The University of Massachusetts football team is seeking to end a two-game losing streak following a narrow defeat to Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. The Minutemen fell 29-28 after a late-game effort fell short in a 2-point conversion attempt, dropping their record to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in Mid-American Conference play.

Star quarterback Pop Watson missed the game due to an ankle injury, forcing UMass to rely on backup quarterbacks. After losing backup Aedan McCarthy to an injury during the contest, sophomore Logan Inagawa, the third-string quarterback, entered the game and completed all six of his pass attempts. Inagawa connected on a critical 21-yard touchdown pass on the final play of regulation to bring the Minutemen within one point with just one second remaining.

UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak defended the decision to attempt the 2-point conversion for the win, despite the unsuccessful result. “When we have an opportunity to win the game, we’re going to go win the game,” he said Monday. Harasymiak acknowledged that the play “didn’t execute” as planned but emphasized the team’s resilience throughout the contest.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s matchup, UMass will travel to Amherst, New York, to face Buffalo for the “Flagship Cup” rivalry game at 1 p.m. The Bulls enter the contest with a 3-3 overall record and 1-1 in conference play. Buffalo comes off a decisive victory over Toledo last week following a narrow loss to reigning Mid-American Conference champion Western Michigan.

The Minutemen will likely face the Bulls without both Watson, who was seen in a walking boot on the sidelines Saturday, and McCarthy, both of whom remain uncertain for the upcoming game. Harasymiak described Watson’s status as “probably unlikely” to play, with the team monitoring his recovery throughout the week. This situation would mark Inagawa’s first start at the FBS level.

“I’ve got to go on the road against a really good opponent that’s playing very well,” Harasymiak said. “The organization, the structure, their game plan has been really good the last two weeks. They’re playing really, really well, and they’re at home, so we’ve got to go on the road and we have to play really well to get this one.”

UMass will look to regroup and stop the skid as they prepare for the challenge on the road against Buffalo.