UMass needs two more wins to officially become bowl eligible, and the theme Joe Harasymiak introduced to his team on Friday morning was not about this week’s opponent. It was about the Minutemen themselves.
“We just got to get more consistent overall,” Harasymiak told reporters on Friday. “We’re playing in spurts a lot at a very high level. Then we kind of hit a bad patch here, and I think that’s signs of growth. We just got to continue to get more consistent.”
Last week’s 31-30 overtime win over Ball State was the latest example. UMass controlled long stretches of the night and still needed overtime, because the bad patch kept the Cardinals close.
“That game was dying for us to go up two scores in any type of way, and that’s the next step,” Harasymiak said. “I think we got to start putting some games away, offensively, defensively and special teams.”
It was the Minutemen’s second overtime game of the season, and Harasymiak acknowledged they could have played three had he elected not to go for two against Miami.
“But should have, could have, would have,” he said.
The consistency message should be easier to get across at 5-4 than it would have been at 4-5.
“I think it’s easier to deliver the message off of a win,” Harasymiak said. “I think it allows for kind of a better teaching environment. I’m certainly happy to coach off of winning by a point rather than losing another overtime game by a point.”
Part of the job this week is reading the room. Harasymiak said there are times a head coach has to go against the mood of his own team to keep it grounded.
“Sometimes you kind of got to be opposite of the vibe and opposite of what they kind of expect to make sure you pull them back,” Harasymiak said.
According to Harasymiak, the players are locked in on a 1-0 mindset, which fits a league where almost every game last week was decided by one score.
The first place consistency has to show up at Toledo (7-2, 4-1) on Wednesday is the run game.
UMass ran for 153 yards against Ball State, a step forward from where the Minutemen were in October, and the short-yardage work was better than it has been, but it was far from perfect. The Minutemen had a chance to ice the game with a 1st & Goal sequence and had to settle for a field goal that allowed the Cardinals the chance to push it to overtime.
Toledo’s front is a different test, and it starts with defensive end Andrew Zock.
“#0 is a game-wrecker for them,” Harasymiak said. “Nine sacks, and he’s got four forced fumbles, I think. They are going to be downhill and they’re going to be a physical group.”
The assignment is the same one UMass has been chasing for a month, and the math leaves little room for any more bad patches.
Since the Minutemen played two FCS teams this year and only one of those wins counts toward bowl eligibility, they need to finish with seven wins to qualify outright, which means taking two of the final three.
Harasymiak knows he’s judged by wins and losses and while 5 wins is already a dramatic improvement from 0 a year ago, he sees additional progress from being in a spot to have won two of the four losses this year.
“We got to prepare the right way, do the right things, and continue to put ourselves in that position,” Harasymiak said. “And hopefully we can keep doing that, and in the fourth quarter have a chance to win.”
Do it at the Glass Bowl on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m.), and the Minutemen come home 6-4, one win from bowl eligibility with Akron and Bowling Green left to play.
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