Rutgers’ 2026 football season is off to the saddest start imaginable.
The Scarlet Knights began their season on Thursday night by hosting UMass at SHI Stadium, but what was expected to be an easy win became one of the most humiliating defeats in recent program history.
Rutgers paid UMass $1.5 million to make the trip to Piscataway, only for the Minutemen to walk away with a stunning 37-21 upset. UMass entered the game as a 29.5-point underdog and had lost 16 straight games dating back to 2024. Instead, the Minutemen snapped that streak in emphatic fashion.
UMass received $1.55 million to play Rutgers on the road and beat them 37-21 🥴💰
The Minutemen were on a 16-game losing streak and hadn’t won a game in 677 days 😳 pic.twitter.com/yR7IXk23yC
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 4, 2026
Things looked promising early, as Rutgers scored on its opening drive and jumped to a 7-0 lead. Then everything fell apart.
UMass scored 30 unanswered points, taking complete control of the game as Rutgers struggled to find consistency. Quarterback Dylan Lonergan threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns, but he also turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions and a fumble.
The only bright spot was wide receiver KJ Duff, who erupted for 196 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Sadly for Rutgers, that remarkable performance still wasn’t enough. And then, the most disappointing part followed.
After the loss, Rutgers still held its scheduled postgame fireworks show, even as the disappointed crowd had begun to clear out.
Rutgers is currently hosting the saddest fireworks show I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/19P9X6f57t
— College Football Travel Guy (@cfbtravelguy) September 4, 2026
It was a rather surreal ending to a brutal night. Rutgers’ 2026 season couldn’t have started much worse. It’s going to be a LONG season in northern New Jersey.
