Missouri football at UMass: Scouting report, score prediction for Tigers-Minutemen
Missouri football is going where in the middle of October?
No, you aren’t seeing the schedule wrong. The Tigers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) will face UMass on Saturday in Amherst, Massachusetts, for their final nonconference game of the season. Mizzou and the Minutemen have never played each other before, and it will be the first time that Mizzou has played an FBS independent team since the Tigers traveled to UConn in 2017.
“We're gonna have our hands full in a unique environment,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “Excited to get an opportunity to go to Amherst. It'll be an opportunity for us to play in a stadium that's unique (for) us; an opportunity to play in an area of the country that most of us have not been. So I think it'll be a cool experience.”
Per a game contract obtained by the Columbia Daily Tribune through an open records request, there is no fee for either team associated with the home-and-home series. The Minutemen will make a trip to Columbia on Oct. 18, 2025.
To get out of the series, the Tigers would have had to pay $1 million per canceled game, per the contract, which was arranged under former Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk in 2018.
Mizzou is coming off the first loss of its season after a 41-10 beatdown by Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. The Tigers are currently four-touchdown favorites over UMass.
Here is everything you should know about UMass before Mizzou makes the trip to the northeast:
More: Missouri football plummets in national polls after loss at Texas A&M
More: Analyzing why Missouri football's defense struggled to create pressure vs. Texas A&M
Who will be the UMass quarterback against Missouri football?
Taisun Phommachanh will start at quarterback for UMass. He was a four-star Clemson commit out of high school in 2019, but moved to the northeast after three seasons in Death Valley and one year at Georgia Tech.
Now in his second year with the program, Phommachanh is the Minutemen’s leading rusher with 253 yards (42.2 per game) and a touchdown through six games. He has passed for 213.3 yards per game with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
“Taisun Phommachanh is playing his best football,” Drinkwitz said. … “Accurate thrower, very good. I think he's their leading rusher also, so he's a dual threat quarterback. So, for us defensively, we're going to have our hands full.”
Minutemen’s coaching staff
Don Brown is Massachusetts' head coach, entering his third year in his second stint with the program. He previously was the defensive coordinator at Michigan and Arizona and was a Broyles Award finalist in 2016 with the Wolverines.
First-year UMass offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery was hired in February after a season as an offensive analyst at East Carolina. Keith Dudzinski is the Minutemen’s defensive play-caller and is coaching for his 13th total season in Amherst.
Key playmakers
Sixth-year graduate student and Eastern Washington transfer Jakobie Keeney-James is UMass’ leading receiver with 77 yards per game and three touchdowns at the midway point of the team’s campaign.
Two running backs split carries for UMass: Arizona transfer Jalen John has 60 runs for 210 yards and a touchdown this season, and Western Michigan transfer CJ Hester has taken 50 handoffs for 208 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior linebacker Derrieon Craig is one of Massachusetts' better pass rushers with seven total pressures on the season, per PFF. Edge rushers Kofi Asare and Kansas City native Etinosa Reuben have six and four QB hurries this season, respectively, on a blitz-heavy defense.
What is UMass’ record?
The Minutemen are 1-5 with their lone win coming against Central Connecticut State, which they beat 35-31.
UMass most recently lost to Northern Illinois, 34-20, on Saturday on the road, and has also fallen against Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Buffalo and Miami (Ohio).
That means the two teams have one common opponent, as Mizzou defeated Buffalo, 38-0, in Week 2.
Score prediction: Missouri 42, UMass 7
Call it a get-right game; a chance to blow off some frustrations; an odd midseason trip to face an overmatched opponent … all are equally correct. Mizzou should blow UMass out with the talent it has available, the same way it did Murray State and Buffalo earlier in the season.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Scouting report, score prediction for Missouri football at UMass
