UMass might be the biggest surprise of the early season. It is not just that they won in week one after going 0-12 in 2025. It is that they dominated Rutgers. Yes, it is Rutgers, but a first win in almost two years has to feel spectacular for the Minutemen.
Their offense looked fresh and exciting too. The new attack is led by transfer quarterback William “Pop” Watson, a Virginia Tech transfer who was electric in his debut. Honestly, I will be tuned into UMass football the next time they play, and that sounds wild to type. Offensively, they were creative and fun, but most importantly, they sequenced plays well.
In this article, we are going to break down an early play sequence, just two plays, that set up UMass’s first seven points and likely gave them a wave of confidence heading into the rest of the game.
Pin & Pull
Everyone saw the second play in this sequence all over Twitter over the weekend. I think we have Dan Casey to thank for that one. Offensive coaches loved it, while defensive coaches argued the linemen were downfield. It is fun. We enjoy it, and that back and forth between offensive coaches and defensive coaches is part of what makes this profession fun. But what most people did not see was the play before it, the one that helped set up the play everyone was talking about.
UMass is in the high red zone, or close to it, and they run pin and pull to the field from a 12 personnel tight end wing set. On pin and pull, the goal is usually to pin defenders inside and pull two or more offensive linemen to kick out defenders and create an extra gap. Here, though, Rutgers happens to slant into the call, which turns the whole thing into something closer to outside zone. The pin blocks basically become reach blocks, and the vacating pullers open up massive gaps on the interior. The running back picks one of those gaps, the linebacker triggers a step slow, and UMass picks up a nice gain before the safety has to come down and make the tackle.
So why does this matter? First, it sets up the next play. Second, that linebacker was a step slow, and he likely realized right then that he has to get downhill faster the moment he sees two pullers coming his way.
Pin & Pull Pass
The very next play, the Minutemen come right back with what looks like the same play into the boundary, or at least that is what the defense thinks. This time it is a nub set into the boundary, with the running back aligned that direction as well. We get the same pin and pull look, but this time the running back is leading and the quarterback is carrying. Just as the defender reads run and starts working block destruction on the lead back, the running back slips him and releases on a rail route. The corner is busy setting the edge against the run, the linebacker is trying to overlap, and at the last second he realizes that back is his man in coverage. It is too late. He cannot adjust, and the quarterback makes an easy throw for six to tie the game early.
This is similar to what we have seen from several teams running quarterback counter with the running back leading, then slipping him out on the rail. It is just the next evolution of the concept. Take something proven and apply it to what you do, and that is exactly what UMass does here.
Final Thoughts
UMass is clearly a better team in 2026 than they were in 2025, and they have already won a game to prove it. But more than that, they were explosive and fun to watch. They were creative, and they attacked the defense instead of waiting on it.
The play everyone saw on Twitter was not an accident. It worked because of the play that came before it, the one nobody was talking about. That is sequencing. You do not just call a good play, you set one up with another. UMass understood that Saturday, and it is a big reason they picked up their first win in almost two years.
I do not know where the rest of 2026 takes the Minutemen, but they are certainly a candidate for most improved team in the country, and it is thanks to this kind of creativity, sequencing, and execution.