Can UMass football avoid dreaded winless season in 2020?

UMass offense looking for a pulse

You can’t get much worse on offense than the Minutemen were in 2019. They ranked 118th out of 130 teams, averaging a paltry 16.8 points per game in 2019. The Minutemen were out-gained in every game last season except for their one win. They out-gained Akron by 27 yards; the Zips went winless last season, by the way.

UMass averaged fewer than 300 yards per game and fewer than 5.0 yards per play.

They were undisciplined as well. They were penalized twice as much as their opponents. So where does this leave the Minutemen’s offense?

Walt Bell and his offensive staff are starting over offensively this season. They have a new quarterback, running back and a fairly inexperienced offensive line. They do return two of their leading receivers from last year.

They hope JUCO transfer quarterback Kyle Lindquist can improve the quarterback position. They did not have a quarterback to throw for 10 touchdowns or 1,000 yards last season. He’ll be behind an offensive line that could start three freshmen.

Hopefully, two transfer running backs — Cam Roberson and Ellis Merriweather — can take some of the pressure off of Lindquist by supplying some punch in the running game. Without the extra practices spring, and an extended summer brings, it is not going to be easy for the Minutemen.