University of Massachusetts defensive back Ke’Mon Bailey said his team “talk[s] junk, we look pretty, and we hit hard,” when asked about his team’s chances against perennial powerhouse Michigan.
The junk-talking was in full force in the Minutemen’s 42-37 loss on Saturday, but they could have used a lot more of the hitting.
One day after declaring that his team was ready to “shock the world,” Bailey was part of a UMass defensive unit that allowed the Wolverines to score 28 unanswered points and rack up 241 passing yards. The Minutemen’s offense was terrific, but their defensive inadequacy is what prevented them from becoming the third FCS school to pull off a major upset this season.
There’s no doubt that Bailey’s comments were good-natured. Athletes need to have confidence to be good at what they do, and Bailey was simply showing the belief he has in his teammates. And while Bailey did remark that Michigan Stadium “should not be the Big House, it should be the Little House on the Prairie,” he said nothing disparaging about his opposition.
This was hardly Mike Tyson threatening to eat Lennox Lewis‘ children. It was just a 22-year-old kid psyching himself up for the biggest game of his career.
But in an age where no quote goes unnoticed, Bailey probably would have been better off keeping his thoughts to himself. Sure, Michigan was likely to beat the Minutemen regardless of Bailey’s comments. But why give the opposition any bulletin-board material?
It’s likely that nothing came of Bailey’s comments, and any effect would be impossible to quantify anyway. But what if a Michigan receiver ran his route just a little harder when he saw Bailey lined up against him? What if a Wolverine linebacker put some extra gusto into a few tackles with Bailey’s words in mind?
As an enormous underdog, UMass should have been the only team heading into this game with a chip on its collective shoulder.
Thanks to Bailey’s comments, that may not have been the case.
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