DDS: CFB 2017 - This will take a Minute...man

[BYU 14]

This will be my attempt to build a respectable program from with the worst team in College football playing with the new DDS: College Football 2017. While the game still has some kinks to be worked out, it is definitely playable after two patchs and I think it has enormous potential. I really like the way everything flows in the game and can see this having a really long shelf life in my play rotation when all is said and done.

Starting in 1990 I simmed 25 seasons and then looked for the worst team in College Football, and I definitely found a prime candidate. The UMass Minutemen, prestige of 30 and over the 25 years of the sim the team record for wins in a season is 4, which they did twice. While overall the Charlotte 49ers had a lower prestige (28), they at least managed to usually win a couple of games each season and even had a bowl appearance early on. UMass on the other hand, were the proud owners of record of 0-79 between 2008 and 2015, before finally going 3-8 during the 2015 season.

So on that note I took over for the 2016 season, inherited a roster full of 1 star recruits and promptly led the team to an 0-12 record again and there were some ugly moments as you can see below, as we averaged 8.9 a game and gave up 39.2. Bad, but far removed from the horrid 2011 campaign, where the team didn’t even log a full season, going 0-10, scoring 3.9 PPG and giving up 61.9! A sim record for futility, on both sides of the ball.

Opponent	Result
@Texas Christian Horned Frogs (8-4-0)	L 58-10
Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-3-0)	L 62-0
@Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-10-0)	L 20-9
BYE
North Texas Mean Green (5-7-0)	L 36-17
BYE
@Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5-0)	L 41-10
Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3-0)	L 54-0
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (2-10-0)	L 14-6
BYE
@Northwestern Wildcats (7-5-0)	L 30-6
Syracuse Orange (7-5-0)	L 65-14
@New Mexico State Aggies (6-6-0)	L 38-17
@UTEP Miners (4-8-0)	L 17-12
@Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (9-3-0)	L 35-6

Despite a return to disgrace in 2016, I was able to haul in the 85th ranked recruiting class in the country (usual ranking is 115-125 for them) and land six 3 star recruits (unheard of) and eleven 2 star to complete the class of 17. Originally I only had commits from three 3 star players, but lost 3 kids on signing day flips, which allowed me to secure three signing day coups of my own in 3 star TE’s Robert Kerns (736), Charles Young (755) and 3 star FS James Whitley (1137), who was a huge get and should be one of three true freshman who will start in our secondary in 2017.

The rest of the 2017 class (Pos, stars and national ranking)
Theodore Sumner – T *** (1121)
Reginald Small – T *** (1186)
Jose Taylor – CB *** (1226)
Seth Wooley – RB ** (1285)
Felton Haight – QB ** (1764
Brian Freeman – CB ** (1784)
Herbert Perrin – G ** (1797)
Stanton McNeely – DE ** (1962)
Robert Blount – FS ** (2115)
Paul King – DT ** (2223)
Eliseo Cox – LB ** (2234)
William Qualls – SS ** (2270)
Matthew Goodrich – C ** (2297)
Richard Clanton – G ** (2356)

Next up, roster and outlook for 2017, which could consist of 4 or 5 true freshmen starting on each side of the ball depending on how camp goes. We will be young!

[BYU 14]

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Arm	Int	Acc	End
Haight, F.	QB	Fr (RS)	63	86	45	65	56
Kopp, R.	QB	Fr (RS)	60	51	77	54	83
Lavigne, D.	QB	Jr (RS)	80	86	75	75	91
Martinez, G.	QB	Jr (RS)	56	67	48	52	85

Junior Darryl Lavigne will assume the starting role for this season, as we redshirt Felton Haight, who already matches Lavigne in arm strength, but has a lot to learn about the game at this level as his intelligence is horrible. It is expected these two will compete for the job in 2018, with Kopp and Martinez nothing but roster filler.

[BYU 14]

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Spd	End
Amaya, A.	RB	Jr (RS)	64	54	59	68	49
Gooden, M.	RB	So (RS)	57	42	54	66	77
Maurer, C.	RB	Sr (RS)	65	52	85	55	80
Wooley, S.	RB	Fr	71	56	93	66	50
Hutcheson, M.	FB	Fr (RS)	57	62	35	74	80
Ponder, C.	FB	So (RS)	64	45	69	43	49

The keys to the backfield will be handed to true freshman Seth Wooley, who has to be better than returning starter Clyde Maurer, who managed just 266 yards on 172 carries last season, a paltry 1.5 average, with a long run of just 11 yards. Chad Ponder and Mark Hutcheson will be FB by committee.

[BYU 14]

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	PBl	RBl	End
Clanton, R.	G	Fr (RS)	60	68	74	57	69
Cromer, T.	G	So (RS)	57	63	54	64	47
Meyer, D.	G	So (RS)	59	54	49	76	53
Perrin, H.	G	Fr	63	52	60	70	46
Root, W.	G	Jr (RS)	60	63	70	51	70
Thiel, J.	G	Jr (RS)	63	55	56	63	55
Yi, T.    	G	Sr (RS)	65	61	79	55	80
Fitch, J.	T	So (RS)	56	66	43	81	69
Mcdonald, B.	T	Sr (RS)	57	89	49	62	49
Small, R.	T	Fr	70	54	82	85	37
Sumner, T.	T	Fr	69	77	74	69	62
White, J.	T	Fr (RS)	60	66	73	40	30
Darling, M.	C	So (RS)	60	51	67	60	43
Goodrich, M.	C	Fr	62	78	77	49	76
Johnson, D.	C	Fr (RS)	54	76	46	41	80
Maupin, H.	C	Sr (RS)	62	81	54	48	75

Starters in bold
Not an area of high confidence when your starting tackles will both be true freshmen, and two others (Goodrich and Perrin will probably see heavy rotation, but the upside of this is that all four, plus redshirting guard Richard Clanton will have time to grow together as a unit if I don’t get better recruits in over the coming seasons.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by BYU14

UMass on the other hand, were the proud owners of record of 0-79 between 2008 and 2015, before finally going 3-8 during the 2015 season.

So on that note I took over for the 2016 season, inherited a roster full of 1 star recruits and promptly led the team to an 0-12 record again and there were some ugly moments as you can see below, as we averaged 8.9 a game and gave up 39.2. Bad, but far removed from the horrid 2011 campaign, where the team didn’t even log a full season, going 0-10, scoring 3.9 PPG and giving up 61.9!

That's ... devastating horrible. Wonder how many games in a row you'd have to lose to get fired at a place like that?

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

That's ... devastating horrible. Wonder how many games in a row you'd have to lose to get fired at a place like that?

Hell, they should give a coach that endures that a medal

[BYU 14]

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Spe	Hnd	PBl	RBl	End
Beltran, S.	TE	Jr (RS)	60	44	38	62	49	43	28	55
Kerns, R.	TE	Fr (RS)	75	65	57	41	67	52	37	74
Morley, T.	TE	Sr (RS)	60	27	32	35	85	51	14	55
Woodard, D.	TE	So (RS)	59	55	39	54	46	18	54	52
Young, C.	TE	Fr	75	72	70	33	65	28	46	80

Our Freshmen studs are the two best TE’s on the team, with Young being a bit more developed, so I redshirt Kerns to stagger their years and will go with Young as the starter, though he is painfully slow, at just 33 speed. Morley is a terrible run blocker at 14, but has great hands.

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Spe	Hnd	End
Brewster, T.	WR	Jr (RS)	63	29	68	62	61	75
Call, B.	WR	Fr (RS)	62	19	73	48	76	55
Cox, T.	        WR	Jr (RS)	68	24	77	52	89	90
Flood, T.	WR	So (RS)	61	32	55	67	57	82
Garber, E.	WR	So (RS)	66	61	56	66	48	90
Larson, I.	WR	Sr (RS)	62	42	69	49	67	93
Najera, M.	WR	So	65	58	48	57	76	54
Snider, J.	WR	So (RS)	63	48	55	48	81	66
Thomas, T.	WR	Fr (RS)	65	56	67	50	74	64
Ward, L.	WR	Sr (RS)	65	67	50	59	62	78

You can toss this group into a hat and pick any 2 or 3 to be your starters without much difference. They are likely the most mediocre group of pass catchers to ever grace one team and this is a major focus of recruiting this year, despite the fact I only have 13 schollies open and will still have 8 of these guys returning. Cox and Garber will start, with Thomas, who as a big bodied frosh may be decent at some point, the number 3 guy in. Cox as elite hands, but as a group they are no threat to stretch the field.

[BYU 14]

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Tck	Spe	End
Curtis, R.	DT	So (RS)	56	53	40	43	33	58
Davis, H.	DT	So (RS)	59	73	47	23	38	65
Guerrero, A.	DT	Sr (RS)	68	55	49	62	66	54
King, P.	DT	Fr (RS)	62	55	24	45	62	77
Kirkpatrick, C.	DT	Jr (RS)	63	77	23	31	45	45
McCann, M.	DT	Fr (RS)	57	51	61	40	64	61
McCord, A.	DT	Fr (RS)	59	66	57	31	44	52
Ryan, W.	DT	Jr	57	63	51	33	34	68
Smith, N.	DT	Jr	61	63	62	37	55	69
Wallen, M.	DT	Fr (RS)	58	49	64	49	33	62
Appleton, L.	DE	Sr (RS)	60	68	33	35	46	66
Dietz, R.	DE	So	61	56	32	47	50	61
Girard, R.	DE	So (RS)	62	83	51	36	36	65
Mcneely, S.	DE	Fr	64	49	37	63	48	50
Ortiz, C.	DE	Fr (RS)	58	52	43	20	60	54
Spencer, D.	DE	Fr (RS)	58	70	49	22	54	35
Webber, C.	DE	Sr (RS)	62	43	24	51	59	52
Whelan, T.	DE	Fr (RS)	60	66	41	43	38	77

We have a load of options at DT, but the only one that even approaches average is Alejandro Guerrero, who at 6’4 and 311 is as fast as some of our receivers, but as our luck would have it is not very strong. He will have to do though and will start alongside Clayton Kilpatrick, with Nathan Smith, Alex McCord and Hobert Davis our rotation players, though again talent is thin. Top recruit Paul King would have seen time, but he is almost immobile at this point and I want to develop him, so he gets the redshirt. At DE it is a different story as true frosh Stanton McNeely will have to start, because he is already the best on the roster, is smart and can tackle well. On the other side it will be Soph Richard Girard over senior Conrad Webber, as he is our strongest d-lineman and reasonably (for this team) agile.

[BYU 14]

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Int	Tck	Spe	End
Cox, E.	LB	Fr (RS)	60	25	81	53	48	74	56
Marino, A.	LB	Sr (RS)	57	33	63	77	56	39	85
Murphy, R.	LB	Fr (RS)	49	33	46	42	38	67	40
Ramirez, D.	LB	So (RS)	72	61	57	72	73	46	84
Reed, S.	LB	Sr	60	37	55	71	56	57	52
Reno, R.	LB	Jr (RS)	61	46	44	50	72	36	79
Smith, T.	LB	Jr (RS)	62	60	49	40	64	42	52
Ware, R.	LB	Fr (RS)	57	32	74	31	63	37	86

Linebacker grades out as our weakest position group overall at just under 60%, with Donald Ramirez the only decent player here. This will be another focus during recruiting, as it was hoped that incoming freshman Eliseo Cox would help right away, but he will need to redshirt, leaving the other two spots to go to Theodore Smith and Richard Reno, neither of whom are much to get excited about, though Reno has a cool name. I am excited about Cox down the road though as he is already our best athlete here and can run.

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Tck	Spe	Hnd	End
Austin, A.	CB	So (RS)	61	33	55	33	75	27	50
Freeman, B.	CB	Fr	67	58	75	35	45	61	73
Kay, C.	CB	Fr (RS)	59	53	81	12	44	43	78
Lamm, R.	CB	So	54	49	44	42	44	46	73
Padgett, B.	CB	Jr (RS)	63	26	63	58	55	36	77
Taylor, J.	CB	Fr	70	58	69	54	61	33	82
Bird, J.	FS	So (RS)	59	54	49	34	67	32	68
Blount, R.	FS	Fr	65	27	49	62	68	47	79
Griffin, E.	FS	So (RS)	60	22	61	47	46	58	59
Whitley, J.	FS	Fr	70	57	72	72	43	58	82
Bell, C.	SS	Sr (RS)	64	30	60	66	60	72	61
Mcwilliams, T.	SS	Jr	59	31	64	33	62	43	46
Qualls, W.	SS	Fr	63	27	53	64	63	58	84

Now the secondary brings some cause for optimism as it boasts three true freshmen good enough to start, which of course is not saying a lot because we are UMass, but they all have good potential. Jose Taylor, a good balanced corner (albeit crappy hands) will line up next to Brian Freeman at corner, while late signee James Whitley will man the FS spot, backed up by another true frosh in Robert Blount. Joining this youth movement will be 5th senior Clay Bell at SS, with another true frosh, William Qualls nipping at his heels. Bobby Padgett will get time at corner, as will Adam Austin, who is our fastest player at this spot.

Our kickers all suck, so no use reviewing them. Dewey Hicks will handle placekicking duties and Vincent Anderson will punt.

[BYU 14]

Our schedule for 2017 contains 9 games (this is one of the remaining bugs in the game, especially for an independent like UMass, where the CPU does not always give a team 12 games. It is reported and being worked on, but it is the only real 'major' issue left, along with consecutive bye weeks)

Our first three games are all against teams I requested last year as preferred opponents and are all winnable. Hawaii is another game we could get, but the rest should all result in considerable beatdowns.

Week Opponent Result 
1 Buffalo Bulls (0-0-0)   
2 Charlotte 49ers (0-0-0)   
3 @Wyoming Cowboys (0-0-0)   
4 BYE   
5 BYE   
6 BYE   
7 San Diego State Aztecs (0-0-0)   
8 BYE   
9 Auburn Tigers (0-0-0)   
10 @Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (0-0-0)   
11 @Arkansas Razorbacks (0-0-0)   
12 @Washington Huskies (0-0-0)   
13 East Carolina Pirates (0-0-0)   
14 BYE   
15 BYE   
16 BYE 

Recruiting wise, as mentioned I have 13 schollies to fill and my approach is to focus on players within 200 to 300 miles of us, go after a few select three stars that hopefully value proximity to home and the chance to play early over prestige, while also hoping bigger programs don't venture into our area and offer them, otherwise we will lose them regardless of how much they don't want to leave momma. I will show a little bit of love to some lower ranked players, just to keep them on the line in case we lose our stretch targets, which will usually be the case.

Some notable we are pursuing. I will update after week 1 to add players we have the best chance at. (Also no scouting is back on any of these players yet)

QB - Robert Huffman *** Hampton, HM ranked 777
RB - Christopher Stewart *** Auburn, MA ranked 843
WR - Theodore Masters *** North Brookfield, MA ranked 1124 (He already has a very slight interest in us and we need him badly to bolster the receiving corps, hopefully scouting comes back worthy of his 3 star rating and I can get him. Our #1 target for sure.
DE - Grant Courtney *** South Hadley, MA ranked 1085
LB - Erasmo Wild *** North Adams, MA ranked 938 (Another big priority with our suspect group of backers. Plus he has a great name!
SS - Paul Combs *** Longmeadow, MA ranked 516 (The highest ranked recruit we are pursuing and he would fill out the secondary, which is the bright spot of this team, nicely. Hoping being out in the boonies makes him slip under the radar)

[BYU 14]

Sept 3rd, 2017 vs Buffalo 0-0
Both teams start slow, exchanging punts on their first two possessions before we put together a nice drive going from our own 34 to a first and goal from the Buffalo 1, but we can’t punch it in and settle for a 19 yard FG to culminate a 14 play drive. Buffalo strikes back immediately with Joseph Altman scoring on an 8 yard run, but we close the first quarter with a 3 play drive, assisted by a personal foul, cashing in on a 14 yard strike from Lavigne to Melvin Najera taking a 10-7 lead after 1. The 2nd quarter is all Buffalo as Joel Smoot scores on a 38 yard jaunt, then tack on a 28 yard field goal and we trail 17-10 at halftime.

Our inability to stop the run will haunt us as we surrender 231 yards on the ground with Joseph Altman rushing for 106 yards on 20 carries, while Smoot tallies 64 on just 4 carries. We score the only points of the 3rd quarter as Dewey Hicks nails a 40 yard field goal, but we wear down in the 4th. Altman scores his second TD on a 7 yard run, then after Hicks third field goal, Steven Smith gets behind our defense to haul in a 68 yard pass from James Trapp as we fall 31-16. Daryl Lavigne goes 22-39 for 208 yards and a TD, but kills us with 3 picks. Newcomer Seth Wooley is a bright spot running for 88 yards on 14 carries, with Tyrell Cox hauling in 11 receptions, but only gaining 65 yards, a paltry 5.9 YPC. On defense DT Nathan Smith has a decent day, with 3 tackles, 1 TFL and a sack.
Final - Buffalo 31 UMass 16

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 9 (no other schools)
RB – Christopher Stewart *** (843) interest 3 (Appalachian State)
RB – David Hardy *** (836) interest 3 (no other schools)
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 1 (no other schools)
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 42 (no other schools)
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 74 (no other schools)
DE – Grant Courtney *** (1085) interest 0 (NC State, Northwestern)
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 5 (no other schools)
LB – Jordan McCain ** (1651) interest 15 (Boston College)
CB – Leo Hale *** (611) interest 4 (Maryland)
SS – Paul Combs *** (516) interest 2 (no other schools)
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) interest 32 (no other schools)

Only one kid that looks like a good bet after one week , though I didn’t expect much love from any of the 3 stars at this point. I will bail on Stewart, Courtney, McCain and Hale and move on to the next prospects on the board as it is guaranteed we would be nothing but wasting our time pursuing any further with them all getting interest for better schools, coupled with a low interest. I will keep after the other 3 star kids on our board and hope nobody else shows them love long enough for us to build some interest.

[BYU 14]

Sept 10th, 2017 UMass 0-1 vs Charlotte 0-0
We are ranked 128th in the country after the opening week debacle against Buffalo, and are determined not to drop to 0-2 against lowly Charlotte as we take the opening kickoff and go 75 yards in six plays, getting on the board courtesy of a 4 yard strike from Darryl Lavigne to Ezra Garber. Charlotte hits a 32 yd field goal from Ronnie Dickson midway through the quarter and we lead 7-3 after one. From there we dominate reeling off 26 unanswered un-answered points, highlighted by another TD pass from Lavigne to Garber covering 44 yards and a 1 yard plunge from Clyde Maurer.

Charlotte breaks the run with a 45 yard pass from Jonathon Barron to Clarence Gatlin to start the 4th, but we close it out on a highlight reel quality 36 yard scamper for 6 by Allen Amaya, that secures a decisive win. Our defense is solid outside of the long TD strike, allowing just 250 yards of offense to the 49ers, while picking off Barron 3 times and getting a stellar performance from Alejandro Guerrero at the 2 technique as he racks up 6 tackles, 2 TFL and a sack. Brian Freeman, the lesser heralded of our two frosh corners picks off 2 passes and defends 2 others, while James Whitley grabs the third pick. Offensively a good game for Lavigne who finishes 21-39, 297 yards with 2 TD and 1 Int. Our ground game is balanced as Seth Wooley carries 11 times for 85 yards, with Clyde Maurer and Allen Amaya chipping in 37 and 38 respectively. Garber is the star at wideout, racking up 140 yards on 6 grabs for a stellar 23.3 YPC. Really happy with the play of our youngsters in this game, just wish Wooley had a bit more stamina as he is only good for 12-15 touches a game right now, but is averaging 6.9 a carry.
Final Score: UMass 40 Charlotte 10

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 6 (no other schools) – We lose ground, but will keep on him until someone else offers.
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 43 (no other schools) – He is our best hope for a decent RB
RB – David Hardy *** (836) interest 1 (no other schools) – About ready to bail on him
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 3 (no other schools) – Interview reveals he is a workout fanatic.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 26 (no other schools) – His interest drops 16 points, no bueno.
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 76 (no other schools) – Still looking solid here
DE – James Rash *** (1189) interest 4 (no other schools) – Another real long shot, but he is unnoticed so far, but I may have to settle at this spot.
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 3 (no other schools) – Hanging on to slim hope
LB – William Barney ** (1661) interest 31 (no other schools) – Hopefully a scholarship offer boost his interest next week.
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 69 (Western Michigan) – I will compete with them and I have a 79 interest from Richard Godwin ** (2092) as a backup plan.
SS – Paul Combs *** (516) interest 3 (no other schools) – Interest goes up 1, it’s something.
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) interest 34 (no other schools) – Still a long shot if anyone else jumps in
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 68 (Boston College) – Offer him despite BC recruiting him, as I think they will drop him if they can get better.

[Brian Swartz]

40 points in one game?? Is that like a school record or something?

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

40 points in one game?? Is that like a school record or something?

It is probably close, but they did average 23.2 going 4-8 in 2007 before the 0-79 streak began, so I would hope they topped 40 at least once that season.

[Young Drachma]

0-79. Man.

[MizzouRah]

Good luck coach!

[BYU 14]

Thanks for following guys, really enjoying this game, despite the few warts still remaining. It could really develop into something special.

Sept 17th, 2017 UMass 1-1 at Wyoming 0-2
UMass: Offense 28.0 (63) Defense 20.5 (39)
Wyoming: Offense 24.0 (77) Defense 39.5 (95)
Injury report: SS Clay Bell – Questionable (Cornea), WR Tyrell Cox – Questionable (Cheekbone)

Our run defense is exposed as the Cowboys shred us for 309 yards on the ground and we make Wyoming backs Joshua Bobbitt and David Stephenson look like the second coming of the SMU Pony Express backfield of the 80’s. We lead 10-7 early in the second quarter on a 17 yard pass from Lavigne to Garber, who are developing a nice chemistry. Wyoming then rips off 20 unanswered points highlighted by TD gallops of 8 yards from Stephenson (23-149 on the day) and 39 yards from Bobbit (22-160).

As good as they run the ball though, they suck at throwing it and we manage to stay in the game by intercepting Poke QB Paul Melendez (17-32, 185 and 1 TD) twice, with top corner Jose Taylor getting his first and reserve LB Adam Marino getting the other. We come back on Lavigne’s second TD pass, this one going 14 yards to Melvin Najera who is filling in for game time scratch Tyrell Cox and get it to within a score on a 44 yd FG from Dewey Hicks with 10:27 left. Two subsequent drives stall and our final possession sees us get to the Wyoming 44, but a sack and an incomplete pass later it’s over. Lavigne is inconsistent, going 22-45, 238 yards, 2 TD, but does not turn the ball over and Seth Wooley carries 9 times for 44 yards as we never get the run game going. On defense FS James Whitley leads us with 11 tackles, which says all you need to know about how badly our front 7 was abused on the ground
Final Score: Wyoming 27 UMass 20

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 5 (no other schools) – Interest slips again, but still no other suitors.
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 44 (no other schools) – Feeling we may land him.
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) interest 65 (no other schools) – I throw in the towel on David Hardy since Townsend likes us so much
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 5 (no other schools) – A 2 point bump in interest, wow! I am still showing others love for when he breaks my heart.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 40 (no other schools) – Gained 14 interest back this week!
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 80 (no other schools) – Holding steady, hopefully he commits soon
DE – James Rash *** (1189) interest 2 (no other schools) – Going hard after another DE who is a two star, but he will keep the offer until another school calls.
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 6 (no other schools) – Interest doubled, but it is from 3 to 6. Scouting about done on him, strong and fast but lacks some other tools.
LB – William Barney ** (1661) interest 34 (no other schools) – Slight boost, not enough interest that he wouldn’t bolt to a better school though.
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 73 (Western Michigan) – I like that I am out-recruiting someone for him.
SS – Paul Combs *** (516) interest 2 (no other schools) – Should probably stop wasting my time on him, but still hoping.
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) interest 34 (no other schools) – Holding steady at 34
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 72 (Boston College) – Gained interest even with BC in the picture!

Looking like three kids have us a solid number 1, which is amazing considering two have other options. We really need to land one or two of the three star recruits, but it is appearing that anyone I get of this caliber will come late in the process in the form of someone that has been overlooked. Next we have our string of byes, co hopefully I can make some big recruiting inroads!

[BYU 14]

We enter our string of bye weeks, so it will be getting healthy and hitting the recruiting trail. Current injuries, overall we are in great shape health wise

Injuries
WR Irvin Larson – Out 1-2 weeks, Hernia
G Thomas YI – Probable, Fractured Nose
SS Clay Bell – Probable, Scratched Cornea
DE Conrad Webber – Doubtful, Hip fracture
WR Tyrell Cox – Questionable, Bruised Cheekbone

Leaders
Passing – Darryl Lavigne 65-123, 743 yards, 52.8%, 5 TD, 4 Int
Rushing – Seth Wooley 34-217, 6.4 YPC, 0 TD, long 15
Receiving – Ezra Garber 16-302, 18.9 YPC, 3 TD, long 49
Tackles – Donald Ramirez 18
Sacks – Alejandro Guerrero 2
Interceptions – Brian Freeman 2

Recruiting: September 24th
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 4 (no other schools) – Interest slips yet again, but we are still the only game.
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 41 (no other schools) – Slips a bit, no longer our best possibility
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) interest 73 (no other schools) – He now seems to be a likely commit, landing him and Neal would be fine.
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 4 (no other schools) – Still his only pursuer, so I am staying the course.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 41 (no other schools) – Staying level, fair shot at landing him!
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 77 (no other schools) – Slipped a bit, may no longer be a lock
DE – James Rash *** (1189) interest 6 (no other schools) – A 4 point bump in interest, but he will still bolt if he gets any other offers.
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 4 (no other schools) – Another we will lose as soon as someone else comes in, but holding out hope.
LB – William Barney ** (1661) interest 30 (no other schools) – No sure thing here, but a much better bet than Wild.
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 73 (Western Michigan) – Still in the lead for him.
SS – Paul Combs *** (516) interest 5 (no other schools) – Slight bump, still a very long shot
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) interest 34 (no other schools) – Still no change
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 74 (Boston College) – Still gaining and leading BC

Not much change overall, hoping for at least one commit before we play again.

[BYU 14]

Recruiting: Through October 15th
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 6 (no other schools) – Picked up a couple of interest points, starting to think we may get lucky with no other schools on him.
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 46 (no other schools) – Still middling interest, but nobody else is after him.
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) interest 79 (no other schools) – Hoping for a commitment in the next two weeks
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest74 (no other schools) – Up three points and still not other offers.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 44 (no other schools) – Steady, and looking better the later it gets
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 79 (no other schools) – He needs to just pull the trigger, nobody else is coming for him.
DE – James Rash *** (1189) interest 5 (no other schools) – He really wants nothing to do with us, but still his only offer.
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 8 (no other schools) – His interest in us doubles, would be more impressive if it was 30 to 60 though.
LB – William Barney ** (1661) interest 34 (no other schools) – Slowly gaining interest.
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 73 (Western Michigan) – Holding steady
SS – Paul Combs *** (516) interest 5 (no other schools) – I am holding on just to get my heart broken
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) interest 36 (no other schools) – Two point bump the last two weeks
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 74 (Boston College) – Still steady and his #1 choice

Not a lot of movement over the last two weeks of our mid-season break. I add a few 3 and 4 stars with no offers to my watch list, just to keep an eye on them. You never know!

[BYU 14]

Oct 15th, 2017 UMass 1-2 vs San Diego State 2-3

Just in case anybody thought Wyoming was a fluke, San Diego State, a mid tier MWC school, takes us to the woodshed again on the ground, running through our defense for 324 yards on the ground! Damn we are bad as they empty the bench, with 8 different players toting the rock, led by Adolph Galvan with 16 carries for 102 yards and a score. All part of a 551 yard offensive day for the Aztecs, who vault out to a 40-0 lead before we kick a third quarter field goal. They also doubled our first downs, 24 to 12 and held a 9 minute time of possession advantage as we punted 7 times and had 3 turnovers.

The lone bright spot on this day is the fact that this game will look competitive after we play 5-0 Auburn in two weeks after another bye! We did actually average a tad over 4 yards a carry on the ground as Allen Amaya racked up 48 yards on 12 carries and Seth Wooley matched him, taking only 11 carries to get there. Unfortunately you can’t just hand the ball off when you are down 33-0 at the half and Darryl Lavigne had another 3 turnover day going 18-37, 168 with 1 TD and 3 picks! Once again a safety led us un tackles as Clay Bell tallied 11, which will happen when running backs are getting to the second level on every play! We suck and I need to really shore up the front 7!
Final Score: San Diego State 57 UMass 10

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 12 (no other schools) – Could a miracle be about to happen? 6 to 12 interest in one week!
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 71 (no other schools) – His interest skyrockets as does Townsends, so it is looking like they will be our two RB’s
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) interest 94 (no other schools) – Almost home!
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 11 (no other schools) – I am going to drop him if he doesn’t jump a few points next week as there is a 5 star named Jeremy Stacey with no offers and an interest of 3 just sitting on our watch list with no love.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 67 (no other schools) – A pretty good jump for him as well
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 96 (no other schools) – Expecting a commit from him very soon!
DE – James Rash *** (1189) interest 8 (no other schools) – Still no other options
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 9 (no other schools) – Colleges must hate recruiting Massachusets, but shocked UConn or BC are not on him.
LB – William Barney ** (1661) interest 52 (no other schools) – Fairly bug jump for William.
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 94 (Western Michigan) – He should be about ready to declare as well
SS – Paul Combs *** (516) interest 6 (no other schools) – The dream lives
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) interest 57 (no other schools) – 21 point jump this week, feeling better about him.
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 93 (Boston College) – About ready to hear from him too

Recruiting is heating up and I expect to start seeing commitments next week, really excited that we may score some 3 stars just because they are not on a lot of schools radars.

[BYU 14]

Oct 29th, 2017 UMass 1-3 vs #4 Auburn 6-0
UMass: Offense 21.5 (90) Defense 31.3 (72)
Auburn: Offense 37.5 (42) Defense 21.2 (27)
Injury report: RB Clyde Maurer – Probable, severe depression (I would be depressed too averaging 2.3 per carry on this squad)

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before. Plucky little mid major gives goliath a battle for one quarter, trailing 14-7. Goliath gets annoyed and quickly scores three quick touchdowns and goes on to complete expected mugging. Overall there was a little (very little) good in this game, but the result was as expected as Auburn only punted once en route to piling up a staggering 672 yards of total offense to our 197. Auburn QB Andy Rodgers was 15-16, 344 yards and threw 6 TD passes before being pulled, with his lone miss being an interception by FS James Whitley. Incidentally, this pick could have led to the game being tied at 14 after a quarter as it set us up at the Auburn 24, but we couldn’t move and then missed a short field goal. We also allowed 259 yards rushing, with Nathan Crouch pacing the Tigers with 109 yards on 19 carries.

On our side Darryl Lavigne went 21-37, 145 yds with a TD pass to Melvin Najera, but threw two more interceptions, giving him a TB/Int ratio of 7/9 for the season. Tyrell Cox returned and hauled in 8 receptions, which went for a staggering…..26 yards! Are you kidding me? 3.2 yards a reception with a long of 7! Someone needs to work on their YAC abilities. Seth Wooley continues to have a modestly decent year as he carried 12 times for 43 yards and sits at 57-308 (5.4) for the season, but he has yet to find the end zone. Another bright spot is true freshman tackle Reginald Small who recorded 3 pancakes against SEC competition. He now has 11 pancakes on the season and has yet to allow a sack. Thinking he will be pretty good when all is said and done.
Final Score: Auburn 69 UMass 10

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 14 (no other schools) – Still here, but I lost my plan B (a 2 star to Boston College) so I will be scrambling if/when someone else comes calling.
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 75 (no other schools) – Still gaining and no competition for his services.
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) interest 95 (no other schools) – I can call him a lock at this point I think
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 15 (no other schools) – Still hoping against hope, meanwhile Texas, Michigan and Missouri all offer 5 star Jeremy Stacey, that was fun for the week it lasted.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 69 (no other schools) – He is starting to seem like a probable get.
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 96 (no other schools) – Come on, commit!
DE – James Rash *** (1189) interest 13 (no other schools) – Pretty good jump for him, I expect someone else to notice him soon though.
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 15 (no other schools) – I think our persistence is paying off a bit, but again if another school loses someone they like better and pursue him we are done.
LB – William Barney ** (1661) interest 52 (no other schools) – Holding steady
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 93 (Western Michigan) – A slight dip, but not worried and I have a decent plan B
SS – Paul Combs *** (516) interest 5 (Virginia Tech) – We are done, I drop my pursuit of him and turf his offer to ** Paul McCullough (2105) who has been waiting patiently with 66 interest in us.
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 94 (Boston College) – Still looking strong here and I have backup options

Commits:
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) Committed (no other schools) – At worst depth, at best will compete with William Qualls to replace senior Clay Bell.

Happy to get our first commit and bummed to have to drop Combs, but we have zero chance with Va Tech entering the picture. The same will happen with the other 3 star recruits on my list, but I will hold out until it does.

[BYU 14]

November 5th, 2017 UMass 1-4 at Hawaii 1-7
UMass: Offense 19.2 (92) Defense 38.8 (101)
Hawaii: Offense 15.3 (105) Defense 38.1 (100)
All-time record vs opponent: 0-6
Injury report: RB Clyde Maurer – Probable (severe depression), QB Darryl Lavigne – Probable (Bruised Jaw), DE Richard Dietz – Doubtful (Stress Fracture Foot), C Howard Maupin – Doubtful (Jammed Finger)

Probably our last winnable game of the year. Carries the added bonus of having a chance to snap the 0-6 skid against the Rainbow Warriors. The first quarter is slow and we lead 3-0 on a 39 yd FG by Dewey Hicks. Hawaii answers with two passing TD’s within the first 5 minutes of the second quarter as Steven Pendergrass hooks up with Robert Anders both times. We close it to 14-10 before halftime on a 32 yard dart from Lavigne to the TD machine Melvin Najera.

We own the 3rd quarter, getting a 40 yd FG from Hicks and a 3 yard TD run from the sad one, Clyde Maurer, then convert the 2 pt try. Hawaii ties it up at 21 early in the 4th on a 1 yd plunge from Zack Ziegler, before Seth Wooley caps a 7 play drive, which saw us convert a 3rd and 25, with a 6 yard scamper. Hicks cements it with 41 seconds left with his third FG. Stats wise we held Hawaii to 96 yards rushing, which is a feat considering how porous we had been against the run. Lavigne completes 21 of 39 for 301 yards (his first 300 yard game of the year), 1 TD, I pick. Wooley and Maurer both rush for 46 yards, but Wooley does it in half the carries and Tyrell Cox hauls in 11 more passes for 152 yards as he actually gets some YAC in this game. Defensively Donald Ramirez gets 9 tackles and hold Hawaii to just 8 first downs.
Final Score: UMass 31 Hawaii 21

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 14 (no other schools) – Though his interest is low, at some point being his only offer may just get him to commit.
QB – John Walter *** (672) interest 3 (no other schools) – I cut my 3rd strong punter and take a shot on another 3 star in my back yard that has gone un-recruited so far and to be honest I would much rather land him than Huffman. Interview reveals he has the Gunslinger trait.
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 76 (no other schools) – He should be ours unless a higher prestige school offers
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) interest 93 (no other schools) – Just waiting
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 13 (no other schools) – Back down to 13 interest, but still his only option.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 60 (Boston College) – A BC offer probably just doomed me.
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 94 (no other schools) – Still solid
DE – James Rash *** (1189) interest 14 (no other schools) – Waiting out other schools at this point
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 16 (no other schools) – Landing him would really shore up our run D
LB – William Barney ** (1661) interest 53 (no other schools) – Not super excited about us, but should be ours to lose.
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 95 (Western Michigan) – Have to think he is locked in.
SS – Paul McCullough ** (2105) interest 95 (no other schools) – He is stoked to get the schollie offer we were holding for Paul Combs as his interest jumps almost 30 points!
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 93 (Boston College) – Still leading

Commits:
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) Committed (no other schools) – At worst depth, at best will compete with William Qualls to replace senior Clay Bell.

Just waiting for the damn to break, though Watkins would start a string of commits, but not this week.

[Brian Swartz]

Two wins in one season! The recruiting stuff looks very interesting. Hope you sign Theodore Masters for the name alone.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Two wins in one season! The recruiting stuff looks very interesting. Hope you sign Theodore Masters for the name alone.

I like recruiting a lot in this game, even though it isn't extremely deep right now. It still seems closer to reality than other College sims in that you can't really game the system, unless you somehow manage to hold on to someone like Masters because nobody else discovers him. Another cool aspect of recruiting is how players commit, but you can still lose them when it comes time to sign the LOI, which last season worked out good for me.

[BYU 14]

November 12th, 2017 UMass 2-4 at Arkansas 2-8
UMass: Offense 21.2 (91) Defense 35.8 (89)
Arkansas: Offense 21.8 (90) Defense 25.4 (48)
All-time record vs opponent: 0-4
Injury report: DE Richard Dietz – Probable (Stress Fracture Foot), C Howard Maupin – Probable (Jammed Finger) Apparently a TD against Hawaii cured Maurer’s depression.

Alas, all two win teams are not created the same as an SEC team in the throes of a poor season is still centuries ahead of a crappy mid-major and Arkansas treats us worse than Auburn did. After we tease the fans with a 46 yd FG from Dewey Hicks to take a 3-0 lead the Razorbacks rip off 45 unanswered points before Dewey connects again from 46 yds out in the 3rd quarter. Still a junior, Hicks is 16 of 18 on field goal attempts this season and 46 of 54 for his career, 85.2%. He may be our best offensive player right now.

Once again our run defense is like a sieve, made of glass, dropped from a 10 story building as Arkansas racks up 317 yards on the ground led by Michael Grant who carries 12 times for 149 yards (a gaudy 12.4 per carry) and scores on runs of 56 and 44 yards. Jose Doe chips in 100 yards on 17 attempts and scores once as well. Both starter Larry Cooney 6-15, 148 and backup Jerry Preston 4-5, 63 yards throw for 3 touchdowns each as it is just ugly all the way around. Seth Wooley was again decent running for us, carrying the rock 11 times for 57 yards, but being curb stomped again means the bulk of the offense game on Darryl Lavigne’s inconsistent arm (23-49, 202 yards and one more pick). Donald Ramirez had 10 tackles from his linebacker spot, while Jose Taylor had two passes defended to lead our feeble defensive effort.
Final Score: Arkansas 69 UMass 6

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 13 (no other schools) – He is still waiting to turn us down, I am still the ugly suitor with the only ring.
QB – John Walter *** (672) interest 5 (no other schools) – At this stage of the game I figure I have to get one of these ‘elite’ for us QB’s by simple oversight.
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 73 (no other schools) – Feeling he is going to eventually commit
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) interest 93 (no other schools) – How calling him a lock
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 14 (no other schools) – Each week that goes by my hopes get up for North Brookfield’s finest.
T – Ray Wright ** (1288) Interest 54 (no other schools) He was our plan B, and now is our only option on the board.
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 94 (no other schools) – Why is he still waiting?
DE – James Rash *** (1189) interest 14 (no other schools) – Another player that may have to settle for us, I’ll take it!
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 13 (no other schools) – His interest slips again, but we are still in the game.
LB – William Barney ** (1661) interest 57 (no other schools) – May be the only LB we get if my gamble of sticking with Wild falls flat.
CB – Jay Wilson ** (1541) interest (no other schools) – He was not plan B, but I found him out there and he is ranked higher than Wilkins was, so I’m in.
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 95 (Boston College) – After what happened with Wilkins I am worried about losing him now.

Commits:
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) Committed (no other schools) – At worst depth, at best will compete with William Qualls to replace senior Clay Bell.
SS – Paul McCullough ** (2105) Committed (no other schools) – That didn’t take long, guess we are good on depth at SS now.

Lost:
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 95 (Committed to Western Michigan) – That’s what I get for thinking, led for him all season so I guess the Arkansas game was too much to handle.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 60 (Committed to Boston College) – I quote from last week “A BC offer probably just doomed me.” Yep

So we lose one recruit I thought I had on lock and another just because a sexier school offered, even though BC is down right now. Our SS position is not set for the next 2-3 seasons at least.

[CraigSca]

Looks like you and "No Other School" are head-to-head for this recruiting class! I hear "No Other School" has better facilities, so don't get your hopes up too much.

[Brian Swartz]

rofl

[BYU 14]

November 19th, 2017 UMass 2-5 at Washington 4-5
UMass: Offense 19.0 (97) Defense 40.6 (111)
Washington: Offense 32.0 (66) Defense 29.0 (67)
All-time record vs opponent: 0-3
Injury report: DE Richard Dietz – Probable (Stress Fracture Foot), C Howard Maupin – Probable (Jammed Finger) At least we are somewhat healthy.

Once again our highlights start and end in the 1st quarter as we leader 7-3 entering the 2nd on the strength of a 1 yard pass from Lavigne to Thomas Thomas. From that point on it is the same old story as Washington hammers on us to the tune of 370 yards rushing, which will probably make us the worst in the nation against that run entering our final game. Seven Huskies tote the rock and they register two 100 yard rushing performances by Shawn Compton 17-131, 1 TD and Richard Scales 17-120. We only give up 117 yards through the air, but two of them go for scores and Washington adds a TD on a 23 yard pick 6.

Lavigne is again barely over 50% going 22-44, 225 yards 1 TD and 2 Int, giving him 13 on the season, far from stellar. Wooley accounts for 46 of our 53 yards rushing which work out to an average of 2.9 per carry Tyrell Cox snags 9 more receptions giving him 59 for the season, but is still only averaging 9.6 per catch and we need more than that out of him. LB Donald Ramirez logs a season high 12 tackles and Stanton McNeely records 2 tackles for loss, while Jose Taylor records two more passes defenses giving him a team high 8 on the season.
Final Score: Washington 40 UMass 6

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 13 (no other schools) – He is still waiting to turn us down, I am still the ugly suitor with the only ring.
QB – John Walter *** (672) interest 3 (Vanderbilt) – Adios to him. I think I will offer his scholarship to a defensive player that is good against the damn run!
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 78 (no other schools) – Slowly coming around to us
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) interest 93 (no other schools) – How calling him a lock
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 15 (no other schools) – Fingers crossed nobody else offers
T – Ray Wright ** (1288) Interest 71 (no other schools) I can settle for him I guess
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) interest 94 (no other schools) –Still waiting…..
DE – James Rash *** (1189) interest 15 (no other schools) – See Masters for how I feel here.
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 17 (no other schools) – His highest interest yet.
LB – Ted Kellogg *** (1139) interest 0 (no other schools) – He gets the offer I was holding for Walter, a low ranked 3 star, but better than we have, worth a shot.
CB – Jay Wilson ** (1541) interest 44 (no other schools) – He show some interest pretty quick, we will see if it grows.
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 95 (Boston College) – I just know I will lose him to BC, dammit!

Commits:
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) Committed (no other schools) – At worst depth, at best will compete with William Qualls to replace senior Clay Bell.
SS – Paul McCullough ** (2105) Committed (no other schools) – That didn’t take long, guess we are good on depth at SS now.
LB – William Barney ** (1661) Committed (no other schools) – A surprise commit since his interest was only mid 50’s, but I guess a schollie trumps winning.

Lost:
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 95 (Committed to Western Michigan) – That’s what I get for thinking, led for him all season so I guess the Arkansas game was too much to handle.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 60 (Committed to Boston College) – I quote from last week “A BC offer probably just doomed me.” Yep

Add some much need depth at Linebacker and if I can get one of the two 3 stars on the board I will be ecstatic!

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Looks like you and "No Other School" are head-to-head for this recruiting class! I hear "No Other School" has better facilities, so don't get your hopes up too much.

LOL, probably prettier cheerleaders too!

[BYU 14]

November 26th, 2017 UMass 2-6 vs East Carolina 5-5
UMass: Offense 17.5 (101) Defense 40.5 (108)
ECU: Offense 32.5 (66) Defense 26.0 (51)
All-time record vs opponent: 0-0
Injury report: TE Charles Young – Out (Broken Finger), DE Richard Dietz – Probable (Stress Fracture Foot)

A much closer affair than I thought and once again we lead after 1 quarter 6-3 as Hicks nails kicks from 42 and 44 yards respectively. Almost as predictable we go into the tank and surrender 24 straight points to the Pirates, but they ‘only’ run for 137 against us (Christopher Comstock 18-80 leads them). Unfortunately, while we are only outgained 419 to 314, ECU QB Lewis Jenkins 19-33, 278, 1 TD hits some big plays, including a 73 yard dagger to Terry Lynch that officially iced the game. We do manage to pick him off twice though, with FS James Whitley getting both to give him 4 on the year.

The usual issues haunt our offense as Lavigne is only 20-40 throwing the ball for 201 yards, though he does only throw a single interception, he can’t lead us into the end zone. Seth Wooley has his best outing since week 2 going for 74 yards on 19 carries (3.9, while Ezra Garber leads our receivers with 6 grabs for 85 yards. Besides Whitley’s heroics on defense, CB Jose Taylor has 6 tackles and LB Richard Reno records 5 as we limp home with a final record of 2-7.
Final Score: ECU 27 UMass 9

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 16 (no other schools) – So close, please nobody notice him!
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) interest 75 (no other schools) – Need to come join Townsend.
WR – David Schneider *** (1104) interest 0 (no other schools) Losing Masters hurts, but I knew it would happen. Plan B was 2 star Bob Gladden (1401) interest 20, but he holds an offer from UConn, so gambling on this guy.
G – Joseph Thompson ** (2064) interest 93 (Ohio) – Why did he suddenly get an offer? Keep reading.
DE – Jay Rash *** (1189) interest 13 (no other schools) – See Masters for what will happen if someone else offers here.
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 17 (Auburn, Vanderbilt) – Dammit!!! Bye, bye, I yank his offer and give it to Thompson, who I will probably lose to Ohio anyway.
LB – Ted Kellogg *** (1139) interest 5 (no other schools) – My last hope for a stud here. Not that being ranked 1139 in the country makes you a stud.
CB – Jay Wilson ** (1541) interest 46 (no other schools) – I have Richard Godwin ** (2092) with 96 interest in us on the line if Wilson bails.
FS – Daniel Galloway ** (2418) interest 54 (no other schools) – My rebound Free Safety.

Commits:
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) Committed (no other schools) – At worst depth, at best will compete with William Qualls to replace senior Clay Bell.
SS – Paul McCullough ** (2105) Committed (no other schools) – That didn’t take long, guess we are good on depth at SS now.
LB – William Barney ** (1661) Committed (no other schools) – A surprise commit since his interest was only mid 50’s, but I guess a schollie trumps winning.
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) Committed (no other schools) – Damn, finally!!
T – Ray Wright ** (1288) Committed (no other schools) – Committed at 71 interest, he is a huge get for depth purposes.
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) Committed (no other schools) – Our 6th commit bolsters our backfield depth, committed at 93 interest

Lost:
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 95 (Committed to Western Michigan) – That’s what I get for thinking, led for him all season so I guess the Arkansas game was too much to handle.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 60 (Committed to Boston College) – I quote from last week “A BC offer probably just doomed me.” Yep
QB – John Walter *** (672) interest 3 (Committed to Vanderbilt) – As expected he jumped all over the Vanderbilt offer, don’t blame him.
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 15 (Committed to Marshall) – My worst fears came true as the Thundering Herd came calling.
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 95 (Committed to Boston College) – Last week’s quote “I just know I will lose him to BC, dammit!” I need to be lottery tickets, this one stings! I am going to get BC on the schedule when we are better!

This class looking much worse than last years and while it is still decent for a UMass class, not looking like we will score any 3 star recruits. Oh yeah, F Boston College, 0 for 2 in head to head recruiting with them. With no more games I can focus on recruiting and hopefully get us a couple of difference makers!

[BYU 14]

Edit: Found a bug that makes it impossible to save the game when you get a commit during bowl games, so I had to go back and redo the last two weeks of recruiting, but I think we came out better in terms of needs. Still have one open schollie though.

Recruiting Wrap up:
Scholarships offered 14, commits 13

Commits:
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307) Committed (no other schools) – At worst depth, at best will compete with William Qualls to replace senior Clay Bell.
SS – Paul McCullough ** (2105) Committed (no other schools) – That didn’t take long, guess we are good on depth at SS now.
LB – William Barney ** (1661) Committed (no other schools) – A surprise commit since his interest was only mid 50’s, but I guess a schollie trumps winning.
C – Dan McCall ** (1889) Committed (no other schools) – Damn, finally!!
T – Ray Wright ** (1288) Committed (no other schools) – Committed at 71 interest, he is a huge get for depth purposes.
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783) Committed (no other schools) – Our 6th commit bolsters our backfield depth, committed at 93 interest
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267) Committed week 15 (no other schools) – We get our 2nd RB, good here now!
CB – Jay Wilson ** (1541) Committed week 16 (no other schools) – He gives us some nice secondary depth, which is already our strongest position group.
FS – Daniel Galloway ** (2418) Committed week 16 (no other schools) –Strictly a depth player as Whitley will start at FS three more years.
DE – Jay Rash *** (1189) Committed week 16 (No other schools) – No last minute offer from a bigger school and I feel like we have won the lottery. New we will have a true game changer (for us) at DE.
LB – Harry Ziegler *** (307) Committed week 17 (no other schools) – We score huge with a great prospect from the wastes of Alaska that nobody else had discovered, this kid could be the answer to our porous run defense, the gem of the class, so screw Erasmo Wild!
WR – David Schneider *** (1104) Committed week 17 (No other schools) – Not Theodore Masters, but he will instantly make us better on the outside and will start as a true freshman, solid get!
QB – James Kelly *** (1146) Committed week 17 (No other schools) – This kid comes from Missouri and amazingly was not pursued by many of the schools in the area, so we are more than happy to give him a scholarship as he could be the QB of the future if Felton Haight does not develop.

Lost:
CB – Jorge Wilkins ** (2016) interest 95 (Committed to Western Michigan) – That’s what I get for thinking, led for him all season so I guess the Arkansas game was too much to handle.
T – Eric Wilson ** (1527) interest 60 (Committed to Boston College) – I quote from last week “A BC offer probably just doomed me.” Yep
QB – John Walter *** (672) interest 3 (Committed to Vanderbilt) – As expected he jumped all over the Vanderbilt offer, don’t blame him.
WR – Theodore Masters *** (1124) interest 15 (Committed to Marshall) – My worst fears came true as the Thundering Herd came calling.
FS – Clarence Perry ** (1730) interest 95 (Committed to Boston College) – Last week’s quote “I just know I will lose him to BC, dammit!” I need to be lottery tickets, this one stings! I am going to get BC on the schedule when we are better!
QB – Robert Huffman *** (777) interest 16 (Committed to Auburn week 16) – As expected when bigger schools finally came calling, can’t blame him, but damn, teased us all season.
G – Joseph Thompson ** (2064) interest 93 (Committed to Ohio week 16) – Was pretty sure this would happen when I offered despite his high interest in us. I have yet to win a recruiting battle.
LB – Erasmo Wild *** (938) interest 17 (Committed to Vanderbilt week 16) – I knew we would not get him, but surprised he picked Vanderbilt over Auburn, likely more PT with the Commodores.
DT – Timothy France *** (1162) Interest 12 (Committed to Louisiana Tech week 16) – Had my eye on him all season, didn’t need a DT this class, but thought he fell through the cracks until Louisiana Tech swooped in.
WR – Mark Payton *** (428) Interest 0 (Committed to Louisville week 16) – I stumble on him, playing in Puerto Rico of all places after David Schneider picked up offers from Oklahoma State and Rutgers. Unfortunately Louisville did too.

Well, some though end of season losses, but a couple of nice surprises in Zeigler, our only sub 1000 ranked recruit and Rash, both of whom will make an impact as freshmen. Overall we land four 3 star recruits (though three of them are borderline 2 star kids) and nine 2 star recruits, with one schollie open, that we can hopefully fill on LOI day. Not great, but another small piece of the climb to relevance. Speaking of LOI day, last year we lost three commits on signing day, fingers crossed the class stays intact.

[MizzouRah]

Damn you Robert Huffman! You'll regret sitting on the Auburn bench!

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Damn you Robert Huffman! You'll regret sitting on the Auburn bench!

At least he will be on the right end of 69-10

[BYU 14]

Dammit, now I can't reload the league file for this dynasty

Posted the issue on Wolverine, hopefully they find a way to restore the game so I don't lose this.

[BYU 14]

Was able to restore the save file

Season Recap 2017 – Final Record 2-7 Prestige 30

Overall 2017 was about what could have been expected with as young as we were and the holes we still had to plug, but I was hoping to win 3 or 4 games. With several freshmen battle tested and a decent incoming class we will still be young, but I would expect us to be more competitive overall. Some bright spots this season were RB Seth Wooley and FS James Whitley, both solid contributors as true freshman, though it was expected of Whitley. OT Reginald Small was a player we put a lot of pressure on to hold down the left side and he responded with 21 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed. WR Tyrell Cox has one more year left and he led us in catches with 64, but only average 9.5 per grab, meaning Ezra Garber led the team in yardage. It will be interesting to see if one or both are supplanted as starters after camp by our two 3 star incoming frosh (Schneider and Belcher). QB Darryl Lavigne is also back for his senior campaign next year after a so-so 2017, but expect him to be pushed once we get to camp. Offensively we need to get more balanced, which will happen when we compete and play defense. We did rank 33rd against the pass, but only because teams didn't have to throw on us.

2017 Results

1	Buffalo Bulls (10-3-0)	        L 31-16
2	Charlotte 49ers (1-11-0)	W 40-10
3	@Wyoming Cowboys (5-7-0)	L 27-20
4	BYE	 
5	BYE	 
6	BYE	 
7	San Diego State Aztecs (7-6-0)	L 57-10
8	BYE	 
9	Auburn Tigers (12-2-0)	        L 69-10
10	@Hawaii Warriors (1-11-0)	W 31-21
11	@Arkansas Razorbacks (3-9-0)	L 69-6
12	@Washington Huskies (7-6-0)	L 40-7
13	East Carolina Pirates (7-5-0)	L 27-9

Team Stats

	Pts (Cnf/Lea)	Yds (Cnf/Lea)	Rush (Cnf/Lea)	Pass (Cnf/Lea)
Offense	16.6 (3/103)	317.4 (3/106)	95.3 (4/118)	222.1 (2/76)
Defense	39.0 (3/104)	457.7 (3/87)	236.6 (3/110)	221.1 (1/33)
Individual Leaders
Passing	        Att	Cmp	Yds	TD
Lavigne, D.	366	190	1985	9
Rushing	        Car	Yds	Avg	TD
Wooley, S.	110	531	4.8	1
Receiving	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
Garber, E.	36	672	18.7	3

Signing Day
We sign everyone that committed and picked up a 3 star receiver in Leon Belcher as well to fill our one open scholarship. Our recruiting class ranks 93rd, worse than last years, but I think it may end up being better for us as we end up with five 3 star recruits and nine 2 star recruits.

Signed LOI
LB – Harry Ziegler *** (307)
WR – David Schneider *** (1104)
WR – Leon Belcher *** (1108)
QB – James Kelly *** (1146)
DE – Jay Rash *** (1189)
RB – Donald Neal ** (1267)
T – Ray Wright ** (1288)
SS – Robert Watkins ** (1307)
SS – Paul McCullough ** (2105)
CB – Jay Wilson ** (1541)
LB – William Barney ** (1661)
RB – Jose Townsend ** (1783)
C – Dan McCall ** (1889)
FS – Daniel Galloway ** (2418)

[Brian Swartz]

Looks like Ziegler should really help the defense and you should have some decent receivers in a couple of years.

[BYU 14]

2018 Roster and position outlook (Starters in bold, red shirts in red)

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Agi	Arm	Int	Acc	Spe
Haight, F.	QB	Fr (RS)	63	47	86	45	65	37
Kelly, J.	QB	Fr (RS)	70	45	49	75	84	71
Kopp, R.	QB	So (RS)	61	33	51	78	54	72
Lavigne, D.	QB	Sr (RS)	80	70	86	75	75	35

Lots to ponder here as James Kelly has everything needed to start as a true freshman, but his arm strength is lacking. I decide to redshirt him and let Lavigne retain the job for his senior year, but he will be on a short lease if the interceptions continue to outnumber the touchdowns. Felton Haight will not be the QB I thought, but will be a decent #2 while he is here.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Spe	Hnd
Amaya, A.	RB	Sr (RS)	65	54	59	70	37
Gooden, M.	RB	Jr (RS)	57	42	54	66	38
Neil, D.	RB	Fr	69	78	82	49	50
Townsend, J.	RB	Fr (RS)	67	64	64	65	57
Wooley, S.	RB	So	71	56	93	66	25
Hutcheson, M.	FB	So (RS)	57	62	35	74	53
Ponder, C.	FB	Jr (RS)	65	45	69	43	38

Things will be very competitive here in the coming years and though Seth Wooley retains the starting job, Donald Neil will get plenty of touches and is a better pass catcher than Wooley. It is easy to make the decision to redshirt Townsend, who is more consistent that the latter two, but just doesn’t pop in any one area.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	PBl	RBl
Clanton, R.	G	Fr (RS)	60	68	27	74	57
Cromer, T.	G	Jr (RS)	57	63	43	54	64
Meyer, D.	G	Jr (RS)	59	54	25	49	76
Perrin, H.	G	So	63	52	57	60	70
Root, W.	G	Sr (RS)	60	63	58	70	51
Thiel, J.	G	Sr (RS)	63	55	56	56	63
Fitch, J.	T	Jr (RS)	56	66	34	43	81
Small, R.	T	So	70	54	32	82	85
Sumner, T.	T	So	69	77	20	74	69
White, J.	T	So (RS)	60	66	31	73	40
Wright, R.	T	Fr	69	56	48	83	46
Darling, M.	C	Jr (RS)	60	51	42	67	60
Goodrich, M.	C	So	62	78	32	77	49
Johnson, D.	C	So (RS)	54	76	45	46	41
McCall, D.	C	Fr (RS)	66	54	32	82	65

Feeling pretty good about this group this season as we have 3 starters back and the other two linemen (Perrin and Goodrich) appeared in all 9 games, with Goodrich logging 2 starts. The strength will be at tackle, where I expect Small to challenge for all independent honor if he can build on a very solid freshman season. Overall a pretty balanced group in terms of skills, with the only weak link being Goodrich’s run blocking. I am redshirting McCall so he can get stronger, but I expect him to start over Goodrich next season.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Spe	Hnd	RBl
Beltran, S.	TE	Sr (RS)	60	44	38	62	49	28
Kerns, R.	TE	Fr (RS)	75	65	57	41	67	37
Woodard, D.	TE	Jr (RS)	59	55	39	54	46	54
Young, C.	TE	So	75	72	70	33	65	46
Belcher, L.	WR	Fr	74	40	55	82	72	1
Brewster, T.	WR	Sr (RS)	63	29	68	62	61	3
Call, B.	WR	So (RS)	62	19	73	48	76	1
Cox, T.	        WR	Sr (RS)	68	24	77	52	89	39
Flood, T.	WR	So (RS)	61	32	55	67	57	35
Garber, E.	WR	Jr (RS)	66	61	56	66	48	18
Najera, M.	WR	Jr	65	58	48	57	76	17
Schneider, D.	WR	Fr	73	62	63	71	73	37
Snider, J.	WR	Jr (RS)	63	48	55	48	81	4
Thomas, T.	WR	So (RS)	65	56	67	50	74	34

A whole makeover with this group as last year’s starter at TE Charles Young losses the job to Robert Kerns in camp and as expected our two incoming freshmen supplant last year’s starters (Cox and Garber) at the wideout spots, though both will still see plenty of reps. Belcher gives us the long sought after deep threat with 82 speed and Schneider has consistent ratings across the board and I expect him to be our leading receiver this season. Definitely a lot more to be optimistic about with this group this year!

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Tck	Spe
Curtis, R.	DT	Jr (RS)	56	53	40	43	33
Davis, H.	DT	Jr (RS)	59	73	47	23	38
King, P.	DT	Fr (RS)	62	55	25	45	62
Kirkpatrick, C.	DT	Sr (RS)	63	77	25	31	45
McCann, M.	DT	So (RS)	57	51	61	40	64
McCord, A.	DT	So (RS)	59	66	57	32	44
Ryan, W.	DT	Sr	58	63	51	33	37
Smith, N.	DT	Sr	61	63	62	37	55
Wallen, M.	DT	So (RS)	58	49	64	49	33
Dietz, R.	DE	Jr	61	56	32	47	50
Girard, R.	DE	Jr (RS)	62	83	51	36	36
Mcneely, S.	DE	So	64	49	37	63	48
Ortiz, C.	DE	So (RS)	59	52	46	20	60
Rash, J.	DE	Fr	68	85	35	63	36
Spencer, D.	DE	So (RS)	58	70	49	22	54
Whelan, T.	DE	So (RS)	61	66	41	43	38

We welcome two new starters here in King and top line recruit Jay Rash, who is already our strongest D-Lineman, but does not give us the speed off the edge we had hoped for. We only return 2 sacks from this group and while we should be much better against the run, the lack of a credible pass rush is a real concern. Christopher Ortiz is somewhat athletic and may be someone we can use as a pass rush specialist.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Int	Tck	Spe
Barney, W.	LB	Fr (RS)	68	52	81	26	67	53
Cox, E.	        LB	Fr (RS)	60	25	81	53	48	74
Murphy, R.	LB	So (RS)	49	33	46	42	38	67
Ramirez, D.	LB	Jr (RS)	72	61	57	72	73	46
Reno, R.	LB	Sr (RS)	61	46	44	50	72	36
Smith, T.	LB	Sr (RS)	62	60	49	40	64	42
Ware, R.	LB	So (RS)	57	32	74	31	63	37
Zeigler, H.	LB	Fr	76	45	71	46	79	75

Linebacker went from our weakest position last year, to a relative strength thanks to the emergence of Donald Ramirez last season and the addition of top recruit Harry Zeigler, who has already raised eyebrows in camp with his athleticism. William Barney could have started over Theo Smith at Will, but I want to stagger the talent, so I redshirt him with an eye on him stepping in at that spot next year as Smith is a senior. Ramirez logged 67 tackles in 9 games last season and is our smartest player at the position. I am expecting big things from this group this season.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Tck	Spe	Hnd
Austin, A.	CB	Jr (RS)	61	33	55	33	75	27
Freeman, B.	CB	So	67	58	75	35	45	61
Kay, C.	        CB	So (RS)	59	53	81	12	44	43
Lamm, R.	CB	Jr	54	49	44	42	44	46
Padgett, B.	CB	Sr (RS)	63	26	63	58	56	36
Taylor, J.	CB	So	70	58	69	54	61	33
Wilson, J.	CB	Fr (RS)	67	36	61	38	66	48
Bird, J.	FS	Jr (RS)	59	54	49	34	67	34
Blount, R.	FS	So	66	27	52	62	68	47
Galloway, D.	FS	Fr (RS)	69	35	52	38	76	62
Griffin, E.	FS	Jr (RS)	60	22	62	47	46	58
Whitley, J.	FS	So	70	57	72	72	43	59
McCullough, P.	SS	Fr (RS)	62	57	63	57	43	36
Mcwilliams, T.	SS	Sr	60	33	64	33	62	43
Qualls, W.	SS	So	63	27	53	64	63	58
Watkins, R.	SS	Fr	70	50	75	69	51	51

The youth movement continues here as Robert Watkins beats out William Qualls to give us three sophomores (all returning starters) and a true freshman defending the air for the Minutemen. Whitley is the star here and has grown to be a tremendous leader in the secondary as he enters his second season. He led the team in interceptions last season with 4 and also added 4 passes defensed. At corner Taylor and Freeman will be solid again and combined for 3 interceptions and 15 passes defensed last season. If the line can get some pressure on opposing QB’s this group is poised to have a very good season against everyone not named Texas A&M, Nebraska and BYU.

2018 Schedule

Week	Opponent
1	@Charlotte 49ers (0-0-0)
2	@Texas AM Aggies (0-0-0)
3	@East Carolina Pirates (0-0-0)
4	Boston College Eagles (0-0-0)
5	Army Black Knights (0-0-0)
6	BYE
7	@Brigham Young Cougars (0-0-0)
8	Florida International Golden Panthers (0-0-0)
9	@Akron Zips (0-0-0)
10	Bowling Green Falcons (0-0-0)
11	@Buffalo Bulls (0-0-0)
12	Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-0-0)
13	Texas State Bobcats (0-0-0)

Obviously we will continue to take our lumps against the likes of Texas A&M, Nebraska and mid-major powerhouse BYU, but we have 5 winnable games and if the chips fall our way could win 6 or 7, which would get a statue of me built on campus. I count the winnable games as Charlotte, Army, FIU, Akron and Texas State. Games we could get if we play perfect and get some breaks are BC (Who is surprisingly down) and Buffalo. I predict losses to A&M, ECU, BYU, Bowling Green and Nebraska.

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Looks like Ziegler should really help the defense and you should have some decent receivers in a couple of years.

He should definitely improve our run defense as he can play sideline to sideline from the Mike position.

[BYU 14]

September 3rd, 2018 UMass 0-0 at Charlotte 0-0
UMass: N/A
Charlotte: N/A
All-time record vs opponent: 3-3
Injury report: None

We get off to a slow start, but pick it up with a big second quarter to race to a 24-6 halftime lead. Darryl Lavigne has his most efficient day as a Minuteman, connecting on 16 of 24 attempts for 263 yards and 3 scores with no interceptions. Freshman Leon Belcher hauls in his first career TD pass on a 14 yard lazer to open the scoring and Tyrell Cox finally gets deep pulling in a 41 yard TD pass in the second, with Charles Young grabbing Lavigne’s final TD pass in the 3rd quarter from 3 yards out. Overall Belcher provides us with exactly what we were hoping for, 4 receptions for 129 yards (32.2 YPC), though Cox still leads the team with 6 grabs for 99 yards. Our other Frosh recruit David Schneider only catches 1 pass for 5 yards.

If there is an area of concern, it is our rushing game (and rushing defense) as Charlotte outgains us on the ground 137 to 85, with Seth Wooley only gaining 25 yards on 7 carries, while true freshman Donald Neil led the ground game with 35 yards, but it took him 21 carries to get there, not impressive at all. Meanwhile Charlotte’s Charles Stoll, also a true freshman gained 51 yards on only 9 carries to lead the 49ers. The bright side is we really shut down the Charlotte air attack limiting QB Jonathon Barron to 61-37, 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jose Taylor was our defensive star picking Barron off twice and also logging 3 passes defended. Harry Ziegler also stood out leading the team in tackles with 9, including 1 tackle for loss, while Donald Ramirez tallied 8 tackles. The second half is even which results in a comfortable, but not dominating week 1 victory.
Final Score: UMass 34 Charlotte 16

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered 3 of 16
FB – Geoffrey Daughtry ** (2415) interest 70 (no other schools) – A definite need and this is a safe choice.
T – Kurt Kay ** (1542) interest 37 (no other schools) – Thought we would get off on a better foot here
K – Donald Scott * (2719) interest 80 (Old Dominion) – Early competition here, but his initial interest is solid, though my head to head record against other schools is less than stellar.

Commits:
N/A

Lost:
N/A

I am shooting for some high targets early, so I only offer 3 scholarships in week 1 to players I think we stand the best chance with.

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

2018 Roster and position outlook (Starters in bold, red shirts in red)

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Agi	Arm	Int	Acc	Spe
Haight, F.	QB	Fr (RS)	63	47	86	45	65	37
Kelly, J.	QB	Fr (RS)	70	45	49	75	84	71
Kopp, R.	QB	So (RS)	61	33	51	78	54	72
Lavigne, D.	QB	Sr (RS)	80	70	86	75	75	35

Lots to ponder here as James Kelly has everything needed to start as a true freshman, but his arm strength is lacking. I decide to redshirt him and let Lavigne retain the job for his senior year, but he will be on a short lease if the interceptions continue to outnumber the touchdowns. Felton Haight will not be the QB I thought, but will be a decent #2 while he is here.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Spe	Hnd
Amaya, A.	RB	Sr (RS)	65	54	59	70	37
Gooden, M.	RB	Jr (RS)	57	42	54	66	38
Neil, D.	RB	Fr	69	78	82	49	50
Townsend, J.	RB	Fr (RS)	67	64	64	65	57
Wooley, S.	RB	So	71	56	93	66	25
Hutcheson, M.	FB	So (RS)	57	62	35	74	53
Ponder, C.	FB	Jr (RS)	65	45	69	43	38

Things will be very competitive here in the coming years and though Seth Wooley retains the starting job, Donald Neil will get plenty of touches and is a better pass catcher than Wooley. It is easy to make the decision to redshirt Townsend, who is more consistent that the latter two, but just doesn’t pop in any one area.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	PBl	RBl
Clanton, R.	G	Fr (RS)	60	68	27	74	57
Cromer, T.	G	Jr (RS)	57	63	43	54	64
Meyer, D.	G	Jr (RS)	59	54	25	49	76
Perrin, H.	G	So	63	52	57	60	70
Root, W.	G	Sr (RS)	60	63	58	70	51
Thiel, J.	G	Sr (RS)	63	55	56	56	63
Fitch, J.	T	Jr (RS)	56	66	34	43	81
Small, R.	T	So	70	54	32	82	85
Sumner, T.	T	So	69	77	20	74	69
White, J.	T	So (RS)	60	66	31	73	40
Wright, R.	T	Fr	69	56	48	83	46
Darling, M.	C	Jr (RS)	60	51	42	67	60
Goodrich, M.	C	So	62	78	32	77	49
Johnson, D.	C	So (RS)	54	76	45	46	41
McCall, D.	C	Fr (RS)	66	54	32	82	65

Feeling pretty good about this group this season as we have 3 starters back and the other two linemen (Perrin and Goodrich) appeared in all 9 games, with Goodrich logging 2 starts. The strength will be at tackle, where I expect Small to challenge for all independent honor if he can build on a very solid freshman season. Overall a pretty balanced group in terms of skills, with the only weak link being Goodrich’s run blocking. I am redshirting McCall so he can get stronger, but I expect him to start over Goodrich next season.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Spe	Hnd	RBl
Beltran, S.	TE	Sr (RS)	60	44	38	62	49	28
Kerns, R.	TE	Fr (RS)	75	65	57	41	67	37
Woodard, D.	TE	Jr (RS)	59	55	39	54	46	54
Young, C.	TE	So	75	72	70	33	65	46
Belcher, L.	WR	Fr	74	40	55	82	72	1
Brewster, T.	WR	Sr (RS)	63	29	68	62	61	3
Call, B.	WR	So (RS)	62	19	73	48	76	1
Cox, T.	        WR	Sr (RS)	68	24	77	52	89	39
Flood, T.	WR	So (RS)	61	32	55	67	57	35
Garber, E.	WR	Jr (RS)	66	61	56	66	48	18
Najera, M.	WR	Jr	65	58	48	57	76	17
Schneider, D.	WR	Fr	73	62	63	71	73	37
Snider, J.	WR	Jr (RS)	63	48	55	48	81	4
Thomas, T.	WR	So (RS)	65	56	67	50	74	34

A whole makeover with this group as last year’s starter at TE Charles Young losses the job to Robert Kerns in camp and as expected our two incoming freshmen supplant last year’s starters (Cox and Garber) at the wideout spots, though both will still see plenty of reps. Belcher gives us the long sought after deep threat with 82 speed and Schneider has consistent ratings across the board and I expect him to be our leading receiver this season. Definitely a lot more to be optimistic about with this group this year!

Player	        Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Tck	Spe
Curtis, R.	DT	Jr (RS)	56	53	40	43	33
Davis, H.	DT	Jr (RS)	59	73	47	23	38
King, P.	DT	Fr (RS)	62	55	25	45	62
Kirkpatrick, C.	DT	Sr (RS)	63	77	25	31	45
McCann, M.	DT	So (RS)	57	51	61	40	64
McCord, A.	DT	So (RS)	59	66	57	32	44
Ryan, W.	DT	Sr	58	63	51	33	37
Smith, N.	DT	Sr	61	63	62	37	55
Wallen, M.	DT	So (RS)	58	49	64	49	33
Dietz, R.	DE	Jr	61	56	32	47	50
Girard, R.	DE	Jr (RS)	62	83	51	36	36
Mcneely, S.	DE	So	64	49	37	63	48
Ortiz, C.	DE	So (RS)	59	52	46	20	60
Rash, J.	DE	Fr	68	85	35	63	36
Spencer, D.	DE	So (RS)	58	70	49	22	54
Whelan, T.	DE	So (RS)	61	66	41	43	38

We welcome two new starters here in King and top line recruit Jay Rash, who is already our strongest D-Lineman, but does not give us the speed off the edge we had hoped for. We only return 2 sacks from this group and while we should be much better against the run, the lack of a credible pass rush is a real concern. Christopher Ortiz is somewhat athletic and may be someone we can use as a pass rush specialist.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Int	Tck	Spe
Barney, W.	LB	Fr (RS)	68	52	81	26	67	53
Cox, E.	        LB	Fr (RS)	60	25	81	53	48	74
Murphy, R.	LB	So (RS)	49	33	46	42	38	67
Ramirez, D.	LB	Jr (RS)	72	61	57	72	73	46
Reno, R.	LB	Sr (RS)	61	46	44	50	72	36
Smith, T.	LB	Sr (RS)	62	60	49	40	64	42
Ware, R.	LB	So (RS)	57	32	74	31	63	37
Zeigler, H.	LB	Fr	76	45	71	46	79	75

Linebacker went from our weakest position last year, to a relative strength thanks to the emergence of Donald Ramirez last season and the addition of top recruit Harry Zeigler, who has already raised eyebrows in camp with his athleticism. William Barney could have started over Theo Smith at Will, but I want to stagger the talent, so I redshirt him with an eye on him stepping in at that spot next year as Smith is a senior. Ramirez logged 67 tackles in 9 games last season and is our smartest player at the position. I am expecting big things from this group this season.

Player        	Pos	Year	Ovr	Str	Agi	Tck	Spe	Hnd
Austin, A.	CB	Jr (RS)	61	33	55	33	75	27
Freeman, B.	CB	So	67	58	75	35	45	61
Kay, C.	        CB	So (RS)	59	53	81	12	44	43
Lamm, R.	CB	Jr	54	49	44	42	44	46
Padgett, B.	CB	Sr (RS)	63	26	63	58	56	36
Taylor, J.	CB	So	70	58	69	54	61	33
Wilson, J.	CB	Fr (RS)	67	36	61	38	66	48
Bird, J.	FS	Jr (RS)	59	54	49	34	67	34
Blount, R.	FS	So	66	27	52	62	68	47
Galloway, D.	FS	Fr (RS)	69	35	52	38	76	62
Griffin, E.	FS	Jr (RS)	60	22	62	47	46	58
Whitley, J.	FS	So	70	57	72	72	43	59
McCullough, P.	SS	Fr (RS)	62	57	63	57	43	36
Mcwilliams, T.	SS	Sr	60	33	64	33	62	43
Qualls, W.	SS	So	63	27	53	64	63	58
Watkins, R.	SS	Fr	70	50	75	69	51	51

The youth movement continues here as Robert Watkins beats out William Qualls to give us three sophomores (all returning starters) and a true freshman defending the air for the Minutemen. Whitley is the star here and has grown to be a tremendous leader in the secondary as he enters his second season. He led the team in interceptions last season with 4 and also added 4 passes defensed. At corner Taylor and Freeman will be solid again and combined for 3 interceptions and 15 passes defensed last season. If the line can get some pressure on opposing QB’s this group is poised to have a very good season against everyone not named Texas A&M, Nebraska and BYU.

2018 Schedule

Week	Opponent
1	@Charlotte 49ers (0-0-0)
2	@Texas AM Aggies (0-0-0)
3	@East Carolina Pirates (0-0-0)
4	Boston College Eagles (0-0-0)
5	Army Black Knights (0-0-0)
6	BYE
7	@Brigham Young Cougars (0-0-0)
8	Florida International Golden Panthers (0-0-0)
9	@Akron Zips (0-0-0)
10	Bowling Green Falcons (0-0-0)
11	@Buffalo Bulls (0-0-0)
12	Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-0-0)
13	Texas State Bobcats (0-0-0)

Obviously we will continue to take our lumps against the likes of Texas A&M, Nebraska and mid-major powerhouse BYU, but we have 5 winnable games and if the chips fall our way could win 6 or 7, which would get a statue of me built on campus. I count the winnable games as Charlotte, Army, FIU, Akron and Texas State. Games we could get if we play perfect and get some breaks are BC (Who is surprisingly down) and Buffalo. I predict losses to A&M, ECU, BYU, Bowling Green and Nebraska.




He should definitely improve our run defense as he can play sideline to sideline from the Mike position.

Only one bye week. Does that mean the schedules are now more life-like?

Oh, and really looking forward to the annual "Nebraska at UMass" game late in the season.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Only one bye week. Does that mean the schedules are now more life-like?

Oh, and really looking forward to the annual "Nebraska at UMass" game late in the season.

They are better but still hit and miss and the rivalry games need some tweaking still. It's really hard for the four independents since they lose that set 7-9 game conference rotation. And no, was not happy to see the Huskers on my November schedule, LOL.

[BYU 14]

September 10th, 2018 UMass 1-0 at #22 Texas A&M 1-0
UMass: Offense 34.0 (41) Defense 16.0 (53)
Texas A&M: Offense 42.0 (17) Defense 39 (81)
All-time record vs opponent: 0-4
Injury report: None

Nothing like a top 25 SEC foe to totally smash the positive energy generated by a season opening win. A&M sprints out to a 21-3 lead after 1 quarter. The Aggies are led by gunslinger QB Robert Bond, who in just under three quarters, torched our young secondary for 242 yards and 4 touchdowns going 14 for 21. His sub, Jesus Plummer tacked on 131 yards and threw for 3 scores, though we did intercept him once. We held them to a ‘respectable’ 179 yards on the ground when they weren’t busy torching us over the top, with Williams Petty churning out 106 yards on 15 carries.

Though we did manage to score 17 points on the Aggies, Darryl Lavigne returned to his 2017 form going 16-33, 261 yards and 2 TD, but also tossed 3 interceptions. Leon Belcher provided our most exciting moment slipping behind the defense for an 80 yard TD reception, once again making me joyful that we have a legit deep threat that can even stretch an SEC defense. Seth Wooley was back to form gaining 59 yards on 13 carries (4.5), but Donald Neil only nets 3 on 17 carries, which will earn him a demotion on the depth chart. In addition to his 80 yard TD catch Belcher led the team with 5 receptions, totaling 117 yards (23.4), while defensively Jose Taylor had 7 tackles and a PD, with Ramirez and Ziegler totaling 6 tackles each.
Final Score: Texas A&M 69 UMass 17

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered 11 of 16
QB - Neal O’Donnell ** (1436) interest 27 (no other schools) – Hey, didn’t your dad play for the Steelers?
RB – Joshua Curry *** (1089) interest 5 (no other schools) – This will be one of my reach offers as he is a burner.
FB – Geoffrey Daughtry ** (2415) interest 70 (no other schools) – Like where we stand on him
TE – Todd Thorne ** (1392) interest 25 (no other schools) – Strictly for depth, but he is not bad.
WR – Miguel Williams ** (1341) interest 33 (no other schools) – Going to play it safe here, since we have two freshmen studs.
G – Andrew Savage *** (1185) interest 2 (no other schools) – Another reach, but we need a road grader and I am showing some love to a couple of 2 stars for when he jilts us.
T – Kurt Kay ** (1542) interest 40 (no other schools) – A slight gain, but dude, you’re ranked 1542, don’t slow play us.
K – Donald Scott * (2719) interest 85 (Old Dominion) – Picked up 5 interest points, really curious how this turns out. Can we really lose a recruit to Old Dominion?
DT – Ezequiel Charles *** (1012) interest 6 (no other schools) – Another reach, but he has tools and my plan B Joseph Grady has 51 interest in us.
LB – Francis Franklin *** (938) interest 6 (no other schools) – My most ambitious offer, we will likely lose him quick.
LB – George Orr ** (1264) interest 42 (no other schools) – Much more realistic chance.

Commits:
N/A

Lost:
N/A

Add eight more offers, three of which are really not realistic, but we manage to steal a couple of three stars every year, so why not. Nobody I am overly excited about right now.

[BYU 14]

September 17th, 2018 UMass 1-1 at East Carolina 1-1
UMass: Offense 25.5 (76) Defense 42.5 (103)
Texas A&M: Offense 39.5 (35) Defense 26.5 (62)
All-time record vs opponent: 0-1
Injury report: DT Nathan Smith – Questionable (Blurred vision), C Mathew Goodrich – Doubtful (Fractured eye socket) I am assuming Goodrich pissed off one of his teammates back at the frat house.

Holy crap, what a debacle this turned into. After ECU scored on an 80 yard hookup between Lewis Jenkins and Jeffery Box near the end of the first quarter the wheels came off. Or, in the case of the offense, which I thought was somewhat improved, were never even on. ECU held us to 150 TOTAL yards for the game and a paltry 6 first downs. Darryl Lavigne was a pedestrian 19-38 for 107 yards and an interception and our big play receiver Leon Belcher, led the team with 4 catches for 29 yards. Seth Wooley had a long run of 6 yards as the Pirate defense stifled him to the tune of 26 yards on 9 carries, stellar.

Defensively we didn’t allow a 100 rusher, but both Christopher Comstock 15-79 and Raymond Harrell 13-77, 2 TD were efficient and Harrell would have surpassed 100 had he not gone out with a torn quad. Jenkins ended the day throwing for 221 yards and 2 scores before giving way to his backup in the 4th quarter in what had then become a rout. Defensively we did records two more picks (One each by LB Donald Ramirez and backup CB Bobby Padgett), with freshman sensation Harry Ziegler leading the team in tackles from his Mike linebacker spot with 10.
Final Score: East Carolina 34 UMass 0

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered 16 of 16
QB - Neal O’Donnell ** (1436) interest 25 (no other schools) – Rated as a clutch QB, could be a sleeper
QB – Ken Leigh *** (1116) interest 6 (no other schools) – Our longshot gamble, smart and accurate
RB – Joshua Curry *** (1089) interest 7 (no other schools) – A slight bump, but I am under no illusion we will get him when others come.
FB – Geoffrey Daughtry ** (2415) interest 70 (no other schools) – Holding steady, he is not very strong though.
TE – Todd Thorne ** (1392) interest 25 (no other schools) – Again, a grab for depth, so I will not cry if we lose him.
WR – Miguel Williams ** (1341) interest 33 (no other schools) – Going to play it safe here, since we have two freshmen studs.
WR – Troy Mitchell ** (1402) interest 37 (no other schools) – My second offer here and another safe choice for depth.
G – Andrew Savage *** (1185) interest 5 (no other schools) – More than doubled his interest to 5, wow.
G – Kevin Smith ** (1285) interest 20 (UConn) – I offer him at the same time UConn does. I am requesting to play them next season, so there is that subplot there.
T – Kurt Kay ** (1542) interest 38 (no other schools) – His interest actually dropped, for gawds sake. A big body at 6’5 and 299.
K – Donald Scott * (2719) interest 82 (Old Dominion) – Old Dominion might really give us a run here.
DT – Ezequiel Charles *** (1012) interest 6 (no other schools) – Holding on to this dream as long as he is on the market with no other pursuers.
LB – Francis Franklin *** (938) interest 4 (no other schools) – Still no other offers for him
LB – George Orr ** (1264) interest 44 (no other schools) – Great speed, not very agile at all though, an edge player for that reason
CB – Salvatore Dockery *** (1030) interest 7 (no other schools) – This kid is a stud, fast, agile and smart, we are solid at this position, but he would still be a nice add if we can steal him.
SS – Karl Farmer ** (1548) interest 24 (no other schools) – This will be my target at SS as I only need depth right now.


Commits:
N/A

Lost:
N/A

Have all 16 offers out now, though things have started very slowly.

[BYU 14]

September 24th, 2018 UMass 1-2 vs Boston College 0-2
UMass: Offense 17.0 (95) Defense 39.7 (101)
Boston College: Offense 12.0 (104) Defense 44.00 (110)
All-time record vs opponent: 0-3
Injury report: DT Nathan Smith – Probable (Blurred vision), C Mathew Goodrich – Probable (Fractured eye socket)

Looks promising on paper, they have lost to Washington State and Mississippi State, but are still a P5 team, so we will see. Things start off conspicuously enough as BC safety Beau Lawrence returns in interception for six on our first drive and we quickly go down 7-0. In games past this would have been a disaster, but we fight back and follow a short field goal by Dewey Hicks with a 26 yard pass from Darryl Lavigne to Leon Belcher as times winds down in the quarter. Hicks adds his second field goal and we lead 13-7 at halftime.

As the fourth quarter begins, Hick’s third field goal gives us a 16-7 lead, but BC answers quickly as George Perrault gathers an 88 yard TD pass from Michael Fair (who has a terrible day overall) and our lead is cut to 16-14. After we force a couple of 3 and outs, they manage to drive to our 40, but a last gasp hail Mary hits the ground and we have our first win over a P5 team! Our defense, led by Harry Ziegler , 9 tackles, 1 TFL and DT Clayton Kirkpatrick, 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks, absolutely bottles BC up allowing just 5 first downs and 217 total yards, including just 48 on the ground. Offensively Lavigne is 22-44, 233 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int and Seth Wooley chips in 64 yards on 13 carries. Life is good this week.
Final Score: UMass 16 Boston College 14

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered 16 of 16
QB – Richard Kolb ** (1340) interest 0 (no other schools) – I drop Neal O’Donnell and add Kolb as my main ‘depth’ target at quarterback as I feel we have a better shot, which will hopefully show up next week!
QB – Ken Leigh *** (1116) interest 8 (no other schools) – Leigh is still un-offered by any programs but us and his interest bumps a little, so I will continue to keep his offer open.
RB – Joshua Curry *** (1089) interest 6 (no other schools) – My plan B at this position (Loren Wallace **) has 37 interest, but I am keeping the offer on Curry until someone else comes along.
FB – Geoffrey Daughtry ** (2415) interest 73 (no other schools) – Thing looking good as he seems our most solid recruit at this point.
TE – Todd Thorne ** (1392) interest 25 (no other schools) – Still at 25 and as good as we are at TE, not going to lose sleep over him, there is always someone else to fill a spot here.
WR – Miguel Williams ** (1341) interest 32 (no other schools) – Surprised there is not more interest from either of my two receiver targets, though they may be taking note of the fact I have two freshmen starting and one (Leon Belcher) is our best receiver.
WR – Troy Mitchell ** (1402) interest 39 (no other schools) – See above.
G – Andrew Savage *** (1185) interest 6 (no other schools) – No more than a pipe dream, but as long as he has no other offers.
G – Kevin Smith ** (1285) interest 18 (UConn) – Interest is waning since the UConn offer, so I will give him one more week, then drop him and offer 2 star Ryan Nunez (1483, interest 43) if it doesn’t get better next week.
T – Kurt Kay ** (1542) interest 39 (no other schools) – This guy is an enigma, mind blowing strength, but very raw everywhere else. Baffled that he seems to think he will get an offer that much better.
K – Donald Scott * (2719) interest 87 (Old Dominion) – It will go to the wire between us and the Monarchs, but I feel good about our chances.
DT – Ezequiel Charles *** (1012) interest 4 (no other schools) – About our worst prospect at 4 interest, so still showing unoffered two star Joseph Grady lots of love.
LB – Francis Franklin *** (938) interest 6 (no other schools) – While I doubt he will be the 2018 version of our best recruit ever Harry Ziegler, how cool would it be to steal two stud linebackers in back to back classes?
LB – George Orr ** (1264) interest 44 (no other schools) – Great speed, not very agile at all though, an edge player for that reason and holding steady at 44 interest.
CB – Salvatore Dockery *** (1030) interest 4 (no other schools) – Since we are still set at corner for two more seasons, I am going to jump on someone else next week unless his interest doubles, or better.
SS – Karl Farmer ** (1548) interest 26 (no other schools) – Our secondary is our best position group right now, but still surprised he is not showing us more interest.

Commits:
N/A

Lost:
N/A

Not a lot of movement this week, pretty much our most sluggish recruiting class yet.

[Brian Swartz]

I demand moar!

Kthxbye

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I demand moar!

Kthxbye

Back this weekend, have had family in town since after Christmas

[BYU 14]

October 1st, 2018 UMass 2-2 at Army 0-4
UMass:
Offense – Scoring 16.8 (98), Rushing 74.5 (118), Passing 216.0 (80)
Defense – Scoring 33.3 (89), Rushing 149.8 (47), Passing 250.3 (83)
Army:
Offense – Scoring 6.8 (122), Rushing 128.5 (99), Passing 123.8 (123)
Defense – Scoring 24.0 (46), Rushing 202.8 (92), Passing 227.5 (56)
All-time record vs opponent: 0-0
Injury report: CB Jose Taylor – Out (Hernia), C Mathew Goodrich – Probable (Fractured eye socket) Taylor’s injury hurts bad, though he may only be out a couple of weeks.

Army doesn’t give up a lot of points, but they can’t score at all, so combined with their propensity to allow a few yards on the ground I am confident about this one. Of course this can only mean we are in for a dogfight and that’s exactly what happens. Most of the first half is a defensive struggle before we finally take a 7-3 lead into the half courtesy of a 75 strike from Lavigne to super frosh Leon Belcher with 3:06 left in the 2nd quarter. We stretch the lead to 14-3 on a 7 yard Lavigne to Belcher hookup in the 3rd, before allowing Army to tie it at 14, following a 1 yard run by Richard Franklin, followed by a 2 point conversion. We regain the lead 21-14 on Lavigne’s 3rd TD pass, this one to Tyrell Cox, but once again can’t close it out as Army ties it again with 1:04 left on a 4 yard run from Alonzo Moore and we are headed to OT.

Overtime is a micro chasm of the game, as turnovers do us in, as Lavigne’s third interception of the day comes on our second play in OT, after Army scored on their possession on Moore’s second 4 yard scamper. The two picks Lavigne threw in regulation led to 11 Army points, so you can say the senior basically cost us the game, as he finishes 21-35, 298 yards, 3 TD and the 3 very costly interceptions. Army did not turn the ball over at all, so the result end result is to be expected with you lose this battle 3-0. We did hold Army QB Samuel Ulrich to 9-24, 123 yards, but gave up 194 on the ground as the Black Knights were led by Alonzo Moore 19-110, along with his 2 TD runs, while Franklin Richard added 66 yards on 22 carries. Seth Wooley led our ground attack with 12 carries for 47 yards and on defense Harry Ziegler again paced us with 9 tackles. A very disappointing outcome in a critical game.
Final Score: Army 28 UMass 21 - OT

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered 16 of 16
QB – Richard Kolb ** (1340) interest 27 (no other schools) – A nice jump in interest, but a long way to go still
QB – Ken Leigh *** (1116) interest 6 (no other schools) – You never know
RB – Joshua Curry *** (1089) interest 8 (no other schools) – Nothing new here, plan B Loren Wallace now at 36 interest.
FB – Geoffrey Daughtry ** (2415) interest 71 (no other schools) – Holding steady
TE – Todd Thorne ** (1392) interest 26 (no other schools) – Still the leader by default
WR – Miguel Williams ** (1341) interest 32 (no other schools) – A slight jump and we are still unopposed
WR – Troy Mitchell ** (1402) interest 38 (no other schools) – Also holding steady
G – Andrew Savage *** (1185) interest 4 (no other schools) – Interest dips again, but still hoping he can be a steal for us.
G – Kevin Smith ** (1285) interest 22 (UConn) – a slight bump in interest after it dropped following UConn’s offer, still a big long shot though.
T – Kurt Kay ** (1542) interest 40 (no other schools) – This jackass is starting to annoy me; we are as good as you are going to get buddy.
K – Donald Scott * (2719) interest 84 (Old Dominion) – We lose a little ground here and I am now worried.
DT – Ezequiel Charles *** (1012) interest 8 (no other schools) – I just have a strange good feeling about him, second option Grady at 53 interest just in case.
LB – Francis Franklin *** (938) interest 5 (no other schools) – I know we will lose him, but still chasing as long as I can .
LB – George Orr ** (1264) interest 43 (no other schools) – The speedy edge backer looks like he could be a good bet to sign eventually right now.
CB – Salvatore Dockery *** (1030) interest 7 (no other schools) – nothing at all to lose here with CB being our strongest position.
SS – Karl Farmer ** (1548) interest 27 (no other schools) – Kind of shocked his interest is not higher, being ranked 1548 and all. A&M isn’t coming for you!

Commits:
N/A

Lost:
N/A

No excitement at all on the recruiting front this week and getting ‘upset’ by Army did certainly not help our cause!

[Brian Swartz]

Good thing UMass sucks too much still to have actual expectations, or else you'd have job security issues. I'm giving G Andrew Savage the kiss of death, as the player I want to see on your team based on name only this year. Last season that was enough to scare what's-his-face away. 2 for 2?

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Good thing UMass sucks too much still to have actual expectations, or else you'd have job security issues. I'm giving G Andrew Savage the kiss of death, as the player I want to see on your team based on name only this year. Last season that was enough to scare what's-his-face away. 2 for 2?

Noooo, I need a guard. He who you speak of is Theodore Masters, who went to Marshall. He was part of a recruiting class that featured three other receivers, all better than him according to ratings. He redshirted this season, but looks to have a climb up the depth chart in the years ahead. He could have come to UMass and been on the field right now.

[tgray649]

loving this thread, btw is this sim better than the college years?

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by tgray649

loving this thread, btw is this sim better than the college years?

It is right there and while it still has a few quirks to be ironed out, I honestly think that it will be way better that the College years when all is said and done. Especially in the recruiting and in game parts. At this point TCY produces slightly better stats, but Brooks is working on things in this area to even out talent distribution, which should be much better in the next patch. I would definitely recommend the game.

[BYU 14]

October 15th, 2018 UMass 2-3 vs BYU 4-2
UMass:
Offense – Scoring 17.6 (98), Rushing 80.4 (117), Passing 232.4 (68)
Defense – Scoring 32.3 (83), Rushing 158.6 (50), Passing 224.8 (52)
BYU:
Offense – Scoring 36.2 (43), Rushing 199.2 (49), Passing 269.5 (38)
Defense – Scoring 28.5 (75), Rushing 175.2 (70), Passing 264.3 (95)
All-time record vs opponent: 0-0
Injury report: DE Carl Acuna – Out (Broken Foot), CB John Walker – Out (Ruptured Disc), WR Steve Hobbs – Doubtful (Hyper-extended Knee)

The Cougs are 4-2, but coming off a 41-27 upset of previously 6th ranked UCLA, so it does not look good for us. Once again we tease our fans jumping out to a quick lead on a Dewey Hicks FG, but BYU strikes on two long passes covering 65 and 51 yards from Cyril Dallas to Paul Anderson and Stanley Collins respectively. We stem the bleeding with another FG from Hicks, then BYU proceeds to unleash the hounds, outscoring us 62-0 the rest of the way, ouch! On the day they outgain us 641-214 in total yards as Dallas finishes 9-13, 269 and 3 scores, while his backup Oscar Hancock throws for 4 TD’s.

We are especially anemic running the ball as we net 26 yards, as Seth Wooley ‘leads’ the way with 8 carries for 20. Darryl Lavigne doesn’t throw any picks, but only goes 17-37 for 188 yards, with Leon Belcher accounting for 105 of those yards on 6 catches. Once again Harry Ziegler paces us with 8 tackles on defense, which is small consolation after our secondary gets shredded 459 yards overall to go with the 7 TD passes. We also commit 10 penalties for 74 yards to complete an all-around pathetic performance.
Final Score: BYU 76 UMass 6

Recruiting:
Scholarships offered 16 of 16
QB – Richard Kolb ** (1340) interest 26 (no other schools) – Stays flat at 26, meaning we will lose him if anyone better offers.
QB – Ken Leigh *** (1116) interest 9 (no other schools) – We gain a whopping 3 interest, woohoo.
RB – Joshua Curry *** (1089) interest 6 (no other schools) – He would be our Leonard Fournette if we somehow stole him, if only.
FB – Geoffrey Daughtry ** (2415) interest 74 (no other schools) – Still the leader, he may be out first commit.
TE – Todd Thorne ** (1392) interest 31 (no other schools) – He is slow and weak and still only lukewarm on us.
WR – Miguel Williams ** (1341) interest 35 (no other schools) – Another small jump and he is actually decent minus the total lack of speed.
WR – Troy Mitchell ** (1402) interest 42 (no other schools) – Small jump and he can fly, that is about it.
G – Andrew Savage *** (1185) interest 4 (no other schools) – No competition, but his interest continues to almost non-existent, perhaps because his uncle Brian Swartz is in his ear
G – Norman Harbin ** (1385) interest 34 (no other schools) – Added him to Kevin Smith during our bye week and he has decent initial interest.
T – Kurt Kay ** (1542) interest 42 (no other schools) – Same old story, thinks he is going to get a better offer.
K – Donald Scott * (2719) interest 89 (Old Dominion) – A little jump in interest here, but still think he will choose the Monarchs.
DT – Ezequiel Charles *** (1012) interest 8 (no other schools) – As if his low interest wasn’t enough, second option Grady is offered by Buffalo and commits immediately, plan C is now Johnny Denning ** (1251) from New York.
LB – Francis Franklin *** (938) interest 9 (no other schools) – His interest almost doubles to 9, not really a big feat.
LB – George Orr ** (1264) interest 46 (no other schools) – Things continue to look somewhat positive for him joining us.
CB – Salvatore Dockery *** (1030) interest 10 (no other schools) – No changes, well worth the risk at this point
SS – Karl Farmer ** (1548) interest 30 (no other schools) – Interest bumps up a bit, but still surprised he is not higher on us.

Commits:
N/A

Lost:
G – Kevin Smith ** (1285) interest 22 (Commit - UConn) – He is the first recruit we lose as he pulls the trigger on the Huskies offer.

Nothing much went on during the bye week outside of losing Smith and the thrashing at the hands of BYU certainly didn’t enamor us to anybody on our list. But hey, come to UMass and change that.