The Massachusetts football team opened its season Saturday in uneventful fashion. Despite a home crowd that was among the program’s largest over the last few seasons, UMass (0-1) couldn’t make a good first impression on new and returning fans alike. In its first of five games against the MAC this season, the Minutemen’s future conference went up 1-0, with the Eastern Michigan Eagles notching a 28-14 win over UMass.
Despite the rough showing overall, not everything went poorly for the Minutemen. Don Brown’s bunch had some bright spots, even if they were few and far between.
Starting from the top, UMass quarterback Taisun Phommachanh played a relatively mistake-free game. The former Clemson and Georgia Tech signal-caller made a couple of questionable reads, but those were to be expected from a player who missed considerable time with a knee injury last season. Phommachanh completed 20 of his 30 passes for 177 yards, and while no touchdowns were scored through the air for the Minutemen, no interceptions were thrown either. Phommachanh had some good short-to-intermediate throws, finding receivers over the middle of the field and in the flats. Add in 57 rushing yards, and the senior quarterback had one of his best days in a UMass uniform.
“I think [Taisun had] a pretty solid day,” head coach Don Brown said. “The bottom line is, the guy is a warrior. And I think he’s a Sunday player. I really do.”
The Minutemen’s ground game had even more success than its play through the air. UMass out-ran the Eagles (1-0) by 18 yards thanks to a healthy dose of Phommachanh and Jalen John, who saw spotty playing time in 2023. John had a consistent mix of speed and power in the backfield, while Western Michigan transfer CJ Hester gave the Minutemen offense a little more flash.
With zero turnovers, solid quarterback play and success on the ground, the blame for UMass’ low scoring output rests mainly on the offensive line, which was by far the team’s biggest weakness. Last season, Eastern Michigan failed to get more than four sacks in a game. Saturday, they had five in the first half. Passing plays where Phommachanh received a clean pocket were few and far between, and on the left side especially, the Eagles were creating havoc.
On the other side, the Minutemen’s havoc was nowhere to be seen, allowing quarterback Cole Snyder and the Eastern Michigan offense to methodically press down the field. Snyder was afforded more time to loft fades and streaks to his receivers, which were delivered on-target throughout much of the game. UMass occasionally got pressure, but failed to reach Snyder before the quarterback got rid of the ball. The final team stats show the defense’s struggles: two tackles for loss and zero sacks.
After finishing third-last nationally in penalties per game last year, UMass continued to shoot itself in the foot. 10 flags were enforced on the Minutemen Saturday, two above their 2023 average. The fouls came in all facets, from a Brandon Campbell unsportsmanlike conduct that Brown said stemmed from a “JV attitude” to a delay of game that hindered the team’s ability to end the first half with points.
With four MAC schools and one FCS program making up the team’s next five games, the runway is there for the Minutemen to win games and get better without having to play their best football. Saturday’s performance wasn’t rock-bottom for UMass, but it shows that the program has a ways to go if it wants to seriously challenge its opponents during its brutal final six-game stretch.
“I don’t have a lack of optimism,” Brown said. “We didn’t get it done. Ask me, did I think we were going to have two penalties that were going to lead to touchdown drives on defense? No… You need the offense and defense to be complimentary. I didn’t think there was much of that at all.”
Next up for the Minutemen is Toledo, a program that lost its main stars in the offseason but who typically ranks as one of the MAC’s elites. More consistent offensive line play, better discipline and other team weaknesses won’t be fixed overnight, but improvement against the Rockets would be a great place to start.
Dean Wendel can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X @DeanWende1.
