UMass Minutemen football 2018: Team set to have best season yet

The UMass Minutemen football team has its first legitimate chance of finishing with above a .500 record in the 2018 college football season.

UMass Minutemen football is right around the corner and year seven in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) has a different kind of feel to it for the fellas rooting on the group from Amherst, Mass. With last season’s four wins being the best since joining the FBS back in 2012, one may think there shouldn’t be expectations.

Well the days of no expectations are in the past.

There should have never been expectations for a University in Western, Mass. going up against the highest level of competition in college football.

More from Chowder and Champions

If you expected, you were let down.

But now it’s time to expect and we’ll see what Umass Minutemen football have in store for their fans in 2018.

Andrew Ford Returns:

After transferring out of Virginia Tech, Andrew Ford was thought of as the turnaround the program needed, it was finally getting its quarterback.

In his first season with the UMass Minutemen in 2016, Ford struggled to avoid mistakes. He threw 14 interceptions in his first year with the Minutemen.

But that changed last season and Ford looked the part. He threw 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

In three road games Ford had nine touchdowns with just one interception and kept UMass in plenty of games throughout the year.

UMass lost its first six games by 43 points combined, just over an average of one touchdown per game. Two of those games came on the road against Temple and Tennessee, tough places to play for a program the caliber of UMass despite the down years for both the Owls and the Vols.

So they were close with Ford and should get even closer in his senior season.

But it goes well beyond him.

Offensive firepower returns:

Most importantly, the UMass Minutemen returns all but one offensive lineman so the protection will be there for Ford.

Jack Driscoll’s departure from UMass will be a loss for sure. Driscoll transferred to Auburn because the University didn’t accept Driscoll into graduate school, prompting the move.

Despite the loss of star tight end Adam Breneman, UMass should be able to use a combination of different receivers to help replace him. Leading the way for that will likely be Andy Isabella, a 1,000 yard receiver from last season.

With nine of 11 starters returning offensively, the UMass Minutemen should once again be a potent offense and may even build off last season’s point per game average of 30.5.

Strong Pass Defense:

UMass was a solid defensive unit against the pass. The Minutemen ranked 41^st in pass defense, allowing 2,484 yards through the air. With 17 passing touchdowns against them, UMass also had 13 interceptions, tied for 35^th best in the FBS.

Just how good the UMass pass defense was could be measured against the performance it had against Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.

One of the better quarterbacks in college, Fitzgerald went 14-for-25 against UMass and threw a pair of interceptions.

Just like last year, Fitzgerald is a name to watch for the Heisman trophy, albeit a long shot to win it.

Struggle against the run:

Where the Minutemen struggled was against the run. UMass ranked 102^nd in the FBS with 1,624 rushing yards allowed and gave up 19 touchdowns on the ground.

This weakness will be something to watch in its second game of the season when UMass takes on Boston College and Heisman running back hopeful A.J. Dillon.

Dillon is a stud that ran for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman.

Below is a breakdown of the opponents UMass will face and their rushing ranks last year in terms of total yardage.

Season Prediction:

The UMass Minutemen lost some close games last season and finishing with four wins or less would be considered a disappointment this year.

Next. Boston College Eagles: AJ Dillon and offense ready to take center stage. dark

In fact, the Minutemen should improve on that total with wins coming against Duquesne, Florida International, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, UConn and Liberty. Beating Georgia Southern and BYU isn’t out of the realm of possibility either.

UMass could be an eight win team in 2018.

Still, don’t expect too much in the first year one should have any expectations for the boys from Amherst.

Home/Boston Sports