ATHENS, Ga. — University of Massachusetts interim football coach Shane Montgomery said he couldn’t have asked for a more demanding first assignment after taking over earlier this week when Don Brown was fired.
Montgomery will continue to call plays as offensive coordinator when the Minutemen (2-8) visit No. 8 Georgia (8-2) on Saturday, six days after he replaced Brown, who went 6-28 in three seasons. UMass has a 2-8 record that includes losses to two Southeastern Conference teams — Missouri and Mississippi State — and now they’ll face another one that’s having an even better season.
Georgia moved back into the the projected field for the 12-team College Football Playoff after last week’s 33-17 home win over Tennessee, so the Buldogs — No. 8 in the latest CFP rankings released by the selection committee Tuesday night — will be playing to protect their postseason position.
Montgomery said Georgia, now in its ninth season with former Bulldogs defensive back and former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as head coach, boasts “a different level of defense” than other teams the Minutemen have faced.
“We’re playing a team that’s, you know, two years removed from back-to-back national championships,” Montgomery said, referring to the titles for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.