UMass Post Game Saturday, September 19, 2009

I just got back from Amherst. UMass beat URI 30-10. The UMass defense looked really good again, especially in the redzone where URI was 0-2 with 0 points on the day. When Rhody had the ball on the UMass 3 in the first quarter on their first drive of the game, Kurt Filler picked off the Rutgers transfer in the endzone. The other time, Rhode Island went for it down 24-10 in the fourth quarter 4-2 from the UMass 5. The Defense forced the Transfer to fumble. It was recovered back at the 14 by URI, not that it mattered...either way UMass got the ball back.

The Offense was to blame for the only touchdown the Rams scored. Jon Hernandez, who last week got two touchdowns including the long 58 yarder, "fumbled" and Rhode Island returned it for a touchdown. I put "fumbled" in quotes because Hernandez never dropped the ball. Rather, the Rams defensive player just took it right out of his hands, much like a mother would take a knife from a young child. Hernandez got served.

Aside from the Hernandez fumble, Tony Nelson fumbled a couple of times in the first quarter but recovered them and he ended up having a good game. Havens dropped a snap but dove on the ball. WR Victor Cruz fumbled as a punt returner and Rhode Island recovered. The team as a whole needs to work on holding onto the ball.

I didn't hear the post game press conference, but I'm reading the transcript online, and I've decided to start a new weekly segment, the Kyle's Confident Quote of the Week. I was gonna call it "Kyle Havens' Confident Quote of the Week," but I there's sort of an alliteration thing going on without the last name.

Kyle's Confident Quote of the Week: (On being 7-7 on third downs in the first half) "If we just come out and everyone does their assignment. I read the play right, the wide receivers run the right routes, the O-line is blocking like they did tonight, there is no reason we shouldn't be one hundred percent on third down."