2020 UMass Minutemen football team

American college football season

2020 UMass Minutemen football

Conference| Independent
Record| 0–4
Head coach|

* Walt Bell (2nd season)

Offensive scheme| Spread
Defensive coordinator| Tommy Restivo (2nd season)
Base defense| 4–3
Home stadium| Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium

Seasons

<- 2019

2021 ->

2020 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records

* v
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* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team |  | W |  | L |  |  |  |  | W |  | L |
No. 11 BYU |  |  | - |  |  |  |  |  | 11  | - | 1  |
No. 17 Liberty |  |  | - |  |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 1  |
Army |  |  | - |  |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 3  |
New Mexico State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 1  |
UMass |  |  | - |  |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 4  |

* Note: Due to COVID-19, UConn canceled the 2020 football season; New Mexico State was the only FBS school to play a spring schedule.

Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Minutemen competed as an independent. They were led by second-year head coach Walt Bell.

UMass originally announced on August 11, 2020, that they would not play football in the fall over concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was reversed on September 21, as UMass announced that opponents would be announced "as they become official".[1] Although the Minutemen's home stadium was Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, all games there were cancelled; the team played only away games in 2020.

The Minutemen finished the abridged season winless, at 0–4, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 161 to 12.

## Preseason

[edit]

### Award watch lists

[edit]

Listed in the order that they were released.

Award  | Player  | Position  | Year

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Outland Trophy[2] | Larnel Coleman  | OL  | RS SR
Wuerffel Trophy[3] | Cole McCubrey  | LB  | SR
Solomon Siskind  | TE  | RS JR

## Schedule

[edit]

UMass went 0–4, scoring 12 total points while allowing 161 points by their opponents.

Date| Time| Opponent| Site| TV| Result| Attendance

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October 17| 4:00 p.m.| at Georgia Southern|

* Paulson Stadium
* Statesboro, GA

| ESPN2| L 0–41| 4,856
November 7| 2:30 p.m.| at No. 16 Marshall|

* Joan C. Edwards Stadium
* Huntington, WV

| ESPN+| L 10–51| 11,711
November 20| 8:00 p.m.| at Florida Atlantic|

* FAU Stadium
* Boca Raton, FL

| CBSSN| L 2–24| 5,554
November 27| 12:00 p.m.| at Liberty|

* Williams Stadium
* Lynchburg, VA

| ESPN3| L 0–45| 250

* Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game
* All times are in Eastern time

## Game summaries

[edit]

### At Georgia Southern

[edit]

Massachusetts at Georgia Southern  |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Minutemen | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Eagles | 14 | 14| 10| 3 | 41

* Date: October 17, 2020
* Location: Paulson Stadium
Statesboro, GA
* Game start: 4:07 p.m. EDT
* Elapsed time: 3 hours and 12 minutes
* Game attendance: 4,856
* Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C)
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Bill Roth (play–by–play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)

| Scoring summary

1| 12:18| GASO| Malik Murray 47-yard pass from Shai Werts (Alex Raynor kick)
(5 plays, 75 yards, 2:42)| GASO 7–0
08:14| GASO| Beau Johnson 8-yard pass from Shai Werts (Alex Raynor kick)
(7 plays, 39 yards, 1:57)| GASO 14–0
2| 09:12| GASO| Beau Johnson 10-yard pass from Shai Werts (Alex Raynor kick)
(7 plays, 50 yards, 4:13)| GASO 21–0
01:39| GASO| Shai Werts 4-yard rush (Alex Raynor kick)
(8 plays, 60 yards, 5:01)| GASO 28–0
3| 13:08| GASO| Alex Raynor 27-yard field goal
(5 plays, 10 yards, 1:25)| GASO 31–0
06:40| GASO| Wesley Kennedy III 56-yard rush (Alex Raynor kick)
(2 plays, 60 yards, 0:55)| GASO 38–0
4| 02:34| GASO| Alex Raynor 31-yard field goal
(4 plays, 8 yards, 2:18)| GASO 41–0

See also: 2020 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

Pregame line | Over/under

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GASO −31 | 62[4]
Statistics | UMass | Georgia Southern

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First downs | 10 | 20
Total yards | 191 | 436
Rushing yards | 111 | 308
Passing yards | 80 | 128
Turnovers | 2 | 1
Time of possession | 29:09 | 30:51
Team | Category | Player | Statistics

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UMass | Passing | Mike Fallon | 7/12, 41 yards, 1 INT
Rushing | Will Koch | 4 carries, 41 yards
Receiving | Samuel Emilus | 4 receptions, 28 yards
Georgia Southern | Passing | Shai Werts | 11/16, 128 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing | Wesley Kennedy III | 6 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD
Receiving | Malik Murray | 4 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD

### At Marshall

[edit]

Massachusetts at Marshall  |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Minutemen | 7 | 3| 0| 0 | 10
• No. 16 Thundering Herd | 14 | 17| 13| 7 | 51

* Date: November 7, 2020
* Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium
Huntington, WV
* Game start: 2:30 p.m. EST
* Elapsed time: 2 hours and 55 minutes
* Game attendance: 11,711
* Game weather: Clear and Sunny • Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Wind: Calm
* Referee: Rodney Burnette
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Martin (play–by–play) and Jake Griffith (analyst)

| Scoring summary

1| 13:28| MRSH| Brenden Knox 45-yard rush (Shane Ciucci kick)
(4 plays, 75 yards, 1:32)| MRSH 7–0
7:01| MASS| Samuel Emilus 2-yard pass from Will Koch (Jeremy Martin kick)
(6 plays, 80 yards, 2:48)| TIED 7–7
2:02| MRSH| Brenden Knox 14-yard rush (Shane Ciucci kick)
(11 plays, 82 yards, 4:59)| MRSH 14–7
2| 9:52| MRSH| Corey Gammage 19-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick)
(8 plays, 49 yards, 3:00)| MRSH 21–7
6:04| MRSH| Shane Ciucci 43-yard field goal
(5 plays, 17 yards, 2:13)| MRSH 24–7
2:38| MASS| Jeremy Martin 46-yard field goal
(8 plays, 46 yards, 3:26)| MRSH 24–10
0:38| MRSH| Sheldon Evans 11-yard rush (Shane Ciucci kick)
(6 plays, 74 yards, 2:00)| MRSH 31–10
3| 6:47| MRSH| Xavier Gaines 13-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci rush failed)
(11 plays, 80 yards, 5:12)| MRSH 37–10
3:46| MRSH| Xavier Gaines 16-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick)
(2 plays, 16 yards, 0:44)| MRSH 44–10
4| 13:04| MRSH| Knowledge McDaniel 14-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick)
(5 plays, 61 yards, 2:37)| MRSH 51–10

See also: 2020 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

Pregame line | Over/under

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MRSH −44.5 | 55.5
Statistics | UMass | Marshall

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First downs | 12 | 33
Total yards | 190 | 495
Rushing yards | 41 | 267
Passing yards | 149 | 228
Turnovers | 1 | 0
Time of possession | 26:53 | 33:07
Team | Category | Player | Statistics

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UMass | Passing | Will Koch | 12/18, 99 yards, 1 TD
Rushing | Ellis Merriweather | 10 carries, 31 yards
Receiving | Taylor Edwards | 1 reception, 37 yards
Marshall | Passing | Grant Wells | 21/30, 228 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing | Brenden Knox | 14 carries, 118 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving | Artie Henry | 5 receptions, 71 yards

### At Florida Atlantic

[edit]

Massachusetts at Florida Atlantic  |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Minutemen | 0 | 0| 2| 0 | 2
• Owls | 7 | 0| 14| 3 | 24

* Date: November 20, 2020
* Location: FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, FL
* Game start: 8:00 p.m. EST
* Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutes
* Game attendance: 5,554
* Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C) • Weather: Mostly Cloudy • Wind: ENE 20 MPH
* Referee: K. Antee
* TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Jason Knapp (play-by-play) and Malik Zaire (analyst)

| Scoring summary

1| 10:58| FAU| BJ Emmons 1 yard run (Vladmir Rivas kick)
(8 plays, 57 yards, 3:04)| FAU 7–0
3| 06:47| FAU| Brandon Robinson 13 yard pass from Nick Tronti (Vladmir Rivas kick)
(15 plays, 65 yards, 8:13)| FAU 14–0
04:27| FAU| Javion Posey 70 yard run (Vladmir Rivas kick)
(1 play, 70 yards, 0:13)| FAU 21–0
01:55| UMASS| 9 yard safety| FAU 21–2
4| 04:58| FAU| Vladmir Rivas 30 yard field goal
(5 plays, 53 yards, 1:53)| FAU 24–2

See also: 2020 Florida Atlantic Owls football team

Pregame line | Over/under

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FAU −32.5 | 50.5[5]
Statistics | UMass | Florida Atlantic

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First downs | 8 | 16
Total yards | 147 | 368
Rushing yards | 62 | 140
Passing yards | 85 | 228
Turnovers | 2 | 1
Time of possession | 25:10 | 34:50
Team | Category | Player | Statistics

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UMass | Passing | Will Koch | 12/22, 67 yards, 1 INT
Rushing | Ellis Merriweather | 11 carries, 48 yards
Receiving | Josiah Johnson | 8 receptions, 42 yards
Florida Atlantic | Passing | Javion Posey | 13/27, 203 yards
Rushing | Javion Posey | 19 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD
Receiving | TJ Chase | 4 receptions, 79 yards

### At Liberty

[edit]

Massachusetts at Liberty  |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Minutemen | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Flames | 14 | 17| 14| 0 | 45

* Date: November 27, 2020
* Location: Williams Stadium
Lynchburg, VA
* Game start: 12:05 p.m. EST
* Elapsed time: 2 hours and 55 minutes
* Game attendance: 250
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 62 °F (17 °C) • Wind: E 4 MPH
* Referee: Riley Johnson
* Television network: ESPN3

| Scoring summary

1| 6:38| LIB| Kevin Shaa 31-yard pass from Malik Willis (Alex Barbir kick)
(8 plays, 80 yards, 2:28)| LIB 7–0
1:12| LIB| Joshua Mack 59-yard run
(2 plays, 72 yards, 0:28)| LIB 14–0
2| 10:39| LIB| Michael Bollinger 13-yard pass from Malik Willis (Alex Barbir kick)
(5 plays, 76 yards, 1:52)| LIB 21–0
4:41| LIB| Demario Douglas 41-yard pass from Malik Willis (Alex Barbir kick)
(7 plays, 80 yards, 4:30)| LIB 28–0
0:02| LIB| Alex Barbir 24-yard field goal
(7 plays, 55 yards, 0:37)| LIB 31–0
3| 6:14| LIB| Malik Willis 54-yard run (Alex Barbir kick)
(5 plays, 67 yards, 1:27)| LIB 38–0
0:26| LIB| Peytton Pickett 16-yard run (Alex Barbir kick)
(3 plays, 41 yards, 1:35)| LIB 45–0

See also: 2020 Liberty Flames football team

Pregame line | Over/under

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LIB −35.5 | 57.5[6]
Statistics | UMass | Liberty

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First downs | 12 | 31
Total yards | 227 | 629
Rushing yards | 55 | 378
Passing yards | 172 | 251
Turnovers | 2 | 0
Time of possession | 25:50 | 34:10
Team | Category | Player | Statistics

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UMass | Passing | Garret Dzuro | 9/22, 172 yards, 1 INT
Rushing | Cam Roberson | 5 carries, 17 yards
Receiving | Samuel Emilus | 4 receptions, 82 yards
Liberty | Passing | Malik Willis | 16/24, 223 yards, 3 TD
Rushing | Peytton Pickett | 10 carries, 125 yards, 1 TD
Receiving | DeMario Douglas | 4 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "UMass reverses call, to play limited fall schedule". ESPN.com. September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
2. ^ "2020 Outland Trophy Watch List Unveiled". July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
3. ^ "The Wuerffel Trophy 2020 Watch List (Non AP)". July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
4. ^ "Massachusetts Minutemen vs Georgia Southern Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
5. ^ "Massachusetts Minutemen vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
6. ^ "Massachusetts Minutemen vs Liberty Flames". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 27, 2020.

* v
* t
* e

UMass Minutemen football

Venues|

* Alumni Field (1879–1964)
* Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium (1965–2011, 2014–)
* Gillette Stadium (alternate) (2012–2016)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Boston College
* New Hampshire
* UConn

Culture & lore|

* Sam the Minuteman
* "Fight Mass"
* University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1879
* 1880
* 1881
* 1882
* 1883
* 1884
* 1885
* 1886
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* 1917–1918
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* 1932
* 1933
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* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943–1944
* 1945
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* 1947
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* 1951
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* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
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* 1959
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National championship seasons in bold

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*[v]: View this template
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*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
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