Pop Watson III passed for 197 yards and three touchdowns as UMass ended a 16-game losing streak with a 37-21 win over Rutgers in the season opener for both teams Thursday night. The streak had been the longest active losing streak in the FBS, and the Minutemen's last win against an FBS school had come against Army in 2023.
Watson connected with Elijah Faulkner on two touchdowns and Joseph Griffin Jr. for one touchdown as UMass built a 24-7 halftime lead. It was the Minutemen's first halftime lead against a power conference school since leading Mississippi State in 2017. Watson, a transfer from Virginia Tech, completed 19 passes spread among eight receivers and added 40 yards on six carries, leading UMass to scores on seven of its 10 drives.
UMass' 16-point victory was the largest win by an underdog of 29-plus points since Texas State defeated Houston 30-13 in Week 1 on Sept. 1, 2012, in the Bobcats' first game as an FBS program, according to ESPN Research. Texas State had been a 35-point underdog entering that game.
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said, "We got outlicked, outplayed and outcoached. There is no other way to say it. I didn't have them ready." Rutgers continued its defensive woes from last season, when it allowed at least 30 points in eight of its 12 games.
UMass coach Joe Harasymiak previously served as Rutgers' defensive coordinator from 2022 to 2024 and grew up in Waldwick, New Jersey, about 40 miles from the Rutgers campus. He had family and friends at SHI Stadium to witness the Minutemen's biggest win since joining the FBS in 2012. "I think probably the most special part about it is my mom, my dad are here and my two brothers," Harasymiak said. "I just FaceTimed my wife and my kids; they're at home.
Written from ESPN's report. Their story has the full detail.
