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A.J. Doyle Likely Out Against Northern Illinois As Injuries Build For UMass Football

In addition to the loss of their quarterback, the Minutemen have resolved several other injury questions with a big red piece of clothing.

By Jimmy Kelley
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Things never seem to get easier for the UMass Minutemen. With Northern Illinois on the horizon, Charley Molnar's crew will be without starting quarterback A.J. Doyle as they go up against the best team in the MAC after the sophomore missed practice on Wednesday.

The news was reported following practice by Dan Malone of The Springfield Republican. According to Malone, this was not the first practice Doyle missed this week and while he is officially questionable, Molnar believes that original starter Mike Wegzyn will be the starter come Saturday.

Doyle has been good enough to make the Minutemen look like a somewhat competitive offense when he has been healthy this season and losing him is only going to make an impossible task more insurmountable. Wegzyn is a good player, but there is a reason he lost his job. Hopefully he can hold his own and keep himself upright on Saturday, the latter being the most important.

In other injury news, running back Jordan Broadnax, linebacker Steve Casali and wide receiver Shakur Nesmith have all been ruled out for the rest of the season. They join wide receiver Dalvin Battle and linebacker John Robinson-Woodgett as players who will not suit up again this season. Broadnax, Casali and Nesmith are all expected to apply for a medical redshirt.

Nesmith tweeted a few weeks ago that he thought this would be the case, while Bob McGovern of Maroon Musket reported that Broadnax was finished earlier this season.

Both players will play big roles for UMass next season when they are healthy, although Broadnax could find himself without a job thanks to the play of Jamal Wilson, Stacey Bedell and Lorenzo Woodley. Molnar has had enough trouble splitting the work three ways, four will be a nightmare.

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