The Massachusetts football team showed off its new-look rushing attack on Saturday in a 28-14 loss to Eastern Michigan in the season opener. Four different guys did work on the ground, with two new transfers and two returners who were in and out of games in 2023 making up the bunch.
In 2023, the ground game for the Minutemen (0-1) was headlined by Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams and Greg Desrosiers Jr., who both transferred to new teams in 2024. The duo left big shoes to fill for UMass, with the program now having to rebuild at a position that was supposed to be one of its strong suits.
Jalen John was stuck behind the two prolific rushing threats in his first season playing for the maroon and white, only tallying 31 yards on 10 carries on the season. The door opened in 2024 for John to stand out in what was presumed to be a bigger role, and on Saturday, he took advantage.
The redshirt junior ran for 53 yards on the ground while scoring his first career touchdown on a one-yard carry up the middle in the third quarter. John used his patience and vision to dart through holes created up front by his offensive line in each of his opportunities.
“I thought [John] did a good job [Saturday],” head coach Don Brown said. “Here’s a guy that did nothing a year ago, and back when I was at Arizona in [2021], he was a solid contributor. I thought he showed those traits [Saturday], so that was good to see.”
The other returner to the Minutemen’s rushing attack was quarterback Taisun Phommachanh. The redshirt senior rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown in his first game with UMass against New Mexico State in 2023, and before getting hurt in the following game, had 34 yards on the ground with another score against Auburn.
After suffering his knee injury in the Minutemen’s second game of the season in 2023, Phommachanh was used in much more of a pocket passing role, not finishing a game with positive rushing yards from game three on.
Phommachanh used the offseason to recover and get healthy for the 2024 season, and seemed to be back to his old ways in the opener. The quarterback ran the ball 16 times for 90 yards without counting sacks against his numbers. What was most impressive was his confidence with the ball in his hands, as his six-foot-four, 220-pound frame wasn’t afraid to evade tacklers or fight for extra yards.
“If [Phommachanh] wasn’t healthy, he would not be playing,” Brown said. “We did not play him at all during the wintertime, during the springtime … so that when his moment came here this season, he’d be ready to go.”
Two new members of the UMass ground game made their debuts on Saturday alongside the returners, with CJ Hester especially making his presence known. The Western Michigan transfer ran for 36 yards on eight attempts with a two-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap off his night.
After one season with the Broncos where Hester rushed for 124 yards in eight games, the sophomore decided to take his talents to Amherst. He showed great burst on Saturday, truly looking as if he was shot out of a cannon in the backfield at times.
The last man to get attempts in the run game was Houston transfer Brandon Campbell. The redshirt junior made his way to UMass just 15 days prior to game one and got three carries in his first game with the Minutemen for six yards.
Campbell showed flashes and looks to be another asset to UMass, but his time was cut short on Saturday after receiving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second quarter and subsequently being subbed out.
Despite the tough loss against the Eagles (1-0), the Minutemen proved that their biggest unknown aspect of the roster can produce at a high level. UMass holds its running backs to a high standard, and will be looking for more success to come in the future.
The team has an opportunity to bounce back on Saturday, September 7 against Toledo on the road. Kickoff from the Glass Bowl is set for 3:30 p.m.
Mike Maynard can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X @mikecmaynard.
