UMass Football Drops Season Finale To Buffalo, 41-21

Nov. 28, 2014

AMHERST, Mass. - Buffalo ground out nearly 300 yards rushing on the ground while quarterback Joe Licata threw four touchdown passes lead the Bulls to a 41-21 win over the UMass football team on Friday afternoon at McGuirk Stadium. The season finale loss gives the Minutemen a 3-9 overall record for the year including a 3-5 mark in MAC play.

Buffalo (5-6, 3-4 MAC) took a 13-0 lead at halftime after both teams played through a scoreless first quarter. The two teams traded touchdowns to start the second half before the Bulls added two more to close out the third quarter leading 34-14.

Licata finished the day 20-of-27 through the air for 255 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Anthone Taylor ran for 237 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries. Devon Hughes led the Buffalo receivers with seven catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

The Minutemen saw Austin Whipple throw for two touchdowns, both to Tajae Sharpe, as he went 13-of-28 for 168 passing yards in his second straight start. Shadrach Abrokwah ran for 100 yards on 15 carries, while Marken Michel had 64 yards rushing with a touchdown. Sharpe led UMass with four catches for 36 yards and his two scores.

UMass honored six seniors prior to the game. Stanley Andre, Alex Kenney, Daniel Maynes, Michael McKenna, Brian McDonald and Quayshun Smith. Andre finished the day with 17 tackles to lead UMass, while McDonald had a season-best 48.4 yards per punt paced by a pair of 60+ yard boots.

Buffalo jumped on the scoreboard first at the 3:10 mark of the second quarter as Hughes caught a 28-yard pass from Licata to cap a 17-play, 99-yard drive. With 12 seconds left before the intermission, the Bulls added a second score when Licata hit Jacob Martinez from 31 yards out.

The Bulls extended their lead to 20-0 nearly five minutes into the third quarter when Licata found Ron Willoughby for a 22-yard score.

The Minutemen responded on the next possession with a 50-yard run from Michel out of the wildcat formation cutting the deficit to 20-7.

The momentum was pushed aside by Buffalo as it scored on the next possession with a four yard touchdown reception from Hughes. The Bulls added another score five minutes later as a three-yard TD plunge by Taylor put Buffalo up 34-7 with 1:54 left in the third.

Whipple led the Minutemen on another scoring drive in the fourth quarter marching 70 yards on 17 plays. He hit Sharpe from seven yards out making the score 34-14 with 10:50 to go.

Buffalo once again responded with a 76-yard run from Taylor seven minutes later.

The Minutemen closed out the scoring with 1:17 left in the game when Whipple hit Sharpe once again for a 24-yard touchdown reception to cap a 77-yard drive.

UMass finished the season going 3-3 in its last six games. A total of five games that the Minutemen lost this year were by seven-points or fewer. UMass stands to return the bulk of its roster entering the 2015 campaign.

Scoreboard

Team Stats

Austin Whipple

Todd Stafford

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics