Joe Harasymiak doesn’t know everything Rutgers will throw at UMass on Thursday night, but there is one thing the former Scarlet Knights defensive coordinator is certain of.
Rutgers is going to try to beat the Minutemen up.
Now the head coach at UMass, Harasymiak’s time at Rutgers gives him an unusual level of familiarity with what his squad will face in its season opener, particularly the mentality Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has established in Piscataway.
“This is going to be a very physical, violent game,” Harasymiak said. “They’re going to play extremely hard. That’s what Coach Schiano teams do. So I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Exactly how Rutgers will try to accomplish it is a little more difficult to predict.
Harasymiak spent three seasons working alongside Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and had previously gone against him when Ciarrocca was at Minnesota.
That gives the UMass head coach an understanding of Ciarrocca’s approach, but Harasymiak isn’t assuming that means he knows exactly what the Scarlet Knights will do.
“Certainly working there with Kirk and all those kinds of things and going against him before when I was at Rutgers and he was at Minnesota,” Harasymiak said. “But offseasons or you have new studies, you do a lot of things.”
The uncertainty will be even greater when UMass’ offense is on the field.
Rutgers has a new defensive staff, leaving Harasymiak and offensive coordinator Max Warner preparing for possibilities rather than knowing precisely what they’ll see.
“I think in first games, regardless of what you think you know, there’s a level of unknown that comes out of that and you’ve got to be able to handle it,” Harasymiak said.
While schemes present uncertainty, Harasymiak is much more confident about the mentality Rutgers will bring.
He expects the Scarlet Knights to test the Minutemen physically from the beginning, particularly on the ground.
“They’re going to try and run the ball down our face and make us quit,” Harasymiak said. “I think Kirk calls it body blows, like a heavyweight fight, when you drop your hands and you’re standing there late in the round and they go out and get you.”
Harasymiak is familiar with some of the players Rutgers will use to try to accomplish that.
He was in Piscataway when running back Antwan Raymond and wide receiver KJ Duff were younger players in the program and is familiar with the strength Rutgers possesses along the offensive line.
Raymond and Duff are two of the Big Ten’s most productive skill players.
Raymond rushed for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 225 yards and two scores as a receiver. Duff caught 60 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns.
“Obviously what the strength of their team is, obviously KJ Duff and Antwaun Raymond, I’m sure they’re excited about their o-line,” Harasymiak said. “I know their young receiver corps is good. All those things, who knows how they’re going to attack, but I know the mentality of what they are.”
Up front, Rutgers has one of the nation’s most accomplished returning offensive guards in Kwabena Asamoah, who was in the program during Harasymiak’s time.
“Kobe was there, he was one the strongest guy in the world at the time,” Harasymiak said of the 6-foot-2, 311-pounder. “He’s a big dude.”
Asamoah has started 25 consecutive games at right guard and earned Second Team All-America honors from ESPN following the 2025 season. He helped Rutgers average 389.1 yards of offense in Big Ten play last fall, the program’s best mark since joining the conference, and enters 2026 with additional preseason All-America recognition.
Rutgers’ commitment to the run game won’t only challenge the UMass defense.
Harasymiak expects the Scarlet Knights’ ability to control the football to impact the Minutemen’s offense as well.
“We probably won’t get a ton of possessions,” Harasymiak said. “That’s just kind of the way Kirk is. He runs the ball, check with me, he can go tempo, but they’re the best when they’re grinding you out.”
Instead of trying to anticipate every possible wrinkle, Harasymiak wants the Minutemen prepared for the physical demands he knows will be coming.
“I’m focusing on trying to get our team ready for what the mentality will be to have a chance, the physicality, the grind, the strength of their team, how big they’re going to be upfront especially, and how strong they are,” he said.
“We’ve got to be physical. We have to maintain that level of physicality. We got to execute at a high level. And then ultimately we have to handle the unknown because there’s going to be some unknown of what their defense gives us.”
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