Thursday night delivered one of those jaw-dropping upsets you just don’t see coming. UMass, a team that rolled into the game with a brutal 16-game losing streak , including a winless 0-12 record in 2025 , absolutely stunned Rutgers, taking them down 37-21. It was a historic night for the Minutemen, marking their first win against a power conference opponent since way back in 1978. Seriously, let that sink in.
The Scarlet Knights Got Licked
From the jump, UMass looked like a completely different team than the one that dropped 16 straight. They dominated the first half, walking into halftime with a commanding 24-7 lead. They didn’t let up either, extending that advantage to 30-7 before Rutgers could even get back on the scoreboard. The Scarlet Knights tried to mount a late comeback, but it just wasn’t enough. UMass was firing on all cylinders, racking up 397 yards of total offense, including a massive 200 rushing yards. Meanwhile, Rutgers struggled hard, managing only seven points through three quarters and coughing up four crucial turnovers. You just can’t win football games playing like that.
Schiano Takes the Blame, and That’s Everything
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano didn’t mince words after the game. He took full responsibility for the shocking defeat, a stark admission you don’t always hear. “I wanna congratulate UMass and coach Harasymiak, his staff and players,” Schiano said. “They out coached us, they out-coached me, they out-played our players. We got licked tonight. There’s no other thing to say about it.” Talk about owning it. This wasn’t some fluke; Schiano clearly felt his team was simply out-executed from top to bottom. And get this, UMass even walked away with $1.55 million from Rutgers just to play the game on their home turf. That’s a pretty sweet deal for a historic win!
So, what now for Rutgers? They’ve got to regroup fast, because next up is Boston College on Sept. 11. After getting “licked” like that, every single play in their next matchup is going to be under a microscope. Can they shake off this historic loss? We’ll be watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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