Taking care of business hasn’t always been as simple as it sounds for UMass.
The Minutemen did exactly that Saturday, turning a six-point halftime lead into a comfortable 36-14 victory over Stonehill at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
UMass improved to 3-0 with the win and will take its unbeaten record across the country next Saturday for its Mid-American Conference opener at Sacramento State.
The Minutemen led just 13-7 at halftime before scoring 23 straight points in the second half to put the game away.
UMass finished with a 355-161 advantage in total offense and was particularly dominant on the ground. The Minutemen rushed for 195 yards on 35 attempts while holding Stonehill to just 27 yards on 28 carries.
UMass also forced three turnovers while committing one.
T.Y. Harding supplied two of the biggest plays for the offense, scoring on a 56-yard run in the first quarter before catching a 51-yard touchdown pass from Pop Watson in the fourth. Harding finished with four catches for 73 yards in addition to his lone carry.
Watson completed 15-of-25 passes for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also scored on a 1-yard run.
Elijah Faulkner led UMass with 61 rushing yards on 11 carries, while Curtis Kimmons IV added 39 yards and a touchdown on six attempts. Jordan Washington made his UMass debut and finished with 38 yards on six carries.
The Minutemen gave themselves an early opportunity when William DePaepe forced Aidan Garrett to fumble on Stonehill’s opening possession and TJ Magee recovered at the Skyhawks’ 22-yard line.
UMass settled for a Derek Morris field goal and Stonehill responded with its best offensive possession of the game. Jack O’Connell’s touchdown pass to Alijah Turner gave the Skyhawks a 7-3 lead.
It didn’t last long.
Harding broke loose for his 56-yard touchdown run to put UMass back in front, 10-7, and Morris later connected on a 55-yard field goal to extend the lead to six.
The Minutemen had chances to create more separation before halftime. David Chiavegato blocked a Stonehill punt to give UMass the ball deep in Skyhawks territory, but the Minutemen came away without points. Watson also threw his first interception of the season later in the second quarter.
UMass went into the locker room leading just 13-7.
The Minutemen emerged looking much more like the team that entered the afternoon 2-0.
UMass took the second-half kickoff and marched 59 yards on 10 plays, with Kimmons scoring from a yard out to make it 19-7.
The defense continued to make sure Stonehill couldn’t answer. Isaiah Reed forced a Jaylin Baker fumble that Chiavegato recovered, and JC Clark later intercepted O’Connell as the Minutemen continued to take control.
Another Morris field goal pushed the advantage to 22-7 before Watson’s 1-yard touchdown run made it 29-7 in the fourth quarter.
UMass then delivered the play that removed any remaining doubt. Watson found Harding for a 51-yard touchdown, Harding’s second score of the afternoon, to make it 36-7.
Stonehill added a late touchdown after the outcome had been decided.
The Skyhawks finished with only 161 yards and averaged 1.0 yard per rushing attempt. O’Connell went 10-of-21 for 69 yards with a touchdown and an interception before Drew Eason finished the game at quarterback.
The performance wasn’t spotless for UMass. The Minutemen went 4-of-12 on third down and were penalized nine times for 98 yards.
But after entering halftime with Stonehill still within one score, UMass did what it had been unable to do consistently for much of its recent history. It took control of a game it was supposed to win and put it away.
Now the stakes change.
The Minutemen will head to Sacramento State next Saturday at 3-0 with their first MAC game of the season waiting for them.