A bout between Massachusetts and Rutgers was the first of 11 FBS matchups to kick off on Thursday night.

Rutgers was coming off a disappointing 5-7 mark to end 2025, but it at least won five games. UMass went winless last season; its closest margin of defeat was a 27-26 loss to Bryant, an FCS program, in its second game of the season.

The Scarlet Knights and Minutemen traded touchdowns on each of their opening possessions. Rutgers cashed in on a four-yard touchdown pass to KJ Duff, and Massachusetts answered with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Faulkner.

Then, the unthinkable happened: Massachusetts scored on four of its next five offensive possessions, mounting a 20-point lead en route to a 37-21 upset victory.

The Minutemen led the Scarlet Knights by as many as 23 points in the second half. Massachusetts quarterback Pop Watson finished 19-of-22 passing for 197 yards and three touchdowns, and the Minutemen pushed Rutgers around for 200 yards on the ground. On the other side, Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan gifted the Massachusetts defense with four turnovers.

Rutgers is Massachusetts' first FBS win in over two years

The Minutemen's losing streak prior to Thursday extended almost a season and a half, but their losing streak to FBS foes was much longer. Massachusetts posted a 2-10 record in 2024, but the two wins were against Central Connecticut State and Wagner, a pair of FCS teams. Its last win of 2023 was a comfortable 31-21 victory over Merrimack, another FCS foe.

Massachusetts' last FBS win was a 21-14 road victory over Army on Oct. 28, 2023. Minutemen running back Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams ran for 234 yards and a trio of touchdowns against the Black Knights' defense.

As for wins over Power Four competition, the Minutemen endured a nearly five-decade-long wait for that. Massachusetts' last Power Four victory was a 27-0 shutout at Boston College on Nov. 25, 1978.

UMass head coach is a former Rutgers coordinator

Minutemen head coach Joe Harasymiak leaped into the FBS ranks as a defensive coach for Minnesota in 2019 after spending the previous three years as Maine's head coach. The Golden Gophers hired Harasymiak as their safeties coach, and they promoted him to co-defensive coordinator two years later.

The New Jersey native returned to his home state to become Rutgers' defensive coordinator. Harasymiak worked under Greg Schiano for three seasons, leaving to become the head coach at Massachusetts in the 2025 offseason.