AMHERST, Mass. - Nobody outside of Eastern Michigan's locker room seemed to believe the Eagles could leave Amherst with a win.
The Eagles heard it all week.
UMass entered Saturday afternoon undefeated at 4-0, riding the momentum of a 2025 season that saw the Minutemen go 0-12 to becoming one of the biggest surprises in college football this year. Even ESPN's College GameDay crew unanimously picked UMass to remain undefeated.
Eastern Michigan didn't listen.
The Eagles walked into McGuirk Alumni Stadium and walked out with one of their biggest wins of the season, defeating UMass 38-14 and handing the Minutemen their first loss of 2026.
The victory moved Eastern to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in Mid-American Conference play, giving the Eagles their first 2-0 start in conference play since 2005.
If Eastern needed any more motivation entering Saturday, it could find it on the College GameDay set.
All five GameDay picks went against the Eagles.
Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit all selected UMass, while guest picker Caitlin Clark also picked the Minutemen. The entire panel expected UMass to continue its undefeated start to the season.
Instead, Eastern said to hell with it.
The Eagles didn't simply sneak away with a close victory, either. They controlled the game for much of the afternoon and turned a competitive first half into a convincing 24-point victory.
Eastern wasted little time making its presence known.
Quarterback Noah Kim connected with Kozy Isaac for a 27-yard touchdown to give the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.
The Eastern defense then kept UMass from finding its rhythm while the offense continued to put pressure on the Minutemen.
Late in the second quarter, Braydon Bennett extended Eastern's lead with a 2-yard touchdown run, putting the Eagles ahead 14-0.
UMass finally answered with 28 seconds remaining in the first half when quarterback William Watson III found Max Dowling for a 34-yard touchdown. The score cut Eastern's lead to 14-7 heading into halftime.
For a team that had averaged more than 36 points per game through its first four contests, UMass had finally found some life.
But it wouldn't last long.
The Eagles opened the second half with two touchdowns in just 24 seconds.
Kim connected with Joshua Long for a 2-yard touchdown to push the lead to 21-7. On UMass' next possession, Eastern's defense forced a quick stop before Amareon Blue found the end zone on a 9-yard touchdown run.
Suddenly, a seven-point halftime lead had become a 21-point Eastern advantage.
The Eagles continued to pull away in the fourth quarter when Joey Mattord scored on a 25-yard touchdown run, putting Eastern ahead 35-7.
UMass eventually added another touchdown, but the outcome had already been decided.
Kim finished the afternoon 21-for-30 for 219 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception.
The Eagles also ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns, giving Eastern a balanced offensive attack against a UMass defense that had entered the game allowing just 12.8 points per game.
Eastern's ability to move the football on the ground helped take pressure off Kim while also keeping the Minutemen's offense on the sideline.
The Eagles' defense did its part as well.
UMass entered Saturday averaging 36.3 points per game, but Eastern held the Minutemen to just 14. Watson finished with 210 passing yards and one touchdown, while Jabari Lewis led UMass with 102 receiving yards.
Eastern's win was about more than handing UMass its first loss.
The Eagles entered Amherst facing a team that had quickly gone from a winless program to the MAC's early-season surprise. UMass had already defeated Rutgers and entered Saturday as the conference's only undefeated team.
Eastern changed that.
The Eagles also spoiled UMass' first sellout at McGuirk Alumni Stadium since 2014, making the road victory even more significant.
For Eastern, the victory marks the program's best conference start in more than two decades.
The last time the Eagles opened MAC play 2-0 was in 2005, when they defeated Central Michigan and Kent State to begin conference play.
Now, more than 20 years later, Eastern has another opportunity to build something special.
The Eagles will return to action next Saturday when they travel to Akron looking to remain perfect in MAC play.
This time, the Eagles won't have to wonder whether anyone believes in them.
They already proved they can win without it.
