Consistency is the theme Joe Harasymiak introduced to his team this week. Toledo is a tough place to go find it.
The Rockets (7-2, 4-1 MAC) have won three straight under first-year head coach Mike Jacobs, are near the top of the league standings and have gone 20-3 at the Glass Bowl since 2023. They lead the league in scoring offense, rushing offense, total offense and passing offense, and they lead it in sacks, too.
Even with all of that, Harasymiak is keeping the focus on his own team.
“We just got to get more consistent overall,” Harasymiak said. “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.”
Do that, he figures, and the Minutemen (5-4, 2-3 MAC) give themselves the only chance that matters on the road.
“Hopefully we can keep doing that, and in the fourth quarter have a chance to win,” Harasymiak said.
John Alan Richter Makes Every Throw
It starts with the quarterback. John Alan Richter leads the MAC in passing yards (2,304), passing touchdowns (18), pass efficiency and total offense. He has produced a 429-yard, four-touchdown game against Temple and threw for 391 yards against Western Michigan.
“Probably the best pure passer in the league in terms of their quarterback,” Harasymiak said.
“He’s a P4 pure quarterback in terms of his arm talent. Very, very impressive on reading pre-snap coverage and knowing exactly where to go with the ball…He makes his reads quick.”
UMass can’t try to take away any part of the field.
“Every throw is on the table against this guy,” Harasymiak said. “It reminds me of being back at Rutgers and Minnesota against a solid P4 arm quarterback.”
Richter is protected well, too. Toledo’s offensive line returned zero starters coming into the year, but has allowed just nine sacks all season. And he has options everywhere. Harasymiak rattled them off by number, the way he always does.
Bryson Hammer in the slot, Adjatay Dabbs outside and tight end Sam Lee have all caught Harasymiak’s attention, although it isn’t clear if Lee will be ready to go against UMass after being held out with an injury last week.
CJ Miller Runs Downhill
The rushing attack is just as imposing as the aerial one. The Rockets lead the MAC in rushing at 192.0 yards per game, and CJ Miller ran for 196 yards against Ball State, 183 against Western Michigan and 135 against Sacramento State.
“22 is a very, very good back,” Harasymiak said. “The running backs are solid. They’re big backs that run downhill.”
Autavius Ison added a 100-yard game of his own against Sacramento State, and Connor Walendzak has nine total touchdowns. The Rockets have scored at least 34 points in six of their seven wins.
Andrew Zock Wrecks Games
The defense starts with #0, Andrew Zock, who has 9.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles.
“#0 is a game-wrecker for them,” Harasymiak said.
Zock has a habit of ruining first impressions. He forced a fumble on Toledo’s first defensive possession against Eastern Michigan, strip-sacked Western Michigan on Toledo’s first defensive snap and opened the Sacramento State win with another strip sack.
“First play of the game in a couple games, he’s created forced fumbles,” Harasymiak said.
Behind him, Toledo plays the kind of connected defense, something the defensive-minded Harasymiak admits he appreciates.
“They are on a string,” Harasymiak said. “They communicate well, and they’re going to take the air out.”
“We’re going to have to make tight window throws.”
The Rockets held Sacramento State to eight rushing yards and piled up 12 tackles for loss last week. UMass counters with an offensive line allowing 1.33 sacks per game, second in the MAC, but has been underwhelming in terms of moving defenders in the running game.
The UMass Side
The biggest question is in the secondary, against the worst possible opponent to be shorthanded against. Cornerback Isaiah Reed, who ranks third in the MAC in passes defended per game, left the Ball State game and is day-to-day.
“He’s looking really good and feeling good,” Harasymiak said. “If there’s any way that we can get him to play in this game, he’s got to play in the game.”
If Reed cannot go, the next corners up get their shot against Richter.
“If Zay doesn’t go, be a guy,” Harasymiak said. “And what a week to be a guy, right? Against the best passing offense in the league.”
The run game took a step forward against Ball State with 153 yards, and short yardage improved with it, but the first and goal sequence that stalled at the three still bothers Harasymiak.
“We have to get in the end zone there,” Harasymiak said.
Harasymiak has put a ton on Pop Watson ever since he transferred from Virginia Tech and Wednesday night will be no different.
“He needs to play great,” Harasymiak said. “And I fully expect him to do that.”
The Stakes
UMass needs two wins from its final three games to get to seven. Because the Minutemen played two FCS opponents and only one FCS win counts toward bowl eligibility, seven is the number that makes them officially eligible. Six would leave them hoping for an invitation. After Toledo comes Akron at home and the finale at Bowling Green.
Toledo cannot slip either. At 4-1, the Rockets are tied with Buffalo ad chasing Western Michigan and Ohio to reach the MAC Championship.
The history is one-sided. Toledo leads the series 8-1 and has won all five meetings at the Glass Bowl. The lone UMass win came in the first meeting, a 28-14 victory in 1976, and the Rockets won the most recent meeting 38-23 in Toledo in 2024.
Kickoff is Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Glass Bowl on CBS Sports Network.
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