Photo by: John Quackenbos
Attention Rolls Forward As UMass Ramps Up
September 08, 2021 | Football, #ForBoston Files
This is a huge game for the Minutemen, which is why BC is staying even-keeled.
A game between Boston College and UMass makes all the sense in the world to the New England college football landscape. The two institutions are the only two Football Bowl Subdivision programs residing within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and their mutual history recalls a time when their rivalry predated national television contracts, engorged conferences and online streaming packages.
The teams are natural opponents, but the programs are not the same teams that ran onto the Alumni Stadium field in the 1970s and 1980s. UMass is a decided underdog for its game against BC, and Saturday represents a game where the Eagles simply can't slip if they want to achieve their dreams of a nationally relevant regular season.
"Overall, I know the record hasn't shown from Coach Bell," BC head coach Jeff Hafley said, "but I think you're going to see it start to take off. I have a lot of respect for him and what he's doing, and we will have our work cut out for us preparing for Saturday."
UMass was once a Division I-AA powerhouse, a national championship contender and a stalwart atop the Yankee Conference and, later, both the Atlantic-10 and Colonial Athletic Association. The Minutemen won 22 conference championships across five different decades as their program grew out of a localized league with the different state universities in New England. That legacy created a lineage from Dick MacPherson to Bob Pickett, Jim Reid, Mark Whipple and Don Brown, and it turned the players, most of whom grew up in New England, into local legends.
Brown was replaced by Kevin Morris in 2009, but UMass opted to transition its program into the Football Bowl Subdivision prior to the 2011 season. It moved quickly and played its first season in the Mid-American Conference in 2012 after moving its home schedule to the New England Patriots' home at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, more than 90 miles from campus.
BC played UMass at Gillette in 2014 and 2016, but the Minutemen lost both games amidst seasons during which they struggled to gain traction in their new home. They lost 11 games in 2012 and 2013 and didn't win more than three games as part of the MAC. In 2016, they transitioned again, this time to Division I FBS Independent status devoid of a conference. Five years later, they remain without a league, though their home games exclusively moved back to their home stadium in Amherst in 2017.
That uphill struggle was an undeniable fight, and the last two years were exceptionally unkind to new head coach Walt Bell, who was hired after serving as the offensive coordinator at both Maryland and Florida State. The team rebooted through a 1-11 season in 2019 but found itself without a schedule last season as COVID-19 ravaged the college football universe. It played four games entirely on the road, but struggled to find any form of consistency in a year marked by weekly changes.
Saturday's game against BC is the first home game for UMass in 658 days, and it's the first of a season that includes a plethora of New England-based schools. It's a huge event for the Minutemen and a big reason why the history of the matchup or what a team did in the past neither matters nor is a reason to overlook this game in anticipation of what's ahead.
"You can't really just throw anyone by," defensive back Jahmin Muse said. "You can't be focused on Clemson when you have to focus on UMass. You can't get ahead on anyone because if we get ahead on UMass, they can bust us in the mouth while we're focusing on Clemson. You can't do that, so you have to take it game-by-game."
That's especially true for UMass after the Minutemen were blown out last week, 51-7, by Pittsburgh. They surrendered more than 500 yards to quarterback Kenny Pickett and the Panther offense while registering a shade over 200 yards, and the field tilted early and often after they failed to consistently gain first downs. Pitt converted on more than 70 percent of its third downs and gained 35 first downs against the UMass defense, and a 23-0 halftime deficit unraveled further in the third quarter.
It's hard to throw too much weight behind one game, but it's especially true for UMass given Bell's history and the potential that exists within the team. Bell's roster is loaded with a number of transfers at skill positions, and Hafley indicated a number of athletes are capable of playing at the power conference level. Bell himself has experience against BC and was the offensive coordinator when Florida State skipped past a nationally-ranked team in Chestnut Hill in 2018.
"You can see the guys he's bringing in," Hafley said of Bell. "He's got some really good athletes. Offensively, he brought in a transfer quarterback who is a solid player and tough. He hung in there, and their running back is a transfer from Rutgers. They have good size on their running backs, and those guys can run a little bit. Their slot receiver (OC Johnson, Jr.) can play in the ACC; he's definitely their guy. The tight end (Josiah Johnson) is a good player."
BC blew out Colgate last week, but Hafley forced his team to bury that performance once the film session completed. The Raiders gave him checkpoints and measurements for this week, and the attention since last weekend has been all about UMass. They flipped the switch, and this game is another opportunity for BC to simply put toe to leather and continue building its database as long as it can maintain focus over an opponent that will look to make a statement to its home region about its future prospects.
"I know it's coach talk," Hafley said, "but I keep it about our preparation. We show (the players) a plan to win every Monday and Tuesday, and if we follow it, we like our chances. It's going to take a lot of hard work to get that done, so I haven't really mentioned (playing UMass as a local opponent)."
Boston College and UMass will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday from McGuirk Stadium in Amherst, Massachusetts. The game will be televised locally in Massachusetts on NESN-Plus with online streaming available through FloSports.TV. Viewers will need a subscription to view online.
The teams are natural opponents, but the programs are not the same teams that ran onto the Alumni Stadium field in the 1970s and 1980s. UMass is a decided underdog for its game against BC, and Saturday represents a game where the Eagles simply can't slip if they want to achieve their dreams of a nationally relevant regular season.
"Overall, I know the record hasn't shown from Coach Bell," BC head coach Jeff Hafley said, "but I think you're going to see it start to take off. I have a lot of respect for him and what he's doing, and we will have our work cut out for us preparing for Saturday."
UMass was once a Division I-AA powerhouse, a national championship contender and a stalwart atop the Yankee Conference and, later, both the Atlantic-10 and Colonial Athletic Association. The Minutemen won 22 conference championships across five different decades as their program grew out of a localized league with the different state universities in New England. That legacy created a lineage from Dick MacPherson to Bob Pickett, Jim Reid, Mark Whipple and Don Brown, and it turned the players, most of whom grew up in New England, into local legends.
Brown was replaced by Kevin Morris in 2009, but UMass opted to transition its program into the Football Bowl Subdivision prior to the 2011 season. It moved quickly and played its first season in the Mid-American Conference in 2012 after moving its home schedule to the New England Patriots' home at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, more than 90 miles from campus.
BC played UMass at Gillette in 2014 and 2016, but the Minutemen lost both games amidst seasons during which they struggled to gain traction in their new home. They lost 11 games in 2012 and 2013 and didn't win more than three games as part of the MAC. In 2016, they transitioned again, this time to Division I FBS Independent status devoid of a conference. Five years later, they remain without a league, though their home games exclusively moved back to their home stadium in Amherst in 2017.
That uphill struggle was an undeniable fight, and the last two years were exceptionally unkind to new head coach Walt Bell, who was hired after serving as the offensive coordinator at both Maryland and Florida State. The team rebooted through a 1-11 season in 2019 but found itself without a schedule last season as COVID-19 ravaged the college football universe. It played four games entirely on the road, but struggled to find any form of consistency in a year marked by weekly changes.
Saturday's game against BC is the first home game for UMass in 658 days, and it's the first of a season that includes a plethora of New England-based schools. It's a huge event for the Minutemen and a big reason why the history of the matchup or what a team did in the past neither matters nor is a reason to overlook this game in anticipation of what's ahead.
"You can't really just throw anyone by," defensive back Jahmin Muse said. "You can't be focused on Clemson when you have to focus on UMass. You can't get ahead on anyone because if we get ahead on UMass, they can bust us in the mouth while we're focusing on Clemson. You can't do that, so you have to take it game-by-game."
That's especially true for UMass after the Minutemen were blown out last week, 51-7, by Pittsburgh. They surrendered more than 500 yards to quarterback Kenny Pickett and the Panther offense while registering a shade over 200 yards, and the field tilted early and often after they failed to consistently gain first downs. Pitt converted on more than 70 percent of its third downs and gained 35 first downs against the UMass defense, and a 23-0 halftime deficit unraveled further in the third quarter.
It's hard to throw too much weight behind one game, but it's especially true for UMass given Bell's history and the potential that exists within the team. Bell's roster is loaded with a number of transfers at skill positions, and Hafley indicated a number of athletes are capable of playing at the power conference level. Bell himself has experience against BC and was the offensive coordinator when Florida State skipped past a nationally-ranked team in Chestnut Hill in 2018.
"You can see the guys he's bringing in," Hafley said of Bell. "He's got some really good athletes. Offensively, he brought in a transfer quarterback who is a solid player and tough. He hung in there, and their running back is a transfer from Rutgers. They have good size on their running backs, and those guys can run a little bit. Their slot receiver (OC Johnson, Jr.) can play in the ACC; he's definitely their guy. The tight end (Josiah Johnson) is a good player."
BC blew out Colgate last week, but Hafley forced his team to bury that performance once the film session completed. The Raiders gave him checkpoints and measurements for this week, and the attention since last weekend has been all about UMass. They flipped the switch, and this game is another opportunity for BC to simply put toe to leather and continue building its database as long as it can maintain focus over an opponent that will look to make a statement to its home region about its future prospects.
"I know it's coach talk," Hafley said, "but I keep it about our preparation. We show (the players) a plan to win every Monday and Tuesday, and if we follow it, we like our chances. It's going to take a lot of hard work to get that done, so I haven't really mentioned (playing UMass as a local opponent)."
Boston College and UMass will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday from McGuirk Stadium in Amherst, Massachusetts. The game will be televised locally in Massachusetts on NESN-Plus with online streaming available through FloSports.TV. Viewers will need a subscription to view online.
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