Colonial Clash

colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: #B0C4DE;" \| Colonial Clash
class="toccolours" style="float: right; clear: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 26em;"
colspan="2" style="text-align: center" \|300px
style="background: #E0E7EF;" colspan="2" \| History
First meeting	Massachusetts 10, New Hampshire 4 (1897)
style="vertical-align: top;" \| Last meeting	New Hampshire 27, Massachusetts 21 (2011)
style="vertical-align: top;" \| Next meeting	None scheduled
style="vertical-align: top;" \| Number of meetings	74
style="vertical-align: top;" \| All-time series	UMass leads, 43–28–3
style="vertical-align: top;" \| Largest victory	New Hampshire, 56–7 (1921)
style="vertical-align: top;" \| Current streak	New Hampshire, 2
style="vertical-align: top;" \| Longest UMass win streak	6 (1969–74, 1977–82)
style="vertical-align: top;" \| Longest UNH win streak	4 (1953–56, 1994–97)
style="vertical-align: top;" \| MVP Trophy:	Bill Knight Trophy

{{OSM Location map

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The Colonial Clash was an annual college football rivalry game played between the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) and the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The two teams first played each other in 1897, and met annually from 1952 through 2011. The rivalry was branded as the Colonial Clash beginning in 2010. However, the new branding didn't last for long. In 2012, UMass transitioned to the Football Bowl subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I, discontinuing the rivalry. In 74 playings, UMass has won 43 games, UNH has won 28 games, and there have been three ties. Beginning with the 1986 playing, the MVP of the game was awarded the Bill Knight Trophy.

History

The first game played between the two schools took place on October 2, 1897, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Massachusetts won the game by a score of 10–4.{{Cite magazine |date=November 1897 |title=M. A. C., 10; N. H. C., 4 |url=https://archive.org/details/newhampshirec18971898newh/page/44/mode/2up |access-date=February 29, 2020 |magazine=The New Hampshire College Monthly |pages=44–45 |via=Wayback Machine |volume=5 |number=2}}{{Cite news |date=October 4, 1897 |title=Football Season Opened |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45951054/football-season-opened/ |access-date=March 1, 2020 |work=The Berkshire Eagle |location=Pittsfield, Massachusetts |page=1 |via=newspapers.com}} At the time, UMass was known as Massachusetts Agricultural College and New Hampshire was officially New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts. They had formed a loose association with other public colleges in New England such as present day UConn and Rhode Island for the purpose of scheduling football matchups between the schools.{{Dubious|Early history|date=March 2020}}

The colleges continued to schedule matches intermittently through 1922, but then had a 30-year hiatus until next meeting in 1952. They then met annually through the 2011 season, along with one playoff game as part of the 2006 postseason.

In August 2010, the matchup was branded as the "Colonial Clash", coincident with an arrangement to have the game played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.{{Cite news |date=August 19, 2010 |title=UMass, UNH rivalry game rebranded 'Colonial Clash' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46029867/umass-unh-rivalry-game-rebranded/ |access-date=March 3, 2020 |work=The News Journal |location=Wilmington, Delaware |page=26 |via=newspapers.com}} The 2010 matchup, a 39–13 win by New Hampshire,{{Cite news |last=Larson |first=Craig |date=October 24, 2010 |title=Wildcats are the class of the Clash |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46029972/wildcats-are-the-class-of-the-clash/ |access-date=March 3, 2020 |work=The Boston Globe |page=C17 |via=newspapers.com}} was the first college football game played at Gillette,{{Cite news |last=Larson |first=Craig |date=October 23, 2010 |title=Evans hitting stride at UNH |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46030025/evans-hitting-stride-at-unh/ |access-date=March 3, 2020 |work=The Boston Globe |page=C6 |via=newspapers.com}} the home stadium of the NFL's New England Patriots. The 2011 game, the second (and to date, most recent) playing under the Colonial Clash branding, was also won by UNH, 27–21.{{Cite news |last=Vega |first=Michael |date=October 23, 2011 |title=UNH bids adieu to UMass with win |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46030189/unh-bids-adieu-to-umass-with-win/ |access-date=March 3, 2020 |work=The Boston Globe |page=C15 |via=newspapers.com}}

UMass leads the all-time series, 43–27–3, a winning percentage of {{winpct|43|27|3}}, although UNH has the edge in games played since 1990, 14–9. From 1958 through 1989, UMass won 26 of the meetings, losing only six times, including only one instance of back-to-back losses to their rival (1975 and 1976). The most successful run for New Hampshire occurred from 1990 to 2002, when the Wildcats won 10 matchups and lost only three.

In 2012, UMass moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the NCAA's highest level of college football. The Minutemen joined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at that time, then in 2016 became an independent. UNH remained in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). No meetings between the programs have been scheduled since 2011, leaving the future of the rivalry in doubt.

Game results

{{Sports rivalry series table

| cols = 2

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| format = compact

| team1 = Massachusetts

| team1style = {{NCAA color cell|UMass Minutemen}}

| team2 = New Hampshire

| team2style = {{NCAA color cell|New Hampshire Wildcats}}

| footnote = {{Cite web |title=New Hampshire vs Massachusetts |url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/n/new_hampshire/opponents_records.php?teamid=1897 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915003225/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/n/new_hampshire/opponents_records.php?teamid=1897 |archive-date=September 15, 2015 |access-date=March 3, 2020 |website=College Football Data Warehouse |via=Wayback Machine}}

| note = {{dagger}} = NCAA FCS Playoffs

| December 2, 2006 {{dagger}} | Amherst, MA | Massachusetts | 24 | New Hampshire | 17

}}

Trophy

The Bill Knight Trophy is annually given to the Most Outstanding Player of the Colonial Clash. A new trophy is cast each year, therefore allowing the honoree to keep his award permanently.

=History=

The award is named after Bill Knight, long-time Sports Information Director at the University of New Hampshire, who died in November 1985. In addition to his duties at UNH, Knight was a past President of the New England Sports Information Directors Association, a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee at the 1984 Winter Games, and a recipient of the Irving T. Marsh ECAC Service Bureau Award. He also served as the Information Officer of the Yankee Conference. Knight was inducted into the University of New Hampshire 100 Club Hall of Fame on October 2, 1987.{{Cite web |title=The Bill Knight Award |url=http://www.newenglandfootball.com/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDetail&PAGEID=45385 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092325/http://www.newenglandfootball.com/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDetail&PAGEID=45385 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=April 1, 2015 |publisher=Newenglandfootball.com}} First awarded to Tim Bryant of UMass in 1986, the Bill Knight Trophy has been given to the most outstanding player of each playing of the Colonial Clash since then.

=Recipients=

Year ! Winner ! Position ! Team ! Result ! Location
class="wikitable"
1986	Tim Bryant	QB	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 38–31	Amherst, MA
1987	Bob Jean	QB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 17–10	Durham, NH
1988	Dave Palazzi	QB	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 64–42	Durham, NH
1989	Gary Wilkos	QB	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 34–28	Amherst, MA
1990	Matt Griffin	QB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 36–18	Durham, NH
1991	Matt Griffin	QB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 35–28	Amherst, MA
1992	Jim Stayer	QB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 20–13	Durham, NH
1993	John Johnson	FB	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 15–13	Amherst, MA
1994	Mike Foley	DE	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 14–11	Durham, NH
1995	Jerry Azumah	TB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 32–29	Amherst, MA
1996	Jerry Azumah	TB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 40–7	Durham, NH
1997	Jerry Azumah	TB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 28–10	Amherst, MA
1998	Marcel Shipp	TB	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 27–26	Durham, NH
1999	Adrian Zullo	WR	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 34–19	Amherst, MA
2000	Stephan Lewis	TB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 24–16	Durham, NH
2001	Stephan Lewis	TB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 35–24	Amherst, MA
2002	Stephan Lewis	TB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 31–14	Durham, NH
2003	Jason Peebler	WR	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 44–30	Amherst, MA
2004	Steve Baylark	TB	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 38–21	Durham, NH
2005	David Ball	WR	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 34–28	Amherst, MA
2006	Jason Hatchell	DE	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 28–20	Durham, NH
2007	Matt Lawrence	TB	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 27–7	Amherst, MA
2008	Matt Parent	LB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 52–21	Durham, NH
2009	Jon Hernandez	TB	style="background: #E77471" \| UMass	UMass, 23–17	Amherst, MA
2010	Matt Evans	LB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 39–13	Foxboro, MA
2011	Dontra Peters	TB	style="background: #A0CFEC" \| UNH	UNH, 27–21	Foxboro, MA

=Notes=

Quarterbacks won the first seven awards. No quarterback has won since.
No player from the losing team has been awarded the trophy.
Four Bill Knight Trophy winners have gone on to play in the NFL: Jerry Azumah, Marcel Shipp, Steve Baylark, and Matt Lawrence.

== See also ==

List of NCAA college football rivalry games

References

External links

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut2MJZWHm2c Colonial Clash Promo (10/23/10)] via YouTube
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCdcmYjfCqs 2010 Colonial Clash] via YouTube
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CE-5vzCspc Colonial Clash 2011 (CSN-NE)] via YouTube

Category:College football rivalries in the United States

Category:New Hampshire Wildcats football

Category:UMass Minutemen football