UConn–UMass football rivalry

UConn–UMass football rivalry

Connecticut Huskies UMass Minutemen
Sport	Football
First meeting	1897[1]
Latest meeting	2012 Connecticut 37, Umass 0
Next meeting	2018
Statistics
Meetings total	72
All-time series	UMass leads, 36–34–2 (.514)
Current win streak	Connecticut, 1 (2012-present)

The UConn–UMass football rivalry (also known as the U Game) is an American college football rivalry between the Connecticut Huskies football team of the University of Connecticut and UMass Minutemen football team of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.^[2]

The rivalry was dormant from the 2000 season, when UConn moved to FBS, until 2012, when UMass traveled to Rentschler Field to play the Huskies in the season opener.^[3]

History

The first game played between the two schools took place on November 6, 1897, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Massachusetts won 36–0. At the time, UMass was known as Massachusetts Agricultural College and Connecticut was officially Storrs Agricultural College. They had formed a loose association with other public colleges in New England such as present day New Hampshire and Rhode Island for the purpose of scheduling football matchups between the schools.^[4]

The colleges continued to schedule matches intermittently until after World War I, when they began to play on an almost-yearly basis through the mid-1920s. The series was discontinued until 1932, when the schools again met each year until World War II saw both universities disband their football teams. The schools would not match up again on the gridiron until Connecticut joined Massachusetts in the Yankee Conference in 1952. UConn and UMass played every season from that point on until UConn began their transition to what was then Division I-A in 2000.^[4]

UMass leads the all-time series 36–34–2. Massachusetts dominated the rivalry early, winning the first eight and 13 of the first 15 meetings between the two universities. Connecticut went on a streak of their own after that, winning 14 of the next 16 games. The 1960s again belonged to the then-Redmen of Massachusetts, as they lost only two games that decade. In the remaining years of the rivalry, the series was much more even, with neither team able to put together a winning streak of more than four games.^[4]

In April 2011, UMass announced plans to join the Mid-American Conference and move up to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of college football in the country. Prior to this decision, the two schools had scheduled a game for August 30, 2012. UMass later became a FBS Independent school starting in 2016. In 2015, the two schools announced that the Minutemen will visit Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in 2018 and 2020, and the Huskies will visit Gillette Stadium in 2019 and 2021.^[5]

Game results

Connecticut victories

Massachusetts victories

Tie games

Date Location Winner Score 1897 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 36–0 1899 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 34–6 1900 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 17–6 1916 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 12–0 1919 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 15–7 1920 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 28–0 1921 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 13–0 1922 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 13–6 1924 Amherst, MA Connecticut 12–10 1925 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 13–0 1926 Amherst, MA Connecticut 13–6 1932 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 39–0 1933 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 40–7 1934 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 7–6 1935 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 25–12 1936 Storrs, CT Connecticut 13–0 1937 Amherst, MA Connecticut 36–7 1938 Storrs, CT Connecticut 19–0 1939 Amherst, MA Connecticut 7–6 1940 Storrs, CT Connecticut 13–0 1941 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 8–6 1942 Storrs, CT Connecticut 26–0 1952 Storrs, CT Connecticut 26–13 1953 Amherst, MA Connecticut 41–0 1954 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 20–13 1955 Storrs, CT Connecticut 18–13 1956 Amherst, MA Connecticut 71–6 1957 Storrs, CT Connecticut 19–6 1958 Amherst, MA Connecticut 28–14 1959 Storrs, CT Connecticut 26–0 1960 Amherst, MA Connecticut 31–0 1961 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 31–13 1962 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 16–6 1963 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 21–3 1964 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 30–0 1965 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 20–7 1966 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 12–6 Date Location Winner Score 1967 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 35–14 1968 Amherst, MA Connecticut 27–20 1969 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 28–7 1970 Amherst, MA Tie 21–21 1971 Storrs, CT Tie 3–3 1972 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 49–16 1973 Storrs, CT Connecticut 28–6 1974 Amherst, MA Connecticut 10–9 1975 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 29–14 1976 Amherst, MA Connecticut 28–6 1977 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 10–0 1978 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 17–10 1979 Storrs, CT Connecticut 24–0 1980 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 39–21 1981 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 29–24 1982 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 30–14 1983 Storrs, CT Connecticut 16–6 1984 Amherst, MA Connecticut 21–16 1985 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 21–7 1986 Amherst, MA Connecticut 20–17 1987 Storrs, CT Connecticut 21–17 1988 Amherst, MA Connecticut 35–14 1989 Storrs, CT Connecticut 39–33 1990 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 38–19 1991 Storrs, CT Connecticut 26–21 1992 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 20–7 1993 Storrs, CT Massachusetts 20–17 1994 Amherst, MA Connecticut 21–13 1995 Storrs, CT Connecticut 20–7 1996 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 39–38 1997 Amherst, MA Connecticut 49–16 1998 Storrs, CT Connecticut 44–41 1998 Amherst, MA Connecticut 28–27 1999 Amherst, MA Massachusetts 62–20 2012 East Hartford, CT Connecticut 37–0 Series: Massachusetts leads 36–34–2

References

1. Football Chronology - University of Massachusetts Official Athletic Site
2. Time to Worry About UMass-UConn Football Rivalry? | NBC Connecticut
3. UConn beats UMass 37-0 in renewal of rivalry - Yahoo Sports
4. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/conn/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/part5-15.pdf
5. UConn and UMass Schedule Four-Game Series With UMass - The UConn Blog