UConn and UMass are set to meet Friday night for the 79th time, but Dave Portnoy is treating it like much more than another game on the schedule.
The Barstool founder is bringing the Barstool College Football Show to Rentschler Field, leaning into what he called a sharp-edged regional grudge match. The series is tied 38-38-2 going back to 1897, and Portnoy said that long history was part of the appeal.
"Growing up [in the] Northeast, UMass and UConn, they do not like each other," Portnoy said Monday. "These are bitter, bitter rivals. ...
It is a heated fan rivalry game. I think they've played this at Gillette [Stadium] a couple times, so I thought it would be a cool game."
Portnoy first floated the idea earlier in October, when UMass was off to a 4-0 start and had just recorded its first sellout since 2014. That early surge included wins over Rutgers and Sacramento State, and it made Friday's matchup look like a lively choice for a live road show.
The picture has changed since then. UMass has dropped three straight, while quarterback William “Pop” Watson III, who played in the first of those losses against Eastern Michigan, missed the next two.
The Virginia Tech transfer has been upgraded to a game-time decision. UConn, meanwhile, comes in off a road win at Temple and is trying to keep rolling toward a third straight nine-win season.
The Barstool College Football Show launched last season and features live Friday-night broadcasts with predictions, games and plenty of back-and-forth with the crowd. Portnoy is joined by Big Cat, Brandon Walker and Kayce Smith on the panel.
The show will be set up between Gates C and D in the Rentschler Field parking lot, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Portnoy is counting on the local crowd to show up for a rivalry he believes deserves the spotlight.
"Don't embarrass me, UMass and UConn fans, by not showing up," Portnoy said. "We have all the major games, and we picked UMass-UConn because I did think it was going to be a good thing. I think there's been three overtime losses between the two of them since we announced this."
In Other News...
UConn Faces A Real Test As UMass Brings A New Problem To The Rent
UMass has gone from winless a year ago to 4-0 entering its trip to The Rent, giving the Battle for the Southwick Jug a different feel than UConn usually gets in this matchup. The Minutemen also expect quarterback William Pop Watson III back from an ankle injury, which adds another layer for a Huskies team trying to sort out its own footing as conference play and the deeper part of the schedule start to press in.
UConn coach Jason Candle said his staff is preparing for Watsons return while also pushing his team to get better in the run game and tighten up against the pass. For the Huskies, the challenge is not just stopping a surging opponent, but proving they can control a game on both sides of the ball against a team that no longer looks like the same easy landing spot it once did. [Read more 🡒]
Hurley Sees One Big Reason UConn Can Get Much Better
UConn has handled its first two exhibition tests, beating Syracuse and Michigan State, but Dan Hurley still sees room for this group to climb before the games start counting. The Huskies have shown defensive strength early, which is usually where Hurley wants his team to set the tone anyway, and the coach has pointed to the roster as one that can keep improving as the preseason winds down.
One obvious piece of that puzzle has been missing. Sophomore Braylon Mullins has sat out both exhibition games with an undisclosed injury, leaving UConn to keep piecing together its offense while it waits for a fuller look at the rotation. With Purdue up next in the final exhibition and the regular season set to begin on Nov. 2, the Huskies still have time to sharpen things before the real schedule begins. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Gets A Rare Rivalry Stage To Prove Something Friday Night
A rare Friday night spotlight is coming to Storrs, where UConn will host UMass in a rivalry game that carries a little more weight than the usual late-season meeting. It is the first meaningful matchup between the programs in nearly three decades, and the Huskies get a home stage after a bye week that was supposed to help them recover, reset and sharpen up after an uneven start.
Jason Candle and his players have been leaning into the idea of responding to adversity and closing out games the right way, a theme that has followed UConn through some of its most resilient stretches this season. For a team trying to build momentum and improve at home, this one offers a chance not just to win a rivalry game, but to show that the lessons from the bye week are starting to stick when the lights are on. [Read more 🡒]