UMass Football 2014
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
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I went to the game yesterday and although they lost, they played very well. Offense played in sync and with some efficiency. Defense fell apart at the end, but this was easily the best performance I have seen from this team. They difference from Whipple to Molner is stunning.
Just a brutal loss today. Gift wrapped for Vandy - fumble returned for a TD and blocked punt returned for a TD. For the 2nd week in a row, we couldn't hold onto a 31-20 lead (this time with 9 minutes to go in the 4th).
As frustrating as it was, this team is light years better than last year and much better than even 2 weeks ago against BC. But damn, this one hurts!
As frustrating as it was, this team is light years better than last year and much better than even 2 weeks ago against BC. But damn, this one hurts!
I watched that game from the 2nd quarter on. Whipple absolutely outcoached Vandy, and if not for terrible punt game (block and two shanks), it wouldn't have been close.
However, his late game management was poor. Down 3, with :06 on 3rd and goal on the 5, on the hash, with a TO, if you are playing for the FG, you have time to run a play to get the ball to the middle of the field, and then call a TO. If you are comfortable with the kicker on the hash (which you shouldn't be with college hashes and kickers), then you have time for one more stab at the end zone to win it. The previous play took 3 seconds. If the first read isn't there Frohnapfel could chuck it.
Frohnapfel had a really good game.
However, his late game management was poor. Down 3, with :06 on 3rd and goal on the 5, on the hash, with a TO, if you are playing for the FG, you have time to run a play to get the ball to the middle of the field, and then call a TO. If you are comfortable with the kicker on the hash (which you shouldn't be with college hashes and kickers), then you have time for one more stab at the end zone to win it. The previous play took 3 seconds. If the first read isn't there Frohnapfel could chuck it.
Frohnapfel had a really good game.
Anyone catch this on ch4 last night?
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/09/19/i-team-umass-footballs-move-to-fbs-comes-at-high-cost/
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/09/19/i-team-umass-footballs-move-to-fbs-comes-at-high-cost/
It's such bullshit. FBS is less expensive than 1-AA. $850,000 from Penn State and $650,000 from Vandy for the 2018 buyout. The football budget is less than 1% of the total UMass budget. Don't let the facts get in the way of your story.RedSoxFan said:
On the flip side, I'm on the way to State College right now. Perfect fall weekend for some UMass Football.
If they want to make this work, they need to do the following:
1. expand/rebuild McGuirk to 45,000;
2.move all but perhaps the UConn/BC games out of Gillette. When you get 10,000 to a 65,000 seat stadium against a power 5 school the business plan isn't working;
3. Commit to football as the centerpiece of the athletic program. Football drives the bus, not basketball. You need only look at Storrs to see that.
4. Join a conference that is football centric. If they were really serious about football, they would have committed to the MAC and concentrated building up the football program. Once they reached success there, put up a 45,000 seat stadium on campus, brought in power 5 schools to Amherst and won some of them, they then could step up a league. They gave the MAC an out with the business plan and desire to protect hoops. From a football perspective that was a huge mistake.
5. Take the Coach Cal approach to scheduling. Play anyone, anytime, anywhere. Their non conference schedule this year is great. They should agree to continue that by signing 2-1 deals with as many power 5 and independents as possible (2 away, 1 at McGuirk).
The AAC is probably the ultimate landing spot but they need to have a selling point to get there. A horrible home field situation with a bad product and no current value add is not a desirable product to sell to a conference.
Lots of naysayers out there for sure. But you have a good coach who will stabilize the on field product. They need to really decide if they want big time football however. If so, then go for it. So far it looks like they kinda do but not really. That is recipe for disaster.
1. expand/rebuild McGuirk to 45,000;
2.move all but perhaps the UConn/BC games out of Gillette. When you get 10,000 to a 65,000 seat stadium against a power 5 school the business plan isn't working;
3. Commit to football as the centerpiece of the athletic program. Football drives the bus, not basketball. You need only look at Storrs to see that.
4. Join a conference that is football centric. If they were really serious about football, they would have committed to the MAC and concentrated building up the football program. Once they reached success there, put up a 45,000 seat stadium on campus, brought in power 5 schools to Amherst and won some of them, they then could step up a league. They gave the MAC an out with the business plan and desire to protect hoops. From a football perspective that was a huge mistake.
5. Take the Coach Cal approach to scheduling. Play anyone, anytime, anywhere. Their non conference schedule this year is great. They should agree to continue that by signing 2-1 deals with as many power 5 and independents as possible (2 away, 1 at McGuirk).
The AAC is probably the ultimate landing spot but they need to have a selling point to get there. A horrible home field situation with a bad product and no current value add is not a desirable product to sell to a conference.
Lots of naysayers out there for sure. But you have a good coach who will stabilize the on field product. They need to really decide if they want big time football however. If so, then go for it. So far it looks like they kinda do but not really. That is recipe for disaster.
Refusing going all-in with the MAC was not only for basketball. They won't make enough money in the MAC to pay for travel for all the other teams. And there is no way they get McGuirk to 45K: it really only needs to be 20-25K with future expandability. The main problem is that it's old and shaped weirdly.
In other news, they schedule 19 non-conference games. Highlights are 4 game home-and homes with BYU and Army and a $1m pay game with Tennessee.
http://www.fbschedules.com/2014/09/umass-adds-19-games-future-football-schedules/
They still need two home games in 2016, and they might have to move mountains to get them since September is already full. Scheduling non-conference home games for UMass in Oct/Nov would be incredibly difficult.
In other news, they schedule 19 non-conference games. Highlights are 4 game home-and homes with BYU and Army and a $1m pay game with Tennessee.
http://www.fbschedules.com/2014/09/umass-adds-19-games-future-football-schedules/
They still need two home games in 2016, and they might have to move mountains to get them since September is already full. Scheduling non-conference home games for UMass in Oct/Nov would be incredibly difficult.
The smart play would have been to tear McGuirk down and build a new stadium right at the same spot.Infield Infidel said:
The offense has been impressive. Give Whip credit for going out and getting a quarterback when he had so little time to recruit. Frohnapfel's 589 passing yards today is a new UMass record. I'm also impressed with Tajae Sharpe; I really think he's going to be playing in the NFL in a few years. Just need some more pieces on the defensive side and this team could compete for a MAC title next year.
The god damn videoboard collapsed and shattered into a plasma mess during the game, lucky it didn't kill anyone.
Looking at the pics online for the video board fail, it looks like UMass and the Sox have the same mentality when it comes to announcing selloutsRedSoxFan said:
PC Drunken Friar said:
They definitely had 17,000 there, the problem was that a lot of people left at halftime and actually students started leaving in the second quarter. I guess they were there to take a selfie and watch the band perform. Our fan base is pretty pathetic. This was an exciting game to watch from start to finish.
http://www.masslive.com/umassfootball/index.ssf/2014/09/umass_football_attendance_watc_5.html
Infield Infidel said:
I was mistaken, then need 5 total home games, so they need to schedule 3 more home games for 2016. They can probably schedule a second FCS school (they already have URI), but getting two more FBS games, for Oct/Nov, will be tough.
edit - they have 9 games so far, and can get 4 more games because they are going to Hawaii and get the 13th game Hawaii Exemption. I'm thinking that they should try to get a pay game away at a big time school, somewhere between $500k-1m, and then use that money to somehow buy two games from fellow small schools, and then try to get a home-and-home or 2-for-1.
Someone is going to have to explain the end of this one to me.
UMasss blows a 41-14 lead an lose 42-41.
Anway last drive of the game starts with 1:13 left. (clock didn;t update on gamecast). They actually were pretty quick, and moved the ball after a slow start. Here were the last 3 plays
Long Pass complete to 32
spike
Long Pass complete to 6
Short pass complete to 2
With the ball at the 6, why no spike and FG. Were they just able to snap at 1 second and no time for the spike?
UMasss blows a 41-14 lead an lose 42-41.
Anway last drive of the game starts with 1:13 left. (clock didn;t update on gamecast). They actually were pretty quick, and moved the ball after a slow start. Here were the last 3 plays
Long Pass complete to 32
spike
Long Pass complete to 6
Short pass complete to 2
With the ball at the 6, why no spike and FG. Were they just able to snap at 1 second and no time for the spike?
What an embarrassment. Complete joke in the second half on both sides of the ball. This team does not know what it takes to win.
They snapped it at 3 seconds. Honestly don't know if it was Froh who did that on his own or Whipple's lack of confidence in the kicking game.
They snapped it at 3 seconds. Honestly don't know if it was Froh who did that on his own or Whipple's lack of confidence in the kicking game.
no he had them lined up and ready to go before the clock started. He could have easily spiked it with at least one second left, but instead he dropped back to throw, and he didn't even throw into the endzone. It was a complete mental lapse, and a really bad one at that.BigMike said:
Me too. I have season tickets and support this team, but this game broke me. I need a break from this and the new and interesting ways they find to lose. A total kick in the nuts - for the 3rd time this year. Looked like the greatest show on turf in the 1st half, then complete dogshit in the 2nd half.BigA27 said:
You must've missed the Vandy game when he missed a 23 yd FG to tie the game. He also missed a PAT yesterday.Bleedred said:
Whipple brought in a lot of skill position players to fix the offense. Now he needs to address the defense and kicking game. UMass should be 3-3, but they find ways to lose games.
Wow, that is the definition of pathetic. It's like a 7th grade youth team that has to go for the 2 pt conversion each time because they don't have anyone who can kick it through the uprights. Jesus, grab a soccer player who doesn't get any run. XPs and 23 yd FGs are fucking layups.Franklin Fanatic said:
I'm sorry, but I absolutely reject any attempt to justify the coaching decision there. So the kid's not Adam Viniatieri. He's made 21 of 22 extra points this year. He had a much better chance of making the kick than the offense did of scoring the touchdown. Going for it is absolutely inexcusable, awful coaching, and would be a fireable offense at a real program.
I agree. You have to attempt the 23yd FG there. Whipple's comments post game were total BS. This was a total team breakdown. No 2nd half points, turnovers, and horrible defense. There has to be accountability by Whipple and his staff.WayBackVazquez said:
This team is light years better than the last two years, but the bottom line is they are still 0-6.
The offense is one of the best in the MAC. If their defense was even average they could win the MAC. After the shit show that was the last two years, this years team is fun to watch and easy to root for. My hope is still 3-4 wins and take that momentum into next year.BigA27 said:
2 in a row!, 36-14 over Eastern Michigan. UMass had 562 yards in total offense and Abrokwah had 135 on the ground and 4 TD's.
We're on to Toledo...
We're on to Toledo...
These are all very good points and I think UMass really is making a serious turnaround, and has all season. Although they are 2-6, they very easily could be 6-2....losing to Pac-12 (Colorado), SEC (Vanderbilt), and MAC (Bowling Green and Miami) by a total of 12 points (average of essentially a FG per loss). And I do not think all is lost, but do believe UMass should consider the following:berniecarbo1 said:
1. Move the games back to Amherst (besides maybe one marquee game per year). I completely agree with berniecarbo1 on this point, and am starting to wonder if there really is any downside at all. Some may know more about how leagues view TV markets, but with such a significant amount of UMass grads in the Boston area, wouldn't Amherst still be considered the Boston TV market anyways? I would think that the location of the majority of potential viewers would matter more than where the actual game is being played.
2. Make incremental, but significant, modifications to McGuirk. The current renovations would make it less likely that the stadium would be torn down and a new one built, but that doesn't mean that it can't be greatly updated. (1) From what I can see (and I might be missing something), the side with the new press box would likely have to remain, but the seats could be extended further down toward the field (one of the original preliminary sketches had this as a modification to both sides, but never happened. That would add a little capacity and bring the crowd closer to the field. (2) The other side of the stadium could essentially be torn down and rebuilt to be much more modern, and with either an upper deck or at least the potential for an upper deck to be added in the future. I believe that JMU did something fairly similar (adding a deck later). (3) This modification could also wrap around the side of the endzone without the new office complex structure, with also the potential to add an upper deck at some point.
3. Similar to #1, UMass is actually losing one of their appeals by playing in Foxboro, and that is Amherst itself. A few years ago, Amherst/NoHo was ranked the #1 college town North America (I can't recall exactly where I saw that ranking, but regardless of the specifics I think most would agree that it is a great place to hang out on an autumn weekend. Most alumni are in driving distance, but not exactly living in Western Mass. My guess is that many would make the trek out to Amherst for 4-5 home games per year (or at least enough to fill the stadium), while also making a weekend out of it to go back to their old stomping grounds (e.g., Antonio's, ABC, NoHo, etc...). Hotels and restaurants would greatly benefit as well. I will take VA Tech and Blacksburg as an example...Now I'm not suggesting that UMass is on par with VA Tech in football, but the Blacksburg is similar with even less to do. I've been there quite a few times and it is pretty amazing to see how many people drive much longer than the 90 minutes it would take to get to Amherst from Boston; and many actually rent out a small apartment for the entire year just to have a place to stay on those weekends. Just seeing this makes me think that UMass could basically experience 4-6 homecoming types of weekends per year.
With these thoughts in mind, I would expect the interest to improve and the overall appeal for a conference to also improve. I'd think then that the likely landing spot would be the AAC.
So the strategy to start out at Gillette was likely the only way to get to the FBS level to begin with; but the program has a small window now where they need to take advantage of that and get back to campus. And the product on the field is significantly better than the 2-6 record, and exciting to watch as well with their offense. I know many would think UMass missed opportunities in the 80s-90s to make the kind of jump UConn did, but I think the jump is much more realistic now than a lot are thinking. If football is "all in" or "nothing", then I think "all in" means get it back to Amherst as soon as possible (while playing in a venue that resembles more than a glorified high school stadium), and it should be possible with the incremental modifications.
And someone may be able to add clarification pertaining to how TV markets are determined, but I think the market is where the majority of the TV viewers would be, which would be Boston even with the team playing in Amherst.
Whipple is now the winningest coach in UMass FBS history! Nice job by the defense tonight, but it looks like Frohnapfel is done for the year with an ankle injury. Austin Whipple is up next.