Alumni perspective on the firing of Don Brown & state of UMass football

November 19, 2024

By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff When UMass lost their season opener to Eastern Michigan this year I came home fairly despondent after a long day in Amherst. I put all my things away, grabbed some leftovers, and sat with my wife while she watched television. “Long day?,” she said. “Yeah, they lost 28-14 and never really had a chance, everyone was pretty surprised, I thought it’d be different this year,”……

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In awkward spot, Shane Montgomery just looking to get Minutemen over the finish line

November 19, 2024

Image courtesy of UMass Athletics It’s been a crazy 24 hours in Amherst, but nothing Shane Montgomery hasn’t seen before. If you’re a coach long enough, you deal with hirings and firings all the time. So, when he joined Don Brown’s staff earlier this year as the new offensive coordinator, somewhere in the back of his mind, Montgomery always had to know this could be a possibility given the state…

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UMass football opening will be a tough sell for Bamford and the powers that be

November 19, 2024

Courtesy of UMass Athletics UMass Athletic Director Ryan Bamford announced in a statement on Monday that Don Brown was relieved of his duties. The announcement comes with two games left in the regular season. The Minutemen are at Georgia this week and close out the season at home against Connecticut. Bamford praised Brown for his contributions to the program. “I am extremely grateful to Coach Brown for returning to UMass……

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UMass relieves Don Brown of his duties

November 18, 2024

With two games left in the season against Georgia and UConn, the Don Brown Era has come to an end. UMass AD Ryan Bamford announced that Brown will no longer lead the program in a statement on Monday morning. Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery will be serving as the interim head coach for the road trip to Athens and finale at home against the Huskies. Bamford also said an immediate national…

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Liberty 35, UMass 34 (OT) – Minutemen find another excruciating way to lose

November 16, 2024

By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff AMHERST – In front of 9,115 fans at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday, UMass found yet another soul-crushing way to disappoint fans. The Minutemen allowed the Liberty Flames to storm back and steal a 35-34 overtime win after a missed PAT for UMass. After leading 20-7 at halftime, the Minutemen (2-8) were outscored 28-14 in the second half and overtime combined to fall to the…

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UMass 4 down preview: Liberty Flames (6-2) at UMass Minutemen (2-7)

November 16, 2024

By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff Kickoff: The Liberty Flames travel to Amherst on Saturday afternoon to take on the UMass Minutemen. After suffering a 45-20 loss at Mississippi State two weeks ago, the Minutemen come off their second bye week of the season hoping some rest can help their final three games of the season finish on a high note. 1st Down: The news of redshirt senior quarterback Taisun Phommachahn (132-for-234, 1,590-yards,…

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Recapping Don Brown’s weekly UMass press conference as Minutemen prepare for final 3 games

November 11, 2024

By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff After a bye week, UMass head coach Don Brown took to the podium at his opening week press conference on Monday following practice to discuss an upcoming home matchup against the Liberty Flames. The Minutemen have Liberty, Georgia and UConn remaining on the schedule.   Brown’s opening thoughts “We’re coming off the bye with a good week of practice. In the bye week I like…

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UMass 4 down preview: UMass Minutemen (2-6) @ Mississippi State (1-7)

November 2, 2024

By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff Kickoff: The UMass Minutemen head to Starkville, Mississippi on Saturday afternoon to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in what will be their second of three SEC match-ups this season. On the heels of their 35-7 win over Wagner this past weekend, the Minutemen hope to take that momentum in Davis Wade Stadium where a reeling Bulldogs team hopes to get their season back on track….

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UMass starting tough stretch to close out another disappointing season

October 29, 2024

So, now what? UMass is 2-6 with road games against Mississippi State and Georgia two of the next three weeks. Liberty and UConn also remain on the schedule, which means 2-10 is a very real, and the most-likely outcome for the 2024 Minutemen. With mere months until the program heads into the MAC, we’re still left with more questions than answers when it comes to the lack of progress with…

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UMass 4 down preview: Wagner Seahawks (4-4) @ UMass Minutemen (1-6)

October 26, 2024

Image courtesy of ESPN By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff Kickoff: The UMass Minutemen welcome the Wagner Seahawks of the FCS on Saturday afternoon after their first bye week of the season. With five games left in their 2024 campaign, this is a must win considering the difficult path that remains the rest of the way. 1st Down: The Seahawks have had success this season against opposing quarterbacks. Allowing just 159.4 passing yards…

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