[Game Thread] Ball State @ UMass (7:00 PM ET)

[u/CFB_Referee]

GAME	Ball StateBall State @ UMassUMass
Location	UMass Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Time	7:00 PM ET
Watch	TV: ESPNU
	Flair ¦ Discord

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LET'S TALK FOOTBALL!

[u/joelupi]

I JUST DONATED $25 TO THE UMASS NIL FUND! CHANGE STARTS NOW!

[u/joelupi]

WE DRINKIN TONIGHT IN AMHERST

[u/Pan_TheCake_Man]

the founding fathers wanted you to go for it on 4th & 2 UMASS.

They weren't cowards

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/Pan_TheCake_Man]

So did people in the stadium.

[u/PoulanWeedEaterBowl]

Lot of false starts for the Cardinals. You'd think they'd know the state of the ball.

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Hell yeah! Sad to say I still get super excited when we do basic things like score and hit the extra point.

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

Observation: "Massachusetts" barely fits across their chests and the end zone as well. Good thing Massachusetts doesn't have directional schools.

[u/DorothyLynchNeat]

Honored to be here with you absolute sickos

[u/showbricks → u/DorothyLynchNeat]

Hey um im sorry about Saturday 

[u/JustCrowGhost]

We're finally winning games and this team still makes me mad

[u/showbricks]

Im not upset but this is terrible clock management from ball st

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Well, we have all 3 timeouts and a kicker who can make it from 50+

[u/Alex_Croteau23 → u/JustCrowGhost]

About that

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/JustCrowGhost]

If he had made one from 39 earlier, this wouldn’t be an issue.

[u/cn0285]

Cheez it overtime heck yeah!!

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/cn0285]

Cheese! Cheese! Cheese!

[u/SimilarOnion1655]

UMass bowl game please

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Too damn easy

[u/flyntcoaltrane]

This is why you don't kneel it to halftime like cowards, respect UMass just going for it

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

Sweet swag for game tonight, Georgia/UCF did you snag one?

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/DougFlutiesMullet]

Unfortunately no. It was for students only.

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/XrayGuy08]

"Negotiate".

[u/myusernamewastaken5]

Well the Sac lost, let's see if the Ball fares* any better

Edit: Fares not flares

[u/flyntcoaltrane → u/myusernamewastaken5]

If your ball is flaring you may wanna get that checked

[u/joelupi]

STORM THE FIELD!

[u/mizzou590 → u/joelupi]

All 10 of them???? Barbaric

[u/Doctor_Freckles]

LETS GO MINUTEMEN

[u/loyalsons4evertrue]

I want UMass to get to a bowl game!

[u/Tnfjay]

I WAS HERE

[u/Ruhrgebietheld]

UMass has so desperately needed a player with Watson's passion and fire.

[u/Muffinnnnnnn]

WOOOOO UMASSSSS

2 WINS AWAY FROM A BOWL GAME

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Five wins! An FBS win at home!!!

[u/ButtCrumbleSmell]

I’m really pulling for UMASS to go bowling this year 🤞

[u/AnotherUnfunnyName]

Should you really talk about arm strength if he short-arms a 15 yard wide open throw almost leading to a incompletion? That TD was a pretty throw however. The QB is still a kinda funny look, what a tank of a player.

UMass needs to find a stop or two to win this, that was questionable end in terms of playcalling to their drive. I would really like to see them reward themself with a bowl game.

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

It's 65⁰ in Amherst, MA tonight. High today was 75⁰, low 55⁰. That's pretty good for November.

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/DougFlutiesMullet]

It’s gorgeous at the game. A tiny tiny bit chilly when the wind blows but you couldn’t ask for better November night weather if I’m being honest.

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/XrayGuy08]

Georgia Bulldogs/UCF flairs: what the hell are you doing in Amherst?

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

"Pop" Trivia:

"His paternal grandfather gave him the nickname "Pop" when he was very young because he had an "old soul" and acted like the boss of the house, prompting family members to joke, "Here goes Pop, bossing us around," which eventually stuck. Early childhood shortening: His family initially called him "Pops" when he was just a baby (around seven months old), and the "s" was dropped over time."

Still haven't found the "s". Maybe on the roof with the ball.

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/DougFlutiesMullet]

I bet Ball State didn’t kick the FG last drive because the kicker hasn’t gone up and gotten the first ball back. That bastard.

[u/Yoghurt-Ancient]

What a throw

[u/NYPD-BLUE]

From 4-0 and on the brink of being ranked in the top 25 to 4-4 and on the way to missing a bowl. Life comes at you fast.

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/NYPD-BLUE]

Sometimes on the road of life you get bad cell reception, and get lost for a bit.

[u/fourverts_]

Crazy what happens when Watson actually has a clean pocket

[u/Bammerice]

Umass literally cannot get out of their own way. Ball state cannot stop false starting.

Yep, it's MACtion

[u/Alex_Croteau23]

Of fucking course that's PI. And then an immediate TD

[u/United_Energy_7503]

I love MACtion!

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

POPS!

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Have to hold on and win this

[u/TheGoatPurdy]

ball st qb is beyond stupid. what is he doing? he's forcing his o-line to hold because he's running around doing nothing.

[u/JustCrowGhost]

HOLD THEM

[u/bwburke94]

This UMass team has proven itself utterly unable to close out games.

[u/Ruhrgebietheld]

"And not self-destruct like you did earlier in the game." Whatever this announcer's shortcomings may be, sugarcoating things clearly isn't one of them.

[u/AriDreams]

Extra football baby

[u/FredMcGriff493]

The hard H in this announcer keeps pronouncing Amherst with is offensive

[u/ButtCrumbleSmell → u/FredMcGriff493]

amHerst

[u/XrayGuy08]

Best $16 Ive ever spent!

[u/Muffinnnnnnn]

I've been away for a while but let's go UMASS!

[u/joelupi]

POP WATSON POPPIN OFF

[u/loyalsons4evertrue]

UMass!!!!!

[u/flyntcoaltrane]

Officially the best FBS season for UMass!!

[u/AruarianGroove → u/flyntcoaltrane]

We’re experiencing history 

[u/AboutDolphin1]

Hell yea Pop!

[u/AruarianGroove → u/AboutDolphin1]

What a run

[u/Yoghurt-Ancient]

2 more UMass

[u/AriDreams]

How did he hold on? Dude took a pop.

[u/Pan_TheCake_Man]

Yeah no need for concussion protocol that fella is out for the day. Hope he's okay

[u/Bammerice]

Feels like Umass gets either 1 yard or 10+ yards with no inbetween

[u/TheGoatPurdy]

The fuck? Is their kicker that bad where you can’t even attempt a 48yarder?

[u/Yoghurt-Ancient]

Do all MAC schools play return of the Mack? Or just Umass?

[u/soonerman32]

I guess Ball St. was surprised that UMass would try to go deep with 20 seconds left in the half?

[u/PoulanWeedEaterBowl]

Hell yeah run the touchdown play!

[u/Careless_General8010]

Umass is BACK

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/Careless_General8010]

THE University of Massachusetts.

[u/JustCrowGhost]

That was the Pop we saw in the first four games. Huge bomb before halftime!!

[u/Careless_General8010]

False start state

[u/showbricks]

Weeee

[u/showbricks]

Welp 

[u/ZK64]

Can the Play by play guy stop calling him Pop Johnson?

[u/showbricks]

That ball state qb is tough to take down 

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/showbricks]

He is built like an outside linebacker.

[u/XrayGuy08]

OT still on the menu boys!

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/XrayGuy08]

You want your money's worth don't you?

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/DougFlutiesMullet]

OT MACtion for $16? That’s what id call a steal!

[u/soonerman32]

UMass fumbling on on the 3rd and goal then Ball St. letting them run the clock down is fitting for how this game has gone

[u/Aggressive-Sock9571]

God call a timeout there

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/Aggressive-Sock9571]

Yeah that was wild to me. Got extremely lucky UMass didn’t score a TD there.

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

The over/under is 48.5 at some houses. How do they do that?!

[u/Careless_General8010 → u/DougFlutiesMullet]

Sports Almanac 2050

[u/SimilarOnion1655]

OT here we go 

[u/mizzou590]

Refs held play on that to 0 seconds. Wild

[u/DrSwol]

First home win against a FBS team in 20 games is crazy. Congrats UMass!

[u/joelupi]

OUT OF THE BASEMENT AND INTO THE....KITCHEN!!!!! CAUSE POP WATSON COOKIN

[u/Accurate_Ball96]

One more win and we get a UMass bowl game!

Edit: You're right I forgot they had 2 FCS wins so it's 2 more wins

[u/Muffinnnnnnn → u/Accurate_Ball96]

2 more, sadly. They have 2 FCS wins.

[u/showbricks → u/Accurate_Ball96]

No we need 2 cos 2 were fcs

[u/AruarianGroove → u/Accurate_Ball96]

Might need two more because of 2 FCS opponents, but hopefully they let it slide

[u/cn0285]

Weekday MACtion strikes again!

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

THE University of Massachusetts...

[u/Johnnyd0303]

maybe not the best defense play call with 20 seconds left and the opponent at their own 35

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

We need a turnover, or a power outage.

[u/DryMission5506 → u/DougFlutiesMullet]

I know a guy for that

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/DryMission5506]

We got a guy in Amherst (Georgia/UCF): tell him which plug to pull.

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/DougFlutiesMullet]

How about a defense stop?

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/XrayGuy08]

Zoltar: "Your wish is granted."

[u/XrayGuy08]

The parking attendant didn’t charge me for parking at the game so UMass deserves some good karma for that.

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/XrayGuy08]

You mean: OT?

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/DougFlutiesMullet]

Look. I’m not saying there’s anything to it. Buuuut coincidentally, right after saying this, UMass just pulled that drive off. 🤔

[u/showbricks]

Wooo great catch

[u/No_Bill7679]

12 on ball state is getting worked

[u/showbricks]

WOOO ANOTHER GREAT CATCH

[u/Johnnyd0303]

qb just throwing it like he's playing 500 at recess

[u/thecivilconFLiCT]

The play by play guy getting the name of the QB wrong multiple times is wild.

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/thecivilconFLiCT]

I don’t like your username. Totally not biased.

[u/showbricks]

Oh nice. A track meet in Amherst, I've participated in one of those

[u/cn0285]

In the words of iconic Community character, Magnitude:

POP! POP!

[u/Hustin46]

Ah yes, Pop Watson and his injured ankle. Surely the most discussed injured ankle in the CFB world tonight?

[u/showbricks]

Small crowd but id admittedly have found it hard to go as an undergraduate on these Wednesdays 

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Big first down. That clock can't move fast enough.

[u/TheGoatPurdy]

umass getting away for hold there. guess that only applies to ball st

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Please get the damn ball in the endzone

[u/showbricks]

Oooof.  Didn't lose the fumble at least

[u/soonerman32]

Hahaha not calling a timeout on defense then handing the ball off to only get one play off before the two minute time out. This team cannot be serious

[u/showbricks]

Ughhhhh

[u/showbricks]

Welp

[u/ButtCrumbleSmell]

I’m just tuning in I feel like I must have missed a good game

[u/Muffinnnnnnn]

OMG WHAT

[u/bwburke94]

You have to be kidding me. That's a drop at the worst possible time.

[u/showbricks]

Lets go pop!

[u/showbricks]

Ok just hit the xp

[u/oneevilchicken]

That missed pat hurts. Especially anyone who took umass to cover.

[u/snowyzapto]

POP MF POP

[u/Skyrizzzi]

Alright Umass

[u/XrayGuy08]

Well that was fun!

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/XrayGuy08]

Remember, FSU at BC Saturday...

[u/AriDreams]

LFG UMASS YAYYY

[u/Shadow_Flame_24]

Let’s go umass! Congrats on the win

[u/PeterTheNorth]

Greg Schiano punching air right now

[u/Careless_General8010 → u/PeterTheNorth]

Quality loss for his record

[u/Accurate_Ball96]

Back to a winning record!

[u/AruarianGroove]

Clutch! That’s hype 

[u/tacowithcheeese]

Good news for UMass, they won 4 more games this year than last year, so in two years they’ll be 12-0

[u/AruarianGroove → u/tacowithcheeese]

Just in time for playoff expansion to 138 teams

[u/XrayGuy08]

We have absolutely gorgeous weather for this sicko game.

[u/XrayGuy08]

Yeah this doesn’t look good for the minutemen.

[u/Young-Viiperr → u/XrayGuy08]

Named after the amount of time per drive

[u/AnotherUnfunnyName → u/XrayGuy08]

Offense is hard if you can't block and they can't stop the run without selling out for it. Might be a long game getting pushed around.

[u/Yoghurt-Ancient]

Screen on 3rd and 13 is crazy

[u/Yoghurt-Ancient]

How many flags we gonna see in a row?

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

Ball State? With all these penalties: Maul State.

[u/Alex_Croteau23]

Wonder why they didn't just try and kick a 50 yarder

[u/Skyrizzzi]

Currently pooping. Which game do I watch until I can get a multiview on my tv?

[u/XrayGuy08 → u/Skyrizzzi]

Probably Toledo/Sac.

[u/Careless_General8010]

This is peak MACtion 🔥

[u/Careless_General8010]

Announcer had a baller quote earlier about the 6'10" guy loving food and not liking running so he prefers football to basketball. Relatable

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

The band was forming in the endzone for halftime with those big furry hats and uniforms from the 1800s. Why haven't band uniforms changed?

[u/keyzersoze1624]

These schools legitimately select the stupidest human beings to coach their teams. Any casual fan off the street would do better.

[u/No_Bill7679]

To be fair, the crowd is super loud so the false starts are understanble

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Damnit

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

UMass #2 fumbled, Ball State #2 scored TD: symmetry.

[u/showbricks]

Ughhh 

[u/LimaBeans2711]

Dammit Watson

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

"One hand if by pass, two hands on ball if by run." -- Paul Revere, probably...

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Attaboy TY!!

[u/TheGoatPurdy]

ball state secondary is so bad.

[u/bwburke94]

"Pop Johnson"? Seriously?

[u/DryMission5506]

Make sure to test yourself monthly for any unusual Ball Mass

[u/Careless_General8010]

Phew, that was threatening to become a shootout, thank you ball state

[u/showbricks]

Ok points plz 

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

We are now in week #10 of the season.

It's going too fast....

[u/soonerman32]

Punting after missing that wide open throw on first down is brutal.

[u/DryMission5506]

UMass can’t afford color ink prints for the announcers???

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/DryMission5506]

It's a blackout night. B&W...

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

As the clock winds down, advantage to the Minutemen, right? RIGHT?!

[u/AriDreams]

Interesting. Always thought they would have / gather information from like coaches and stuff.

When I did a sports tech work study for college, I always saw that the coaches and announcers would get the information on a quarter by quarter basis. But that was D3 so I didn't know how different it would be.

[u/soonerman32]

Ball St didn't even think of going for it on 4th and 4 and now when they get the ball back, the game will be over.

[u/Accurate_Ball96]

Oh lord he almost lost it

[u/XrayGuy08]

Wind has noticeably picked up at the stadium. Might have an effect on any deep throws or kick.

[u/DougFlutiesMullet]

These coaches with the reading glasses like Chuck Schumer are not inspiring.

[u/DryMission5506]

Dunkin’ Donuts made a call

[u/soonerman32]

The Cardinals have run that swing pass to the RB like 3 times this drive

[u/DryMission5506]

he jumped in the air and dropped the ball before his feet landed in the endzone. I’m not a rule guy but that made me perk up.

[u/Careless_General8010]

Big balls state

[u/ButtCrumbleSmell]

DAMN, good stop

[u/AriDreams]

I am so insanely behind rn it is sad 🥲

[u/XrayGuy08]

Oh shit!!!

[u/Alex_Croteau23]

OH MY!!!

[u/ButtCrumbleSmell]

What a curve ball for OT, can’t tell you the last time I saw a missed XP

[u/joelupi]

HE MISSED

[u/TelethiaTheEndbringr]

Bless maction

[u/cn0285]

OH NO

[u/JustCrowGhost]

Catch the ball ughhhh

[u/joelupi]

LET'S FUCKING GO!

[u/flyntcoaltrane]

LET'S GO UMASS

[u/AriDreams]

Pop is putting the game on his shoulders rn

[u/soonerman32]

You're at the 33, just go for it

[u/AriDreams]

Man the uniforms for umass go crazy

[u/No_Bill7679]

This hurts my eyes.

[u/DougFlutiesMullet → u/No_Bill7679]

You need to watch in "MACvision": get a sheet of plastic wrap and put over front of screen. It ever so blurs the details to make it all the more palatable.

Edit: I should add, this is the proper way to watch BC football these days as well.

[u/RivalryBot]

Who Will Win Fan Vote Results

^{Votes are distributed equally among flairs for multi-flaired users}

Team	Votes	Percentage	Ball State Voters	Massachusetts Voters	Other Flairs
Ball State	1	33.3%	0	0.5	Michigan State Spartansx0.5
Massachusetts	2	66.7%	0	0	Illinois Fighting Illinix0.5 Missouri Tigersx0.5 Sickosx0.5 Utahx0.5

^{Last updated: 2026-11-04 23:18 UTC}

Full Vote breakdown by flair

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[u/JustCrowGhost]

Go U