Football Outlasted By No. 25 Florida, 24-7

GAINESVILLE, Florida – University of Massachusetts football battled back and forth with No. 25 nationally-ranked Florida but the Gators prevented the upset and prevailed, 24-7 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, on Saturday. Florida pulled away for the win with 13 fourth quarter points after it entered the final frame holding to a slim 10-7 advantage.

Ross Comis started at quarterback for the Minutemen and finished 9-of-17 with 141 yards and a rushing touchdown. Andy Isabella led all receivers with 95 yards over three receptions, including a career-long 53-yard gain. Marquis Young topped the running back committee with 59 yards over 19 carries. Young topped 1,000 career rushing yards (13 total games) during play in Gainesville and ended the evening at 1,019.

Tedrick Lowery posted a game-high 11 tackles during his first contest as a Minuteman. Shane Huber added nine – including an assisted TFL – with a pass breakup. Khary Bailey-Smith followed with eight stops while James Allen added seven with a pass breakup.

Luke Del Rio passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns with a 29-for-44 final line. Jordan Scarlett rushed for 70 yards on 13 carries while Antonio Callaway totaled 72 yards receiving via eight receptions, including one for a touchdown. Brandon Powell also scored once on seven catches covering 73 yards.

Jarrad Davis led the Gators defense with nine tackles, including an assisted sack. Eddy Pineiro finished 3-for-3 on field goals of 40, 48 and 49 yards.

Massachusetts and Florida played three tightly-contested quarters as the Gators went into the final stanza clinging to a 10-7 lead.

Del Rio found Callaway for a 12-yard touchdown with three minutes, 57 seconds to play in the first half, but the Minutemen evened play in the second quarter with a scoring drive of their own.

Comis capitalized on a 75-yard drive with his first collegiate rushing touchdown. Comis scrambled right before he cut back to his left and raced into the endzone for the score.

The Gators earned their three-point halftime advantage through the final drive of the second quarter. Del Rio and running back Mark Thompson worked Florida to UMass 23 yard line over a nine-play drive that culminated in Eddy Pineiro's 40-yard field goal conversion with eight seconds to go in the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Gators notched back-to-back scoring drives to bump their advantage to 21-7 midway through the fourth.

Pineiro drilled a 49-yard field goal ahead of a 26-yard Freddie Swain touchdown reception with 8:04 left on the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium scoreboard. Pineiro added his third made field goal of the game with 2:26 left to reach the final score.

Massachusetts next plays in the Battle of the Bay State, against Boston College at Gillette Stadium, on Sat., Sept. 10. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. on NESN and ESPN3.

Fans are encouraged to contact the UMass Athletics Ticket Office at 1-866-UMASS-TIX or visit the Mullins Center Ticket Office (9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) for all ticket purchasing needs. Questions can be directed to Doug Bean via email (dbean@umass.edu).

For continued coverage of UMass football, follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@UMassFootball).

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Ross Comis

Players Mentioned

James Allen

Khary Bailey-Smith

Ross Comis

Shane Huber

Andy Isabella

Tedrick Lowery

Marquis Young

Players Mentioned

James Allen

Khary Bailey-Smith

Ross Comis

Shane Huber

Andy Isabella

Tedrick Lowery

Marquis Young

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics