The defensive numbers tell the real story of where UMass has to close the gap. The Minutemen managed just 13 sacks all of last season and got torched for 67%-plus completion rates in 7 different games. Harasymiak went out and specifically targeted the defensive front in the portal, landing edge rushers Andrew DePaepe and Justin Krueger to try to fix that pass rush before conference play gets real.
Miami's floor is still higher than most MAC teams' ceiling — 3 straight trips to the MAC title game under Martin is not a fluke, and the RedHawks have proven they can win ugly even through instability. Linebacker Malcolm McCain anchors a defense that returns most of its core, and the addition of Monmouth transfer running back Rodney Nelson, who put up 1,802 yards last season, gives Miami a proven ball-carrier no matter who ends up at quarterback.
This is UMass's first crack at Miami (OH) since officially joining the MAC, and it lands in a stretch — Eastern Michigan the week before, Miami the week after — that looks like the Minutemen's best realistic shot at breaking a 16-game losing streak. Whether that's a fair read depends entirely on which version of Miami's rebuilt offense shows up, and how far along UMass's new-look defensive front actually is by early October.
Both programs are answering the same question in opposite directions: Miami is trying to prove last year's chaos was a blip on the way to another MAC crown, and UMass is trying to prove 0-12 was rock bottom instead of a preview. Neither answer will be fully in yet by this one, but it's an early gut-check for both.