Hard to believe it, but we are just under three months from kickoff of the 2018 season. UMass-Amherst will be the first team to roll into Alumni Stadium after having yet another depressing season finishing 4-8 overall. Ever since the in-state rivalry’s inception back in 1899, Boston College has dominated the Minutemen leading the series 21-5 overall. It has been almost four decades since UMass was able to clinch a win against the Eagles and BC has showed no signs of slowing up on that win streak. So let’s dedicate this article to embracing all of the happy feels from this rivalry by looking at the last five contests between these two opponents.
Game #22 (2004) - Boston College: 29 vs. UMass Amherst: 7
- Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
- BC QB Paul Peterson threw for 239 yards and a TD with three interceptions. Also, someone by the name of Matt Ryan got a few snaps and completed two of three passes for 16 yards. Clearly, this game had a huge impact on his future (end sarcasm)
- In typical BC ground-and-pound fashion, RB A.J. Brooks ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
Game #23 (2007) - #14 Boston College: 24 vs. UMass Amherst: 14
- Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
- Matt Ryan threw for 204 yards and a TD completing 57.1% of his passes. Naturally, not a pick was thrown that day for BC.
- Andre Callender ran 32 times collecting 115 yards on the ground and two TDs.
- WR Rich Gunnell also had a productive day through the air catching 6 passes for 97 yards (16.2 YPC)
Game #24 (2011) - Boston College: 45 vs. UMass Amherst: 17
- Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
- This was one of only three wins that BC collected that season. I guess this can be seen as a silver lining....?
- Chase Rettig probably had one of the best games of his collegiate career against the Minutemen. He completed 63.6% of his passes for three TDs. He was able to find WRs Lars Anderson and Colin Larmond in the endzone to seal the deal against the Minutemen
- Andre Williams didn’t have a bad performance either running for 95 yards on 20 carries.
- But yeah, let’s try to forget that year as a whole...
Game #25 (2014) - Boston College: 30 vs. UMass Amherst: 7
- Location: Foxborough, MA (Gillette Stadium)
- This was the first game held between these two teams at a neutral site with BC once again commanding the Minutemen
- Tyler Murphy gave us a glimpse as to why he was going to be one of the best rushing QBs in the nation. He heavily favored carrying the ball against UMass running the ball 13 times for 118 (!) yards and one TD. Those numbers led all of BC’s running backs that day.
- Josh Bordner also had four catches for 81 yards and a TD. That’s right, Murphy also threw a touchdown.
Game #26 (2016) - Boston College: 26 vs. UMass Amherst: 7
- Location: Foxborough, MA (Gillette Stadium)
- QB turned WR, Jeff Smith proved himself a valuable asset for the receiving core. He caught two bombs from Patrick Towles for two Boston College touchdowns. He finished with 98 receiving yards on five catches.
- Towles finished with 191 yards on 12/22 passing while also rushing 12 times for 66 yards which put him as the leading rusher among all BC running backs.
After a two year hiatus, the rivalry will return to the Heights in September. Hopefully, BC’s win streak will continue. If I were a betting man I would not be surprised to see a W for the Eagles in the season opener.