Watson’s confidence was almost absurd considering the résumé he brought with him. He transferred to UMass from Virginia Tech in January after three seasons, 11 appearances, 558 passing yards, and just one touchdown. Not exactly the kind of stat line that usually comes with chest-thumping promises about wrecking an entire conference. Yet Watson walked into an 0-12 UMass program and talked like the Minutemen were already fixed. Four games into the season, that swagger suddenly looks a lot less ridiculous.
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Watson is starting to draw plenty of attention for all the right reasons, and ESPN reporter Anthony Mo Hasan was among those who pointed back to the quarterback’s bold spring promise. In an X post, Hasan highlighted the moment Watson addressed a sparse crowd on April 25 and made it clear he expected UMass to look completely different.
“I would like to say thank you for everybody for coming out and supporting us,” Watson told fans. “And I’m going to tell you right now, this ain’t the same team y’all saw last year. We’re gonna come through and we gon f*** the MAC.”
UMass went 0-12 last season. Now it is 4-0, and Watson is a major reason why. The former Virginia Tech quarterback just helped the Minutemen hammer Sacramento State 35-6, giving UMass its first 4-0 start since 2007. That spring-game promise about this being a different team sounded reckless in April. It does not anymore.
Watson backed up the talk against Sacramento State. He completed 11 of 16 passes for 101 yards and ran for another 72 on seven carries, leading UMass in rushing in its Mid-American Conference opener.
“Some people say the play actually doesn’t start until [Watson] takes off, but he’s more than that,” head coach Joe Harasymiak said. “He gives us that second element. It’s really hard when you do everything right on the rush, and he still squeezes out of there.”
He wasted no time proving the point. Watson scored on a 13-yard run on UMass’ opening drive, then broke loose for a 32-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Before halftime, he added a seven-yard touchdown pass to Max Dowling as the Minutemen took a 21-6 lead into the break.
That is what makes Watson dangerous. Even when the pass rush closes in, the play is not necessarily over. He escaped pressure, attacked open lanes and kept drives alive with his legs, finishing with 72 rushing yards despite losing nine on a sack.
It was also a clear response to his rougher outing against Stonehill, when he managed just two rushing yards on nine attempts and threw his first interception of the season.
Harasymiak is not treating the fast start like a fluke. After UMass beat Sacramento State 35-6, he pointed directly to what the program had endured before this run. “I’m just believing in what we’re doing and staying the course, going through what we went through last year, and now, this is a brand new year,” he said.
The win also gave the Minutemen their first MAC victory since returning to the conference in 2025. Harasymiak was already looking ahead. “4-0, 1-0 [in the MAC], having a home game, couldn’t be more excited,” he said.
He has also been clear about what Watson brings to the offense. “[Watson] will always have the explosive play ready,” Harasymiak said on September 21. “That’s what makes him fun to watch; that’s what makes him a great player.”
Four games ago, Watson’s promise sounded like pure swagger. Now UMass is undefeated, has its first MAC win of the season and looks nothing like the team that went 0-12 a year ago. Maybe Watson knew exactly what he was talking about.