SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Piloting the UMass football program to its first 4-0 start since 2007, Pop Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for two more scores to power the Minuteman to a 35-6 victory over Sacramento State Saturday night.
Watson was 11-of-16 passing for 101 yards and he carried the ball seven times for 72 yards for UMass in its Mid-American Conference opener.
Watson capped the Minutemen’s opening drive with a 13-yard touchdown run, and his 32-yard TD run made it 14-3 early in the second quarter. Watson’s 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Max Dowling gave the Minutemen a 21-6 lead heading into the break.
Timmy Hinspeter intercepted a Jackson Sharmann pass and returned the ball 49 yards into the end zone to stretch the Minutemen’s lead to 28-6 early in the third quarter. Kezion Dia-Johnson ended the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run.
Sharman was 24-of-43 passing for 221 yards for Sacramento State (1-4, 0-2).
UMass hosts Eastern Michigan Saturday at McGuirk Stadium.