Image courtesy of ESPN By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff Kickoff: The UMass Minutemen host the Bowling Green Falcons at McGuirk Alumni Stadium with one final opportunity to salvage a win in their 2025 campaign. The Minutemen have never gone winless in a season since joining the FBS in 2012, and have never not won a game in a season that had three or more total games, making the importance of securing…
Patriots breathe sigh of relief on Will Campbell’s knee injury, but loss still stings
The Patriots received a significant, albeit mixed, injury update regarding rookie left tackle Will Campbell, who was carted off the field in the third quarter of Sunday’s 26-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Initial fears of a season-ending injury, heightened by the rookie’s visible distress as he was helped off, appear to have been avoided. According to reports, Campbell is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain, which an MRI…
Connecticut Top 25 – Week 11
CIAC Sports By Andy Close and Rob Gullo NEFJ Correspondents The last week of the regular season has finally arrived in Connecticut. Most teams were on a bye last week, as they prepare for Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day games across the state. The quarterfinal round of the CIAC playoffs in all six classifications begins on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Here are this week’s rankings: 1. New Canaan (9-0): New Canaan was ranked…
Vrabel has brought true family feel to Patriots locker room
Image courtesy of the New England Patriots FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots locker room was a little extra emotional in Cincinnati on Sunday following the win. Not because they had just grabbed win No. 10, remaining the top team in the AFC, but because they were able to Face Time Jahlani Tavai and celebrate with him for a bit while Tavai is tending to a serious family matter. In a very…
College Dudes of the Week – Final regular season edition
Jim Shannon – Hearst Connecticut Media We got some big time performances when it mattered most this weekend. Some guys helped clinch league titles and others helped their teams qualify for the FCS postseason with an at-large bid. Oh, and one particular QB continued his remarkable season. Here’s the Week 13 Dudes of the Week: If we did a Dude of the Week for all the Dudes, it would have…
7 Points on the Patriots 26-20 win over the Bengals
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster CINCINNATI- The Patriots survived a scare in Cincinnati, beating the Bengals 26-20. The story of the day wasn’t the win however. It was the injuries. The Patriots lost Jared Wilson, Will Campbell, Khyiris Tonga and Brendan Schooler to injuries. It was a bad day for a team that has been relatively healthy up until this point. Here are seven points on the win. 1. A win is…
Division 1 New England College Poll – Week 13
The regular season has come to an end for everyone but UMass and BC, who close out their brutal campaigns this week. URI, Yale, CCSU, UNH and Harvard all made the FCS postseason and will play next Saturday just a few days after Thanksgiving. Here’s how things shook out after the final weekend of 2025: 1. UConn (9-3) – Huskies win nine games for the 2nd straight year. Chance for…
Rhode Island Division II State Championship: Westerly 44, South Kingstown 21 – Bulldogs win first title in 24 years
By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent CRANSTON – Landon Husereau fought through pain and showed why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the state, leading Westerly to its first Division II championship since 2001 on Sunday. “This has been a goal since last year,” Husereau said. “We fought through adversity all year, and we proved it here.” The matchup against reigning champ South Kingstown was as advertised, quickly becoming…
Rhode Island Division III State Championship: Classical 40, Mt. Hope 28 – Purple score 34 unanswered for stunning comeback
By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent CRANSTON – Classical was not going to be on the losing side of the Division III Super Bowl for a second straight year, stunning Mt. Hope with a 22-point comeback and a 40-28 on Sunday. “They never stressed out, they never faltered, they never freaked out,” Classical coach Kris McCall said. “They came back, it was just one play at a time. I’m elated because…
Patriots 26, Bengals 20 – Pats win 9th straight, but injuries a huge concern
AP Photos On the surface, New England fans and the Patriots themselves should be thrilled with a ninth straight win, clinching the 28th 10-win season in Patriots history. The 26-20 victory over a poor Bengals team puts the Pats at 10-2 overall, atop the AFC once again with five games remaining. But, injuries to rookie offensive linemen Jared Wilson and Will Campbell – both were carted off – there’s now…