UMass shocked the college football world when they knocked off the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a game they were paid to play. Many will argue that Rutgers isn't good and it shouldn't shock anyone, but UMass is (was) worse. They've never won an FBS game as an FBS program. The Minutemen went 0-12 last season and were one of the worst offenses in the country. One of the only programs worse than the Badgers.
So, it's a shock: Rutgers may not be a top program, nor even a top Big Ten program, but they should have easily handled UMass. Yet they didn't, and part of the success of the Minutemen came from Wisconsin transfer Joseph Griffin Jr. A player buried on the Badgers' depth chart, he made an immediate impact for UMass, hauling in two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Griffin was the leading receiver for the Minutemen in terms of yards, with a 30.5-yard average on his two catches, one of them going for a touchdown. He looks to be a major part of the Minutemen offense, and his big 6'4 frame is going to be an asset for UMass. And good for him, as he was lost in the Wisconsin depth chart for two seasons. Could never really break into the No. 1 offense.
Griffin is using his final year of eligibility as a graduate student. He was with Boston College for two seasons and was a consistent part of their offense both as a freshman and a sophomore. He played in eight games and started five as a true freshman, and then as a sophomore, he played in every game and caught 25 passes for 345 yards and a touchdown.
Joseph Griffin Jr. found a great home in UMass and helped their offense jump up from the bottom in 2025
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He then came to Wisconsin ready for a Big Ten opportunity but couldn't crack the field. 2024 ended up being his redshirt year, as he never played a snap. In 2025, he saw some action in four games but was only able to get one catch against Middle Tennessee for five yards.
Thus, most Badger fans aren't familiar with his game, and now he's popped up for UMass and was part of the reason UMass was able to beat Rutgers. Something that Luke Fickell is looking for later in the season.
The Badgers also want to make a jump as UMass did in the first game of the season. UMass had a terrible offense last season and was ranked last in 2025 in offensive yardage per game with only 247.5 yards. The team that was second-worst last season? The Wisconsin Badgers, at 253.1 yards per game.
If Wisconsin could do what UMass did and shock the world by taking out Notre Dame, doing the same thing, coming from the bottom of the pile in offense to a huge breakout game, that would be great. It may also come on the heels of one of their transfers. Just like Joseph Griffin Jr. was able to get UMass over the top, who's it going to be for the Badgers?
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