AMHERST, MA — A strong opening drive gave UMass early hope, but the momentum didn’t last as the Minutemen were overwhelmed by Temple in a 42-10 loss at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Under new head coach Joe Harasymiak, UMass showed flashes of promise but ultimately fell into old habits — untimely turnovers, missed opportunities, and defensive breakdowns.
“I know what people are going to say — ‘same old UMass,’” Harasymiak acknowledged. “But we’re not going to quit. Adversity reveals character, and we’ll find out what we’re made of.”
UMass opened the game with a polished nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped by an 18-yard touchdown run from Rocko Griffin. Griffin, who finished with 94 rushing yards on 10 carries, added another explosive 41-yard run later in the half.
The Minutemen held a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter and looked poised to build on it. But a fumble by quarterback Brandon Rose on a designed run flipped the momentum completely. Temple pounced — and never looked back.
From that turnover forward, the Owls poured on 35 unanswered points.
Making his first start for UMass, Rose went 23-for-38 for 193 yards and an interception. He connected often with wide receiver Jacquon Gibson, who hauled in 12 catches for 132 yards. Despite their chemistry, Rose was under pressure for much of the second half as UMass became one-dimensional.
“He kept getting up,” Harasymiak said of Rose. “It’s hard when you’re trailing and have to throw every down, but I thought he showed toughness and poise.”
Gibson saw areas for improvement in his own game, particularly in run blocking.
“A few of those plays could’ve gone farther if I stayed locked in on my blocks,” he said. “We’ve got to come back next week and prove we can get it done. We will.”
After their early field goal put them ahead 10-7, UMass again threatened, thanks to Griffin’s 41-yard run, which set the Minutemen up inside the five. But four plays later, they came up empty on fourth down. Temple responded immediately with a 99-yard touchdown drive, extending its lead to 21-10.
From there, the game slipped out of reach.
Temple quarterback Evan Simon carved up the UMass defense, finishing 19-of-25 for 248 yards and six touchdown passes. Running back Jay Ducker added 129 rushing yards on 19 carries, including a 55-yard burst on the Owls’ 99-yard drive.
“We didn’t play well defensively, and we know it,” Harasymiak said. “It’s back to work for us.”
The Minutemen struggled on third downs, failing to get critical stops during Temple’s early scoring drives. The Owls’ opening possession went 90 yards in 12 plays, ending with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Simon to Peter Clarke.
After taking the early 10-7 lead, UMass faltered with the fumble, the failed fourth-down conversion, and a series of stalled drives while Temple’s offense capitalized again and again.
One key injury added to UMass’ troubles. T.Y. Harding, a dynamic offensive weapon, left the game with an apparent arm injury and was later seen in a sling on the sideline.
“We don’t have a full report yet,” Harasymiak said. “He was obviously ruled out, but we’re waiting on X-rays.”
Looking Ahead:
UMass will aim to rebound next Saturday when it hosts Bryant University at 3:30 p.m., again at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The coaching staff will look to clean up costly mistakes and get the team back on track in front of the home crowd.
