University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Wins Season Finale Over Hofstra, 40-30
November 20, 2004 | Football
Nov. 20, 2004
AMHERST, Mass. (AP) - UMass sent its seniors out on a positive as the Minutemen rallied to beat Hofstra, 40-30, on Saturday afternoon. The win cliched a winning season and a second place finish in the A-10 North. Tim Day threw for a career-high 344 yards, Jason Peebler had eight catches for 161 yards and J.J. Moore had a career high 105 receving yards in the win. Tailback Steve Baylark won the A-10 rushing title with 80 yards on 25 carries.
Baylark finished the 2004 season with 1138 yards and ranks fifth all-time in career yards after just his second season with 2,315.
Day's 56-yard pass in to Jason Peebler in the fourth quarter put the Minutemen (6-5, 4-4 Atlantic 10) ahead for good, 33-30. A few minutes later, with 2:35 to play, UMass' R.J. Cobbs intercepted a pass and ran 43 yards for a touchdown for the final score of the game.
Day completed 22 of 36 passes for four touchdowns. He finished with the fourth-best single season for a UMass quarterback in passing yards with 2481 and third most passing TDs in a season with 23.
Hofstra (5-6, 3-5 Atlantic 10) led 14-13 at halftime.
UMass opened scoring in the game with less than five minutes to go in the first quarter as Day passed to Peebler for a 9-yard touchdown, capping a 10-play, 68-yard drive.
Day's passing got the Minutemen a 13-0 lead in the second quarter, although he ran it in for the last yard of that scoring drive.
Hofstra then drove 77 yards in 12 plays to start its comeback. Anton Clarkson ran 23 yards to put his team on the scoreboard.
Five minutes later, Clarkson used a pair of passes to wide receiver Devale Ellis to give the Pride its 14-13 advantage at the half. The scoring pass to Ellis went for 6 yards.
Ellis hauled in a Hofstra record 16 catches for 225 yards in the loss. Quarterback Anton Clarkson completed 32 of 51 passes for 376 yards.
