Rutgers determined to get defensive in opener vs. UMass

Field Level Media|published: Mon 31st August, 14:22 2026

Rutgers set out to fix an unperforming defense under Greg Schiano in the offseason with changes to personnel and the defensive coaching staff. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Rutgers' defense didn't perform well last season, but the UMass offense was even worse.

Those units are in the spotlight when visiting UMass attempts to end the program's 16-game losing streak when they take on Rutgers on Thursday night in the season-opener for both teams.

The Minutemen were picked last in the MAC preseason coaches' poll. UMass is hoping quarterback Pop Watson will be the answer for an offense that ranked last among FBS teams in scoring (11.1 ppg) and yards per game (247.5) last season. Watson played high school football at nearby Springfield (Mass.) Central, and transferred to UMass after spending three seasons as a backup at Virginia Tech.

"I'm excited," Watson said. "I get to play football again, and that's the biggest thing for me. We're an older team, we've got good weapons around me, a great offensive line and depth everywhere. We're explosive, so I think we're going to go score."

Wide receiver Joseph Griffin Jr., a Boston College transfer, wide receiver T.Y. Harding and running back Justin Williams-Thomas are some other key pieces on the UMass offense.

After his team allowed an average of 31.8 points per game last season, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano fired co-coordinators Robb Smith and Zach Sparber, and hired former South Dakota coach Travis Johansen to right the ship.

The experiment remains a work in progress and comes with a novelty factor. The Scarlet Knights added several potential starters through the transfer portal, including former Toledo defensive end Malachi Davis.

"We're going to be better," Schiano said. "You're playing in the Big Ten Conference. It's hard. But we'll be better on defense, I have no doubt in my mind. How much better will be determined by how confident we are in what we do and can we stay healthy and those kinds of things. But we'll be better."

Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan has been named the starting quarterback for Rutgers, which was picked 17th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten preseason media poll.

--Field Level Media