Imagine if UMass, Boston College, UNH, UConn, Rutgers, Syracuse, Penn State and Pitt played in the same conference. That won’t happen, which makes this afternoon’s tilt between UMass and BC the most anticipated game of the season.
Both programs desperately want to reach the next level of gridiron respectability. UMass is seeking its first upset win of a top-tier FBS opponent, and the Eagles want to crack the Top 25 for the first time since they reached No. 18 in 2008.
The Eagles are an 18-point favorite to vanquish the Minutemen for the 10th straight time since 1978 in a rivalry that dates back to 1901 when Mass. Aggie beat BC, 11-0.
UMass shellacked Duquesne 63-15 in their season opener before 8,684 fans at McGuirk Alumni Stadium last week. It was only the second time since 1993 that Duquesne had played an FBS opponent and UMass rolled up 572 yards of total offense against the hapless Dukes’ defense.
“I watched the game on television,” texted BC defensive coordinator Jim Reid. “They are a good team, regardless of the opponent.”
Reid and UMass coach Mark Whipple go back a long way. Reid coached at Richmond when Whipple was in his first go-round at UMass. The two went head-to-head from 1999-2003 and Whipple’s teams won three of the five games.
Reid was the head coach at UMass in the 1980s when Ed Pinkham was the defensive coordinator at UNH. Now, Pinkham’s the defensive coordinator at UMass and his defensive line coach Dave Wissman captained the Wildcats under Pinkham’s watch in Durham. Wissman’s favorite moment was returning a punt for a touchdown against UMass.
The Minutemen play former Yankee Conference foe UConn next month, but it won’t have the same pull as today’s game. Nor will their home games against Coastal Carolina, Charlotte or Liberty.
UMass has 27 players, and Boston College has 22 on their respective rosters who hail from Brockton, Everett, Leominster, Medfield, Worcester, Southie — 35 towns in all with players on one team or the other or both.
This is a backyard brawl for state bragging rights, and it kicks off at 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill. Good seats are still available.
Greenfield native and GHS grad D. Jake Wyman will be at the Yale Bowl next Saturday participating in the Closer to Free Ride. The 8th annual cycling event raises money for Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven.
Wyman raised $4,200 last year after his cousin Jackie Petrin was diagnosed. After she passed away this year, Wyman upped his commitment from 40 to 100 miles. He’s already garnered over $5,000 in pledges and is asking his hometown friends for help raising more. To make a pledge, enter his name at rideclosertofree.org.
Montague’s Brock Hines teed it up with Emiliano Grillo, the 64th-ranked golfer in the world, at the Dell Technologies PGA Pro-Am at the TPC in Norton this week. “Hot as heck,” he texted. “Shot 89. Once in a lifetime experience. It was surreal to be inside the ropes. Fans don’t realize how difficult it is for these pros to play four rounds in searing heat and the concentration that it entails.”
The Recorder’s Jeff Lajoie rescued the sports department’s reputation by picking Catholic Boy in last week’s Travers. Lajoie’s real strength is high school football, and he’s teamed up with sports editor Jason Butynski for another season of “The Fumble,” Thursdays on Facebook Live.
The UConn Huskies’ million dollar coach Randy Edsall was humiliated by the UCF Knights in front of 23,081 fans in East Hartford on Thursday. Trailing 28-10 at halftime, the ESPNU announcer said, “UConn’s somewhat hanging in this game.”
Yeah right. The final score was 56-17. Nor will they be “hanging in” against UMass on Oct. 27.
SQUIBBERS: Christian Wilkins, one of the four mainstays on Clemson’s defensive front, hails from Springfield and played at Suffield Academy in 2014. … The NCAA’s Football Oversight Committee is allowing 11 teams from both the ACC and SEC to accept bowl bids this season. … Rams quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley stayed on the sidelines the entire preseason. Or, as the NFL Channel’s Ross Tucker put it, were kept “totally in bubble wrap.” … Former UMass guard Vlad Ducasse started two preseason games for the Bills. The veteran lineman has been with five teams in nine years. … In Tennessee, former UMass wideout Tajae Sharpe has three catches for 43 yards, and former Patriot running back Dion Lewis has five catches for 46 yards yards. … The Liberty University Flames will get a combined $3 million payday to play at Virginia and Auburn on successive weeks after they play UMass in Amherst on Nov. 3. … Cubs pitcher Jon Lester had a two-run single against the Mets on Monday, giving him nine RBIs in 51 at-bats this year. … When Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland bobbled a ground ball against the Rays at the Trop last weekend, the PA system spun ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’ in playful homage to the Harlem Globetrotters. … The Four Leaf’s Mark Snow said he expects to fry a ton of potatoes at the Fair this week. … Stock car legend Roger Raymond’s family is back in the racing game. Raymond’s converted school bus was spotted in its usual space at Monadnock Speedway. … Alex Rodriguez, former NBA player Junior Bridgeman and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris are all in the hunt to buy Sports Illustrated, reports the New York Post’s Keith Kelly. … Ask Mary Brown how “hoser” got to mean “loser” and she’ll tell you it was from decades ago when the losing team had to flood the rink for the next game.