At least for this week, the UMass football team feels like the season is back to something close to normal.
The Minutemen played Florida Atlantic last Friday. This Friday, they visit Liberty. For the first time this season UMass will enter a game with a typical week’s preparation.
“We’re just like everyone else now,” UMass coach Walt Bell joked during a virtual media conference call on Tuesday. “We’re real boys. We’re all grown up, just like Pinocchio.”
The Minutemen opened their season with a 41-0 loss to Georgia Southern on Oct. 17. The team quarantined for a week just to be safe, then had two weeks on the field to prepare for Marshall, which won 51-10 on Nov. 7. UMass then had two weeks before traveling to Florida Atlantic, where it lost 24-2.
The Minutemen returned Friday night and had a light walk-through on Sunday when they familiarized themselves with Liberty’s personnel.
“It’s kind of what they’re all used to doing, what they’ve done their whole lives,” Bell said. “It’s probably a little more natural to them. For us, we’re so used to having a long time to prepare there’s probably a little more stress on us in comparison to them. You come to college to play games not practice all the time. I’m sure they are excited.”
The only difference this week is Thanksgiving. Bell said his team will have a big spread after Wednesday’s practice and again before they leave on Thursday for Lynchburg, Virginia.
DEFENSIVE STEPS — Bell attributed UMass’ performance on defense last week to the growth of the players since Marshall and their ability to follow through on defensive coordinator Tommy Restivo’s game plan.
“Tommy had a great plan put together and the kids did a nice job of executing with the exception of two or three plays,” Bell said. “Tackled well, played hard, we were able to create some negatives and get them in some third-and-long situations and get off the field.”
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Avien Peah confirmed on Tuesday he will return next season with the extra year of eligibility the NCAA has granted players due to the pandemic. Peah said he can feel the improvement with the defense.
“When we get out there on the field we try to do our best,” he said. “We practice hard, try to do everything we can to execute what Coach Stivo and the rest of the staff have planned for us. With the young group of guys that we have, we want to do our best to improve each and every day and it’s been showing up. We got to keep it going.”
OFFENSIVE ISSUES — The Minutemen have used plenty of quarterbacks this season, with Will Koch and Garrett Dzuro receiving the bulk of playing time. In three games the offense has scored a total of 12 points.
“From a quarterback standpoint, from a throw-and-catch standpoint, you’re starting to see how hard it is to prepare a young quarterback with no fall camp, no spring football,” Bell said. “To me, that was very evident in the last game. How many times we didn’t connect the dots, how many errors we had.
“We got to improve at the quarterback position and that’s going to come through repetition,” he added.
Bell said the playbook has been cut down significantly due to the struggles.
“You can’t really have an install, you just got to go prepare from game to game,” Bell said. “Again, trying to make that thing has clean as humanly possible and have as much success as we can from week to week.”
LAST GAME — UMass Athletic Director Ryan Bamford said on Tuesday that the football team will finish its season against Liberty. After finals the Minutemen will return home.
The game will cap a long and trying year for the Minutemen.
“This may be one of the more difficult seasons these kids have been a part of just because of everything that’s gone on,” Bell said. “No offseason, no real chance to prepare your body, in fall camp for four days, they shut you down for four weeks with no football, we come back. On off, long periods of practice with no real reward at the end of the tunnel. It’s been a long, long emotionally year for these guys but they’ve done a great job.”
DROPPED OUT — Liberty opened its season 8-0 and was ranked No. 21 by The Associated Press last week. The Flames lost at North Carolina State, 15-14, to fall out of the Top 25.
With 31 points they are essentially the 27th ranked team. Washington is just ahead with 35.
Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com. Follow on Twitter @mikemoranDHG.