AMHERST – Enough with the maroon.
UMass running back Ellis Merriweather is finished ramming into his own defense with a thud and a hug.
“I’m ready to hit some green,” the senior said, referring to both Tulane’s home jersey color and the Yulman Stadium turf. The Minutemen open the 2022 football season in New Orleans at 7 p.m. Saturday (ESPN-Plus), UMass coach Don Brown’s FBS head coaching debut.
UMass hasn’t won a season opener since Aug. 25, 2018, against Duquesne. Its last road win came Oct. 27 of that season at UConn. The Minutemen are 3-28 since, 0-17 away from McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
These aren’t the same Minutemen, at least on paper. UMass reshaped its roster through the transfer portal and recruiting circuit and turned over its coaching staff. That fresh blend has simmered since the spring.
“Everybody’s in unison. We’re in synch. We finally understand our jobs,” Merriweather said.
Task No. 1 is to try and beat Tulane. The Green Wave went 2-10 last season but kept Oklahoma within five points. They reached a bowl game every year from 2018-20 and were picked seventh in the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
Tulane’s starting quarterback Michael Pratt (2,390 yards, 21 touchdowns), top two rushers Tyjae Spears (863 yards, nine TDs) and Cameron Carroll (516 yards, three TDs) and top two receivers Shae Wyatt (33 catches, 376 yards) and Tyrick James (31 catches, 429 yards) return. They’re under the direction of new offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda, who joined the Green Wave from Central Missouri.
“He doesn’t make things too complex. I would hate to say our offense is simple, because it’s not,” Pratt said. “He does a really good job of not trying to overcoach things.”
Brown won’t tailor the Minutemen’s approach to what Tulane – or any other team – does. UMass will play its system and make the Green Wave solve those problems.
“If you live in that world, you have no identity. They just kind of puppet you around on a string. I’m not saying you don’t have to have smart answers to contest things that they do well,” Brown said. “You can’t let them lead you around. You got to have things that you stand for in your system and believe in those things. And if you really believe in at the end of the day, those are the things that will get you through it.”
The Minutemen will debut their own fresh offense under offensive coordinator Steve Casula. Brown refused to name a starting quarterback to the point of listing all five rostered signal collars as “or” on the depth chart. Who lines up a few yards behind center will likely matter less than whom they hand the ball to. UMass can turn to a stable of running backs led by Merriweather and newly healthy Kay’Ron Adams.
The Minutemen also added depth and versatility to its wide receiver corps with transfers George Johnson III (Michigan), Isaiah Holiness (San Jose State) and Cam Sullivan-Brown (Penn State).
They’ll contend with a defense anchored by All-AAC honorable mention linebacker Dorian Williams.
“He’s a good player. You know, we wouldn’t have turned him away if he was in the transfer portal,” Brown said.
UMass lost six games in a row to end last season. A defeat to FCS Rhode Island cost former coach Walt Bell his job. But the Minutemen aren’t interested in incremental improvements or moral victories in the Brown era.
“It better end up with a W. Me being an older guy, my mindset is just kind of looking at different things. I look at details, I look at little things,” Merriweather said. “So for me, I definitely understand at the end of the game, whether we have taken a step, but for the most part, I think we’re where we need to be so that step is with a W and that’s how I feel.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.