Everything appeared to be in place for Massachusetts before Saturday's game against Indiana at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. There was an Air Force C5 Galaxy flyover from an all-Minuteman crew out of nearby Westover Air Reserve Base. Comedian Bill Cosby, who has a doctoral degree in education from UMass, participated in the ceremonial coin toss. Former players greeted the current team as they ran onto the field.
Then they kicked it off and it was clear the Minutemen, who were playing their first "home" game as a member of Division I-A, were overmatched. UMass lost, 45-6, and the margin could have been worse had Indiana quarterback Tre Roberson not been lost in the second quarter because of a season-ending broken left leg.
As for the Minutemen's new home field — Gillette Stadium — it's approximately 100 miles from the Amherst campus. Moving up to college football's big-time level is a calculated risk for UMass, and there are plenty of critics.
The announced crowd was 16,304, including Wiz correspondent Greg Laughlin, who sent along several photos from Saturday afternoon's festivities. There are more photos after the jump and can view Greg's full gallery by clicking here.