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This Saturday, the Massachusetts Minutemen are hoping to patch up the holes in a defense that has allowed an average of 46.25 points per matchup. They will look to defend their home turf last week against the Rhode Island Rams at 3:30 p.m. ET. Both of these teams will be looking for a pick-me-up after considerable defeats in their previous games.
The day started off rough for UMass two weeks ago, and it ended that way, too. It's hard to picture a worse loss than the 62-17 bruising that they suffered against the Liberty Flames. The Minutemen were down 48-10 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. RB Ellis Merriweather put forth a good effort for the losing side as he picked up 149 yards on the ground on 24 carries. Merriweather had some trouble finding his footing against the Florida State Seminoles three weeks ago, so this was a step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island entered their game against the Maine Black Bears two weeks ago without any home losses -- but there's a first time for everything. Rhode Island suffered a grim 45-24 defeat to Maine. Rhode Island was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 24-3.
This next contest is expected to be close, with the Minutemen going off at just a 2.5-point favorite. They have failed bettors playing the spread in their past two games, so buyers beware.
Both of these teams will be looking to put their recent losses behind them and walk away with a win. Check back to see which squad is able to work their way into the win column.
