EAST HARTFORD - Joe Harasymiak did not dress it up Friday night.
After UMass lost to UConn 35-16 at Rentschler Field, its fourth straight loss after a 4-0 start, the Minutemen’s head coach credited the Huskies and pointed at the things that decided the game.
“They played better than us tonight, especially when it came to a lot of the key things in the game,” Harasymiak said. “They ran the ball very effectively. We did not.”
UConn ran for 265 yards and outgained UMass 438-303. The Minutemen ran for 53 yards, and the offense never let quarterback Pop Watson’s return get off the ground. UMass went three-and-out eight times, punted seven times and had another punt blocked for a touchdown.
“I just thought offense overall was nowhere near good enough,” Harasymiak said.
Watson, back after missing two games with an ankle injury, finished 22-for-38 for 205 yards and a touchdown, but UMass managed just three points until the fourth quarter.
“We got to run the ball better to help him out,” Harasymiak said. “He’s battling everything.”
The running game never gave Watson help. UMass carried 22 times for 53 yards, and the failures on early downs bled into third down, where the Minutemen went 2-for-14.
“We had 22 rushes for 53 yards,” Harasymiak said. “2 of 14 is not going to get done, but the distance was probably too much to overcome.”
The game broke open in the final two minutes of the first half, when a 7-3 game became 21-3 in the span of 32 seconds. UConn took over at the UMass 45 with 2:43 left in the half and scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Kalieb Osborne to JD Willoughby.
“We just got beat on a slot fade there,” Harasymiak said.
UMass went three-and-out in 19 seconds, and on the first snap of UConn’s next possession, Cyncir Bowers ran 70 yards for another touchdown. Harasymiak said the defensive end on the play had a specific job and did not do it.
Harasymiak said the playside defensive end got too far up field, possibly worried about Osborne as a runner or passer instead of playing the running back first, which was his assignment in that situation.
“We didn’t do that and because we’re in single high defense, we’re short anyway,” Harasymiak said. “He got too far up the field and they hit the explosive run to make it 21-3.”
UMass was still within striking distance midway through the third quarter when Shamar Porter blocked Edward Phillipson’s punt.
“They rushed two guys on the blocked punt,” Harasymiak said flatly.
UConn recovered in the end zone to take a 28-3 lead and the game was gone.
Underneath all of it is the roster’s health. Watson’s entire week of preparation for his return was two walkthroughs on the short week, and he is not the only Minuteman on a pitch count.
“We got a lot of guys practicing once a week right now,” he said. “Our safety #38 (Zeraun Daniel), I think he’s practiced every Friday since Sac State and that’s it.”
“We just got to take some time and get some guys healthy. I think those guys are playing with a lot of things that we’ll keep in house.”
The Minutemen get a bye week before they host Ball State on Wed, Nov. 4, and Harasymiak left no doubt about how badly it is needed.
“We need it.”
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So there was not any problem with anything Watson did or did not do!??