Rutgers Scarlet Knights wrote a $1.5M check to bring UMass Minutemen to Piscataway for what was supposed to be a Week 1 tune-up. However, the Scarlet Knights were outplayed in every phase of the game. They suffered one of their worst losses under head coach Greg Schiano’s tenure, falling to a team that had not won a game in nearly two years.
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The financial details were known long before the game kicked off. According to Brett McMurphy’s X post, Rutgers agreed to pay UMass $1.55M for the guarantee game, where Rutgers entered as clear favorites. The Scarlet Knights were favored by roughly 29.5 points by BetMGM; the result became even more surprising once UMass took control.
Rutgers had reportedly planned a fireworks show to celebrate a season-opening win against UMass. Instead, the Scarlet Knights suffered a stunning loss.
Schiano’s Seat Is Hot
Rutgers entered the Thursday, September 3 matchup in Schiano’s seventh season since returning as head coach, but the loss puts his future under fresh scrutiny. The Scarlet Knights may have to regroup now for the upcoming Boston College matchup before they play against USC in Week 3 for their Big Ten opener.
The Scarlet Knights have missed a bowl each season, posting a 31-41 record since Schiano returned in 2020. With running back Antwan Raymond and wide receiver K.J. Duff back in the lineup, the offense managed just 30 rushing yards.
Another pair of losses could put Schiano’s future in Piscataway in doubt, though his $17.3M buyout could make a coaching change difficult for Rutgers.
Rutgers And Their Financial Woes
The athletic department at Rutgers is in a severe revenue crisis, having accumulated a deficit of over $516 million, since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2014.
Now imagine paying a MAC team with no wins last night to come and destroy you in front of thousands of fans.
According to Keith Sargeant of NJ Advance Media, the deficit came to $70 million for the third time in five years back in 2024-25. This was after the university had spent a record $193.8 million.
David v. Broke Goliath
Meanwhile, UMass had not won a game since October 26, 2024. The Minutemen entered the matchup with a 16-game losing streak, the longest active in the FBS. UMass finished 0-12 last season, ranking at the bottom nationally in both points scored (11.1 per game) and points allowed (38.6 per game)
But UMass put that losing streak behind it with the Thursday win, as the Minutemen scored on each of their three drives. The program scored 30 unanswered points after Rutgers opened with a touchdown.
A big reason for their win was their quarterback. William “Pop” Watson III became the first UMass quarterback to throw for 3 touchdowns with an 80%+ completion rate in a single game since Liam Coen did it back in 2008.
By the time the final whistle blew, the Senior QB had gone 19-of-22 for 197 yards. He also rushed six times for a total of 40 yards with his longest run coming at 15 yards.
Watson was a highly sought-after high school recruit who originally committed to Nebraska in the 2023 class. He flipped his commitment right before signing day to Virginia Tech, where he spent three seasons buried on the depth chart before entering the transfer portal for the 2026 season.
His explosive debut with the Minutemen has certainly got some pro scouts looking at him to see if he can keep this production consistently throughout the season.
“Let’s just be real: We’ve never, ever been good at the FBS level,” UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak told Athlon Sports. “It just never has happened. A lot of things go into that. We were a portal operation with ultimately no investment to be able to go out and compete in the new era.”
Though the win gave UMass some momentum, the real test will be about the program’s capability to build on the current success.
UMass’ Big Win Over Rutgers Could Mark a Turning Point for Joe Harasymiak
With a $25M stadium renovation and HC Harasymiak being the highest-paid coach in the MAC, the expectations for the program have risen along with the investment.
“The pressure’s always gonna be there,” Harasymiak said to Athlon Sports. “I mean, it should be. We get paid a lot of money. A lot of us work at state universities, that’s taxpayer dollars. I get all that, but I also know the beauty of that when you get it done.”
UMass endured years of struggles with a 19-81 record in the nine seasons before NIL and 7-53 since 2021, which included a 0-12 record in 2025, according to Kyle Wood of Athlon Sports.
However, Harasymiak believes the 2026 team can change that narrative, with the win over Rutgers giving the Minutemen head coach renewed hope and a chance to show that UMass is moving in a different direction.