Monday, November 16, 2009
For every UMass game this season, I'll be giving out three stars to the top three performers from the Minutemen and keeping track of who earns the most three start points over the course of the season.
I'm putting a little extra weight on No. 1. So a No. 1 star is worth 5 points. A No. 2 is worth three and a No. 3 is worth 2.
Three Stars from UMass vs. Northeastern
No. 1 - Tyler Holmes - The sophomore linebacker continues to be the best player on the Minutemen. After missing last week he had 14 tackles and clinched the season's Three-Star points award.
No. 2 - Perry McIntyre - The true freshman linebacker has been a bright spot in a disappointing year.
No. 3. - Josh Maurer - With no other Minuteman having a particularly noteworthy game, I'm picking the UMass radio broadcaster. After calling the hoop game in Orlando Friday night, Maurer caught a 5:20 a.m. flight back in time to call the football game.
Season to date points:
Tyler Holmes - 20
Victor Cruz-10
Jonathan Hernandez - 10
Tony Nelson - 10
Eric Dickson -9
Jeremy Horne - 6
Ke'Mon Bailey - 5
Kyle Havens -5
Armando Cuko - 4
Jeromy Miles - 3
Mike Mele -3
Perry McIntyre - 3
Emil Igwenagu - 2
Jared Chivers -2
Kurt Filler - 2
Chris Zardas -2
Josh Maurer - 2
Monday, November 16, 2009
1. Montana
2. Southern Illinois
3. Villanova
4. Richmond
5. William & Mary
6. Appalachian St.
7. Elon
8. McNeese St.
9. South Carolina St.
10. Stephen F. Austin
11. New Hampshire
12. South Dakota St.
13. Northern Iowa
14. Jacksonville St.
15. Holy Cross
16. Eastern Illinois
17. Weber St.
18. Liberty
19. Colgate
20. Pennsylvania
21. Montana St.
22. Lafayette
23. Delaware
24. Prairie View A&M
25. Harvard
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Same deal as last night. Game updates will be on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GazetteUMass.
POSTGAME:
Well that officially does it for the Minutemen's playoff hopes. This game was close thoughout, but it never really felt that way.
Tough home finish for the Minuteman seniors as none of them had a particularly great day.
Next week at Hofstra will be interesting. The goal is out of reach. How will UMass play with altered motivation.
HALFTIME:
Well it's been a sloppy, ugly forgettable game between two once-great teams.
Tough senior day for the Minutemen. No catches for Victor Cruz or Jeremy Horne and Tony Nelson had two fumble.
Morris got away with a risky fourth-and-one call in his own territory.
Punting might have been the safe choice, but if you're going to go for it, a Zardas run seemed more prudent. Instead Havens was nearly picked on the play. JMU took over but couldn't score.
Monday, November 9, 2009
For every UMass game this season, I'll be giving out three stars to the
top three performers from the Minutemen and keeping track of who earns
the most three start points over the course of the season.
I'm putting a little extra weight on No. 1. So a No. 1 star is worth 5 points. A No. 2 is worth three and a No. 3 is worth 2.
Three Stars from UMass vs. Northeastern
No. 1 - Tony Nelson -
The senior running back was healthy again and the Minutemen looked in sync on offense again. It's not a coincidence.
No. 2 - Mike Mele - After a year that saw him get injured and suspended, the Syracuse transfer finally played football for UMass. With Tyler Holmes out after a mild concussion, he led UMass with 10 tackles.
No. 3. - Armando Cuko - Three more field goals made him the single-season and all-time leader in the category.
Season to date points:
Tyler Holmes - 15
Victor Cruz-10
Jonathan Hernandez - 10
Tony Nelson - 10
Eric Dickson -9
Jeremy Horne - 6
Ke'Mon Bailey - 5
Kyle Havens -5
Armando Cuko - 4
Jeromy Miles - 3
Mike Mele -3
Emil Igwenagu - 2
Jared Chivers -2
Kurt Filler - 2
Chris Zardas -2
Monday, November 9, 2009
I feel like in almost every year, Montana spends at least one week ranked No. 1. This year, that week is this week.
1. Montana
2. Southern Illinois
3. Elon
4. Villanova
5. Richmond
6. William & Mary
7. New Hampshire
8. Appalachian St.
9. South Carolina St.
10. McNeese St.
11. Stephen F. Austin
12. South Dakota St.
13. Northern Iowa
14. Jacksonville St.
15. Holy Cross
16. Eastern Illinois
17. Lafayette
18. Delaware
19. Weber St.
20. Harvard
21. Liberty
22. Southeastern Louisiana
23. Colgate
24. Texas St.
25. Pennsylvania
Saturday, November 7, 2009
FIRST QUARTER
6:31: UMass 3, NU 0 - Armando Cuko just kicked a 30-yard field goal. The kick put Cuko into a three-way tie for single season field goals with 16.
SECOND QUARTER
14:20: UMass 10, NU 0 -Morris elected to go for it on fourth down on the goal line and it paid off as Tony Nelson punched it in.
10:10: UMass 17, NU 0 - Another Nelson one-yard TD run.
2:57: UMass 24, Northeastern 0 - Kyle Havens 11-yard TD pass to Victor Cruz.
0:04.2 UMass 27, Northeastern 0 - Cuko's 42-yard FG gives him the single-season record with 17.
HALFTIME
THIRD QUARTER
6:33 UMass 34, NU 0 - Tony Nelson 9-yard TD run.
FOURTH QUARTER
8:34 UMass 37, NU 7 - Northeastern returned a Scott Woodward interception for a TD. Cuko just hit a 35 yard field goal
Postgame gem quote:
"UMass has been running that fake punt play since Jesus was in sandals," Northeastern coach Rocky Hager said. "We flat out did not fit up."
Jesus was believed to be alive from 0 to 33. UMass did not begin playing football until 1879.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
At some point later this month at a time TBA, I'm going to unveil the UMass football all-decade team on this very blog.
I enlisted the help of some UMass football experts to compile the team, but I'm interested in hearing from you.
Send me your ballots at mvautour@gazettenet.com.
To be eligible, a player must have played half of his UMass career
between 2000-2009. So Marcel Shipp, Kole Ayi are not eligible even
though their careers dipped into the decade.
Some of the picks are obvious. Some are pretty difficult.
Feel free to write in candidates.
Offensive Player of the Decade - Pick One
Defensive Player of the Decade - Pick One
Quarterback (Choose 1)
Jeff Krohn
Liam Coen
Tim Day
Tailback (Choose 1)
R.J. Cobbs
Steve Baylark
Matt Lawrence
Tony Nelson
Fullback (Choose 1)
Pete Cariello
Matt Lawrence
Breyone Evans
Rich Demers
Chris Zardas
Tight End (Choose 1)
Brad Listorti
Ian Jorgensen
Mike Douglas
Sean Young
Greg Ward
Wide Receivers (Choose 3)
Adrian Zullo
Jason Peebler
Brandon London
Rasheed Rancher
Victor Cruz
J.J. Moore
DeShon Hardy
Jimmie Howard
Offensive Line (Choose 5)
Maikel Miret
Rob Kane
Alex Miller
David Thompson
Brent Caldwell
Vladimir Ducasse
Nick Diana
Matt Austin
Sean Calicchio
Kicker (Choose 1)
Doug White
Chris Koepplin
Armando Cuko
Punter (Choose 1)
David Sanger
Christian Koegel
Brett Arnold
Defensive Line (pick four)
Valdamar Brower
Colin Christopher
John Hatchell
Kyle Harrington
Justin Schweighardt
Brandon Collier
Keron Williams
David Burris
Michael Hanson
Jason Leonard
L.A. Love
Linebacker (pick three)
Jeremy Cain
Mark Kimener
Mike Ziccardi
Jason Hatchell
Serge Tikum
Brad Anderson
Charles Walker
Josh Jennings
Corey Potter
Safety (pick two)
Jeremy Robinson
Anton McKenzie
Shannon James
James Ihedigbo
Jeromy Miles
Greg Scott
Cornerback (pick two)
Tracy Belton
Courtney Robinson
Sean Smalls
Steve Costello
Leroy Brooks
Brandon Freeman
Monday, November 2, 2009
I bounced UMass. Too much uncertaintly. Too many turnovers. Struggles at QB. AWOL running game etc.
1. Richmond
2. Montana
3. Southern Illinois
4. Elon
5. Villanova
6. William & Mary
7. New Hampshire
8. Appalachian St.
9. South Carolina St.
10. McNeese St.
11. South Dakota St.
12. Stephen F. Austin
13. Northern Iowa
14. Jacksonville St.
15. Holy Cross
16. Eastern Illinois
17. Lafayette
18. Colgate
19. Delaware
20. Cal Poly
21. Weber St.
22. Central Arkansas
23. Harvard
24. Liberty
25. Southeastern Louisiana
Monday, November 2, 2009
PATH TO POSTSEASON
Every week on the blog this football season, I'll project each UMass
game based on expectations and how it affects the Minutemen's chances
of reaching the postseason.
Prognosis: It would take a miracle now..
Follow the Gazette UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass.
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Monday, November 2, 2009
"Kyle will continue to be our starter. We need to continue to get better at the quarterback position." - Kevin Morris on Monday's conference call.
Monday, November 2, 2009
For every UMass game this season, I'll be giving out three stars to the
top three performers from the Minutemen and keeping track of who earns
the most three start points over the course of the season.
I'm putting a little extra weight on No. 1. So a No. 1 star is worth 5 points. A No. 2 is worth three and a No. 3 is worth 2.
Three Stars from UMass vs. MaineNo. 1 - Tyler Holmes - The sophomore standout made 16 tackles in the loss and had an impressively athletic interception. He's the best player UMass has. No. 2 - Eric Dickson -Fourteen tackles for the underhyped senior linebacker.No. 3. - ??????- Did anyone else really standout. I'd say Ke'Mon Bailey for his two-point PAT return, but he was burned on a TD earlier so It's hard to put him here. Season to date points:
Tyler Holmes - 15Victor Cruz-10Jonathan Hernandez - 10Eric Dickson -9Jeremy Horne - 6 Ke'Mon Bailey - 5
Kyle Havens -5
Tony Nelson - 5Jeromy Miles - 3Emil Igwenagu -2Jared Chivers -2
Kurt Filler - 2
Armando Cuko - 2Chris Zardas -2
Saturday, October 31, 2009
PREGAME
Greetings from Alfond Stadium.
We're in Stephen King country on Halloween. Coincidence? Yeah probably.
It's gray out and very windy here which should mess with the kicking.
The guy sitting next to me is just getting over Swine Flu. I'll be washing my hands about twice a quarter.
James Madison just won at Delaware, which puts a huge dent in the Blue Hens playoff potential. At 3-3, the Hens would need to win out to get in and they have games left with Villanova and Navy. That makes UMass' game against James Madison a little dicier for the Minutemen.
Jonathan Hernandez is starting. But Tony Nelson is expected to play.
Somebody has spirit in the Maine sports information office has spirit. Perry McIntyre is listed at UMass' starting zombie.
FIRST QUARTER
Victor Cruz hasn't been on the field yet. No word on why.
Kyle Havens just suffered an ankle or a knee injury and Woodward is in.
9:25: Cuko just missed a 23-yard field goal against a tough wind.
1:25: Maine 3, UMass 0 - Jordan Waxman 25-yard field goal.
SECOND QUARTER
Havens and Nelson are back. Still no Cruz.
7:27 - Cruz in.
3:40: UMass 7, Maine 3 - Jonathan Hernandez one-yard TD run.
1:04: Maine 10, UMass 7 - Warren Smith pass to Tyrell Jones. Maine hasn't trailed at halftime this season.
HALFTIME
THIRD QUARTER
Woodward in at QB.
Cruz hurt.
8:55: Maine 13, UMass 7 - After a TD was called back, Waxman kicked a 32-yard field goal.
FOURTH QUARTER
8:46: Maine 19, UMass 9 - Warren Smith 5-yard TD run. But on the 2-point conversion try, Ke'Mon Bailey returned an interception for a TD.
UMass struggles again with six turnovers. Playoffs are very unlikely now and the quarterback scenario is up in the air and neither Havens nor Woodward played well.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
A conversation with UMass wide receiver Victor Cruz highlight's this week's UMass sports podcast.
Monday, October 26, 2009
How far do you drop the Minutemen for losing to a team everyone loses to? Does it matter that they didn't look very good in that loss? That their running backs are hurt and that the quarterback spot is a question mark?
The answers: Three spots. Yes and Yes.
1. Richmond
2. Montana
3. Southern Illinois
4. Elon
5. Stephen F. Austin
6. Villanova
7. William & Mary
8. New Hampshire
9. Appalachian St.
10. Cal Poly
11. South Carolina St.
12. McNeese St.
13. South Dakota St.
14. Northern Iowa
15. Delaware
16. Central Arkansas
17. Weber St.
18. Jacksonville St.
19. Massachusetts
20. Holy Cross
21. Eastern Illinois
22. Lafayette
23. Colgate
24. Northern Arizona
25. Harvard
Sunday, October 25, 2009
PATH TO POSTSEASON
Every week on the blog this football season, I'll project each UMass
game based on expectations and how it affects the Minutemen's chances
of reaching the postseason.
* A projected win (W) means - based on rankings, venue etc. The Minutemen should be considered the favorite.
* A projected loss (L) means the Minutemen would be considered the
underdog in the game, that a UMass win would be considered an upset.
* A (?) means the game is too close to call right now.
I'll adjust the projections based on UMass' performance and the performance of the opponent as the season progresses.
IN THE BOOKS - 4-2
Sept. 5 at Kansas State LOSS
Sept. 12 vs. Albany WIN
Sept. 19 vs. Rhode Island WIN
Sept. 26 vs. Stony Brook WIN
Oct. 10 at Delaware LOSS
Oct. 17 vs. New Hampshire - WIN
Oct. 24 at Richmond - LOSS
Date - Opponent - (Expected result on paper)
Oct. 31 at Maine (W) - I'm lisiting this as a win. But I'm taking my chances because UMass hasn't played well on the road.
Nov. 7 vs. Northeastern (W) - The Huskies are still terrible.
Nov. 14 vs. James Madison (?) - The Minutemen have played great at home and Dukes have nothing to play for..
Nov. 21 at Hofstra (?) - In Amherst this is certainly a projected win, but the Minutemen have never played well in Hempstead..
Prognosis: UMass is 4-3 with six projected wins now, three losses, and two toss-ups. The Minutemen have proven capable
of winning at home. UMass
still has to prove itself on the road. But if it wins the two projected wins and both toss-ups, playoffs will be sewn up.
Follow the Gazette UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass.
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Sunday, October 25, 2009
For every UMass game this season, I'll be giving out three stars to the
top three performers from the Minutemen and keeping track of who earns
the most three start points over the course of the season.
I'm putting a little extra weight on No. 1. So a No. 1 star is worth 5 points. A No. 2 is worth three and a No. 3 is worth 2.
Three Stars from UMass vs. Richmond
No. 1 - Tyler Holmes - The sophomore standout made 17 tackles in the loss including four behind the line of scrimmage.
No. 2 - Eric Dickson -Ten tackles for the underhyped senior linebacker.
No. 3. - Jeremy Horne - The senior wide receiver had just two catches for 22 yards. But on the last play of the game, he sprinted to catch Michael Ireland just before the goal line to prevent an extra Richmond touchdown. The game was over, the weather was lousy. He could have just let Ireland go and very little changes. Instead he goes all out making a statement about his own character. It's worth at least a No. 3 star.
Season to date points:
Victor Cruz-10
Jonathan Hernandez - 10
Tyler Holmes - 10
Ke'Mon Bailey - 5
Kyle Havens -5
Tony Nelson - 5
Jeremy Horne - 6
Eric Dickson -6
Jeromy Miles - 3
Emil Igwenagu -2
Jared Chivers -2
Kurt Filler - 2
Armando Cuko - 2
Chris Zardas -2
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The national attention didn't arrive in South Bend until Saturday afternoon. The annual Holy War game between Boston College and Notre Dame is certainly the main course of the rivalry weekend between the two schools.
But in recent years, a hockey meeting between the two national powers has usually served as an appetizer and in some cases dessert. On Friday many of the BC fans that traveled to South Bend got to see the the No. 14-ranked Eagles edge No. 9 Irish, 3-2.
It's an idea that other New England schools should copy. Four different schools - New Hampshire, Maine, Northeastern and UMass - play in Hockey East and football in the Colonial Athletic Association's North Division.
New Hampshire visited UMass in football on Oct. 24. Less than a month later the Wildcats will be in Amherst for two hockey games on Nov. 13 and 14. Why not play the two sports on the same weekend? If the two leagues coordinated schedules, the atmosphere and paying crowds for each sport could be enhanced.
Few of the New England FCS schools travel more than a few dozen fans to road games in either football or hockey and Durham, Amherst and Orono aren't exactly weekend getaways.
But a three-game weekend might make shelling out for a hotel more palatable. Bus trips, tailgating and other organized fan gatherings would most certainly follow.
Scott Meyer of the CAA and Pete Souris of Hockey East each said schedule coordination hasn't been discussed.
Obviously the schools involved as well as the two conferences would need to cooperate for this to happen. Meyer said the CAA has already begun scheduling conference games for the 2011 season. So dates for hockey would have to be blocked off well in advance. The coaches might need some convincing as well.
But these aren't difficult hurdles and the potential payoff seems worth it.
Monday, October 19, 2009
UMass coach Kevin Morris was confident that both running back Tony Nelson (thigh contussion) and Jeromy Miles (possible concussion) back for Saturday's 3:30 p.m. game at Richmond.
"I think both guys are going to be all set," Morris said on Monday's conference call.
Nelson played in just one series against UNH, while Miles left after taking a knee to the head in the second quarter.
Monday, October 19, 2009
PATH TO POSTSEASON
Every week on the blog this football season, I'll project each UMass
game based on expectations and how it affects the Minutemen's chances
of reaching the postseason.
* A projected win (W) means - based on rankings, venue etc. The Minutemen should be considered the favorite.
* A projected loss (L) means the Minutemen would be considered the
underdog in the game, that a UMass win would be considered an upset.
* A (?) means the game is too close to call right now.
I'll adjust the projections based on UMass' performance and the performance of the opponent as the season progresses.
IN THE BOOKS - 4-2
Sept. 5 at Kansas State LOSS
Sept. 12 vs. Albany WIN
Sept. 19 vs. Rhode Island WIN
Sept. 26 vs. Stony Brook WIN
Oct. 10 at Delaware LOSS
Oct. 17 vs. New Hampshire - WIN
Date - Opponent - (Expected result on paper)
Oct. 24 at Richmond (L) - Still looks like a long shot.
Oct. 31 at Maine (W) - Status change here. Saturday's win certainly makes UMass the favorite over Maine.
Nov. 7 vs. Northeastern (W) - The Huskies are still terrible.
Nov. 14 vs. James Madison (?) - The Minutemen have played great at home and Dukes have nothing to play for..
Nov. 21 at Hofstra (?) - In Amherst this is certainly a projected win, but the Minutemen have never played well in Hempstead..
Prognosis: UMass is 4-2 with six projected wins now, three
projected losses, and two toss-ups. The Minutemen have proven capable
of winning at home. UMass
still has to prove itself on the road.
Still UMass' chances improved drastically after winning Saturday.
Follow the Gazette UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass.
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Monday, October 19, 2009
This wasn't an easy ballot.
One through five was easy enough. All are either undefeated or have just FBS losses. Six through nine is where it gets tricky.
I made Northern Iowa No. 2 because it has the best loss of the four teams, but its a circular thing. I made Southern Illinois No. 3 because of its good win over Northern Iowa. The reason SIU is an acceptable loss is because beating Northern Iowa is a good win. So maybe they're both overrated.
The CAA triumverate that follows was even more ridiculous to sort out. I'm a big believer in weighting head-to-head heavily, BUT I watched New Hampshire look not so good in losing to UMass. So of the three some UNH has by far the worst loss of the group and it happened the most recently. If New Hampshire had beaten Villanova in the Philly suburbs I might have put UNH at No. 7, but I convinced myself that because Wildcat vs. Wildcat was close in the Granite State, Nova might have won if that game was at Villanova.
So I put Nova at No. 7. W&M and UNH haven't played yet. W&M's loss is better. UNH has better wins. I put W&M at No. 8 because I didn't want Villanova and UNH back-to-back because of the head-to-head factor.
There is no right answer.
UMass is my No. 16.
1. Richmond
2. Montana
3. Southern Illinois
4. Elon
5. Stephen F. Austin
6. Northern Iowa
7. Villanova
8. William & Mary
9. New Hampshire
10. Appalachian St.
11. Cal Poly
12. South Carolina St.
13. Jacksonville St.
14. Delaware
15. McNeese St.
16. Massachusetts
17. Central Arkansas
18. Weber St.
19. South Dakota St.
20. Colgate
21. Montana St.
22. Lafayette
23. Holy Cross
24. Morgan St.
25. Eastern Illinois
