The UMass football team takes on Northern Illinois in its second mid-week “MACtion” game of the season at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Wednesday.
The Minutemen are still in search of their first win of the year (0-9), hoping they can defeat a Huskies group that has struggled in their final year in the Mid-American Conference.
With over a week since its last game, UMass is still learning how to handle games that aren’t played on a usual college football Saturday.
Last week, the Minutemen struggled to find consistency against Akron in their 44-10 loss in Ohio. The Tuesday kickoff was an adjustment for UMass, showcasing many of the same struggles that have been prevalent all year long.
“I think [playing mid-week is] just a little weird at first,” Minutemen head coach Joe Harasymiak said. “I think we have everything set up to compete at the highest level, in terms of game week, but I think they’re adjusting.”
One benefit of the different scheduling is the ability to work through injuries. Specifically, extra rehabilitation time on the weekends since players don’t need to attend any classes.
For the Minutemen, more time to get healthy comes at a great time as they had 10 players listed as out heading into last week’s contest, along with seven who were questionable.
Among the slew of injuries, Tim Hinspeter will miss the rest of the season. Harasymiak hopes to have David Onuoha and Matt Ogunniyi back this week, but Luke Painton and Ryan Barnes won’t be available against Northern Illinois.
“It’s probably a little weird for them just not having to go to class after practice, but ultimately, I think that’s helping us out with the injuries,” Harasymiak said.
At the quarterback position, the Minutemen will continue to utilize both AJ Hairston and Grant Jordan moving forward.
The pair both struggled last week, combining for 92 total yards and one touchdown.
“We’re just trying to create a spark any way that we can,” Harasymiak said. “We’ve just got to keep playing better, got to keep pitching and catching. We’re not throwing the ball well, just in terms of the results.”
The Huskies haven’t found much consistency at the quarterback position either, as they’ve averaged just 107.33 yards per game through the air this season.
UMass’s defense has yet to keep an opponent below 21 points this year, but is set to slug it out against a Huskies offense that is scoring just 12.22 points per game.
With just two wins on the season, Northern Illinois has the second-worst overall record in the MAC (1-4), only ahead of the Minutemen (0-5).
“I know [the Huskies are] probably not where they want to be, kind of like we are,” Harasymiak said. “I haven’t watched every game, but they might feel like they let some slip away there. Certainly, coach [Thomas Hammock is] going to come in and be ready to play violent and physical, and we’ve got to be ready to match that.”
One of the biggest storylines in UMass’ game against Akron was the number of self-inflicted mistakes. Brennan Bailey’s taunting penalty, down by 24 points in the third quarter, made national news.
Harasymiak is set on cleaning up the recklessness of his locker room through the rest of the year.
“It’s a constant battle to keep teaching that part,” Harasymiak said. “At the end of the day, to get an individual to play the game the right way, you have to live the right way … you should never be a better football player than you are a person. It hasn’t worked in my career like that, whether you’re a coach or a player … so we’ve got to clean that up and keep teaching it.”
With three games left in the season, the Minutemen are running out of chances to salvage what has been a disappointing first go-around in the MAC.
Against another lowly opponent in Northern Illinois, UMass’ likely last-best chance for win No. 1 in 2025 will commence on Wednesday, Nov. 12, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
“We have three guaranteed games left with this team,” Harasymiak said. “Some guys in the room this morning will play three games for the rest of their [lives] … So my job is to make sure we put the best plan forward for those three games, especially this NIU one that we’re focused on, and taking it one step at a time.
“We’re doing everything we can to teach it as fast as we can, but I think it’s like anything,” Harasymiak said. “I think some things take a little bit more time than you want. No one’s ever happy with progress, right? It always takes longer than people want. So we’re gonna keep fighting, keep putting our head down and keep going to work.”