Joe Harasymiak wasn’t particularly pleased with the way UMass got to 3-0.
He may have learned something important about his team en route to a 36-14 win over Stonehill on Saturday.
On his way to the locker room at halftime with his team leading the FCS foe just 13-7, the UMass head coach had plenty of reasons to rip into his team.
Instead, he resisted.
Part of the reason was what he had already seen from his players. Pop Watson’s first move was to go to the defense and let them know that he needed to be better.
“I think one of the things a coach has to do is kind of read the room,” Harasymiak said. “Every inclination was to go in there and rip them. But the reason we’re kind of different is because of the leadership on the team.”
Harasymiak didn’t need to tell his players how poorly things had gone. They already knew.
UMass’ defense and special teams repeatedly set the offense up with excellent field position, but those opportunities were squandered. Watson accepted responsibility for many of those struggles.
“First thing he did was he went to the defense and credited them with keeping him in the game,” Harasymiak said.
“Sometimes as a head coach, you kind of got to do the opposite sometimes of what you want to do and not freak out. There’s times to freak out. I had plenty of those today. But I think at halftime, you got to get them back.”
The Minutemen did get themselves back.
After managing 13 points in the first half, UMass scored 23 in the second to turn a difficult afternoon into another convincing final margin. The Minutemen finished with 355 yards of offense, including 195 on the ground, while limiting Stonehill to 161 total yards and just 27 rushing.
For Harasymiak, the significance wasn’t simply that UMass eventually pulled away. His team hadn’t faced much genuine adversity during its season-opening wins over Rutgers and Sacred Heart.
Saturday provided some.
“We really haven’t faced a storm yet, per se,” Harasymiak said. “We had one at halftime there going in. And we responded. We did what we had to do to go win that game.”
The defense gave UMass the opportunity to survive its offensive struggles. The Minutemen forced three turnovers and held Stonehill to 2.7 yards per play. Stonehill managed just 10 first downs and converted three of 16 third downs.
“What a job by our defense,” Harasymiak said. “That’s what a good team does when you’re not kind of rolling on one side. Defense came through.”
Special teams provided another boost when true freshman David Chiavegato blocked a punt, a play Harasymiak viewed as another example of a freshman class that is already contributing.
“I got to give those players and their parents a lot of credit,” Harasymiak said. “They stuck with us. UMass is important to them. And that’s how you change a program, right? You recruit, you plug the right people in. But that freshman class is huge.”
Chiavegato’s play wasn’t a surprise to his head coach.
“We could tell early that he’s got the right mindset,” Harasymiak said. “He’s from a great program. He’s ready for the moment. And tonight, he blocked the punt. But he’s been kind of doing that throughout his time here.”
There was plenty Harasymiak didn’t like.
UMass was penalized nine times for 98 yards, continuing an issue that has followed the Minutemen through the opening three games. Harasymiak called the penalties “gross” and said UMass will have to determine whether the problems are rooted in technique, fundamentals, scheme or the looks opponents are presenting.
Watson also wasn’t as sharp as he had been during the first two games. He finished 15-of-25 for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception after entering Saturday 28-of-32 through the first two games.
Harasymiak wasn’t overly concerned about his quarterback’s response.
“It’s not always going to go well, but like I said, at halftime, he gets it,” Harasymiak said. “He understands.”
UMass now heads West at 3-0 for Saturday’s game at Sacramento State. The challenges are only going to increase with the start of MAC play.
“Waters are going to get deeper here. It’s good to do it off a win, but we got to be an extremely mature program.”