With a forced fumble, fumble recovery and a flurry of tackles, Timmy Hinspeter showed his value as the man in the middle of the Massachusetts football team’s defense on Saturday. UMass’ (0-5, 0-1 Mid-American Conference) middle linebacker wreaked havoc in his team’s 21-3 loss to Western Michigan.
“I felt [Hinspeter] again [on the field],” head coach Joe Harasymiak said. “I’m proud of him, proud he’s on our team.”
After the Minutemen struck first with a Derek Morris field goal, the Broncos (3-3, 2-0 MAC) were on the verge of going three-and-out, but a roughing the punter penalty by Kezion Dia-Johnson revived the drive.
The penalty could’ve been a costly mistake for UMass, but Hinspeter shut down Western Michigan’s newfound offensive life. On a second-and-6 at midfield, Jalen Buckley took a handoff up the middle, barreling into the linebacker’s chest.
Hinspeter embraced the contact and popped the ball loose, giving the Minutemen offense the possession they anticipated two plays before. UMass’ offense took over at its own 42-yard line but didn’t make anything of the potential momentum swing, punting in four plays.
This wasn’t the only instance where Hinspeter gave the Minutemen a prime offensive opportunity. With 15 seconds left in the third quarter, Keegan Andrews punted to Broncos returner Josh Franklin, who muffed the twisting ball forward.
Hinspeter was the first man to the ball, securing it on the ground and starting a new UMass possession in the red zone. Again, the Minutemen offense made nothing of this opportunity with a turnover on downs in four plays.
Along with his unrivaled presence in the turnover battle, Hinspeter led his team in tackles with 14. Eight of those were solo tackles, marking a career-high for the Rutgers transfer.
In the third quarter, the Montgomery, New York native had two drives where he totaled three or more tackles. He ended one of those drives by tracking down Ofa Mataele one-on-one in the flat, not letting the running back get in open space.
Hinspeter leads UMass and is third in the MAC in total tackles with 55. Thirty-one of those tackles are from the last two games as he had a 17-tackle performance against Missouri.
The Minutemen’s premier linebacker also logged his first career interception against the Tigers. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound defender returned Beau Pribula’s errant pass 63 yards to set up the only UMass touchdown of the night.
In addition to his impact in the open field, Hinspeter has been one of the Minutemen’s best in penetrating the backfield. With two sacks and four tackles for loss, Hinspeter ranks second for UMass, trailing Marques White in both categories.
“[Hinspeter’s] a guy that was with me [at Rutgers],” Harasymiak said. “He makes plays because of his preparation. He’s bringing guys along with him, I think that’s a big part of it too on defense.”
After spending the past two seasons as a Scarlet Knight with his now-head coach, Hinspeter followed Harasymiak to the Minutemen and has flourished in a prominent defensive role. He totaled 21 tackles and a tackle for loss with Rutgers in 18 games played.
While the UMass defense has had a rough start to 2025, Hinspeter has been a bright spot and leader for this group.
The Minutemen visit Kent State next on Oct. 11, kicking off at 2:30 p.m. That game can be watched live on ESPN+.
Tym Brown can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @tym_brown1.
