FOXBOROUGH — The postgame press conference was filled with jokes and laughter, smiles and quick quips. One player advocated for his quarterback’s Heisman campaign. A teammate mentioned a ravenous craving for Frosted Flakes.

UMass receiver Tajae Sharpe makes a difficult catch in the second quarter against Eastern Michigan.

It’s remarkable what a couple of wins can do for a team’s attitude.

Two weeks after the clear low point in the season — blowing a 27-point lead in a loss to a team (Miami of Ohio) that had lost 21 straight games — the University of Massachusetts is riding high, gaining confidence, and fighting to make this momentum last.

Playing at Gillette Stadium for the final time this season, the Minutemen picked up a convincing 36-14 victory over Eastern Michigan in their Mid-American Conference matchup Saturday afternoon.


“We’re heading in the right direction,” said coach Mark Whipple, in his second tenure. “We’ve got a long ways to go, but it felt more like maybe when I was here before today. I think that we’ve had two good wins.

“I told them this was the biggest game they ever played, and they responded. They handled it well. Makes next week much bigger.”

UMass (2-6, 2-2) secured its first multi-win season since making the leap to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2012. It’s the program’s first back-to-back wins since 2011.

“It shows how far this program has come,” said junior linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox. “These two wins this year are the same amount of wins I’ve had my last two years. It’s just such a great feeling; there’s no other way to put it.”

Sophomore running back Shadrach Abrokwah, a former walk-on from Worcester, set the tone for the Minutemen, rushing for 135 yards and four touchdowns. It was the first time a Minuteman had accrued four touchdowns in a game since 2002, when R.J. Cobbs tied a program record with five against Rhode Island.


Meanwhile, the UMass defense pitched a shutout in the second half, limiting the Eagles (2-5, 1-2) to 41 total yards after halftime, despite three turnovers by Whipple’s offense in the fourth quarter.

“The old UMass would have let a touchdown in just because we were winning and been OK with it,” Santos-Knox said. “It’s a new mentality. We really come out here every day and take this seriously, and we’re building off of it.”

Leading, 30-14, at the break, UMass forced a pair of Eastern Michigan three-and-outs to start the second half.

On its second possession of the third quarter, UMass marched 58 yards on seven plays, capped by Abrokwah’s fourth touchdown run, from 4 yards, as the hosts took a commanding 36-14 lead.

Abrokwah has eclipsed the 100-yard mark twice in three weeks, providing some much-needed stability to the running game.

“He’s like a little Joe Morris,” Whipple said of Abrokwah, an accomplished power lifter. “He’s a compact, solid guy, but he can hide behind our guys, accelerates, and he’s tough to bring down. He’s physical, he was that way in the spring, and I think he’s gained some confidence. He’s worked hard.”

Meanwhile, quarterback Blake Frohnapfel (28 of 51) continues to thrive. For the third time in four games, the graduate student eclipsed 300 yards passing, racking up 337.

Thirteen completions were hauled in by junior Tajae Sharpe, who logged a career-high 193 yards receiving.

By matching his career high in catches, Sharpe passed Victor Cruz for fifth on the program’s all-time receptions list. A native of Piscataway, N.J., Sharpe has 137 receptions.


“It’s very humbling,” Sharpe said on passing Cruz, before flashing a wide grin. “They told me I passed [running backs] Coach [Marcel] Shipp as well.

“[Shipp] told me to go back and check the numbers. He thinks they’ve got something wrong.”

Frohnapfel and the offense dissected the Eastern Michigan secondary on UMass’s opening drive, completing 6 of 8 passes for 60 yards. Abrokwah capped the series with a 17-yard run to paydirt, outracing the defensive backs to the far pylon.

Following a breakout performance last weekend against Buffalo, Eastern Michigan redshirt freshman quarterback Reginald Bell flashed his versatility early against the UMass defense. Beginning at his 25-yard line, Bell accounted for 72 yards on a touchdown drive, including a 32-yard strike to Tyreese Russell over the top of three Minuteman defenders to tie the game.

Following a failed fourth-down conversion in EMU territory, the Minutemen regained possession when Khary Bailey-Smith intercepted Bell and returned the ball to the Eagles’ 23. Three plays later, Abrokwah broke through the line for a 16-yard touchdown and a 13-7 lead.

Sophomore Lorenzo Woodley (63 yards rushing, 1 TD) and Abrokwah had bookend scores around a touchdown toss by Bell in the second quarter. UMass kicker Logan Laurent made it 30-14 by nailing a 31-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.