It has been an awful few years for Massachusetts after they moved from the FCS to the FBS beginning in 2012. The NCAA transition process is over, but only for eligibility purposes. There is still a lot of work left to do in order to become competitive in the FBS. Mark Whipple has returned for a second stint at UMass and he is known for making a big turnarounds. He took UMass from 2-9 in 1997 to the Division 1-AA (now called FCS) National Title in his first season in 1998. Whipple won't have that kind of magic this time, but the Minutemen should be far more competitive. There is more change on the horizon for UMass, as they will be leaving the Mid-American Conference following the 2015 season.

2013 Massachusetts Season

UMass struggled in all phases of the game during the 2013 season as they finished 1-11. The offense averaged 282 yards and 11.7 points per game. The offense was held below 10 points in six of their games. The defense surrendered an average 433 yards and 33 points a game. They gave up at least 24 points in ten of their twelve games. On the positive side, they did win one game against Miami (OH) and lost two by a single point (14-13 vs. Akron and 31-30 vs. Western Michigan). In addition, UMass played much better at home than they did on the road. Here are the Minutemen's results from 2013:

Offense

As mentioned above, 2013 was a bad year for the UMass offense, but they return seven starters and should be more productive. At quarterback, they are expected to start Marshall transfer Blake Frohnapfel. Playing time was sparse at Marshall, but Frohnapfel has shown talent in the action he received. Over the two season at Marshall, Frohnapfel went 35 of 45 for 386 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. The offense should improve vastly with him behind the center.

Returning to help out the quarterback will be three of the top four rushers from 2013. It will probably be a running back by committee approach for UMass. Jamal Wilson ran for 368 yards and a touchdown while Lorenzo Woodley came on during the middle of the season to rush for 314 yards and a touchdown. Adding depth to the tailback position is Shadrach Abrokwah. He gained 203 yards and a touchdown on 51 carries.

The wide receivers group should also be better in 2014. Tajae Sharpe was the standout for UMass after catching 61 passes for 680 yards and four touchdowns. Added into the group will be Alex Kenney from Penn State. Kenney was a highly touted receiver in high school, but never cracked the line up. He will make an immediate impact here.

A point of concern would be the offensive line. Three starters from 2013 are gone and the right side of the line is being totally replaced. Center Matt Sparks will lead the line as they look to give new quarterback Blake Frohnapfel time to throw to his receivers.

Defense

As bad as UMass was on defense in 2013, it was actually an improvement over 2012. 2012 saw UMass give up an average of 459 yards and 40.2 points per game. 2013 was a nice improvement to 433 yards per game and 33 points per game. Those numbers should improve with Mark Whipple and Mike Cassano returning. They will shift to a 3-4 this year with six returning starters. Daniel Maynes returns to anchor the defensive tackle spot, but the other two spots are going to new starters.

The only returning starter for the linebackers is Stanley Andre and he is a good one to have coming back. Andre was the leading tackler in 2013 with 111. Andre will need to be at his best as he leads the group, but his fellow linebackers do have some experience to ease the transition from a 4-3 to 3-4.

One area of strength for UMass is the secondary. All four starters return including Ed Saint-Vil. Saint-Vil was a linebacker prior to the 2013 season, but moved him to safety.He did well as he recorded 82 tackles and had three pass breakups. Also returning with him is Trey Dudley-Giles, Randall Jette, and D'Metrius Williams. This group will need to lead the defense as they look for continued improvement.

Special Teams

Kicker Blake Lucas will need to be better in 2014. He went 3 of 10 on field goals with a long of 42. That will not cut it for UMass when they are in close games. Punter Logan Laurent redshirted last year, but he is replacing Colter Johnson. Johnson averaged only 37.3 yards per punt with a net of 34.6.

2014 Season Outlook

Unless Mark Whipple can conjure up the ghosts of 1998, UMass looks to be in for another long season. They will be more competitive, even though they lack the talent needed to make a run at bowl eligibility. The out-of-conference schedule does UMass no favors as they face Boston College and Colorado at home in the first two weeks. After that, they travel to Vanderbilt and Penn State. That means UMass will have to look to the MAC schedule for a win. Their 2014 schedule is below.

Their best chance is once again versus Miami (OH). If they are competitive at home again this year, they could pull the upset versus Eastern Michigan. UMass is still a few years away from contending for a MAC title, but they probably won't be around to see that happen because they leave after the 2015 season. A win or two is the expectation for the Minutemen.