(11-18-2017 06:18 PM)Steve1981 Wrote: Since the break of the 0-6 start, UMass is 4-1 with the lone loss to #16 rranked Mississippi State. We were in that game as well.
(11-18-2017 06:18 PM)Steve1981 Wrote: Since the break of the 0-6 start, UMass is 4-1 with the lone loss to #16 rranked Mississippi State. We were in that game as well.
Quote:AMHERST — Andrew Ford is coming back to UMass next year.
The junior quarterback, who has one year of eligibility left, will have his undergraduate degree at the end of the 2017-18 school year. He’d be eligible to transfer without sitting out a season under the NCAA’s graduate transfer rule.
There would be interest in him among Power Five schools. With one game left this season, he’s completed 193 of 309 throws with 18 touchdowns. The fact that he’s thrown just three interceptions despite being under regular pressure would add to his appeal.
But Ford isn’t interested. He likes where he is and what he and UMass can still accomplish.
“I’m not too worried about it. I really like this group of guys. On offense we have everybody back. We’re rolling right now. We’re really looking forward to the future here,” he said. “This is my place. This is where I’m happy. I don’t see myself going anywhere anytime soon.”
In two seasons leading the Minutemen, Ford is already in the program’s top five in completions (415, fourth), passing yards (5,240, 5th) and touchdown passes (44, third).
“I’ve done the transfer process. It’s not fun,” said Ford, who began his career at Virginia Tech. “When I envisioned playing college football growing up, this is how I envisioned, playing big games, being out there with the guys. I’ve had that opportunity here and I’m really grateful for it. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
UMass has won four of its last five games heading into Saturday’s noon finale at FIU in Miami.
“We know how close we are now. It’s one thing last year saying how close we are. Now we have the results to back it up,” Ford said. “Finishing the way we have, and we still have a big test on Saturday, but it’s going to leapfrog us into next year. We have to finish it right on Saturday. We have a lot of great things to build on in the offseason.”
Unless someone leaves or decommits, UMass could have as many as six quarterbacks on the roster in 2018.
Junior Ross Comis is also a candidate to utilize the graduate transfer rule. He’s been unavailable for interviews as he’s coming off an injury.
Redshirt sophomores Randall West and Michael Curtis are both back as well.
UMass has commitments from two high school seniors — Jaret Pallotta, of Canton, Ohio, and Josiah Johnson, of Jacksonville, Florida.
Both are considered likely to sign later this month as part of the sport’s new early signing period.
UMASS has some good home schedules coming up. This Indy thing may work out and if it does...and a stadium renovation/expansion happens? UMASS to the AAC at some point becomes interesting to think about...
(12-01-2017 10:54 AM)billybobby777 Wrote: UMASS has some good home schedules coming up. This Indy thing may work out and if it does...and a stadium renovation/expansion happens? UMASS to the AAC at some point becomes interesting to think about...
No it doesn't
Not for SMU, no. But you decided to join a conference with East Coast schools like UCONN, Temple, Navy, ECU, USF and UCF. Split off into a Texhoma plus Kansas and Louisiana conference if you don’t like it.
(12-01-2017 10:54 AM)billybobby777 Wrote: UMASS has some good home schedules coming up. This Indy thing may work out and if it does...and a stadium renovation/expansion happens? UMASS to the AAC at some point becomes interesting to think about...
A new or a much improved OC football stadium could absolutely place them in AAC radar but they must continue their efforts with out neglecting their basketball program were it could easily happen when focus is shifted to football entirely.
(12-01-2017 10:54 AM)billybobby777 Wrote: UMASS has some good home schedules coming up. This Indy thing may work out and if it does...and a stadium renovation/expansion happens? UMASS to the AAC at some point becomes interesting to think about...
A new or a much improved OC football stadium could absolutely place them in AAC radar but they must continue their efforts with out neglecting their basketball program were it could easily happen when focus is shifted to football entirely.
(02-04-2018 01:02 PM)No Bull Wrote: UMASS is a state flagship... lots of tv's in Boston. UMASS has a lot going for it.
Just because you say something doesn't make it true...
Boston is a PRO city first and always. UMass is irrelevant in the New England sports landscape. Do you really think that if people cared about UMass sports...especially football...they would be still languishing where they are?
Hell, even the UMass administration cares so little for their sports that they have invested only peanuts on infrastructure.
The thing is that Massachusetts is a HUGE band wagon state....
If you got a successful Umass team in the AAC it would bring valuable bandwagon exposure from the Boston Hub area in the bigger picture. I could not agree more that as of right now - today - not so much. But with the proper buzz, the state would find the money - because it too is a bandwagon jumper just like it's residents....
You have to take the long view - there are not many state flagships left that are unaccounted for in the Major College Sports conferences.
UMass would bring instant rivalries with Temple and UConn back to to life and that is good for any conference as well.
(02-04-2018 01:02 PM)No Bull Wrote: UMASS is a state flagship... lots of tv's in Boston. UMASS has a lot going for it.
Just because you say something doesn't make it true...
Boston is a PRO city first and always. UMass is irrelevant in the New England sports landscape. Do you really think that if people cared about UMass sports...especially football...they would be still languishing where they are?
Hell, even the UMass administration cares so little for their sports that they have invested only peanuts on infrastructure.
Hell.
No.
While Boston is home to many of our alumni, and would certainly be considered our primary television market, the school itself is in the Springfield metro area. Springfield does typically follow Boston sports, but I wouldn't consider it a "PRO city".
When UMass is winning we have no problem with attendance. Case and point being basketball in the 90s and the short run in the 2013-14 season. We've never had a winning season in FBS football so that's hard to judge.
UMass administration is putting academics first and foremost. We spent the more than three decades under severe budget cuts and resources being allocated elsewhere in the system. We re-established flagship status ~15 years ago and as a result access to funding has increased, the majority of which has gone/is going to build academic and research facilities.
With that said it's not like we're chump change when it comes to athletic investment. While our athletics budget is heavily institutionally subsidized, we're in the top third of G5 budgets. We've built brand new basketball and football training facilities in the past 3 years, with an multi-sport (including football) indoor practice facility on the horizon. Our basketball arena is smack dab in the middle of AAC arenas at #7 behind UCONN and just about average in capacity. AAC (with Wichita State and without Navy) average is 10,011 and Mullins Center is 9,493. In addition we have access to a 13,000 seat arena in Worcester that was used for big games the '90s, and a 19,580 arena in Boston. (TD Garden has been filled in prior years against BC). We also have access to Gillette stadium if needed, and as you know playing in an NFL stadium is not something new to AAC (USF and Temple).
(This post was last modified: 02-05-2018 09:52 PM by McKinney.)
(02-04-2018 01:02 PM)No Bull Wrote: UMASS is a state flagship... lots of tv's in Boston. UMASS has a lot going for it.
Just because you say something doesn't make it true...
Boston is a PRO city first and always. UMass is irrelevant in the New England sports landscape. Do you really think that if people cared about UMass sports...especially football...they would be still languishing where they are?
Hell, even the UMass administration cares so little for their sports that they have invested only peanuts on infrastructure.
Hell.
No.
Ha ha...now replace Cincy for UMass and Southwestern Ohio for Boston and New England.
(02-04-2018 01:02 PM)No Bull Wrote: UMASS is a state flagship... lots of tv's in Boston. UMASS has a lot going for it.
Just because you say something doesn't make it true...
Boston is a PRO city first and always. UMass is irrelevant in the New England sports landscape. Do you really think that if people cared about UMass sports...especially football...they would be still languishing where they are?
Hell, even the UMass administration cares so little for their sports that they have invested only peanuts on infrastructure.
Hell.
No.
Ha ha...now replace Cincy for UMass and Southwestern Ohio for Boston and New England.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Except for the fact that it doesn't work... But hey, whatever.
UC does have a market penetration...especially in basketball...that UMass will never have. It was one of the reasons UC is labeled as one of the three programs that underpin the AAC media deal and, if they were to leave, would trigger a renegotiation.
Oh and UC invested $86 million in their FB stadium and another massive chunk of change in their BB arena. So call me when UMass antes up to the poker game. Until then...
(02-04-2018 01:02 PM)No Bull Wrote: UMASS is a state flagship... lots of tv's in Boston. UMASS has a lot going for it.
Just because you say something doesn't make it true...
Boston is a PRO city first and always. UMass is irrelevant in the New England sports landscape. Do you really think that if people cared about UMass sports...especially football...they would be still languishing where they are?
Hell, even the UMass administration cares so little for their sports that they have invested only peanuts on infrastructure.
Hell.
No.
Ha ha...now replace Cincy for UMass and Southwestern Ohio for Boston and New England.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Except for the fact that it doesn't work... But hey, whatever.
UC does have a market penetration...especially in basketball...that UMass will never have. It was one of the reasons UC is labeled as one of the three programs that underpin the AAC media deal and, if they were to leave, would trigger a renegotiation.
Oh and UC invested $86 million in their FB stadium and another massive chunk of change in their BB arena. So call me when UMass antes up to the poker game. Until then...
UMass has had great market penetration in basketball throughout the 90's. UMass basketball was huge in Boston, front page of the Boston Globe and Herald sports, every newscast had UMass highlights, selling out the Boston Garden (Fleet Center at the time). It will probably never have that level of popularity again, but to say it never will have that is incorrect, it has already happened.
UMass has a brand new $30 million basketball facility and $40 million football facility. It has made a minor upgrade to the stadium's press box for $2 million, but the rest of the stadium is still a disaster. The stadium issue should have been addressed in the 90's or 00's in some way even without an upgrade to FBS, they put up the stadium in 1965 and basically never touched it. The stadium would have needed to be upgraded even for FCS, like UNH just had their stadium redone. The football stadium is also used for other events like graduations so they couldn't just keep ignoring it forever. If they upgraded the stadium in 2005 it could have cost $100 million dollars and you wouldn't have heard a peep from anybody, the political and media climate is such that every penny spent on football even if it's a donation like the stadium press box is scrutinized.