Piscataway, NJ.— UMass opened the 2026 college football season by delivering a performance that will be remembered for years.
Playing before 42,454 fans, the Minutemen stunned Rutgers 37-21 on Thursday night, pulling off one of the biggest opening-week upsets in recent college football history and securing a landmark victory over a Power Four opponent.
UMass entered the game as a 29.5-point underdog and had endured years of struggles since moving to the FBS level in 2012. The Minutemen had never defeated a current Power Four program during that stretch. Their 2017 victory over BYU did not qualify because the Cougars were still an independent at the time and had not yet joined the Big 12.
That all changed Thursday night.
The victory snapped UMass’ long drought against the sport’s top conferences while giving first-year head coach Joe Harasymiak his first victory at the school. It was also the Minutemen’s first win since Oct. 26, 2024, when they defeated Wagner, and their first FBS victory since beating Army West Point 21-14 on Oct. 28, 2023.
For a program that entered the night with a 26-134 record over its previous stretch of FBS competition, the result was nothing short of remarkable.
Watson Sets the Tone
UMass quarterback Pop Watson III played a major role in the upset, throwing three touchdown passes before halftime and consistently finding ways to keep the Rutgers defense off balance.
The Massachusetts native returned home after spending three seasons at Virginia Tech. His production Thursday represented a dramatic turnaround after he had thrown just one touchdown on 63 attempts during his time with the Hokies.
Watson spread the ball around throughout the night, connecting with eight different receivers.
Joseph Griffin Jr. led the Minutemen with 61 receiving yards on two catches, including a 31-yard touchdown. T.Y. Harding added five receptions for 55 yards, while Elijah Faulkner caught two touchdown passes.
Rutgers opened the game looking like the team expected to dominate.
The Scarlet Knights marched 75 yards on 12 plays on their opening possession, taking a 7-0 lead with 8:20 remaining in the first quarter.
UMass immediately answered.
The Minutemen traveled 75 yards in seven plays, with Faulkner finishing the drive with a 21-yard touchdown reception. Faulkner also contributed three rushing attempts for 14 yards on the possession, while Griffin Jr. added a crucial 30-yard reception.
From there, the momentum began to shift dramatically.
Minutemen Take Control
UMass’ defense forced Rutgers to punt after Isaiah Reed broke up a deep pass intended for KJ Duff.
The Minutemen then converted a critical fourth-and-one when Reece Adkins picked up two yards, keeping the drive alive. UMass moved deep into Rutgers territory before Dallas Elliott’s 14-yard reception helped set up a first-and-goal.
Watson finished the possession by finding Faulkner in the end zone, giving UMass its first lead at 14-7.
The Minutemen defense continued to create problems for Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan.
After an apparent interception was wiped away by a UMass pass-interference penalty, Romando Johnson delivered a strip sack and recovered the fumble at the UMass 36-yard line.
UMass needed only a few plays to capitalize.
Watson connected with Griffin Jr. for a 31-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 21-7 with 9:43 remaining in the second quarter.
The Minutemen weren’t finished.
After another defensive stop, Kimmons IV ripped off consecutive runs of 11 and 19 yards, moving UMass into the Rutgers red zone. Derek Morris then converted a 30-yard field goal to give the Minutemen a commanding 24-7 advantage with 3:42 left in the half.
UMass carried that 17-point cushion into halftime.
Defense Finishes the Job
The Minutemen added to their advantage early in the second half.
UMass put together a 10-play, 41-yard possession, with Watson contributing a 15-yard scramble to keep the drive alive. Harding caught consecutive passes to move the offense into Rutgers territory before Morris drilled a 52-yard field goal.
The kick pushed the UMass advantage to 27-7 with 8:22 remaining in the third quarter.
Rutgers struggled to generate consistent offense and repeatedly found itself in difficult situations.
The Scarlet Knights were stopped on fourth-and-one with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter, turning the ball over on downs.
Rutgers later converted a fourth-and-two, but Reed ended the possession by intercepting Lonergan on the first play of the fourth quarter.
UMass continued to squeeze Rutgers with field position and defensive pressure.
After a punt pinned Rutgers near its own goal line, Jahmad Harmon intercepted Lonergan at the Rutgers 12-yard line. Morris converted another field goal, this one from 31 yards, to make the score 30-7 with 7:54 remaining.
Rutgers briefly gave its fans hope when Lonergan connected with Duff on a 78-yard touchdown play, cutting the deficit to 30-14.
But any possibility of a comeback disappeared moments later.
With 4:35 remaining, Harmon intercepted Lonergan for the second time. Kimmons IV then delivered the decisive blow, breaking loose for a 17-yard touchdown run after first picking up five yards.
UMass suddenly had a 37-14 lead.
Rutgers managed one final touchdown, completing an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a six-yard scoring pass with 1:57 remaining.
The Scarlet Knights recovered little else from the night, however. UMass recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the remaining clock.
Turnovers Tell the Story
Rutgers finished with 349 total yards, but the Scarlet Knights repeatedly hurt themselves with mistakes.
Lonergan was responsible for four turnovers, including three interceptions and a fumble. Rutgers also struggled on third down, converting only three of 11 attempts.
UMass, meanwhile, generated 397 yards of offense and, most importantly, did not commit a single turnover.
The Minutemen’s balance on both sides of the football proved to be the difference.
Harasymiak, who spent three seasons as Rutgers’ defensive coordinator from 2022 through 2024 before being hired to replace Don Brown at UMass, said the victory represented the payoff from months of preparation.
“Certainly super proud of the guys,” Harasymiak said. “Couldn’t be happier for them. Everything we’ve talked about, everything we’ve worked for came to fruition tonight.”
Harasymiak’s first season at UMass ended with an 0-12 record in 2025, making Thursday’s result even more striking. The Minutemen had lost to FCS opponent Bryant by one point last season and had only one other one-score loss against an FBS opponent.
Now, the program has a victory that could change the perception surrounding UMass football.
“It’s going to change around here,” Harasymiak said. “I believed in it from the beginning. Just glad we were able to show it tonight.”
A New Beginning for UMass?
UMass has struggled considerably since moving into the FBS ranks. The Minutemen, who won the 1998 FCS national championship, had not won more than four games in a season during the previous 14 years, reaching four victories only twice.
They had finished with two wins or fewer in eight of their previous 13 full seasons and went 0-4 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
Thursday night, however, offered a glimpse of what the program could become under Harasymiak.
For Rutgers, the loss immediately raises questions about the remainder of the season.
The Scarlet Knights finished 5-7 in 2025 and now face a difficult Big Ten schedule that includes matchups with USC, Indiana, Michigan and Penn State. A second consecutive season without a bowl appearance suddenly appears to be a legitimate possibility.
For UMass, the outlook is considerably different.
The Minutemen entered the season searching for momentum and left Thursday night with something far more significant: a statement victory over a Big Ten opponent, a first win for their new head coach and perhaps the beginning of a new era for the program.
What began as a massive mismatch on paper ended with UMass celebrating one of the most significant victories in school history.
