UMass goes from 0-12 to dominating Rutgers as 29.5-point underdog

UMass snapped a 16-game losing streak and scored its biggest upset in school history, blasting Rutgers 37-21 on Thursday in Piscataway, N.J.

The Minutemen (1-0) were 29.5-point underdogs yet completely overpowered the Big Ten squad in every phase. It marked just the program’s second win against a current Power 4 program, with the first coming against BYU in 2018. However, BYU was an independent at the time, and UMass was just a 4-point underdog. The last time UMass beat a true major-conference team was in 1978 against Boston College.

According to On The Banks, Rutgers paid UMass $1.55 million for the guarantee game, and the Minutemen’s win against Rutgers was nothing short of dominant.

After trailing 7-0 early, the Minutemen scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and forced five Rutgers turnovers. They outrushed the Scarlet Knights 200-30 and averaged 6.4 yards per play.

The superlatives didn’t stop there for UMass. Quarterback William “Pop” Watson, a Virginia Tech transfer, completed 19 of 22 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 40 yards. The defense generated four sacks, and the offense didn’t punt until the final two minutes of the third quarter.

It marked the first win at UMass for second-year coach Joe Harasymiak, who was Rutgers’ defensive coordinator under Greg Schiano for three seasons before accepting the head coaching job at UMass. He also previously worked as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator.

The upset erases a dismal 2025 campaign for the Minutemen that saw them rank last nationally in both points scored (11.1 per game) and points allowed (38.6 per game). UMass was 0-12 and scored more than 14 points just twice and allowed at least 42 points eight times.

UMass hasn’t had a winning season since 2010. Since the Minutemen moved up to FBS, they are 26-134 overall. They hadn’t beaten an FBS team since topping Army in 2023.

For Rutgers, this was nothing short of a disaster. Despite bringing back two of the Big Ten’s top playmakers in receiver K.J. Duff and running back Antwan Raymond, the Scarlet Knights failed to mount any type of running game and were blasted along the line of scrimmage.

The loss invites questions about the program’s direction under Schiano. The Scarlet Knights failed to reach a bowl game last year and are 31-42 since he returned to the program in 2020. Schiano has three years left on his contract, and to buy him out after this season would cost Rutgers $17.3 million.

Duff was the only bright spot for Rutgers. He caught nine passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns.