The Massachusetts football team held its annual spring game on Saturday, April 25, showcasing both new and old faces to the public. The players played the game in four 15-minute quarters, with a running clock. The Minutemen completed a total of 12 drives, offense versus defense, with all four quarterbacks taking their units down the field to collect points at least once. Here is what I noticed watching the game.
William “Pop” Watson III looks very calm and composed.
From the jump, Watson III looked at ease in the pocket, going through his progressions and finding open players. In his first drive, he was perfect, throwing the ball and completing all four passing attempts. On the 5-yard line, looking to score on third down, the Springfield, Mass. native looked through his first few reads and didn’t find an option he liked. With composure, Watson III sensed the defensive line was pressuring and escaped the pocket to his left. Rolling out, he took the space and raced towards the end zone for the touchdown.
“We were efficient, we did well,” Watson III said. “I don’t think we had any [missed assignments], so, I mean, that’s the main focus on coming out here, be able to do our job efficiently. And then, you know, we executed, we had fun. So that’s all I can do from a player’s perspective.”
Watson III showed his connection with former Springfield Central teammate Joseph Griffin Jr. On the first play of Watson III’s second drive, he stepped up and rifled a throw 15 yards down the middle of the field to Griffin Jr. Two plays later, the redshirt junior quarterback went back to his hometown teammate with a 7-yard comeback route on the outside. He immediately followed it with the exact same route, once again completed for a good gain.
After the spring game, head coach Joe Harasymiak put Watson III on the spot, handing him the microphone to talk to the fans. The Springfield native, with many of his family and friends in attendance, made a powerful statement that this is not the same 0-12 team from last year, and that they are coming for the Mid-American Conference.
The tight ends are going to be very important.
Of the 43 attempted passes in the spring game, 13 of them were to the tight ends. That is a slightly larger proportion than last season. Max Dowling had three receptions on the opening drive, two of them coming from 5-yard hitches from the left inline position. On the fourth drive, with RJ Johnson III at quarterback, he found Dowling coming across the field and hit him in stride. The junior took two steps and cut upfield for a strong 15-yard gain after the catch.
“That’s our best group, by far and away our most mature group and experienced group, they look like what you’re supposed to look like,” Harasymiak said. “And that group, the five of them, have done a really good job, and we’re going to have to use them … that’s gonna be our strength early.”
The others in the tight end room, Reece Adkins, Jax Markovich, Owen Anderson and Matt Ogunniyi, all contributed to the offensive success in the spring game. Ogunniyi had a huge catch on a deep post on third and long. Aedan McCarthy had thrown to him the play before, but it fell incomplete. On the deep post, the freshman quarterback found Ogunniyi to survive a third-and-14.
Good and bad from the defensive backs.
Overall, the corners and safeties played well, but there were some worrying mistakes. The one thing you can’t do as a defensive back is give away penalties, and three times during the spring game, the defense did exactly that. On a deep ball to Griffin Jr. which was overthrown, the corner made unnecessary contact, inciting a defensive pass interference. There were two other instances of defensive interference called on deep balls the rest of the afternoon. That could be a worrying disciplinary error that should be fixed if the Minutemen want to have a successful season.
An obvious strength from the defensive back room that can’t go unnoticed was Raheim Sexil. The redshirt sophomore came away with two interceptions on the day. Sexil read quarterback Will Perry’s habits of throwing the outside comeback route throughout the contest, and pounced on the third attempt. Sexil stepped in early to match wide receiver Kezion Dia-Johnson to the ball. Both made contact at the same and fought, but Sexil pulled the ball out, coming away with the interception.
The Bradenton, Fla. native corner was the last to touch the ball. During the 12th drive, a sack forced McCarthy back to a third-and-long. Once again, Sexil jumped an outside breaking comeback route cleanly and snagged the football out of the air, returning it for a pick six.
“[Sexil] is a guy that we took last year, played a little bit, just kind of wasn’t ready,” Harasymiak said. “He has confidence now, and puts him out there, and he’s a guy that’s got to play for us … I think that’s his third or fourth interception of the spring.”
UMass will take a break before summer practices start up, followed by another short break in August, which leads the team into training camp. The opening game of the season will be against Rutgers on Sep. 3 in New Brunswick.
Myles Donato can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @myles_donato.
