Joe Harasymiak met with the media Monday ahead of Friday night’s trip to UConn, and the injury picture did not get any clearer.
Pop Watson, T.Y. Harding, Joseph Griffin Jr. and William DePaepe all walked through Monday’s practice, and Harasymiak said all four will likely come down to Friday afternoon and pregame warmups before their status is decided. Aedan McCarthy is potentially available, but Harasymiak said the freshman quarterback is a step behind that group in his recovery.
The good news is that UMass came out of the Buffalo game without any new injuries, and running back Curtis Kimmons IV is building toward his normal workload alongside Elijah Faulkner.
The Minutemen have lost three straight, the last two in the final minute, and Harasymiak’s message for the short week was direct.
“The mindset this week is you can’t be denied,” Harasymiak said. “We can’t be denied again. We’ve got to go in there, we’ve got to attack, we’ve got to earn things.”
UConn will make them earn it. Harasymiak called the Huskies the most explosive offense UMass will probably face all year, pointing to a group that ranks 13th in the country in plays of 20 yards or more, with dynamic returners and a defense that pressures under a coordinator who came from Pitt.
It is also a game that carries weight beyond the standings between two New England programs, with CBS Sports carrying it on Friday night.
“I’m excited about the environment that I know that place has, and my first ever head coaching game was there,” Harasymiak said. “So here we go.”
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