Image courtesy of ESPN

By Ryan Barry
NEFJ Staff

Kickoff: The UMass Minutemen (0-3) welcome the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (2-1) to McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Minutemen are still looking for their first win of the season and will hope it pick it up in front of what should be a solid crowd on homecoming weekend.

1st Down: Saturday’s loss to Buffalo was one of the most disappointing in UMass head coach Don Brown’s second time around in Amherst. It was an especially forgettable afternoon for senior quarterback Taisun Phommachanh (60-for-99, 557-yards, one touchdown, two interceptions; 47 carries, 103-yards, one touchdown), whose gaffe of a red zone interception was trending on X/Twitter thanks to the Unnecessary Roughness podcast. Despite starting behind a difficult offensive line, the veteran signal caller just can’t seem to find consistency week to week. Phommachanh has a prime “get right” match-up this week against the Blue Devils defense, who despite only giving up an average of 126.5 passing yards in their two wins over FCS opponents, gave up a whopping 342-yards in their 66-10 loss to Central Michigan of the FBS in week one. Phommachanh would love to get senior wide receiver Anthony Simpson and graduate tight end Dominick Mazotti more involved in the offense, but their status is unclear after missing last week’s contest with undisclosed injuries. Even when they’ve been healthy they’ve yet to contribute like many hoped, so it’ll be interesting to see if senior Jakobie Keeney-James (11 receptions, 161-yards, one touchdown) and sophomore Jacquon Gibson (11 receptions, 150-yards) can continue progressing after two solid weeks.

2nd Down: The departure of running backs Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams to Michigan State and Greg Desroisiers to Memphis were certainly expected to hurt, but I’m not sure if anyone thought it’d be this bad. UMass running backs are averaging just about three yards a carry this season, and have seen their total rushing yards drop each game from 152, to 125, to just 72 last week against Buffalo. The line has certainly been an issue for pass protection, but the inability to create space for backs has also been a killer. Neither junior Jalen John (39 carries, 118-yards, one touchdown), sophomore CJ Hester (21 carries, 74-yards, one touchdown), or newly arrived Brandon Campbell (16 carries, 57-yards), have yet to distinguish themselves in the backfield as the prime ball carrier. Brown has spoken a number of times about having a running back room by committee based on match-ups, but so far through three games it has become obvious that may be coach speak for “we don’t really have one yet.” In their lone FBS match-up against Central Michigan, the Blue Devils allowed just 113-yards on the ground, though this could be large in part from not needing to run much due to their success throwing the ball. In their two FCS wins they’ve allowed at least one running back to eclipse over 120-yards, which could bode well for the Minutemen to finally get their run game going. Brown will no doubt want to use his stable of guys, but this game could be massively important in trying to identify at least one back they can rely on.

3rd Down: Visiting McGuirk under center this weekend will be none other than former Minutemen quarterback Brady Olson (48-for-93, 477-yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions). The Massachusetts native spent three years in Amherst throwing for 181 completions on 368 attempts, with ten touchdowns and 16 interceptions. After a somewhat promising freshman season, Olson never found his feet when Brown arrived in 2022, and departed this offseason for New Britain looking to start full time. While he’ll be looking for revenge on his former team, the Minutemen’s experience against him could tip the scales their way. The UMass defense has been solid against the pass this season, albeit still surrendering at least one big play each game. They kept Buffalo quarterback CJ Ogbonna at bay last week for the most part and limited his ability to run the ball, which is a skill that doesn’t come to mind right away for Olson. If the Minutemen can limit senior wide receiver Michael Plaskon (15 receptions, 154-yards, one touchdown), the Blue Devils, who lack extended depth in the pass catching department, could have a difficult time throwing the ball.

4th Down: Where Central Connecticut thrives offensively lies in the run game. Junior running back Elijah Howard (56 carries, 189-yards, two touchdowns; five receptions, 36-yards) is the Blue Devils best offensive weapon. The former Virginia Tech Hokie averaged 5.6 yards per carry last season, and was easily one of the best offensive players in the Northeast Conference last season. Former Ball State running back Donny Marcus (24 carries, 82-yards; three receptions, 25-yards, one touchdown) is also a solid change of pace back who can catch out of the backfield. If Central Connecticut State can avoid this game from turning into a track meet throwing the ball, and instead keep the ball on the ground to manage the clock, there’s no doubt they can keep the score close. Defensively, the Minutemen have been decent against the run, especially in their first two losses against Eastern Michigan and Toledo. Freshman Lamar Sperling of Buffalo averaged 5.4 yards per carry on 86-yards with a touchdown last week, which was the best performance of any running back this season against the Minutemen. As long as this isn’t a sign of anything to come, they should present Howard with a difficult match-up, with this being one of the biggest pieces that could decide the game for the Blue Devils.

Extra Point: Despite their relatively close proximity, the schools have only played three times in their history, with UMass winning all three contests. In their final season as an FCS member, the Minutemen beat the Blue Devils 42 – 26 in Amherst.

Final Drive: There’s always a fear amongst UMass fans when playing an FCS opponent. There’ve been relatively few “easy” games against the division they used to call home, making this homecoming contest one that’ll surely have underlying feelings of anxiety. The Blue Devils beating Saint Francis, a school that just the week before upset Kent State of the Mid-American Conference, doesn’t exactly scream confidence either. Regardless of all the reasons they could lose this game, the Minutemen should have enough to win and do so comfortably. The season only gets tougher from here, and without a win so far, makes this game an absolute HAVE TO win. This is as important a game as ever for the Minutemen, which bodes well for the Blue Devils who have nothing to lose.

Prediction: UMass 38, Central Connecticut 16