The Massachusetts football team is giving Kent State a run for its money in the competition no one wants to win. The Golden Flashes (1-4, 0-1 Mid-American) have lived in the MAC’s cellar for two consecutive seasons, sporting a 1-23 record during that period. On Saturday, the schools will battle to climb out of the conference basement.
The Minutemen (0-5, 0-1 MAC) stamped their return to conference play with a 21-3 loss against Western Michigan. The contest was the first of its kind in a decade, following the 10 years that UMass spent as an independent.
Kent State is one of the very few teams with recent struggles comparable to the Minutemen’s. The Golden Flashes last defeated an FBS opponent in 2022, having dropped the previous 26 attempts at doing so. It’s a similar story for UMass, which has failed to defeat its last 16 FBS adversaries. The schools’ combined three wins since 2024 have all come against FCS opposition.
Among the Minutemen’s long list of hardships, the faltering quarterback room is one of the most glaring. Multiple quarterbacks have taken significant snaps in all five losses thus far. Brandon Rose began the season as the starter, but Grant Jordan and AJ Hairston were both forced into starts after Rose suffered an injury. The trio of signal callers have played an equal share this season, though none have seized the opportunity to secure the starting role.
“I think we’ve given everybody an opportunity and no one’s taken it and run away with it,” head coach Joe Harasymiak said. “The quarterback gets the spotlight, everybody wants to get on coach [Bajakian] for play-calling, but at the end of the day, there’s 10 other people besides the quarterback that are not playing at a high level.”
The sum of injuries has shrunk across the last couple of weeks, but wide receiver Jacquon Gibson’s addition to the report is the most consequential absence of all. Gibson has been UMass’ only legitimate receiving threat and, according to Harasymiak, is the best player on the roster. The Fayetteville, N.C., native had accounted for every Minutemen receiving yard when a game-ending injury struck in the dying moments of the first half against the Broncos. Starting running back Rocko Griffin also missed the game.
“[Gibson and Griffin] were out there running [Monday], we’ll see how they progress during the week,” Harasymiak said. “We’re going to need every one of these days to get them back … I know those two, their mindset will put them in the best position to be available, so hopefully we get them back.”
Harasymiak has placed his focus on three central areas of a given game: turnovers, penalties and explosive plays. For the first time this campaign, UMass succeeded in winning or breaking even on the net quantity of all three in the loss. Even so, the Minutemen managed to score just one field goal, continuing a growing trend of mere offensive ineptitude.
On the opposite side of the ball, the linebacker corps has emerged as the most formidable position group roster-wide. Led by Timmy Hinspeter — who ranks No. 3 in the MAC in total tackles, with a combined 31 across his last two contests — UMass has also leaned on Tyler Martin, Rashad Henry and hybrid linebacker Derrieon Craig for key defensive contributions. Hinspeter and Martin are also responsible for two of the Minutemen’s three total interceptions on the year.
Kent State will trot out Dru DeShields at quarterback, who was left on the sideline as a healthy scratch in its final non-conference matchup of the season against Oklahoma last time out. This was likely done in an attempt to protect him from the Sooners’ menacing defensive front, which leads all of FBS with 4.2 sacks per game.
DeShields transforms the Golden Flashes’ attack when he’s in the game. He is an improviser and a playmaker, often making the best of a subpar offensive line. Across one full game and three other partial appearances, the redshirt sophomore has amassed 642 passing yards with five passing touchdowns, two rushing and just one interception. UMass hasn’t had answers for mobile quarterbacks, leaving DeShields well-positioned to become the latest scrambler to exploit that weakness.
“I know [DeShields] didn’t play last week, but he scares me,” Harasymiak said. “From the ability, to when things break down, he can run. He was outrunning the Buffalo defense a lot. … I think it’s going to be a challenge for us.”
Neither team in this matchup has prospered in the run game. Minutemen running backs have combined for 3.7 yards per carry this season, while Kent State is far worse with a measly 2.6. Brandon Hood started in place of Griffin last game, but was far less effective than his counterpart Juwaun Price, who took six carries for 54 yards. True freshman Elijah Faulkner also showed off his quick first step, but was held to just 14 yards on his seven attempts.
The Golden Flashes’ workhorse is redshirt junior Gavin Garcia. Garcia has only lost three yards across his 64 carries, but his 183 net rushing yards speak to the team-wide rushing inefficiency. Kent State is led by wideout Cade Wolford in the receiving game, a redshirt freshman who has hauled in four touchdowns and 242 receiving yards.
Kickoff in Kent, Ohio is set for Saturday, Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. The game can be streamed live from Dix Stadium on ESPN+.
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @cam_pellegrino.
