Despite 15 accepted penalties and a poor early special teams performance against FCS Central Connecticut State, UMass gave coach Don Brown his 100th collegiate win, 35-31, with a second half rally on homecoming Saturday in Amherst.
“I can assure you this — we are working hard every day to try to make UMass football better,” said Brown.
Quarterback Taisun Phommachanh threw for a season-high 287 yards, going 20 of 30 with three touchdowns and an interception.
UMass (1-3) entered Saturday second in the FBS in time of possession at 36:36 per game, but was struggling to score. Against the Blue Devils (2-2), the points finally came. Early in the second quarter, Phommachanh lofted a beautiful ball to the right side of the field, where Jakobie Keeney-James soared up to catch the 15-yard touchdown.
That made it 14-0; Jackson Paradis capped a 10-play drive midway through the first quarter with a score from the 1-yard line. CCSU erased the deficit, however, first going 75 yards in five plays, then capitalizing on a 35-yard Deon McLean interception return of Phommachanh to the UMass 2-yard line.
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UMass retook the lead with an 84-yard, 11-play drive, Phommachanh finding Owen Anderson from the 2 with just 39 seconds left in the half, but botched a squib kick and gave the Blue Devils the ball at the UMass’ 27. It was 21-21 four plays later, Elijah Howard adding a 2-yard touchdown catch to a 1-yard scoring run earlier.
Eight plays into the second half, the underdogs had their first lead. Central Connecticut State lined up for a regular kickoff out of the break, but caught the Minutemen asleep at the wheel with a wild onside kick recovery. Brady Olson (12 for 26, 157 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT), who transferred from UMass during the offseason, drove CCSU in eight plays for a 28-21 lead.
Phommachanh, challenged by his coach to “lead us,” had the answers. He hit T.Y. Harding on a deep shot down the right sideline for a game-tying 57-yard score. Then, after the Blue Devils nosed back ahead two plays into the fourth quarter with a 25-yard Jack Barnum field goal, Phommachanh played masterfully, delivering smart sideline throws and executing efficient design runs on a 10-play, 75-yard march.
Brandon Campbell’s 3-yard rushing touchdown with 9:18 left to play proved the winning points after the UMass defense forced a three-and-out, the offense ate nearly six and a half minutes off the clock, and the defense snuffed out one final Blue Devils drive.
Aiden Sprole can be reached at aiden.sprole@globe.com.
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Publish date : 2024-09-21 15:31:00
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