Rutgers paid UMass $1.55 million to come to Piscataway for what was supposed to be a comfortable season-opening win. Instead, it turned into one of the most embarrassing losses of the 2026 season. Rutgers entered Thursday night as a 29.5-point favorite against a UMass program that went 0–12 last season, had lost 16 consecutive games and hadn’t won a game in 677 days. The Scarlet Knights even opened the game with a touchdown to take a 7–0 lead. Then UMass scored 30 unanswered points. Virginia Tech transfer Pop Watson completed 19 of 22 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns in his UMass debut, while the Minutemen rushed for another 200 yards. Defensively, UMass intercepted Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan three times as the Scarlet Knights completely unraveled. By the end of the night, the scoreboard read: UMass 37, Rutgers 21. It was UMass’ first victory since October 2024 and its first win over an FBS opponent since beating Army in 2023. But somehow, the night got eve...