The Massachusetts football team is 0-11 in school history against SEC opponents. In Week 9 against a struggling Mississippi State, the team has an opportunity to change that zero. The Minutemen (2-6) will look to continue their momentum after a 35-7 beatdown last week over the Wagner Seahawks, as they fly south this weekend to face the reeling Bulldogs (1-7, 0-5 Southeastern Conference).
It’s been a struggle of a season for a young Mississippi State roster that has not won a game since late August. With the stars aligning for a possible UMass upset, it’s also important to remember the strength of competition the Bulldogs play in the powerhouse of a conference that is the SEC. The Bulldogs will, without a doubt, have their sights set on snapping their losing streak this weekend.
“[The Bulldogs] have three good receivers,” UMass head coach Don Brown said. “They have a young quarterback, and their offensive line is really skilled. So you have to get ready to play a really good team here.”
The Bulldogs have split their quarterback load so far this year, starting the season with senior Blake Shapen, before he was benched in week five for freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. While the offense has been more efficient under Van Buren Jr., the level of competition has been night and day between the teams each have played against. In the first four games, Shapen played one SEC game against Florida, where he threw for 140 yards and a touchdown. He was also benched in that game.
In the following four weeks with Van Buren at the helm, they played three teams in the top 15 of the country, all four in the SEC conference. Van Buren so far in those games has passed for over 1,100 yards, tacking on eight touchdowns with four interceptions, holding a 133.7 quarterback rating. To perform to this level against three of the best schools in the country, including a game against No. 1 Texas, shows great skill and poise. This will be the freshman’s best opportunity to play in an low-pressure environment where he will look to dissect the Minutemen’s secondary.
On the other side, UMass has life in their team once again. After a strong one-sided affair in its Week 8 win over the Wagner Seahawks, 35-7, the team showed great signs of life on the offensive end. T.Y. Harding is continuing to improve and show his worth as a second wide receiver option behind Jakobie Keeney-James. If the Minutemen are to win this game, Keeney-James must revert to his form over the first 3 weeks of this season, as his production has begun to slump since the loss to Missouri.
Much of the offense for the Minutemen continues to come from senior quarterback Taisun Phommachanh. This past weekend Phommachanh scored the “touchdown hat-trick”, rushing for two and one through the air. It was Phommachanh’s first multi rushing touchdown game of his career. With more than half of the total points coming from the quarterback, it’s safe to say the rest of the offense must contribute if they are to get the win streak to two games.
On the other side of the ball, the UMass secondary gave up less than 100 yards through the air for the second time this season. The group has improved on the defensive side of the ball and will need to continue that trend against a strong Mississippi State wide receiver core led by junior Kevin Coleman Jr. Coleman has been the leader of the group, with 52 receptions for 636 yards and five touchdowns. Known for his explosive quickness, the Minutemen secondary will have their hands full with the junior star. While they may have had some training facing Luther Burden Jr. from Missouri earlier this season, Van Buren will be looking for No. 3 throughout the game.
“There was a good feeling in the locker room postgame [last week],” Brown said. “And obviously, you know, this is a good challenge. This is a challenge game, and I expect our guys to compete, and I know they will. It’s a good group of guys, they all work hard. So, you know, happy with the direction we’re going. And we just go from there.”
UMass will have to bring its confidence with them on the road as they head down south to face the Bulldogs. With expectations of a shootout, the Minutemen offense will have to contribute more, and a Keeney-James resurgence game could be on the horizon. With kickoff shortly after 4:15, this game can be streamed on the SEC Network.
