the team’s collective back. Additionally, it takes ammo away from the negative mudslingers. So, thank you, Akron.
Football at the University of Massachusetts is steering the ship. As it is at 9 out of 10 major universities.
UMass Nation should be thankful that the administration finally pulled the trigger on the FBS move. Time was running out. In what it is now an endless conference carousel, the university can be a much more attractive package as it pertains to future super conferences.
Saturday was a great day for a football game. Autumn in Foxboro on a crisp November afternoon is tremendous. The Minutemen came out strong. But an impressive opening drive ended in no points, when the officials decided not to review a close TD run.
On that run, one official (on the near side) called it a touchdown and the other official (on the far side) did not. Inexplicably, the officials went with the call from the more distant referee.
Although UMass played tough and took a 13-0 lead into half, there was no doubt in my mind that those 7 points would be sorely missed.
I wrote that “Where Do We Stand” post for hoops last night. This morning I found myself thinking about where the football team is at this point in the season. This afternoon, new regional rival the University of Buffalo makes its first visit to Gillette on Band Day.
I’m seeing a lot of predictions of a 2 and 3 touchdown loss… from UMass fans.
Now, this could EASILY happen. I know this. But, this is one of the games I was hoping could be close from the day the schedule was released. Now that we have seen this team for several weeks, I hope today’s showing can be more along the lines of the Ohio and Miami games (at the very least). Moreover, the team is coming off a win. Building on that first win would be a huge step forward for the program.
Here is the explanation from ESPN:
The six games will include three “contract bowls” and three “host bowls.” The spots in the contract bowls are reserved for teams that have deals with those bowls.
The contract bowls are: Rose (Pac-12 versus Big Ten), Sugar (SEC versus Big 12) and Orange (ACC versus Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame).
While a Big Ten or SEC team could be selected to the Orange Bowl, the commissioners have agreed that when the Rose and/or Sugar bowls are hosting the semifinals, the Big Ten or SEC champion will not be placed in the Orange Bowl. Instead, it would have to be placed in one of the three other access bowls to increase the worth of that bowl, sources told ESPN.
Those remaining three access or “host” bowls still must be determined, but the leading candidates are the Fiesta, Cotton and Chick-fil-A, sources said.
With the “Group of Five” earning an automatic bid, that will lock up seven of the 12 berths in the six access bowls. The other five berths will be filled with at-large teams chosen, based on their final rankings, by a yet-to-be-formed selection committee.
What does this mean for UMass football? Well, it means that a move to the Big East is now at the very least much closer to a parallel move than a “move up” from the MAC.
We posted about one class of 2013 QB offered yesterday. Today we can confirm another.
Anthony Robbins plays his high school ball Willingboro High School. He was invited to the 2011 Under Armour combine.
We can confirm via Robbins that UMass has offered him a scholarship. There is limited information on the QB, but he does have an ESPN recruiting page.
[via @AirAllAmerican1]