Massachusetts Football Downed By Liberty At Home

AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts football senior cornerback Isaiah Rodgers broke up four passes while redshirt junior safety Logan Darby led the defense with 13 tackles, but Liberty claimed a 63-21 victory over the Minutemen at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Redshirt sophomore Andrew Brito started at quarterback for the second consecutive game and went 16-of-27 for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Brito's top target was Jermaine "OC" Johnson, Jr., who finished with five grabs for 35 yards.

In addition to Johnson, Jr., redshirt freshman tight end Josiah Johnson hauled in his first collegiate touchdown reception, while senior wide receiver Sadiq Palmer notched a career-long catch for his sixth career TD.

Junior running back Cam Roberson, who converted from wide receiver during fall preseason camp, rushed for 77 yards over 15 carries (4.9 ypc) with one touchdown. Redshirt junior Gilberto Torres added 52 yards over 12 rushing attempts (4.3 ypc).

Darby's 13 tackles we a single-game best for the safety, which also led both sides. It marked the most stops by one Minuteman this season. Cole McCubrey added 12 takedowns, a single-game best for the junior linebacker. Including his four today, Rodgers now owns 45 passes defended, the third-most by a Minuteman all-time.

Massachusetts recovered three Liberty fumbles during the game, the team's most fumble recoveries since the team's win over Georgia Southern on Oct. 21, 2017.

Liberty converted on three of its opening four drives as the Flames pushed in front, 21-7, entering the second quarter.

Hickson started scoring with a seven-yard run for Liberty before a short field set up Roberson for Massachusetts' first touchdown. Liberty return man DJ Stubbs muffed a George Georgopoulos punt at the Liberty 16 yard line, which Rodgers landed on top of to put the ball back in the hands of the UMass offense. Two plays later, Roberson bounced through the middle of Liberty's defensive front for his second rushing touchdown of the year.

The Flames bumped back in front thanks to three consecutive passing touchdowns before the Minutemen found their way into the endzone again.

With Massachusetts' first drive of the second quarter, Brito marched the Minutemen 76 yards downfield over nine plays as the Minutemen moved back within 28-14. Brito and Johnson, Jr., kickstarted the drive with a 29-yard gain before Brito connected with Johnson for the redshirt freshman tight end's first collegiate touchdown at the 11-minute, 59-second mark of the second.

A career-long 45 yard grab for Palmer earned the Minutemen their third touchdown of the game after the Massachusetts defense created another Liberty turnover.

Flames quarterback Landon Brown rolled to his left after he faced pressure from the defensive front and was met by Darby at the UMass 46 yard line. Darby lowered his shoulders for the tackle and knocked the ball loose from Brown's hands with Darby's helmet. The loose ball bounced to the Liberty 46 yard line, where Ingram dove on it for the fumble recovery.

Three plays after the fumble recovery, Brito dropped back, looked to his left and fired a pass to Palmer, who hurried down the Liberty sideline for his sixth career touchdown reception.

Massachusetts heads to Army West Point for its next game, a Sat., Nov. 9 meeting with the Black Knights at Noon. The contest will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.

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Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Andrew Brito

Players Mentioned

Andrew Brito

Logan Darby

George Georgopoulos

Josiah Johnson

Jermaine "OC" Johnson, Jr.

Cole McCubrey

Sadiq Palmer

Cam Roberson

Isaiah Rodgers

Gilberto Torres

Players Mentioned

Andrew Brito

Logan Darby

George Georgopoulos

Josiah Johnson

Jermaine "OC" Johnson, Jr.

Cole McCubrey

Sadiq Palmer

Cam Roberson

Isaiah Rodgers

Gilberto Torres

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics