What’s the old saying? You don’t always get what you want, but you get what you need? One win heading into November wasn’t what UMass fans had in mind when the second Don Brown era began. At times this season, there’s been tangible evidence of improvement, but it obviously hasn’t produced victories. Almost every week, we’ve told you how much UMass is improving but they keep losing. So, are we…
Courtesy of Chris Tucci/UMass Athletics By Ryan Barry, NEFJ Corespondent AMHERST – The beautiful fall backdrop of McGuirk Alumni Stadium was the setting for a Buffalo Bulls 34-7 win over the UMass Minutemen. An early 17-0 hole proved too much to overcome, as a sputtering offense and inconsistent defense doomed the Minutemen before a crowd of 13,378 fans. Known for their solid secondary play so far this season, the Minutemen…
Image courtesy of ESPN By Ryan Barry NEFJ Correspondent Kickoff: For a second straight week the UMass Minutemen will defend McGuirk Alumni Stadium against a team that also resides in a town of Amherst, the Buffalo Bulls. Suffering a 42-24 defeat to Liberty last weekend, the Minutemen lacked consistency on offense and committed too many penalties, something that’ll be crucial to fix against an opponent that is definitely beatable. First…
Alright UMass fans, we know you’re sick of hearing it when the team is 1-5, but you can see the progress being made. The game against Liberty wasn’t pretty, but it doesn’t mean this is the same old Minuteman program. With home games against Buffalo and New Mexico State coming up before the showdown with UConn on November 4, head coach Don Brown is hoping that the two more weeks…
By Ryan Barry NEFJ Correspondent AMHERST — A picture perfect afternoon at McGuirk Alumni Stadium was the site for the Liberty Flames’ 42-24 win over the UMass Minutemen. An early, 7-0 lead after the first quarter was about all the excitement that the Minutemen could muster, as the Flames took over after that. Liberty (5-1) was led by redshirt sophomore running back Dae Dae Hunter (17 carries, 78 yards, TD),…
By Ryan Barry NEFJ Correspondent Kickoff: The UMass Minutemen return home to Amherst for a Saturday afternoon tilt against the Liberty Flames. Coming off a 20-13 loss to Eastern Michigan, the Minutemen look to build off a strong performance where they took a lead into halftime, only to squander it away in the second half. Considering where this program has been in recent years, the loss was a massive step…
The process is ultimately all that matters for UMass football right now. Wins are important, sure, but with a new staff, a very young roster and a difficult schedule by Minuteman standards, the results are taking a back seat to the process right now. It’s a hard pill for UMass fans to swallow, but it’s an even harder pill for Don Brown to swallow as a guy who isn’t used…
Photo – ESPN By Ryan Barry NEFJ Correspondent Kickoff: For a fourth time in five weeks the Minutemen head back on the road to take on old Mid-American Conference foe Eastern Michigan. UMass comes into this game reeling from a 28-0 loss last week to the Temple Owls in Philadelphia, where their offense left much to be desired. The loss kept the Minutemen at 131st of 131 teams in CBS’…
Photo – Amy Palmieri/AP On Tuesday night during his weekly media availability, UMass head coach Don Brown did something many may never expect an old school coach like him to do. He brought up analytics. Brown was asked if the defense and offense are progressing to his liking through the first few weeks of the season even though results haven’t showed up on the scoreboard as fast as he and…
Photo – @UmassFootball Down just seven at halftime on Saturday, UMass had a golden opportunity to win two straight games for the first time in a long time. Unfortunately, in a defensive struggle, the Minutemen could only muster 259 yards of total offense – including just 80 passing yards – in a 28-0 loss to the Owls. UMass also didn’t help itself by any means, racking up 11 penalties for…