It might just be me looking back fondly on my time covering the Massachusetts football team. It might just be the fact that after a season fraught with hardships, UMass (2-10) has put in arguably its three best performances of the season consecutively in its final three games. And it might just be the fact that after firing former head coach Don Brown during the season, a cacophony of off-the-field situations and on-field injuries, the Minutemen seemed to put all of that noise behind them against their rival UConn.
It might just be because of those reasons, but I believe that was one of the best offensive performances I’ve seen from UMass in my three years covering the team. But a game that was so winnable once again slipped through the fingers of the Minutemen, as the Huskies (8-4) held on and won 47-42.
The three phases of the game must improve if the Minutemen want to succeed in their new conference. Special teams have been the bane of the existence for fans of maroon and white for at least as long as I’ve been covering the team. I wrote back in Sept. 2022 that special teams was the Achilles heel for UMass and that games that had been blowouts would have been, if not wins, at least much closer than the 40-plus point margins that plagued Brown’s first year.
Now, two seasons later, special teams are still costing the Minutemen wins. Even taking the missed field goal against Liberty (which would have given UMass its first FBS win of the year) away, special teams once again cost UMass against UConn. A 96-yard kickoff return touchdown in the late stages of the first quarter was just another chapter in the book of special teams’ blunders. It is, of course, unknown whether the Huskies would have scored that drive if not for the return touchdown. But in a game that was lost by five points, that must be the mistake that is pointed to first.
Penalties are another area that has yet to improve in the three years I’ve covered this team. How many times did it seem like UMass had just busted off a big run to the outside before you saw the yellow flag fly through the air? How many yards did opposing offenses gain because of a defender’s hand on a receiver’s jersey that interfered with his ability to catch the ball?
And on Saturday, penalties reared their ugly head. The 10 penalties the Minutemen accrued are already nothing to sneeze at, but looking at the nature of the penalties makes it abundantly clear how much of a problem it truly is. Three penalties for an illegal shift on offense and an illegal substitution penalty on defense show the discombobulated nature of UMass football in its current form.
“We had to burn a couple of timeouts there in the first half … we just [got to] do a better job,” interim head coach Shane Montgomery said. “We had some miscommunication, and that can’t happen … I think we had 12 men on the field twice.”
And despite this, UMass lost by five in a game that had the line set at -10.5 for UConn. There are things here that can be built upon. But I’ve thought that there were things to be built upon after every close loss that I’ve seen this team play in over the last three seasons.
I thought it after the UMass vs. UConn game in 2022 when it looked like Brady Olson had finally turned the corner and gotten over the yips that seemed to follow him everywhere at UMass. I thought it after the overtime loss to New Mexico in 2023 where Ahmad Haston, as a true freshman, rallied the team into overtime after injuries to both Taisun Phommachanh the game previous and backup Carlos Davis during the contest.
And I found myself thinking it again on Saturday, as I mentioned above. AJ Hairston, a true freshman mind you, led an offense that scored 28 points in a half, the most UMass put up in a half this season, while also throwing three touchdowns. Jalen John and CJ Hester both had over 50 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown, and those are two players who, barring a transfer, will be suiting up for the Minutemen next season.
There are always good things to be built upon after these close losses. UMass just hasn’t gotten the permits yet to start construction.
Who knows where this program will be in three year’s time? Joining the Mid-American Conference can only mean good things for the future of football in Massachusetts. I’ve only known and covered this team as an independent, meaning I’ve seen more buy games than most group of five schools have played in the past decade. Those should become fewer and farther between in a conference.
And with a new head coach coming into the fray soon, things could be shaken up. But there’s a foundation here that, if everything goes right, could be competing for bowl eligibility and eventually a MAC title.
If the Minutemen aren’t there in another three years, then something has gone horribly wrong. But honestly? That might just be par for the course.
Johnny Depin can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X @Jdepin101.
