One step forward, two steps back. Two steps forward, one step back.

That’s what it’s been like watching the UMass football team this fall, as the Minutemen’s square-dancing routine has led them to 19 penalties through two games, 14th-most in the country. UMass finished with the sixth-most penalties per game in 2022 and the third-most in 2023. Now in year three of the Don Brown era, it’s an issue that hasn’t changed.

“All I can tell you is that we’re definitely addressing it,” Brown said on Monday. “I have a presentation today when I start our meeting in review of Saturday’s game to kind of go through it all, point out the negatives of it and the negative impact that it has on our drives. So that’s what we’re doing, and we’ll work hard at it.”

Despite losing to Eastern Michigan and Toledo by multiple scores, UMass has actually outgained its opponents 713-633. Negative plays, whether they be the 196 yards lost on penalties or the 62 yards lost on 11 sacks, have sunk UMass’ chances to win in both games. UMass’ penalty yards per game ranks eighth-most in the country after back-to-back finishes at fifth-most.

“It’s not the actual play itself, it’s what it does to you,” Brown said after the loss to Eastern Michigan in week one. “It creates long yardage situations that you have to overcome, so disappointed by that for sure and we’re going to work hard to correct it for sure.”

On UMass’ very first possession of the season against Eastern Michigan, a holding call on fifth-year center Josh Atwood turned a first-and-10 at the Eagles 32 into a first-and-20. Three plays later, facing a fourth-and-23, UMass punted.

Two drives later, on its first redzone foray of the season, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against grad-transfer Brandon Campbell on first-and-10 knocked UMass further back in field goal range, and an eventual fourth-and-19 resulted in a missed 43-yard field goal.

“We didn’t help (kicker Jacob Lurie) on one of those opportunities,” Brown said. “We get the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, that backs up the whole process of the mark on the kick, it’s 15 yards deeper. And that makes what I would consider a pretty, solid, simple kick a difficult kick.”

On the defensive side of the ball, a pass interference on grad-transfer cornerback Lake Ellis contributed to Eastern Michigan’s first touchdown drive of the day. In the second half, fellow grad-transfer cornerback Arsheen Jiles committed a holding call on third down that extended an Eagles’ drive and turned a 37-yard field goal into a much more manageable 20-yarder.

“That really hurt us,” Brown said. “I mean, that’s 14 points.”

Against Toledo on Saturday, it was more of the same.

Down 7-0 early in the second quarter, a false start on Sterling Galban turned a third-and-goal at the Toledo 6-yard line into a third-and-goal from the 11. UMass gained six yards on its next play and settled for a field goal.

On the first play of the following drive, fifth-year linebacker Gerrell Johnson earned a targeting call and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the same play, moving the Toledo offense 30 yards ahead and into UMass territory. By rule, Johnson was ejected.

“It’s almost like you get the double-whammy,” Brown said on Monday. “If there’s a violation, does it have to be two violations?”

A facemask penalty later that drive moved the Rockets into the redzone, and they kicked a 26-yard field goal to go up 10-3. Of the 57 yards on the drive, 45 came from UMass personal foul penalties.

“We’ve got to eliminate the mistakes,” Brown said after the game. “The penalties, those are the things that kill us.”

So, why has this been a persistent issue in all three seasons of Brown’s leadership? Yes, the roster turned over this offseason, with 31 transfers coming in, but programs across the country have dealt with similar churn.

Of the players mentioned above, Campbell, Ellis, Jiles and Galban are all new faces this year, but they came into the fall with a combined 18 years of college football experience. Atwood and Johnson are two of the four players on the UMass roster that have spent all five seasons of their careers in Amherst.

“The tough thing is, we’ve got a lot of new faces,” Brown said on Monday. “I’m not saying they’re freshmen, I’m not saying they’re sophomores, I’m saying that some of them are playing really for their first times. Obviously, we’ve just got to keep pecking away and keep it instructional, but at the same time, take care of our business.”

When on schedule, UMass’ offense has been able to move the ball well, and though the defense has been burned for too many explosive plays, it’s allowed only 108.5 rushing yards per game, less than half of what it gave up last season. Quarterback Taisun Phommachanh has led the Minutemen in passing and rushing yards in both games and has turned the ball over just once. 

But out of the eight quarters UMass has played this season, it’s only been penalty-free in one of them – the fourth quarter against Eastern Michigan. It’s been a team-wide issue – the Minutemen have committed penalties on six offensive drives, six defensive drives and two special teams plays.

Until they can get out of their own way, the beat of 10 yards forward, five yards back will go on.