The holiday season is a season of giving; the Massachusetts football team got started early.
Starting two weeks ago against Maine, UMass gave the ball back to its opponents at an alarming rate. In the previous two games against Maine and New Hampshire, UMass has turned the ball over 10 times. Both weeks the Minutemen (6-5, 3-4 Colonial Athletic Association) have lost with their playoff hopes gone as well.
The No. 17 Black Bears (8-3, 5-2 CAA), intercepted UMass four times, three of which came at critical moments in the game. Down 21-20 and in the final 12 minutes of the game, UMass got the ball three times on big stops by the defense. All three drives ended with an interception.
Last weekend when UMass traveled to No. 11 UNH (8-2, 5-2 CAA), the Minutemen did not turn the ball over in critical moments, but instead faced critical moments for the final three quarters due to their turnovers. UMass started the game right where they left off against the Black Bears. The first two drives ended in interceptions, while the third ended by a fumble.
The Wildcats took advantage of the extra drives and capitalized on all three. They returned the first interception for 100 yards and a touchdown. The next two turnovers resulted in one-play drives, a 43- and a 48-yard rush, that resulted in touchdowns. All three turnovers occurred in the first 8 minutes of the game and helped UNH amass a 24-0 lead.
The Wildcats quickly added another score shortly into the second quarter putting the Minutemen in a 31-point hole, making every possession there after a must-score drive.
Through the final three possessions against Maine and the first three against UNH, UMass turned the ball over six consecutive times, the first five of which were interceptions.
This weekend's opponent, Hofstra, is not as good of an opponent as UNH or Maine, but UMass coach Don Brown knows to stop the bleeding of turnovers. It starts with this weeks practice.
"We have to have a great week of practice. We have to focus on execution and being sharp, paying attention to detail," Brown said Tuesday before practice. "That is what it comes down to, you have to pay attention and take care of the little things and then big problems don't occur."
Many of the interceptions UMass has given up have been due to minor things such as a mistake in execution, a little luck by the defense or simply because the defense knew what was coming. The interception that was returned for 100 yards was off a tipped ball and the final interception against Maine was on a last-second hail mary attempt.
"All you have to have is one guy run a route three feet off, have the ball tipped in the air or just a simple miscommunication," Brown said. "At this time of the year those things are so important especially when you're playing against a very, very good football team."
The Minutemen hope to eliminate those issues against the Pride (4-7, 2-5 CAA) on senior night this Saturday. With their playoff hopes lost, the seniors will play their final collegiate game and try to set the record for most wins in a four-year span at 37.
"This senior class has been a great group. They have a great chance in front of them," Brown said. "They have tied the last two senior classes as the winningest in UMass history. But to separate themselves and to be No. 1, that is kind of special. This group deserves it."
Jeffrey R. Larnard can be reached at jlarnard@dailycollegian.com.
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