Minutemen Dominate Rutgers in Season-Opening 37-21 Win

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Massachusetts	7	17	3	10	37
Rutgers	7	0	0	14	21

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After trailing 7-0 early, the University of Massachusetts football scored 30 straight points to take a 30-7 lead, on the way to a huge 37-21 season-opening win at Rutgers on Thursday night in front of 42,454 fans at SHI Stadium. Quarterback William "Pop" Watson III shined in his UMass debut, finishing 19-of-22 for 197 yards and three touchdowns. The defense forced four Rutgers turnovers, with three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

The win marked the Minutemen's first since Oct. 26, 2024, against Wagner and first against an FBS opponent since a 21-14 victory at Army West Point on Oct. 28, 2023.

"Certainly super proud of the guys," said head coach Joe Harasymiak. "Couldn't be happier for them. Everything we've talked about, everything we've worked for came to fruition tonight. We played like I envisioned we could play from start to finish. I told them that we had to earn the right to win all camp, all winter, all spring. I know it's coach talk, but they did it tonight and I'm really happy for us, our school, our fan base and everybody who was rooting for UMass tonight.

"It's going to change around here," Harasymiak continued. "I believed in it from the beginning. Just glad we were able to show it tonight."

Watson III found eight different receivers on the evening. Joseph Griffin Jr. led the team with 61 receiving yards on two catches, including a 31-yard touchdown reception. T.Y. Harding had five catches for 55 yards while Elijah Faulkner tallied two touchdown receptions.

UMass rushed for 200 yards on the ground, as Curtis Kimmons IV finished with 78 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Faulkner had a game-high 19 carries for 62 yards.

Defensively, Jahmad Harmon had two interceptions, while Isaiah Reed recorded a pick as well. Romando Johnson forced a fumble and Timmy Hinspeter led the team with nine tackles.

How It Happened

Rutgers put together a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game, taking a 7-0 lead with 8:20 left in the first quarter.

The Minutemen responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive of their own, capped by a 21-yard touchdown grab by Elijah Faulkner. Faulkner also had three rushes for 14 yards on the drive, while Joe Griffin Jr. had a key 30-yard catch.

Isaiah Reed broke up a deep pass to KJ Duff to force a Rutgers punt with 4:21 left in the first quarter. On the ensuing drive, Watson III handed off to Reece Adkins for a two-yard gain on a fourth-and-one with 1:59 remaining in the first. With a fresh set of downs, UMass moved into Rutgers territory with back-to-back passes to close out the quarter. Dallas Elliott then made a 14-yard catch in the red zone to set up a first-and-goal at the four-yard line to start the second. Watson III found Faulkner in the end zone on a second-and-two to take a 14-7 lead.

Daniel appeared to have an interception at the start of the next Rutgers drive, but the Minutemen were called for pass interference. On the next play, Romando Johnson strip sacked Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonegran and came up with the fumble recovery to put the ball at the UMass 36. That play set up a 31-yard touchdown catch from Griffin Jr. and a 21-7 lead at 9:43 of the second quarter.

After the UMass defense held again, Kimmons IV had back-to-back rushes for 11 yards and 19 yards that put the Minutemen on the Rutgers 20-yard line. Derek Morris knocked a 30-yard field goal through on a fourth-and-one to put UMass ahead 24-7 with 3:42 on the clock in the first half. That proved to be the halftime score.

Massachusetts received the ball in the second half, putting together a 10-play, 41-yard drive. Watson III moved the chains with a 15-yard scramble up the middle after a 10-yard penalty backed the Minutemen up to their own 22-yard line. Back-to-back receptions from Harding gave UMass a first down at the Rutgers 37. A 52-yard field goal attempt from Morris was good as the Minutemen led, 27-7, at the 8:22 mark of the third.

On the ensuing drive, the Massachusetts defense halted the Scarlet Knights on a fourth-and-one, forcing a turnover on downs with 3:35 left on the clock in the third.

On Rutgers' next drive, the Scarlet Knights converted a fourth-and-two with a five-yard rush. On the next play, Reed intercepted the ball at the UMass 15 for a one-yard return for the first play of the fourth quarter.

UMass punted on its next drive with Dallas Elliott downing the ball at the one-yard line in Rutgers territory. On a second-and-10, Jahmad Harmon came away with an interception at the Rutgers 12.

During Massachusetts' ensuing drive, Morris made a 31-yard field goal to pull the Minutemen ahead, 30-7, with 7:54 left in the game.

Rutgers responded with a four-play, 75-yard drive, with a 78-yard Longeran pass to Duff to make it a 30-14 contest.

With 4:35 on the clock, Harmon recorded his second interception of the game, on Rutgers' first play of its drive. Kimmons IV then rushed up the middle for five yards from the Rutgers 22, before rushing for 17 yards into the endzone to give UMass a 37-14 lead with 4:27 remaining.

The Scarlet Knights had one final drive in them, capping an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a six-yard passing touchdown as UMass led 37-21 at the 1:57 mark. But it was too little, too late as the Minutemen recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

Notes

Timmy Hinspeter, Tyler Martin, Willam "Pop" Watson III and Derek Morris served as the UMass game captains.
The 16-point win marked the Minutemen's largest against margin of victory against an FBS opponent since a 55-20 win over Georgia Southern on Oct. 21, 2017.
It was also the program's largest margin of victory against an FBS opponent on the road since a 40-17 win at Kent State on Oct. 11, 2014.
Elijah Faulkner's first quarter touchdown grab marked his first career touchdown and second career reception.
With his second quarter touchdown catch, Faulkner became the first UMass player to catch two TDs in a game since T.Y. Harding had two vs. Northern Illinois on October 5, 2024.
Joseph Griffin Jr.'s second quarter touchdown was the first of his UMass career and seventh of his collegiate career. He had five as a freshman at Boston College, and one as a sophomore with the Eagles.
Isaiah Reed registered his first interception as a Minuteman and eighth of his collegiate career in the fourth quarter.
Jahmad Harmon came away with his first career interception in the fourth quarter, and ended with two. It marked the first time a Minuteman had two-plus interceptions in one game since Isaiah Rodgers had two at Rutgers on Aug. 30, 2019.
Watson III tallied a career-high three touchdown passes, while becoming the first UMass player to throw three touchdowns since Taisun Phommachanh had three against Central Connecticut State on Sept. 21, 2024.
Watson III became the first UMass quarterback with three passing touchdowns and an 80% completion rate in a game in the FBS era, and first since current Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen in 2008.
Derek Morris made three field goals, including a season-long 52-yarder, marking the first UMass player to make three in one game since Jacob Laurie at Toledo on Sept. 7, 2024.
The Minutemen punted for the first time in the contest at the 1:28 mark of the third quarter, with Edward Phillipson punting 46 yards.
As a team, Massachusetts rushed for exactly 200 yards, which marked the first time reaching 200 since Nov. 23, 2024 after posting 226 rushing yards vs. No. 10 Georgia.
The season-opening win marked UMass' first since a 41-30 win at New Mexico State in 2023.
The victory marked the first career win for head coach Joe Harasymiak, who previously served as Rutgers defensive coordinator from 2022-24 .
The Minutemen earned their first FBS win, and first FBS road win since Oct. 28, 2023 at Army West Point.
The win was the first since Wagner on October 26, 2024.
It also marked the first triumph over Rutgers since October 6, 1973, at Rutgers.
The Minutemen entered the 2026 season with 56 new faces, which included 30 transfers and 26 transfers.

Next Up

UMass will host Sacred Heart at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 12 for the home opener at McGuirk Alumni Stadium (ESPN+).
Game themes include Matthew Bullock Day, Education Day and Youth Day presented by Greenfield Savings Bank, click here for more details and ticket information.
New this season, there will be a clear bag policy at McGuirk Alumni Stadium, click here for more details.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Reece Adkins

Dallas Elliott

Elijah Faulkner

Joseph Griffin Jr.

T.Y. Harding

Jahmad Harmon

Timmy Hinspeter

Romando Johnson

Curtis Kimmons IV

Tyler Martin

Derek Morris

Edward Phillipson

Taisun Phommachanh

Isaiah Reed

Team Stats

Watson III William "Pop"

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics