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BYU Football: Scouting the Schedule – UMass

By Shaun Gordon

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 2: Andy Isabella #23 of the Massachusetts Minutemen catches the ball for a touchdown in front of Richard Dames #38 of the Florida International Golden Panthers on December 2, 2017 at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 2: Andy Isabella #23 of the Massachusetts Minutemen catches the ball for a touchdown in front of Richard Dames #38 of the Florida International Golden Panthers on December 2, 2017 at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 2: Andy Isabella #23 of the Massachusetts Minutemen catches the ball for a touchdown in front of Richard Dames #38 of the Florida International Golden Panthers on December 2, 2017 at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 2: Andy Isabella #23 of the Massachusetts Minutemen catches the ball for a touchdown in front of Richard Dames #38 of the Florida International Golden Panthers on December 2, 2017 at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

Lawless Republic’s Scouting the Schedule series continues with BYU Football’s tenth game of the 2018 season, a revenge game against UMass.

There’s very little question as to what the lowest point was in BYU Football’s 2017 disaster of a season. It was the 16-10 home loss to a 3-7 UMass team.

Yes, the cougars were only 3-8 entering that game, but they’d just dominated UNLV on the road the week before, and they looked like they were improving.

Then they laid their biggest egg against the Minutemen.

If BYU wants to prove that last year was a fluke, getting revenge against UMass is a must.  But that won’t be as easy as it sounds.

First, the game is in Massachusetts. It’s technically a home game for the Minutemen although it’s being played in the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium.

Also, UMass will be a better team in 2018 than they were in 2017.

Last Season

UMass couldn’t have started the season any worse. They lost the first six games of the year, although four of them were one-score outcomes. A lot of the struggles revolved around the defense, which was adjusting to a new scheme under new defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham.

The Minutemen turned it on in the second half of the season once the defense found a groove. They blew out Georgia Southern, then edged Appalachian State in overtime. They played Mississippi State close, then beat Maine soundly.

And then there was BYU.

Even with a loss to Florida International in their season finale, the Minutemen finished the season 4-8. That’s their best finish since joining the FBS ranks.

Not bad for a team that lost their first six games.

Offseason

Stability was the name of the game for UMass after their best FBS season. The Minutemen kept their key coaches and only lost 8 starters.

They did lose an NFL-caliber tight end in Adam Breneman, along with five of their top seven tacklers, but with their quarterback, running back, and entire offensive line back, they’re in a position to challenge for their first ever bowl berth.

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