UMass Announces Intention To Play Football in Fall 2020 | Page 3 | The Boneyard

UMass Announces Intention To Play Football in Fall 2020

SubbaBub said:
Whataboutism doesn't change wrong to right. A weak argument can be made keeping 15 people in a bubble and sequestering games in groups for 3 months vs 100 people traveling around the country every week. Doesn't make it right. College sports is neither essential nor necessary to these kids education which is mostly online.

The correct move is for them not to play.
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If you want to know why you can walk up to a bar and order a hot dog and beer, but not just a beer, people like this are why.
 
It pains me as a UCONN football fan, but I think reversing course and playing football is the wrong decision for UCONN. The virus is on the way up, not down, and the factors that led to the decision not to play are still valid. Stand firm, skip the season, and come back strong and ready in 21.
 
BlueandOG said:
It pains me as a UCONN football fan, but I think reversing course and playing football is the wrong decision for UCONN. The virus is on the way up, not down, and the factors that led to the decision not to play are still valid. Stand firm, skip the season, and come back strong and ready in 21.
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Should we skip basketball too since the virus is this big of a deal?
 
Drew said:
Should we skip basketball too since the virus is this big of a deal?
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Possibly. It depends on the circumstances. The spike in the virus is just starting to happen, and it is going to get worse in the winter - particularly if people do not get flu shots. For now, I think the plan to play hoops looks safe, but they have to be ready to shift.
 
Drew said:
Should we skip basketball too since the virus is this big of a deal?
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More chance of transmitting on a basketball court than a football field! The discussion not to play was wrong from day one. Should have delayed the start of season and we would be preparing for first game now. No games this fall and we will not be better in 2021! We already lost one good recruit yesterday
 
Not many. However, I do not value young lives more than older lives.
 
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And there is this quote from Ostrout as well.

"A UConn spokesman declined comment Monday and football coach Randy Edsall did not return to calls and messages from the Journal Inquirer."

This is kind of a nightmare scenario for the administration.
 
BlueandOG said:
Possibly. It depends on the circumstances. The spike in the virus is just starting to happen, and it is going to get worse in the winter - particularly if people do not get flu shots. For now, I think the plan to play hoops looks safe, but they have to be ready to shift.
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so if the plan to play hoops is okay why wouldn't you be in favor of putting in place a plan to safely play football at the same time, which 80%+ of FBS is currently or will be doing?
 
Exit 4 said:
And there is this quote from Ostrout as well.

"A UConn spokesman declined comment Monday and football coach Randy Edsall did not return to calls and messages from the Journal Inquirer."

This is kind of a nightmare scenario for the administration.
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It's almost as if Randy Edsall is a bad, stubborn "leader" and shouldn't be a head coach in college football in 2020. And AD David Benedict can pound sand too- from making the announcement to Independence with no plan in place to essentially sitting on his hands and not fighting for his student athletes to play this fall. ZERO proactive leadership by anyone in the UConn administration related to football- but so long as we get women's hoops v DePaul this winter everyone (not me) is happy!
 
Liberty is playing Syracuse, Va Tech and NC State.
Army is playing Air Force, Navy, Tulane
BYU is playing Navy, Houston

It's too bad UConn is on the sidelines. Why not play some regional exhibition games which would be far more interesting for the players than practice. Get some MAC teams on board.
 
uconnsouth said:
Sooo we can play now? With all the cancellations and moving parts, I’m sure DB can find some games
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Yes. Let’s play a team that canceled a game because there was 30 COVID cases in the program.
 
Drew said:
so if the plan to play hoops is okay why wouldn't you be in favor of putting in place a plan to safely play football at the same time, which 80%+ of FBS is currently or will be doing?
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Because there are other factors in play for football:
1. There are more students involved in football, thus more chance to spread the virus.
2. We are not in a conference, so we have to scramble to find games. This increases the potential travel burden on students, possibly including per-post quarantine for students/staff.
3. We will be transitioning from a "the season is off" footing to a "we're playing" footing, which will increase our risk of injury.

Based on all of that, it is smarter to stand by the decision to not play football and try to make hoops work.
 
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JohnFSilver said:
I think they should try. And I was against before.

Why? Because the rates are there and we have gotten more used to Covid on campus. That and rapid testing.

I wonder if UConn is going to revisit. Hard with Lamont, but a 4-6 game schedule could probably be done. BYU, army, liberty. It is still only September.

As long as we are ok with last minute cancellations.
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Lamont is already setting the stage for “dont be shocked if there’s no basketball.” I am definitely a person who believes in erring on the side of caution and following safety guidelines and all but damn, if the majority of NCAA is playing basketball and UConn is not there will be hell to pay in this state.
 
I see no reason not to have some fun here and play a single FCS game and a game against UMass. Two real games is better than doing nothing.

The kids are going to practice so much harder knowing we have a couple real games. The fall program will be far more serious and that should benefit development.

Of course this also means the staff would be under pressure too.
 
Well, I look forward to watching that puke of a program UMass play. New England football and all that.

#dissappointed
 
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Absolutely love that for UMass and there will be other game opportunities for them as well because of cancellations I can almost guarantee it. If they're able to snag future home and home series out of it even better.
 
Drew said:
Absolutely love that for UMass and there will be other game opportunities for them as well because of cancellations I can almost guarantee it. If they're able to snag future home and home series out of it even better.
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Mack Brown was quoted today as saying he tried to call 15+ schools to get a game on the schedule for this weekend and couldn't find one. UMass will have plenty of opportunities.
 
gwhuskyfan said:
Mack Brown was quoted today as saying he tried to call 15+ schools to get a game on the schedule for this weekend and couldn't find one. UMass will have plenty of opportunities.
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Exactly. Fortune favors the bold. I'm glad to see UMass step up and give their student athletes a shot at safely competing even if UConn wants to sit on their hands and do nothing
 
BlueandOG said:
I base my first argument on the CDC guidelines that more people together increases the risk of transmission. Football has more players and coaches than basketball. The transmission risk in football is evident in your rebuttal to my second point; the reason why "there are cancellations all the time." In pushing back on my second point, you reinforce it by acknowledging "games are being scheduled a week in advance". That is the definition of scrambling to get a schedule. I concede on the third point and am glad the players are staying active. However, I stand by my original position that the right decision is to not play football, try for hoops with the safety measures in place, but be ready to cancel hoops if the virus spikes.
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The Coach of the National Championship Team LSU said his ENTIRE TEAM has had Covid. They quarantined them, test them again and they are ready and healthy to play football . Now that the whole team has antibodies Coach Orgeron said they should stay healthy for at least the entire season.
 
HardFacts said:
More chance of transmitting on a basketball court than a football field! The discussion not to play was wrong from day one. Should have delayed the start of season and we would be preparing for first game now. No games this fall and we will not be better in 2021! We already lost one good recruit yesterday
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We lost "one good recruit" to Penn. What do we have in common with Penn? Oh yeah, neither school is playing football this semester.
 
Slick said:
The Coach of the National Championship Team LSU said his ENTIRE TEAM has had Covid. They quarantined them, test them again and they are ready and healthy to play football . Now that the whole team has antibodies Coach Orgeron said they should stay healthy for at least the entire season.
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I wondered whether some teams would have COVID parties to get herd immunity before starting play in a few weeks. More than a bit risky and costs valuable practice time but a potential winning stratgy in this strange year.
 
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kibblesnbits said:
I wondered whether some teams would have COVID parties to get herd immunity before starting play in a few weeks. More than a bit risky and costs valuable practice time but a potential winning stratgy in this strange year.
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ND vs Wake game has been postponed due to ND players testing positive.
 
Anyone who thinks this is RE skirting "exposing" the team really doesn't understand how this works. It starts in Hartford with the governor. It trickles down to the UConn administration that is 1 year into its current reign and doesn't have any gravitas or pull to go against the governor. Oh yeah, the budget deficit isn't helping here either. RE has no choice but to toe the company line - he is not the best spokesperson in these situations but RE is the face of the program.
 
hardcorehusky said:
Anyone who thinks this is RE skirting "exposing" the team really doesn't understand how this works. It starts in Hartford with the governor. It trickles down to the UConn administration that is 1 year into its current reign and doesn't have any gravitas or pull to go against the governor. Oh yeah, the budget deficit isn't helping here either. RE has no choice but to toe the company line - he is not the best spokesperson in these situations but RE is the face of the program.
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Why can't both be true; lack of Gov support and a serious desire to hide the team? I think they are both in play. Randy has much to lose with his thin support if the team plays flat. Meanwhile Walt Bell has nothing to lose, they are officially at the bottom and he wants to dig out anyway he can.
 
Mark Blaudschun tweet Medic linked said:
If you are a UMass fan and you want to see FB this fall, this is what you are likely to get: Army on Oct. 31, and three or four FCS schools in November.
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Army: convenient, relatively limited SARS-2 risk, good, makes sense. 3 or 4 FCS schools?

Or, UMess hopes to be a last minute fill-in opponent for FBS schools in relatively responsible states. IF UMess is required to comply with current Bay State COVID19 regs, travel potential to/fro most SEC, CUSA, and Sun Belt states, most of the ACC and Big XII, and increasingly some B1G states may be limited. Citrus, BCU, and Rutgals? Time will tell!
 
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