Required Reading: UMass Football vs Miami (Ohio)

Well, the time has come. By the time you read this we will be no more than 24 hours away from kickoff between the UMass Minutemen and the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in our Hustle Belt Game of the Week. What a glorious display it will be as both teams strive to prove to the rest of the league that they are, in fact, capable of winning a game.

One team will emerge with their first win while the other will remain buried in the depths of the Football Bowl Subdivision, winless and utterly without hope. One team just fired their coach, the other is probably debating if it would do more harm than good. These are the storylines ahead of our Game of the Week. Can you feel the #MACtion?

In order to make sure everyone knows what is going on in the UMass universe (UMassiverse?) here are collected news and notes from around the web.

By the way, Koji Uehara, when does the game start?

Got it.

Hustle Belt

Yours truly, bringing on the MAC-based action. No. 1 on the list, No. 1 in your hearts.

Miami (Ohio) vs UMass Football Preview: The Brawl For the Basement - Hustle Belt
What do you get when you mix a team with nothing to lose and a team with everything to lose? One word. #MACtion.

UMass Football Has a Quarterback Conundrum With A.J. Doyle and Mike Wegzyn - Hustle Belt
Conundrum, noun: a confusing and difficult problem or question.

Report: UMass Football Moves Daquan Mack to Defensive End from Running Back - Hustle Belt
Charley Molnar is combating his depth issues by pulling Daquan Mack from the running back ranks and putting him at defensive end.

UMass Football Wide Receiver Shakur Nesmith Takes to Twitter About Shoulder Injury - Hustle Belt
Shakur Nesmith did on Monday morning when he took to Twitter to bemoan the lingering shoulder injury that has kept him out of game action since the season-opening loss to Wisconsin.

MassLive.com

Dan Malone continues to do his thing, which is admirable this time of year.

UMass football vs. Miami: RedHawks' coaching change presents unique circumstance for both teams this week | masslive.com
Lane Kiffin. Paul Pasqualoni. Don Treadwell. Three seemingly unrelated men who will now be lumped together forever as part of a mindless piece of college football trivia. You see, those are the three coaches who have been fired through the first six weeks this season.

UMass football, a 4-point favorite against Miami (Ohio), favored for first time this season | masslive.com
The Minutemen opened as 3.5-point favorites over the RedHawks, but the line has grown to four points in recent days.

UMass football vs. Miami (Ohio): Saturday might be the Minutemen's last, best chance to get a win | masslive.com
University of Massachusetts football coach Charley Molnar has rode the "progress" train hard this season, perhaps straight into the ground.

Marron Musket, 247sports

Bob McGovern still going strong and getting a hand from Marc Bertand on the podcast.

Maroon Musket Podcast: Ep. 4
Marc and Bob discuss UMass' upcoming game against Miami (OH) and how its more than a must-win game for Charley Molnar and the program.

Opponent Spotlight: Miami (OH)
Miami has some good youth, but it will need a lot to go right in order to salvage the 2013 season. Bath is being asked to lead the Redhawks again, but this time he doesn't have the weapons.

It's on U: Charley Molnar
For a head coach, this is not simply a must-win game. This is a should-win, a can't-lose, a career-defining situation that can turn up the fire under an ever-warming seat. Losing in this scenario is almost criminal in the coaching world, and there are no quotes that can happily color the damning articles that will read like cold obituaries.

Daily Hapshire Gazette

Matt Vatour is right in the thick of the UMass Triumvirate of football, hockey and basketball but keeps pumping out good stuff.

UMass sticking with quarterback A.J. Doyle | GazetteNet.com
Minuteman coach Charley Molnar said he wanted to find some consistency under center. "A.J. is certainly still in the driver’s seat. I’ll evaluate during the week, but as I said after the game and I still stand by it, I don’t want to play musical chairs at that position," Molnar said during Monday’s conference call.