Tag: Minutemen

Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze speaks at the 2023 SEC Football Kickoff Media Days at the Nashville Grand Hyatt on Broadway, Tuesday, July 18, 2023.

Hugh Freeze era begins as Auburn hosts UMass

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Hugh Freeze era will begin Saturday afternoon when Auburn hosts UMass in its season opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Freeze enters his first season on the Plains after successful head coaching stints at Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty. One of the first orders of business for Freeze this offseason was to rebuild the Tigers through the transfer portal.

Michigan State graduate transfer Payton Thorne is one of several newcomers expected to make a major impact on an Auburn roster that was completely overhauled.

Thorne, a two-time team captain for the Spartans, beat out Robby Ashford for the starting quarterback job and is poised to make an immediate impact on a team that finished 5-7 overall (2-6 SEC) a year ago. In 26 starts for MSU, Thorne passed for 6,494 yards and 49 touchdowns. Ashford is still expected to have a role in the offense, but he’s questionable for Saturday’s game due to an oblique strain.

Freeze has been impressed with Thorne’s physical attributes as well as his attention to detail within the offense.

“He wants to have the mental part of the game totally down,” Freeze said.

If Auburn wants to improve on last year’s record it will need to improve in the trenches. Freeze and his staff made the offensive and defensive lines a priority in the offseason, but he has yet to see how those players respond on gameday.

The Tigers have been running the ball effectively in fall camp and Jarquez Hunter (688 yards and seven TDs a year ago) leads a talented, deep and versatile group of runners. But until Freeze sees the running game in action, he’ll wait to assess what he has there.

“I don’t know, I honestly don’t,” said Freeze when asked about the ground attack. “We’ll find out more Saturday. Are we effective running the ball against other opponents? Or has our defense made us look good?”

UMass (1-0) opened its season with a 41-30 win at New Mexico State under second-year head coach Don Brown.

Taisun Phommachanh, an athletic dual threat, passed for 192 yards and ran for a team-high 96 yards and a score in the win over the Aggies. Phommachanh previously played at Georgia Tech and Clemson before transferring to UMass.

Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams and Anthony Simpson were also key players in the Minutemen’s offensive attack. Lynch-Adams had 15 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns, while Simpson added a team-high three reception for 65 yards and a 10-yard scoring run.

UMass allowed 470 total yards against New Mexico State, but it forced three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble recovery) and recorded three sacks.

Isaiah Rutherford (55-yard pick-six) and Tyler Rudolph (team-high eight tackles and a sack) are veteran defenders who stood out in the win over the Aggies.

Saturday’s game will mark the first meeting between Auburn and UMass.

–Field Level Media

Oct 27, 2018; East Hartford, CT, USA; Massachusetts Minutemen running back Marquis Young (8) runs the ball against the Connecticut Huskies in the second half at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. UMass defeated UConn 22-17. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

UMass opts back in to fall football season

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Massachusetts will play a limited fall football season, six weeks after canceling it amid coronavirus concerns, the school announced Monday.

In a news release, the school said the decision was made after reviewing the program’s COVID-19 safety protocols and “rigorous testing regimen” in place since players returned to campus in June.

The Big Ten announced its plan last week to play a fall season after announcing in August that the season would be delayed until spring. Leaders of the Pac-12 and Mid-American conferences also are mulling such a move.

UMass is seeking to begin its season in mid-October and is working to develop a “competitive multi-contest schedule.” Any home games will be played without fans at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.

“The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff has always been our first priority,” athletic director Ryan Bamford said. “Since returning to campus in June, the members of our football program have been vigilant in following the policies and safety protocols instituted by the state, our university and athletics department, helping us reach a high level of confidence that we can safely conduct a truncated season this fall. Further, our recent work to generate a schedule in the spring semester, similar to our other fall sports, indicated that fall 2020 provided the best opportunity for our football student-athletes to take the field this academic year.”

The school said that it had conducted more than 1,800 COVID-19 tests within the football program, with two positive results, and will continue to test players, coaches and support staff “multiple” times each week.

“Everyone associated with our program is excited to play football this fall,” Minutemen coach Walt Bell said. “We have successfully created one of the safest environments in college football since June and our young men deserve the opportunity to compete in 2020.”

UMass, an independent, was 1-11 in Bell’s first season in 2019.

–Field Level Media