When UNH travels to Orono this weekend, the Wildcats and Black Bears will be playing for the same trophy, but two very different things as well. Rick Santos’ team enters with a chance to finish the season with eight wins and maybe an at-large FCS playoff berth if enough teams in the Top 25 slip up on the final weekend of the season. Meanwhile, Maine’s resurgence under Jordan Stevens could…
Alumni perspective on the firing of Don Brown & state of UMass football
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,”…
In awkward spot, Shane Montgomery just looking to get Minutemen over the finish line
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…
Despite vast difference in records, Bryant-URI could provide fireworks
The Governor’s Cup is one thing, but Bryant-URI is meaningful too. The Rams will make the short trip to Smithfield to take on the Bulldogs in the regular season finale for both teams this Saturday. With a win, 15th-ranked Rhody will finish 10-2 and lock up an at-large bid into the FCS postseason, giving the program its first playoff berth since 1985. Meanwhile, Bryant limps in at 2-9, but a…
UMass football opening will be a tough sell for Bamford and the powers that be
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……
Local college coaches keep a close eye on high school playoffs
Rhode Island and New Hampshire have quite a bit on their plates right now. Rhody is about to end a 39-year playoff drought and could get a home playoff game. UNH has a chance to win eight games and possibly get an at-large bid into the FCS postseason. While 99.9% of the attention is on their respective rivals (Bryant and Maine) this week, there’s one thing that requires constant attention,…
UMass relieves Don Brown of his duties
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…
Seven Points on the Patriots 28-22 loss to the Rams
(AP Photo/Steven Senne) FOXBOROUGH- The Patriots lost a back and forth game to the Los Angeles Rams, 28-22 earlier this afternoon at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots got off to a good start taking a 7-0 lead early but the Rams scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and led 14-10 at the half. Los Angeles blew the game open to start the second half when Matthew Stafford hit Cooper Kupp…
Rams 28, Patriots 22 – Pats making progress but still come up short in another loss
AP Photo/Steven Senne FOXBOROUGH – So, at the very least, there’s clear growth with this 2024 Patriots team. The only problem is, the NFL is a results based business and Sunday was another disappointing finish. Drake Maye was picked off at the Rams’ 48 with 1:55 left, ending a potential game-winning drive and securing a 28-22 victory for Los Angeles. The Pats dropped to 3-8 with another loss, but this…