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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
4-6
Liberty
4-4
Massachusetts Rallies For 62-59 Triple Overtime Win Against Liberty
November 03, 2018 | Football
Isabella resets program record with 303 receiving yards, Addo totals 12 tackles and one interception and Garcia connects for game-winning field goal
Junior kicker Cooper Garcia won the game with a 22 yard field goal in the third overtime after redshirt senior linebacker Jarell Addo picked off Liberty's Stephen Calvert in the endzone on a 2nd-and-15 play from the UMass 19.
Isabella broke the record set by Victor Cruz when Cruz posted 262 yards receiving over 13 receptions against No. 7 James Madison on Sept. 13 2008. Isabella's 308 all-purpose yards (303 receiving, four punt return, one rushing) rank as the fifth-most in one outing as well, and one of only five-ever individual performance above 300.
Isabella was the main benefactor of redshirt senior quarterback Ross Comis' 540-yard outing, which put Comis second all-time at UMass behind only Blake Frohnapfel's 589 passing yards against Bowling Green on Sept. 27, 2014 in the team's first game at McGurik Alumni Stadium as an FBS program. Comis went 29-of-44 for his 540 yards and tossed four touchdowns against one interception.
The ground game collected 237 total yards, including a second consecutive 148-yard effort from Marquis Young, who totaled 23 carries and scored twice. Comis also scored twice on the ground.
Addo racked up a game-high-tying 12 tackles, including 1.5 TFLs, and forced a fumble alongside his pickoff. Graduate student linebacker Bryton Barr also notched 12 tackles and broke up a pass.
Addo was one of four Minutemen with an interception, as graduate student safety Brice McAllister, senior cornerback Lee Moses and junior cornerback Isaiah Rodgers also hauled in one of Calvert's pass attempts each.
Trailing by 14 points following three consecutive Liberty scores, Massachusetts found the endzone twice in the final seven minutes to force overtime.
Comis rumbled in from six yards away at the end of a 12-play drive that brought Massachusetts within 45-38 of Liberty at the six-minute, 42-second mark. It marked his second rushing score of the day and made him only the second quarterback in the last 20 UMass seasons to pass for at least two touchdowns and run for two more in the same game (Michael Curtis, two passing & two rushing, vs. Charlotte, 2018).
After the defense forced a Liberty punt on the Flames' ensuing drive, UMass marched down the field for the tying score as Young shifted his way nine years to the goal-line and leapt over a defender for the 45-45 tie score with 25 seconds remaining in the fourth.
Liberty had the ball first in overtime and used a Frank Boyd touchdown for a 52-45 lead.
Massachusetts answered with back-to-back touchdown passes to Samuel Emilus, who scored from seven and 23 yards away, respectively. After Emilus' second touchdown pushed UMass in front, 59-52, Liberty evened it up with a Frankie Hickson two-yard dive-in play.
Liberty took control of the ball first in triple overtime when Addo snatched a floating ball out of the air and landed in the endzone where he was mobbed by his defensive teammates. Massachusetts kept it on the ground and moved the ball to the Liberty six yard line for Garcia's game-winner.
The second timeout of the first quarter featured a surprise military homecoming reunion where Army Command Sergeant Major Donna Ortiz ran the length of the field from the South endzone to the North endzone and met her daughter, Alejandra Ortiz, following a year-long deployment in Kuwait.
Massachusetts football plays its final home game of the season across the Commonwealth when Gillette Stadium hosts the Minutemen and the BYU Cougars for a Sat., Nov. 10 game. Kickoff for Band Day is slated for Noon.
Follow Massachusetts football on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@UMassFootball).
Team Stats
LIBERTY 0, UMASS 7
UMASS - ISABELLA, Andy 89 yd pass from COMIS, Ross (GARCIA, Cooper kick) 1 plays, 89 yards, TOP 0:12
LIBERTY 7, UMASS 7
LIBERTY - GANDY-GOLDEN,A. 15 yd pass from CALVERT, S. (PROBERT, A. kick) 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:09
LIBERTY 7, UMASS 14
UMASS - COMIS, Ross 7 yd run (GARCIA, Cooper kick), 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:03
LIBERTY 14, UMASS 14
LIBERTY - HICKSON, F. 11 yd run (PROBERT, A. kick), 5 plays, 65 yards, TOP 2:00
LIBERTY 14, UMASS 21
UMASS - ISABELLA, Andy 61 yd pass from COMIS, Ross (GARCIA, Cooper kick) 3 plays, 78 yards, TOP 1:05
LIBERTY 17, UMASS 21
LIBERTY - PROBERT, A. 21 yd field goal 11 plays, 64 yards, TOP 3:40
LIBERTY 24, UMASS 21
LIBERTY - COLEMAN, K. 21 yd fumble recovery (PROBERT, A. kick)
LIBERTY 24, UMASS 24
UMASS - GARCIA, Cooper 28 yd field goal 7 plays, 58 yards, TOP 1:00
LIBERTY 24, UMASS 31
UMASS - YOUNG, Marquis 4 yd run (GARCIA, Cooper kick), 5 plays, 65 yards, TOP 2:39
LIBERTY 31, UMASS 31
LIBERTY - GANDY-GOLDEN,A. 14 yd pass from CALVERT, S. (PROBERT, A. kick) 3 plays, 45 yards, TOP 0:30
LIBERTY 38, UMASS 31
LIBERTY - BOYD, F. 1 yd run (PROBERT, A. kick), 4 plays, 42 yards, TOP 0:40
LIBERTY 45, UMASS 31
LIBERTY - BOYD, F. 4 yd run (PROBERT, A. kick), 1 plays, 4 yards, TOP 0:04
LIBERTY 45, UMASS 38
UMASS - COMIS, Ross 6 yd run (GARCIA, Cooper kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:19
LIBERTY 45, UMASS 45
UMASS - YOUNG, Marquis 9 yd run (GARCIA, Cooper kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:21
LIBERTY 52, UMASS 45
LIBERTY - BOYD, F. 5 yd run (PROBERT, A. kick), 2 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00
LIBERTY 52, UMASS 52
UMASS - EMILUS, Samuel 7 yd pass from COMIS, Ross (GARCIA, Cooper kick) 4 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00
LIBERTY 52, UMASS 59
UMASS - EMILUS, Samuel 23 yd pass from COMIS, Ross (GARCIA, Cooper kick) 2 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00
LIBERTY 59, UMASS 59
LIBERTY - HICKSON, F. 2 yd run (PROBERT, A. kick), 7 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00
LIBERTY 59, UMASS 62
UMASS - GARCIA, Cooper 22 yd field goal 6 plays, 19 yards, TOP 0:00
