The Massachusetts football team reached another program milestone Saturday in its long-winded history. After nine years in independence, the team opened its second era of Mid-American Conference football against Western Michigan at home, looking to regroup after a winless non-conference slate.
While Minutemen (0-5, 0-1 MAC) fans may have forgotten the culture of the conference during their time away, the game couldn’t have served as a better reminder of what they were missing. In a 21-3 loss to the Broncos (3-3, 2-0 MAC), gritty football ruled the day, as explosive plays were swapped out for battles in the trenches.
Despite the low score, UMass’ offense was given opportunities to win the game. The team had five drives that wound up inside Western Michigan’s 30-yard line, but only once did they come away with points (a 36-yard Derek Morris field goal). Apart from that, golden opportunities on offense resulted in two turnovers on downs, an interception and a missed Morris field goal attempt.
“[The lack of points] just came down to kind of an accumulation of probably everything,” head coach Joe Harasymiak said. “Penalties, execution putting us back … we’re just not consistent enough, [Western Michigan was] and they got it done.”
The team’s worst missed chance came at the tail end of the third quarter. Initially stopped on offense, a Keegan Andrews punt was muffed by Josh Franklin and recovered by linebacker Timmy Hinspeter inside the red zone. Needing points, the Minutemen went just five yards in four plays, turning the ball over following a lobbed fourth-down pass to the end zone that was broken up.
On the other side of the ball, the Broncos never lost trust in their rushers, even in moments when it seemed as if the Minutemen defense had them figured out. Defensive coordinator Jared Keyte’s unit dealt with 42 rushing attempts on the day, and 41 of them were held to just 4.7 yards a pop.
The 42nd rush was different from the rest. With just over eight minutes to play, backup running back Devin Miles took a carry down the left side of the field, as UMass committed to a run down the middle. After avoiding one defender, safety Zeraun Daniel went for a leg tackle on Miles at the five-yard line while Kendall Bournes had him wrapped up. They weren’t an issue for the senior back, who shed off Daniel’s attempt and rode both Bournes and another defender into the end zone for a game-sealing 25-yard score.
After missing the past two games due to injury, Brandon Rose returned as the starter under center for the home team. His day was defined by inconsistency, as accurate throws were coupled with tough misfires. The Utah transfer was turnover-free, but that was largely due to UMass’ risk-averse offensive game plan, which focused on its ground game and short passes from Rose to Gibson. By the end of the third quarter, both players were out of the game: Gibson had suffered an injury right before halftime, while Rose was benched for redshirt freshman AJ Hairston.
“We’re just not playing well enough [at quarterback], no matter who it is,” Harasymiak said. “All three guys have had opportunities. At some point, someone’s got to take it and go.”
The Minutemen finished the game with five penalties – just a hair above their season average of 4.5 – but most came at inopportune times for the team. Their first flag wiped a 17-yard rushing touchdown off the board, as it was ruled that tight end Reece Adkins created an illegal formation by lining up in the neutral zone. Their two other offensive penalties wiped out gains of 23 and 15, respectively, and a pass interference call in the second quarter led to Western Michigan’s first touchdown.
Before leaving the game, Rose went 9-of-17 for 72 yards. Leading a much more pass-heavy offense, Hairston went 11-of-18 for 131 yards and an interception. With starter Rocko Griffin out, North Texas transfer Juwaun Price led UMass’ ground game with six carries for 54 yards, while Gibson racked up 70 yards on six catches before departing.
Leading the Minutemen on defense for the second week in a row was Hinspeter, who’s quickly became one of the premier tacklers in the MAC. The Rutgers transfer finished with 14 tackles (eight solo) and a forced fumble, making multiple crucial stops when his team needed them.
Broncos quarterback Broc Lowry went 18-of-25 for 163 yards and a touchdown in the winning effort, finding completions in the flats most often. He also led the team with 92 rushing yards and a four-yard touchdown scamper. The Western Michigan defense finished with five sacks, including two from senior defensive end Nadame Tucker.
UMass heads on the road to play Kent State next in a matchup of winless MAC schools. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
Dean Wendel can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @DeanWende1.
