UMass, a team that went 0-12 last season, just marched into Rutgers and absolutely hammered them 37-21 on Thursday night. This wasn’t some lucky break, folks, this was a straight-up domination that snapped the Minutemen’s 16-game losing streak against FBS teams, which was the longest in the entire country.
Nobody Saw This Coming, But UMass Earned Every Bit of It
Let’s be real, almost nobody in college football expected this. UMass was a ridiculous 29.5-point underdog coming into this game. Think about that for a second. FBS teams favored by 29 or more points were 213-0 since 2024. Rutgers’ 16-point loss here is only the fifth-largest by a favorite of 25-plus points since 2000. It’s truly wild. The last time UMass beat an FBS program was way back on October 28, 2023, when they edged out Army 21-14. This win? It wasn’t a fluke. UMass scored on their first four drives and didn’t even punt until there were only 100 seconds left in the third quarter. They came to play. This is their first win over a Power Four team since moving to FBS in 2012, and their first over a power conference opponent since 1978! Oh, and they were 0-9 all-time against Big Ten opponents before this. History just got rewritten.
Pop Watson Is Already A Problem For Defenses
A massive reason for this incredible offensive outburst, especially compared to last season’s average of 11.1 points per game where they never cracked 26 points, was quarterback Pop Watson. He spent three seasons at Virginia Tech without breaking through, but his transfer to UMass is already paying off big time. Watson, a three-star recruit and the No. 44 quarterback in the 2023 signing class, showed exactly why Power Four programs wanted him out of high school. He lit up Rutgers with his arm and his legs, giving their defense fits, especially in the first half. Watson’s elusiveness was a nightmare, and he dropped a couple of perfectly placed balls, including a fantastic touchdown strike to Joseph Griffin Jr. He was the engine behind UMass scoring on each of their first three drives.
This UMass squad, after that kind of performance across every phase, could be piling up even more wins as the season rolls on. What a start to their year.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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