The Massachusetts football team took the field for its first spring game under new head coach Joe Harasymiak on Saturday. Players were split up between maroon jerseys and white jerseys, evenly divided to create the best competition possible.

After making 16 additions to the defensive side of the ball and four special teamers in the offseason, Saturday marked the first opportunity for the new players to play together in a game-like scenario. The defense only had three play calls installed for the game, but still made the most of their opportunities. Here’s a look into what we saw out of each position group.

Front Seven

Joshua Nobles made his presence known as a new member of the front seven for the Minutemen, creating consistent havoc in the backfield. The senior Jackson State and Western Michigan transfer tallied one sack, but realistically could’ve been awarded three if not for the lack of full tackling allowed on Saturday.

“Being able to rush four and get home, just opens up so many things in the coverage aspect,” Harasymiak said. “Certainly [Nobles], and what he’s able to do on the edge, and we move him around a little bit, and we’ll move him around more.”

The defensive line as a whole flashed throughout the day on both sides, making things difficult for quarterbacks and running backs to get into a rhythm. Aquan Robinson was very prominent in that aspect as well, using his size and explosiveness to fill running gaps and make a few tackles for loss.

Linebackers didn’t pop as much on the stat sheet or on the eye test, but the lack of a successful passing game over the middle of the field was prevalent across all four quarters. Derrieon Craig and Tyler Martin showcased their leadership, making adjustments before the snap and coaching up their younger, less experienced teammates.

It’s hard to interpret too much from a scrimmage where players aren’t tackling to the ground, but the physicality seemed to be there for both defenses. Players in the trenches were giving it close to 100 percent on each snap, with a few accidental tackles being made in the process.

Play action gave the front seven some problems on Saturday, with players biting too hard up front and taking themselves out of the play. This led to a few easy plays for the offenses, with plenty of time in the pocket and a lack of defensive presence in the middle of the field.

Both offenses struggled to move the ball, especially early on, with a few big plays proving to be the difference. The front seven will need to solidify itself moving forward and be even more consistent at making opponents uncomfortable, to keep points off the board in the fall.

Defensive Backs

Three standouts in the secondary were JC Clark, Kamren Watkins-Hunter and Michael Pangaro. The trio made a number of important pass breakups when the ball was thrown their way, including an interception by Pangaro.

Physicality at the line of scrimmage was a common theme for the corners, playing a lot of press man coverage. This hurt them at times, getting burned on crossing routes across the field on multiple occasions. 

Despite the large amount of man coverage, the safeties for UMass did their best to help out in the run game as much as possible. Graduate Virginia and Clemson transfer Malcolm Greene flew in, filling open gaps on multiple occasions, which in a normal game setting, would’ve resulted in big contact.

The Minutemen’s defensive backs conceded a handful of contested catches down the field, one of which resulted in a touchdown. The corner backs needed to be a bit more aggressive in those spots and break on the ball just a beat sooner. Once the real schedule begins, the secondary has to deny those back-breaking contested catches, especially on later downs.

Seven out of the top eight tacklers across both teams were defensive backs, including a game-high seven from Jashon Watkins. Many of these tackles came on third down, helping lead to an overall 11-for-25 conversion rate on third down offensively.

“From an overall standpoint, I think we’re understanding the defense,” Harasymiak said. “We’re learning.” 

Special Teams

Two new kickers and a punter took the field for UMass on special teams in Saturday’s spring game. Kicking was certainly not one of the Minutemen’s areas of expertise in 2024, forcing the coaching staff to make significant changes personnel-wise. UMass was 13-for-21 in the field goal department in 2024, going 3-for-10 from 40-plus yards.

Sophomore Derek Morris started for the maroon team, connecting on a 30-yard field goal attempt and nailing an extra point as well. Morris transferred in from California after finishing 11-for-15 on field goals in his freshman year. He has staked his claim to be the starting kicker, and it seems like his job to lose at this point.

 The team donning white jerseys was represented by kickers Bennett Abbe and Marcus Lye. Abbe made both of his extra point attempts in the scrimmage. Lye had a chance to win the spring game for the white team, but his 48-yarder went wide right in the last action of the contest.

On the punting front, Keegan Andrews held down the duty for both teams. The junior arrived from Texas A&M and is currently the lone punter on the roster. Andrews let 10 total punts fly on Saturday, totaling 423 yards for an average of 42.3 yards per punt. His longest punt went for 50 yards on the dot, while four of his attempts landed inside the 20-yard line. There was no punt coverage for either team and each one was met by a fair catch, so Andrews did not have the benefit of any fortunate rolls. He showed off his impressive airtime, though.

“We had probably four to five punts, where [Andrews] was punting from about the opposite 40, and was able to place the ball right on the 10,” Harasymiak said. “I mean, basically, it’s like ‘The Sandlot.’ Guy put his hand up, and he threw it right to him. So he’s just going to be a weapon for us.”

“Field position’s huge, and special teams is a third of the game, and that’s somewhere where we need to drastically improve.”

Mike Maynard can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X @mikecmaynard.

Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X at cam_pellegrino.