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University of Massachusets Athletics
Saturday, October 27
East Hartford, Conn.
12:00 p.m.
University of Massachusetts
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17
UConn
1-7 , 0-4
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UMass
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UConn
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Photo by: Thom Kendall - UMass Athletics
Late Heroics Give Football 22-17 Victory at UConn
October 27, 2018 | Football
A three-yard Marquis Young touchdown put the Minutemen ahead with 3:39 left
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – University of Massachusetts senior running back Marquis Young capped an 11-play, 81-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown to vault the Minutemen to a 22-17 win over UConn on Saturday at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. After Young appeared to be stopped at the two-yard line, a slew of Minutemen pushed him forward into the end zone for what proved to be the game-winning score.
Redshirt senior quarterback Ross Comis started in place of his injured classmate, Andrew Ford, and finished 8-of-15 for 197 yards passing and two touchdowns in the soggy conditions while also rushing 12 times for 63 yards.
Young posted 148 rushing yards and one score on 26 attempts, an average of 5.7 yards per carry.
Andy Isabella led the receiving corps with four catches for 78 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown. It marked his 33rd consecutive game with multiple catches, the second-longest streak in the nation (Olamide Zaccheaus, Virginia, 36). Zak Simon added a 67-yard scoring play on his lone reception.
Bryton Barr had a team-high eight tackles on the day, including a six-yard sack of UConn quarterback David Pindell in the fourth quarter. Linebackers Jarell Addo and Chinedu Ogbonna and defensive end Leon Flanagan, Jr., each provided seven tackles while Lee Moses picked off one pass in addition to his three stops.
Pindell's former teammate, UConn graduate and current UMass starting safety Brice McAllister, who played in 33 games for the Huskies from 2014-17, chipped in five stops in the win for the Minutemen.
Connecticut scored on its opening drive when the Huskies stuck with the ground game and rushed their way 82 yards down the field on seven carries for a 7-0 lead at the 11-minute, 24-second mark of the opening quarter. The game-opening scoring drive marked UConn's only consistent ball movement of the half as the UMass defense held the Huskies to 73 total yards gained over its next six drives.
Massachusetts scored its lone points of the half on a 20-yard Cooper Garcia field goal at the 8:01 mark. Young shouldered the bulk of the yardage gained during the series with 44 yards on six carries (7.3 ypc).
Connecticut also scored on its first series of the second half, when Pindell closed a five-play, 65-yard drive with a 25-yard endzone dash that extended the Huskies' lead to 14-3.
The Minutemen found their offensive stride midway through the third quarter and put in 21 points over the final 24 minutes of the game for the comeback victory.
After UConn's second score, UMass appeared to answer on its second play of the next drive when Comis hit Isabella for a 75-yard touchdown; however, a holding penalty negated the big play and pushed Massachusetts back to its own 15 yard line.
The Minutemen went back to the ground game as Young rushed 15 yards up the middle and Comis scampered 13 more before a UConn personal foul added 15 more yards and turned the 2nd-and-20 at the UMass 15 into a 1st-and-10 at the UConn 44.
Four plays later, on 4th-and-one, Comis again went to Isabella and the 5-foot-10 speedster shrugged off a tackle before he walked into the endzone as Massachusetts closed within 14-9 of UConn.
A Michael Tarbull 41-yard field goal briefly extended the UConn lead to 17-9 with 12:27 to go in the game; however, Comis connected with Simon over the middle on the first play of the next drive. Simon turned up field and outpaced the entire UConn secondary for his 67-yard catch-and-run touchdown play.
The UMass defense worked UConn's offense backwards following Simon's touchdown and the Huskies were forced to punt when Barr blitzed through the middle and sacked Pindell for a six-yard loss on 3rd-and-five.
Connecticut punted Luke Magliozzi pinned Massachusetts at its 19 yard line, but the UMass run game churned through the clock and Comis connected on his only two pass attempts of an 11-play, 81-yard series that secured the lead.
Standing near the goal-line 10 plays in and the clock under four minutes to go, Young's 25th carry of the day proved to be the difference-maker as the senior from Fairport, New York, rumbled in from three yards away on first-and-goal and Massachusetts pushed in front for the first time all game, 22-17, with 3:39 to go in the fourth.
Connecticut's ensuing drive started at the UConn 19 yard line and ended nine seconds later when Moses picked off Pindell on a deep ball intended for Zavier Scott.
Young and the offense sealed the win when Young carried for the final time and picked up a first down on 4th-and-one with under two minutes to play that ensured UConn would not touch the ball again.
Massachusetts improved to 3-6 overall with the win while Connecticut dropped to 1-7.
Massachusetts football returns to McGuirk Alumni Stadium for a Sat., Nov. 3 tilt with Liberty. Kickoff for Homecoming is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Follow Massachusetts football on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@UMassFootball).
Redshirt senior quarterback Ross Comis started in place of his injured classmate, Andrew Ford, and finished 8-of-15 for 197 yards passing and two touchdowns in the soggy conditions while also rushing 12 times for 63 yards.
Young posted 148 rushing yards and one score on 26 attempts, an average of 5.7 yards per carry.
Andy Isabella led the receiving corps with four catches for 78 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown. It marked his 33rd consecutive game with multiple catches, the second-longest streak in the nation (Olamide Zaccheaus, Virginia, 36). Zak Simon added a 67-yard scoring play on his lone reception.
Bryton Barr had a team-high eight tackles on the day, including a six-yard sack of UConn quarterback David Pindell in the fourth quarter. Linebackers Jarell Addo and Chinedu Ogbonna and defensive end Leon Flanagan, Jr., each provided seven tackles while Lee Moses picked off one pass in addition to his three stops.
Pindell's former teammate, UConn graduate and current UMass starting safety Brice McAllister, who played in 33 games for the Huskies from 2014-17, chipped in five stops in the win for the Minutemen.
Connecticut scored on its opening drive when the Huskies stuck with the ground game and rushed their way 82 yards down the field on seven carries for a 7-0 lead at the 11-minute, 24-second mark of the opening quarter. The game-opening scoring drive marked UConn's only consistent ball movement of the half as the UMass defense held the Huskies to 73 total yards gained over its next six drives.
Massachusetts scored its lone points of the half on a 20-yard Cooper Garcia field goal at the 8:01 mark. Young shouldered the bulk of the yardage gained during the series with 44 yards on six carries (7.3 ypc).
Connecticut also scored on its first series of the second half, when Pindell closed a five-play, 65-yard drive with a 25-yard endzone dash that extended the Huskies' lead to 14-3.
The Minutemen found their offensive stride midway through the third quarter and put in 21 points over the final 24 minutes of the game for the comeback victory.
After UConn's second score, UMass appeared to answer on its second play of the next drive when Comis hit Isabella for a 75-yard touchdown; however, a holding penalty negated the big play and pushed Massachusetts back to its own 15 yard line.
The Minutemen went back to the ground game as Young rushed 15 yards up the middle and Comis scampered 13 more before a UConn personal foul added 15 more yards and turned the 2nd-and-20 at the UMass 15 into a 1st-and-10 at the UConn 44.
Four plays later, on 4th-and-one, Comis again went to Isabella and the 5-foot-10 speedster shrugged off a tackle before he walked into the endzone as Massachusetts closed within 14-9 of UConn.
A Michael Tarbull 41-yard field goal briefly extended the UConn lead to 17-9 with 12:27 to go in the game; however, Comis connected with Simon over the middle on the first play of the next drive. Simon turned up field and outpaced the entire UConn secondary for his 67-yard catch-and-run touchdown play.
The UMass defense worked UConn's offense backwards following Simon's touchdown and the Huskies were forced to punt when Barr blitzed through the middle and sacked Pindell for a six-yard loss on 3rd-and-five.
Connecticut punted Luke Magliozzi pinned Massachusetts at its 19 yard line, but the UMass run game churned through the clock and Comis connected on his only two pass attempts of an 11-play, 81-yard series that secured the lead.
Standing near the goal-line 10 plays in and the clock under four minutes to go, Young's 25th carry of the day proved to be the difference-maker as the senior from Fairport, New York, rumbled in from three yards away on first-and-goal and Massachusetts pushed in front for the first time all game, 22-17, with 3:39 to go in the fourth.
Connecticut's ensuing drive started at the UConn 19 yard line and ended nine seconds later when Moses picked off Pindell on a deep ball intended for Zavier Scott.
Young and the offense sealed the win when Young carried for the final time and picked up a first down on 4th-and-one with under two minutes to play that ensured UConn would not touch the ball again.
Massachusetts improved to 3-6 overall with the win while Connecticut dropped to 1-7.
Massachusetts football returns to McGuirk Alumni Stadium for a Sat., Nov. 3 tilt with Liberty. Kickoff for Homecoming is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Follow Massachusetts football on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@UMassFootball).
Team Stats
UMASS
UCONN
Total Yards
444
265
Pass Yards
197
15
Rushing Yards
247
250
Penalty Yards
15
25
1st Downs
20
11
3rd Downs
6
3
4th Downs
2
0
TOP
31:56
28:04
1st Quarter
UMASS 0, UCONN 7
UCONN - MENSAH, Kevin 1 yd run (TARBUTT, Michae kick), 7 plays, 82 yards, TOP 3:36
UMASS 3, UCONN 7
UMASS - GARCIA, Cooper 20 yd field goal 9 plays, 62 yards, TOP 3:23
3rd Quarter
UMASS 3, UCONN 14
UCONN - PINDELL, David 25 yd run (TARBUTT, Michae kick), 5 plays, 65 yards, TOP 2:31
UMASS 9, UCONN 14
UMASS - ISABELLA, Andy 38 yd pass from COMIS, Ross (CAGGIANO, Mike kickfailed) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:34
4th Quarter
UMASS 9, UCONN 17
UCONN - TARBUTT, Michae 41 yd field goal 9 plays, 34 yards, TOP 4:58
UMASS 15, UCONN 17
UMASS - SIMON, Zak 67 yd pass from COMIS, Ross (COMIS, Ross rushfailed) 1 plays, 67 yards, TOP 0:15
UMASS 22, UCONN 17
UMASS - YOUNG, Marquis 3 yd run (GARCIA, Cooper kick), 11 plays, 81 yards, TOP 6:48
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
8
TD
2
YDS
197
INT
1
Players Mentioned
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