AMHERST – UMass doesn’t have a football conference, but it has a rival.
The Minutemen extended their yearly series with UConn through 2027, the schools announced Monday. The teams will meet at a neutral site next season with the Minutemen designated as the home team on Nov. 25, 2023.
The Hartford Courant’s Dom Amore tweeted the “UConn-UMass football game Nov. 25, 2023, ‘neutral site’ is likely to be Fenway Park. Gillette probably not available.”
UMass will host the Huskies on November 30, 2024, and October 16, 2027 and return to Rentschler Field on November 29, 2025, and October 24, 2026.
UConn-UMass football game Nov. 25, 2023, “neutral site†is likely to be Fenway Park. Gillette probably not available. Site not specified in contract by those would be logical options.
— Dom Amore (@AmoreCourant) October 31, 2022
The Minutemen visit Rentschler this Friday at 7 p.m. (CBS Sports Network).
“You need a rival. Everybody needs a rival game. It’s such a special week, in a season. I’ve been doing this a long time. When you don’t have a rival game, I just feel like your team’s missing out on a great opportunity to play a school with very similar structure and so forth,” UMass coach Don Brown said. “You want to play in one of those games that it’s just a little bit special.”
UMass triumphed in their last meeting 27-13, ending a two-year losing streak. Friday’s game is the 70th meeting between the teams. UMass holds a 35-32-2 advantage in the series.
“I’ve been on both sides of the coin,” said Brown, who was UConn’s defensive coordinator in 2011-12. “Regardless of where I’ve been, which school I’ve been at, it was one of those that you circled on the calendar, for sure.”
DEFENSIVE STRIDES – UMass held New Mexico State to an 0-for-12 conversion rate Saturday. The Minutemen (1-7) amassed three sacks and 11 tackles for loss, holding the Aggies to 4.3 yards per play.
Florida State transfer Marcus Cushnie had 1½ of those sacks and two tackles for loss.
“All around on defense, everyone’s just starting to do their part a little bit more. I mean, we still got some minor mistakes here and there but at least the accountability on the team is starting to pick up on the defensive side,” Cushnie said. “Pass rush is not just the D-line. It’s the whole defense. “There’s still some little things here and there, but all around we’ve all been clicking much better.”
BYE BYE BOWL – The loss against New Mexico State officially eliminated UMass from bowl contention since the Minutemen cannot finish with the minimum six wins. They’re among eight teams that have already lost seven (or more games).
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.