UMass, finally, wins in 37-21 statement game against Rutgers
The Minutemen showed moxie to clinch their first FBS win since 2023-- and first-ever win against a "Power Four" program
After 14 years at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, the UMass Minutemen have finally beaten a Power conference team– and in dominant fashion.
UMass (1-0) pushed Rutgers (0-1) around like a playground bully for the final three quarters in what would turn out to be a 37-21 win in Piscataway, New Jersey on Thursday night in front of a nationwide audience, snapping a 16-game losing streak dating back to 2024, a 23-game FBS losing streak dating back to 2023, and a 48-year losing streak against current Power programs. All in one night.
As UMass Radio Network play-by-play announcer Jay Burnham said so eloquently post-game: "A decade of despair, gone, in a single evening."
This was not just UMass outlasting a Power Four foe. The Minutemen looked like the better team for the final 52 minutes of the game. Many UMass fans likely found themselves asking asking the question during the game and most certainly afterwards: could it be that Pop Watson III was on to something with his offseason promise?
Watson dazzled in his Minutemen debut, completing 19 of his 22 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for an additional 40 yards on the night– with a running score called back on penalty. The running back duo of Curtis Kimmons IV and Elijah Faulkner, unknown to the college football world prior to kickoff, combined for 140 of UMass’ 200 rushing yards.
The defense rattled Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan, intercepting three of his passes and holding Scarlet Knight star running back Antwan Raymond to 42 yards on 14 carries.
Early on, it looked as if UMass maintained its 2025 form as Rutgers drove 75 yards on its opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. Dylan Lonergan’s four-yard touchdown pass put UMass in a hole less than nine minutes into the game.
However, the Minutemen responded quickly, driving 75 yards in seven plays to tie the game with 5:26 left in the first. UMass never looked back, scoring 17 more unanswered points to end the half with a 24-7 lead.
In the second half, the defense bent but held strong when it mattered most. The Minutemen stopped Rutgers on a 4th-and-one at the UMass 12 late in the third quarter up 27-7.
On Rutgers’ ensuing drive, Isaiah Reed intercepted Dylan Lonergan at the UMass 15 to end another Rutgers scoring threat.
Rutgers and UMass would trade scores with Derek Morris connected on a 30-yard field goal for the Minutemen, while Rutgers cut the lead to 30-14 on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Lonergan to K.J. Duff.
A Lonergan interception followed by a 17-yard touchdown run by Curtis Kimmons IV with 4:27 left sealed the game for the Minutemen. Rutgers added a late score with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter, but UMass recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
Without a doubt, this is easily one of the most significant wins in program history; it is not too much of a stretch to rank it alongside the Minutemen’s win in the 1998 FCS National Championship.
Regarding the 2026 season, this game was one of UMass’ most difficult tests. The Minutemen avoided conference favorites Central Michigan, Ohio, and Western Michigan. Toledo and Miami look to be the Minutemen’s most difficult tests. After this huge win, it is easy to project UMass in a bowl game, if not MAC contention. Overreaction season is in session.
However, it is best not to jump to conclusions or projections. UMass and more broadly, the college football world should just enjoy this moment for the FBS’ most miserable fanbase. For one night, the despair of 2025 is a distant memory.
UMass is the center of the college football universe on this Thursday night.
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