UMass (and FCS) Get Some Respect in Ohio
Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:02 am
I was checking out UMass74s Football Blog and he linked to this interesting story in the Toledo Blade...
http://toledoblade.com/article/20100915 ... 1/SPORTS01" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;Massachusetts will attempt to become the sixth small school to knock off one of the big boys when it travels to play the 20th-ranked Wolverines on Saturday.
"It's not going to take much from me [to motivate the team]," UMass coach Kevin Morris said Saturday after his team thumped Holy Cross, 31-7. "They're well aware of the opportunity."
On Saturday, Akron, Minnesota, and No. 13 Virginia Tech were all upset at home by FCS schools. A week earlier it was Kansas and Mississippi falling in games they figured to be guaranteed wins when they scheduled them.
Although no one is predicting a stunner at the Big House, Massachusetts is a formidable FCS team, certainly superior to the overmatched Delaware State squad that UM destroyed 63-6 last fall. The unbeaten Minutemen are ranked No. 18 in the FCS, and its two wins - home games against Holy Cross and No. 4 William & Mary - are over teams that qualified for last year's 16-team postseason playoff.
Although just 5-6 last year, UMass has been strong in recent years, recording an overall record of 76-44 in the 2000s and winning the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2003 and 2006. It advanced to the I-AA title game in 2006, falling to Appalachian State. Of course Appalachian State's next game, the 2007 season opener, may have been the biggest college football upset ever.
