2021 Massachusetts
1–11, coached by Walt Bell, then Alex Miller (interim). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat UConn 27–13Oct 9
By 14 points, its widest win.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | at Pittsburgh | L 7–51 | 17% |
| Sep 11 | vs Boston College | L 28–45 | 31% |
| Sep 18 | vs Eastern Michigan | L 28–42 | 38% |
| Sep 25 | at 17Coastal Carolina | L 3–53 | 10% |
| Oct 2 | vs Toledo | L 7–45 | 29% |
| Oct 9 | vs UConn | W 27–13 | 61% |
| Oct 23 | at Florida State | L 3–59 | 22% |
| Oct 30 | at Liberty | L 17–62 | 8% |
| Nov 6 | vs Rhode Island | L 22–35 | 56% |
| Nov 13 | vs Maine | L 10–35 | 48% |
| Nov 20 | at Army | L 17–33 | 9% |
| Nov 27 | at New Mexico State | L 27–44 | 34% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to New Mexico State 44–27; unranked in the final AP poll.
In program history: The 62nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 91 on file).
- Record
- 1–11
- Conference
- —
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 196–517
- Coach
- Walt Bell, then Alex Miller (interim)
- Elo
- 1181 −159 this season
- SP+ rating
- -29.3 No. 130 of 130; offense No. 126, defense No. 130
- SRS
- −25.2 No. 130 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- -310% of last season’s EPA, No. 128 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 117 roster talent No. 125 in FBS
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.00 | 36% | 1.27 | 121st of 130 |
| Defense | 0.38 | 50% | 1.45 | 129th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.02 off 0.32 def | 36% off 50% def | — | 128th off 129th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.3 | own 27 | 21% allowed |
| Defense | 5.1 | own 29 | 13% caused |
CORE rating -28.2, 128th of 130 (offense -10.8, defense 17.3).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Brady Olson QB | 1,145 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Brady Olson QB | 8 TD |
| Rushing yards | Ellis Merriweather RB | 1,138 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Ellis Merriweather RB | 5 TD |
| Receiving yards | Rico Arnold WR | 461 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Josiah Johnson TE | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Gerrell Johnson LB | 81 tkl |
| Sacks | Uchenna Ezewike DE | 2.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Bryce Watts DB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2021 class
| Javon Batten ATH | ★★★ | No. 1704 |
| Dominic Schofield LB | ★★★ | No. 1704 |
| Michael Fitzgerald II WR | ★★★ | No. 1919 |
| Ryan Mosesso TE | ★★★ | No. 1991 |
| Phil Jeffs OT | ★★★ | No. 2129 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2021 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.808 |
| Receivers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.813 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.815 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 2.7 | 0.801 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.832 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 2.3 | 0.795 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 2.5 | 0.812 |
| Whole class | 15 | 2.7 | 0.808 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 90
The 2021 roster90 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 11
The 2021 portal Tyler Lytle PRO | ★★★ | from  Colorado |
 Bryce Watts CB | ★★★ | from  North Carolina |
| Bryson Richardson S | ★★★ | from North Carolina |
 Devin Baldwin SDE | ★★★ | from  Rutgers |
| Kay’Ron Adams RB | ★★★ | from Rutgers |
 Brian Parish OT | ★★ | from  North Texas |
 Rico Arnold WR | ★★ | from  Charlotte |
 Hunter Salmon OG | from  Merrimack | |
 Jay LaRosa K | from  Ole Miss | |
 Martin Laham WR | from  Holy Cross | |
| Qualeem Charles OT | from American International |
Transfers out 21
 Jake Byczko DE | ★★★ | to  Boston College |
| Andrew Brito QB | ★★★ | to  UCF |
| Chinedu Ogbonna LB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Dariyan Wiley WR | ★★★ | to  UL Monroe |
| Jared Cole RB | ★★★ | to  Virginia Tech |
| Javon Turner WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Michael Ruane LB | ★★★ | to  Villanova |
| Samuel Emilus WR | ★★★ | to  Louisiana Tech |
| Taj Jones WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Will Koch QB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Zak Simon WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Brian Abosi OT | ★★ | to  Stony Brook |
And 9 more, lower-rated or unrated.