The losses have started piling up for UMass, and not all of them have come on the scoreboard.
After dropping consecutive MAC games, the Minutemen are dealing with an increasingly difficult injury situation heading into Saturday’s trip to Buffalo.
UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak provided an extensive update Monday following his team’s 20-19 loss to Miami (Ohio), a game the Minutemen entered without several key contributors before losing more during.
The most pressing concerns are at quarterback, where UMass could be without its top two options.
Starter Pop Watson missed Saturday’s game and is “unlikely” to return against Buffalo, while true freshman Aedan McCarthy, who made his first career start against Miami, suffered an injury that is expected to keep him sidelined as well.
“We’ll see if Pop can go,” Harasymiak said. “I don’t know that. It’ll depend on later in the week, his body and how it responds to everything we’re doing. Probably unlikely for the most part.”
Harasymiak was similarly pessimistic about McCarthy’s availability.
“Aedan is more than likely out with his injury,” he said. “So we got the two-headed monster right now of Logan (Inagawa) and Ty (McCutcheon) that got to go in there.”
Inagawa completed all six of his passes for 83 yards after replacing McCarthy against Miami, including a 21-yard touchdown to Max Dowling with one second remaining that brought UMass within a point. The Minutemen attempted a two-point conversion for the win, but a breakdown in protection prevented the play from developing.
McCutcheon has yet to see any action for the Minutemen since transferring to Amherst during the offseason.
The injuries extend well beyond quarterback.
Wide receiver Joe Griffin Jr. missed the Miami game after playing sparingly against Eastern Michigan, but Harasymiak expressed some optimism about his potential return.
“Joe, I’m feeling better about,” he said. “We’ll just see. We just got to see him go full speed and do the things he’s got to do.”
Running back Curtis Kimmons IV, who scored UMass’ first touchdown against Miami on a 23-yard run, was unable to finish the game at full strength.
“Curtis left the game after he hurdled the guy,” Harasymiak said. “He was kind of in and out, but just wasn’t himself. So that’s going to be close.”
Wide receiver Dallas Elliott, who was also unavailable against Miami, will remain sidelined. The Minutemen are monitoring wide receiver Jabari Lewis as well after he was shaken up late Saturday.
“Jabari got a little nicked up there at the end,” Harasymiak said. “He went in for the last play, but that’s kind of him wanting to be in there on the last play.”
Lewis finished with five catches for 89 yards against Miami, while T.Y. Harding caught nine passes for 91 yards.
Defensively, UMass entered Saturday without defensive lineman William DePaepe, and his status remains doubtful.
“Will will be kind of like same situation as Pop,” Harasymiak said. “We’ll see toward the end of the week when we start to ramp him up, if he can do it.”
Defensive end Joshua Nobles was listed as Questionable entering the Miami game but ultimately did not play. Harasymiak is hopeful the issue that kept Nobles sidelined won’t linger.
“I’m hoping that was just an end of the week kind of thing that was going on and just tried to go and just ultimately couldn’t,” he said.
The injuries have already forced younger players into more significant roles.
True freshman defensive lineman CJ Amobi recorded a sack against Miami and is expected to see additional playing time against Buffalo.
“CJ’s extremely talented, especially in the pass rush department,” Harasymiak said. “CJ’s going to have to step up. He’s going to play a bigger role this week.”
The coaching staff has also moved Andrew DePaepe between defensive end positions to compensate for the absences. Harasymiak pointed to Amobi, Tavian Dashiell and Justin Lewis as examples of freshmen who could be needed as the season progresses.
“We’ll have some guys that have been doing some scout team stuff,” he said. “They got to come over this week and really step up.”
Managing the workload of an increasingly depleted roster is another challenge, but Harasymiak emphasized that his team cannot allow them to become an excuse.
“It’s Next Man Up mentality,” he said. “It’s everybody’s got to be ready. We talk about everything and everybody matters.
“I think the group and the staff and the players that come together, they don’t view that as a distraction or an excuse and they can move forward. And I think we just got to put a really good plan together.”
Your one-stop-shop for all your sports marketing needs… Owned and Operated by UMASS Grads.
We specialize in providing top-quality marketing & printing services for coaches, athletic directors, and sports marketing professionals.
Get Fan Ready!