Massachusetts Football Opens 2023 Campaign With 41-30 Win At New Mexico State

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The University of Massachusetts football team scored 31 second half points to secure a 41-30 win over New Mexico State at Aggie Memorial Stadium on Saturday evening. In his UMass debut, quarterback Taisun Phommachanh threw for 192 yards on 10-for-17 passing, while rushing for 96 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown.

Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams totaled 79 yards on 15 carries and found the end zone twice. Anthony Simpson also contributed a TD and had 27 yards on the ground to go along with three receptions for 65 yards. Christian Wells hauled down a 68-yard catch to pace the Minutemen receiving corps.

Defensively Isaiah Rutherford pulled down a pick six, one of three turnovers recovered by UMass on the day. Tyler Rudolph led the squad with eight tackles and a sack, while Marcus Bradley had six tackles, including five solo stops. Michael Oppong grabbed an interception and Billy Wooden recovered a fumble to help the Minutemen win the turnover battle, 3-0.

How It Happened

Oppong deflected a Diego Pavia pass and then tracked the ball for his first career interception, setting the Minutemen offense up at the New Mexico State 35-yard line. Phommachanh then had a nine-yard run, completed a 16-yard pass to Simpson and handed it off for a 10-yard touchdown run by Simpson for a 7-0 lead.

After the Aggies made it a 7-7 game on an 80-yard run, the Minutemen responded with a nine play, 61-yard drive that ended with a 33-yard Cameron Carson field goal and a 10-7 lead. The drive was highlighted by a 22-yard reception by George Johnson III, a 14-yard run by Lynch-Adams and a 17-yard rush by Simpson.

With three seconds remaining in the first half, New Mexico State made a 36-yard field goal to tie up the contest, 10-10.

After stopping the Aggies, Phommachanh converted a third and four with a 22-yard connection to Simpson, setting up a 29-yard field goal for Carson to give UMass the 13-10 lead.

The teams traded touchdowns in the opening 1:33 of the fourth quarter with Phommachanh running the ball in himself from the 11 to complete a three-play 80-yard drive for the Minutemen. New Mexico State countered with a 62-yard strike as Diego Pavia found Trent Hudson 62-yard touchdown pass to keep the Aggies within a field goal.

Midway through the frame, UMass gained some breathing room when Lynch-Adams finished off a 5-minute, 40-second drive that went 75 yards with a 10-yard TD run. Rutherford's pick six then put the Minutemen up 34-17 with 6:40 remaining.

Jordin Parker's 40-yard touchdown grab brought the Aggies' deficit back to 10 before Lynch-Adams went to the house for the second time in the quarter, a 21-yard rush. New Mexico State put up the final points of the evening with a one-yard touchdown run from Hudson as time expired.

Notes

Billy Wooden and Josh Atwood served as the Massachusetts captains.
Michael Oppong came up with his first career interception to set up the game's first touchdown.
Tyler Rudolph registered his first career sack.
With 10 minutes left in the second quarter, CJ Kolodziey posted a career-long 62-yard punt (previous long was 55 yards).
Isaiah Rutherford's interception, which he returned 55 yards for a touchdown, the first pick six since Jordan Mahoney's against Stony Brook on September 17, 2022.
41 points marked the highest offensive output for UMass since defeating Liberty 62-59 in 3OT on November 3, 2018 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams matched his career high in carries (15) and had his first career game with multiple touchdowns on the ground. He also posted his longest career rush (66 yards) and single-game best for rushing yards (79).
The Don Brown defense had two interceptions and recovered a fumble while registering three sacks for 21 yards. 24 individuals had at least one tackle in the contest for the Minutemen.
The 28 points UMass scored in the fourth quarter matched the most points the team has posted in one quarter in the program's FBS era. The Minutemen also scored 28 vs. Charlotte in the first quarter on September 22, 2018 and 28 in the first quarter vs. Georgia Southern on October 21, 2017.

Next Up

Next weekend the Minutemen will head to Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama for a 3:30 p.m. ET game against Auburn on Saturday, September 2. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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