AMHERST — The home ‘MACtion’ debut from the UMass football team ended with a booming thud on Wednesday night. The Minutemen remained winless in a 45-3 loss to Northern Illinois at McGuirk Alumni Stadium under the lights.
“There’s no one else to blame in this whole organization…no one else to blame but me,” UMass coach Joe Harasymiak said. “I will take 100 percent ownership for this. It’s all on the head coach, not the players. Not the other coaches. It’s all on me.”
Attendance for the primetime game on national television was listed as 6,155. AJ Hairston started the game, but Brandon Rose got some snaps as well for the Minutemen. Hairston went 13-for-21 for 91 yards. Rose finished 11-for-20 for 101 yards.
“Kind of like last week,” Harasymiak said. “Just trying to spark something.”
UMass (0-10, 0-6 MAC) was never in the game. Northern Illinois (4-6, 3-3 MAC) went into halftime with a 31-0 lead and did not punt until the end of the third quarter. The Huskies went 7-for-7 scoring points on their first seven possessions. The Minutemen are decimated by injuries, with walk-ons and scout team players seeing the field.
“I think they did the best that they could,” Harasymiak said. “Certain guys are in a situation where the game is moving really fast.”
The Huskies rushed the ball at will against the Minutemen, finishing with 318 yards on 55 carries.
“Their backs are really good and are tough to tackle,” Harasymiak said. “It starts with their running backs. They run downhill and they’re physical.”
The UMass offense did not enter the Northern Illinois red zone. UMass broke up the shutout with a 44-yard field goal by Derrick Morris in the fourth quarter. Fireworks erupted above the Martin Jacobson Football Performance Center after the score. The primetime atmosphere also provided some shirtless students in section 20.
“This game shouldn’t be this hard,” Harasymiak said. “But it is, right now. We just gotta get up and come back to work.”
The UMass offense had to punt on its first possession of the game. Kimar Nelson blocked the UMass punt to give Northern Illinois good field possession at the UMass 25-yard line. The Huskies settled for a 37-yard field goal by Andrew Glass.
The Huskies then drove 66 yards on 11 plays to score its first touchdown. Quarterback Jalen Macon brushed off tackles for a 13-yard touchdown with 4:53 left in the first quarter.
Macon had 12 carries for 98 yards for the Huskies. Chavon Wright finished with 12 carries for 86 yards out of the backfield.
Northern Illinois used the big play to take a 17-0 lead in the second quarter when Macon found Elijah Porter down the middle of the field for a 67-yard touchdown.
Morris missed a 49-yard field goal later in the second quarter for the Minutemen. The Huskies followed with an 11-play, 68-yard scoring drive. Wright finished with a 1-yard rushing touchdown out of the wildcat.
After a fumble by Rose, Northern Illinois got the ball again with two minutes left in the half. Lance Ingold forced the fumble on the sack, and it was recovered by Dasean Dixon at the UMass 13-yard line.
Macon finished the short drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Northern Illinois opened the second half with a 6-play, 73-yard drive. Macon rushed for a 36-yard touchdown on the drive, his third rushing touchdown of the night. New quarterback Brady Davidson connected with Gary Givens III on a 31-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
UMass travels to play Ohio on Nov. 18 in another primetime window. The Minutemen close out their season with a home game against Bowling Green on Nov. 25.