College football wasted no time delivering a shocking result in Week 1.
The UMass Minutemen pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the opening week Thursday night, stunning the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 37-21 at SHI Stadium. UMass entered the game as a massive 29.5-point underdog and was coming off a winless 0-12 season, making the victory even more remarkable.
The Minutemen entered the night riding a 16-game losing streak and had not defeated an FBS opponent since 2023. None of that mattered once the game kicked off.
Watson Leads the Way
UMass quarterback William “Pop” Watson III delivered a spectacular performance in his first game with the program. The senior quarterback threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns, repeatedly finding ways to exploit the Rutgers defense.
Watson quickly established control of the game, connecting with Elijah Faulkner for a touchdown before finding Faulkner again for another score. He later connected with Joseph Griffin Jr. for a 31-yard touchdown, helping UMass build an early advantage.
The Minutemen carried a 24-7 lead into halftime, putting Rutgers in an unexpected hole in front of its home crowd.
Rutgers Never Finds Its Rhythm
For Rutgers, the loss was a disastrous way to begin the 2026 season.
The Scarlet Knights were expected to handle business against a UMass team that went winless a year ago. Instead, Rutgers struggled on both sides of the football and watched the Minutemen control the game from the opening stages.
Rutgers had entered the matchup as a heavy favorite, with preseason expectations of taking another step forward under head coach Greg Schiano. Instead, the Scarlet Knights now begin the season with one of the most embarrassing losses in recent program history.
A Historic Win for UMass
For the Minutemen, this victory means much more than simply starting the season 1-0.
UMass had gone 0-12 in 2025, and its previous FBS victory came against Army on October 28, 2023. Thursday’s win ended a drought of 677 days without an FBS victory.
UMass also scored 37 points, 11 more than it scored in any single game during the entire 2025 season.
The Minutemen entered Piscataway looking for a fresh start.
They left with one of the biggest wins in program history.
Final: UMass 37, Rutgers 21.
And just like that, the 2026 college football season has its first massive upset.
