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The Colonial Athletic Association held its annual Football Media Day on Wednesday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. UMass Head Coach Kevin Morris, senior linebacker Tyler Holmes, and senior wide receiver Julian Talley all took part in the festivities. Two hours of Media Day was broadcasted live online at ESPN3.com.
The Minutemen released the times for most of their games for 2011 and just one of the four games at McGuirk Alumni Stadium is scheduled to begin at 1. The rest will put to use the lights.
The home opener against Rhode Island (9/17) will be at 6:30 and Central Connecticut (10/8) will be at 6. The 3:30 start for the Villanova game on November 5 will need the lights on before it is settled.
Fittingly, the final game of the Football Championship Subdivision for UMass will be at the 1 p.m. time slot against James Madison on Nov. 19.
The only game time unscheduled is the September 24 game at Boston College.
The Colonial Athletic Association media day next week will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
The July 27 affair will be held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The CAA claims it is the first broadcast of its kind for FCS and will feature interviews with coaches and players over a two-hour period.
When you start to make a case that the CAA isn't the best FCS conference, you can't. About seven of the 11 CAA teams warrant Top 25 consideration heading into the season, so the conference's depth is enough to keep it on top.
Following is a conference-by-conference ranking across the FCS:
1. CAA Football - Old Dominion would seem to be entering the conference at the right time - perhaps it's a down year? - but the reality is, there are few breathers in the CAA schedule in any season. William & Mary is back to being a national title contender after what it hopes was a hiccup in last year's playoffs, when they lost their first game at home as the No. 2 seed. Delaware suffered some big-time seniors, but it still has head coach K.C. Keeler, and that means a lot. Either Richmond, New Hampshire or Massachusetts (ineligible for the conference title or FCS playoffs as it gets set to move to the FBS next year) will likely give the conference a third outstanding team, and retooling Villanova, which probably lost the nation's best senior class, and an improved James Madison, with returning quarterback Justin Thorpe, will cause a lot of headaches and perhaps make the playoffs. Yes, it's foolish to doubt this conference.
2011 Boston College Football Schedule
Sept. 3 Northwestern
Sept. 10 at UCF
Sept. 17 Duke
Sept. 24 Massachusetts
Oct. 1 Wake Forest
Oct. 8 at Clemson
Oct. 22 at Virginia Tech
Oct. 29 at Maryland
Nov. 3 Florida State (Thursday, ESPN, 8 p.m.)
Nov. 12 NC State
Nov. 19 at Notre Dame
Nov. 26 at Miami
Look back at the tough 37-34 loss to Rhode Island on Saturday.
This game looks a lot harder than it did at the beginning of the season. A lot more important, too.
The University of Massachusetts football team will play at Rhode Island Saturday, needing a victory to retain hope of a postseason berth. The Minutemen (6-4, 4-3 Colonial Athletic Association) would not be assured a spot by winning, but a 7-4 record would make a very strong case.
"Delaware is leading the league in wins, so if we play well then we'll be rewarded," said UMass coach Kevin Morris. "Their run-and-pass combination is real strong and their quarterback (Pat Devlin) will probably be the player of the year based on his play so far. Defensively, they've played consistently well."
With a win already over the No. 1 team in one poll, the UMass will try to knock off the top team in the other when it hosts Delaware on Saturday. The Blue Hens ascended to No. 1 in the FCS Coaches Poll Monday after the top three teams all lost last week. Delaware is No. 2 behind William & Mary in the Sports Network top 25. The Minutemen upset W&M, 27-23, in the first game of the season.
"When we decided to go to different schools we talked about it. We knew we were going to play each other," Chad said. "It's been a big week for us. In our town everyone is talking about it. It's a little different. We've always been together. But at the same time its good for us. I'm definitely glad the game is here. When it's over it's going to be bad for one of us. ... Hopefully him."
Havens is a San Francisco Giants fan and a northern California native, where facial hair growth was a full-fledged fad in the Bay Area during the World Series in homage to Giants' closer Brian Wilson.
This week's UMass foe Delaware is No. 1 in the Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the Sports Network Poll.
From the CAA William & Mary is No. 1 in the Sports Network Poll and No. 2 in the FCS Coaches Poll. UMass opened the year with a 27-23 win over the Tribe.
Also from the CAA, Villanova is 9th, New Hampshire is 17th and Richmond is 21st.
In the more than 100-year-old football rivalry between the Universities of Massachusetts and Maine, the Minutemen have held a comfortable advantage. They'll take a 40-15-1 series lead into Saturday's 3:30 p.m. game at McGuirk Stadium.
But the last two meetings between the New England rivals have been sore spots for the Minutemen.
Also of interest, Vautour mentions how UMass' past two head coach will oppose each other this Saturday:
WHIPPLE vs. BROWN - UMass' previous two football coaches will square off against each other this weekend when Miami hosts Maryland. Mark Whipple, who led the Minutemen to the 1998 Division I-AA Championship, is the Hurricanes' offensive coordinator, while Don Brown, who led UMass to the 2006 FCS title game, is the Terrapins' defensive coordinator.
There were quite a few UMass connections in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday in Miami's 24-19 loss to Virginia. Former UMass reserve quarterback Spencer Whipple, Mark's son, saw action for the 'Canes. When starting quarterback Jacory Harris was injured, Spencer Whipple played the remainder of the first half. He struggled completing 2 of 6 passes and was intercepted twice before being lifted for freshman Stephen Morris. On the other sideline, Virginia's head coach is Mike London, the father of former UMass standout wide receiver Brandon London. His defensive coordinator is Jim Reid, who was the head coach at UMass from 1986-1991.
The UMass football team is now ranked No. 15 in the Sports Network poll. The Minutemen moved up three spots in this week's poll. No. 3, Villanova, No. 4 William & Mary, No.5 Delaware, No. 8 New Hampshire are in the top 10.
UMass is also No. 15 in the FCS Coaches Poll. The top CAA teams have the same rankings in both polls.
The full polls can be found in the link below.
Coaches tend to avoid calling one win bigger than another, but Kevin Morris knew this one was very special.
"I won't rate it (against others), but it was definitely one we needed,'' the University of Massachusetts football coach said after Saturday's 21-14 win at James Madison. "We try to stay away from the highs and lows. Everybody had been a little frustrated, so (the coaches) just wanted them to enjoy the competition and refocus.''
The team has slumped after a fast start, and takes a 4-3 record into Saturday. The offense has moved the ball, but penalties have hurt. The coach says the mood remains positive.
Sounds just like the University of Massachusetts, right? But the description applies to James Madison, too.
"We're 4-3, but we played some good football teams and we have some good wins,'' Dukes coach Mickey Matthews told media this week in the lead-up to Saturday's UMass-James Madison game at Harrisonburg, Va. "It's not like we're having pity parties on Sunday. All the kids are good.''
After losing to Richmond 11-10 and getting routed by New Hampshire 39-13, Morris said the Minutemen are focused on recapturing what launched them to a 4-1 start to open the season.
"This week is all about coming out with an attitude and enjoying playing football. The kids have been good. I think they're over it. They came out ready to move on. The Richmond thing didn't go our way at the end and against UNH we didn't play well at all. Let's shake that off and start anew and let's go," Morris said. "Guys are tired of being frustrated. Let's go out and play. This week is all about us and playing our brand of football. It's been very positive."
Read the full story in the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
"We're always open to finding the best kids that are going to help UMass football," Minutemen coach Kevin Morris said. "Character is a big issue for us. We want to fully vet each kid and make sure we got the kid we want in the program, in the locker room and on campus. And obviously, athletically does he fit a need for us and does he make us better? All these guys want to come in and play right away."
After his team faced its first true adversity of the season in Saturday's 11-10 loss to Richmond, University of Massachusetts football coach Kevin Morris was optimistic about how his team will bounce back this weekend.
"We've shown the maturity to be able to come back and win in the fourth quarter," said Morris, citing his team's three come-from-behind wins. "Now it's a whole different question. But with the same maturity in mind, can we bounce back from a game that we should have won and come back with a real strong contest and win the following week? It's another test."
Saturday's 3:30 p.m. game against New Hampshire at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough figures to be an easy game for both teams to get motivated for. Any game in the Patriots' stadium is a big one. As is any game against rival New Hampshire. Add in the fact that it can significantly impact the Colonial Athletic Association standings as well as both teams'
The pre-game focus for this year's University of New Hampshire vs. Massachusetts football game has understandably been on the venue. For the first time ever, Gillette Stadium will host a college football game, and the Patriots' brass chose this long-standing New England rivalry.
But once 3:30 p.m. rolls around and all the alumni functions, tailgating and honorary coin-flipping is over, it will boil down to two Colonial Athletic Association teams that need a win and can ill afford another conference loss.Whatever festive backdrop was attached to Saturday's University of Massachusetts football game at Gillette Stadium has been replaced by a sense of urgency. With Richmond's stunning, last-second 11-10 win over UMass last weekend, the Minutemen's upcoming Colonial Athletic Association game against New Hampshire has showcase trappings but a must-win reality.
"Anytime you lose the way we did, you get the kids' attention,'' UMass coach Kevin Morris said Monday. "(The team says) that can't happen, it should have never happened. But it did happen. We need to stand up and fight and finish. You throw in that we're playing UNH, a great rivalry game every year, and at Foxborough, and nobody is sleeping through this one.''
"We're evolving as a squad and maturing as a team. Am I happy at this point? Yeah. We've played well enough to win games. We didn't win the Michigan game, but had some positives come out of that game," UMass coach Kevin Morris said Monday. "We're excited about where we are. But we have a long way to go and it's all CAA games from here on out. We have to continue to grind. We're happy where we're at. I like the team, but we have a lot of room for improvement. I think that's a good thing."
Here are some other college football notebooks from around the country. Lots of mentions of UMass in these articles.
Click below to see the whole TSN Poll.
After beginning the season with a win against William & Mary, then playing three out-of-conference games against Holy Cross, Michigan and Stony Brook, UMass coach Kevin Morris is noticing not only a shift in the schedule, but in his team's focus as well.
"This is back into league play and every game is critical," Morris said. "Every game in the league is going to be extremely difficult, especially on the road."
The Minutemen, who were unranked in both polls to open the season, jumped six spots to No. 9 in the FCS Coaches Poll and five spots to No. 11 in the Sports Network Media Poll.
"Week to week you're either getting better or you're getting worse. I think we're a better football team coming out of that football game than we were going in," UMass coach Kevin Morris said Monday.
Read the story in the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
