One of the country’s grand spectacles of the weekly schedule affixes its tentpole in Amherst, Massachusetts.
October 12, 2024 is set to become one of the most important days in UMass program history.
The Minutemen (1-5) will welcome the mighty 21st-ranked Missouri Tigers (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) in town, and ESPN2 will air the game in front of a noon Eastern time audience. With bowl hopes likely washed away for the season, the Minutemen could rise up and treat this game like their postseason and aim to build momentum for the future with a win against Missouri.
Will UMass rise to the occasion?
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at 12 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, Massachusetts
- TV options: The game will be on ESPN2, part of the ESPN family of networks. A valid cable subscription is required for viewing.
- Streaming options: The game will be available for streaming on the ESPN App or on applicable cable/satellite services. A valid subscription is required for viewing on either platform. Other streaming carriers include Sling, DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV.
- Radio options: Jay Burnham (play-by-play) and Matt Goldstein (color) will call the game for UMass on WCRN-AM 830,
- Gambling considerations: Missouri are 27-point road favorites, with an over/under of 54.5, per DraftKings.
- All-time series: First all-time meeting
The Minutemen enter as significant underdogs against the 21st-ranked Tigers, the first AP-ranked team to visit McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The Minutemen showed previously hidden holes in their rush defense against Northern Illinois. Missouri and its huge SEC offensive line can easily exploit this weakness in the Minutemen front, as they average 178 yards per game on the ground. Running back Nate Noel leads the ground game with 471 yards on the year, including 199 against Vanderbilt.
For the Minutemen offense, the offensive line must protect Taisunn Phommachanh. UMass’ opponents have 20 sacks on the Minutemen offensive line, with 19 coming against FBS competition. The Tigers are average at rushing the quarterback, with nine sacks in five games, but over half of those stops came against non-Power Four programs.
UMass likes to win games on the ground but could struggle to move the ball with the run. The Tigers held Buffalo, a team with a similar philosophy to UMass, to 114 yards and less than three yards per carry. Taisun Phommachanh must have a prolific performance to open holes for the run game.
Finally, special teams must play mistake-free football. Different aspects of the special teams unit have either been the final nail in the coffin for the Minutemen or made their losses seem worse than they were. UMass must prevent Missouri from winning the field position battle through the return game and make field goals when given the opportunity.
Hardly anyone expects UMass to defeat an SEC team at home. Maybe that is a good thing.
The Minutemen can play fast and free with nothing to lose outside of a football game. Still, mistakes must be minimal if UMass wants to pull off one of college football’s greatest upsets. UMass has shocked the world in brief spurts. In 2017, the Minutemen raced to a 20-3 lead against a ranked Mississippi State squad. Seven years earlier, they played ranked Michigan to a 42-37 loss in the Big House. In 2007, UMass stayed within one score of a #12 Boston College squad that peaked at #2 in the polls for three quarters.
Maybe Saturday is the day UMass harnesses a full four quarters of “Minuteman Magic.”