Massachusetts Football Edged At Eastern Michigan, 19-17

YPSILANTI, Mich.– The University of Massachusetts football team dropped a 19-17 decision to Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon at Rynearson Stadium (16,138).

Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams and the Minutemen scored with 2:42 left in the fourth quarter to take a 17-13 lead but the Eagles answered back with a touchdown of their own with 1:20 remaining. After Eastern Michigan missed the extra point, UMass was unable to get within field goal range as the Eagles held on for the win.

Lynch-Adams finished with 129 yards rushing for his second 100-yard game in the last three games.

Quarterback Carlos Davis made his second consecutive start, completing 23-of-41 passes for 340 yards and a touchdown but also had three interceptions. He spread the ball around to eight receivers, with Anthony Simpson totaling 101 yards on four catches.

How It Happened

UMass held the Eagles to a quick three-and-out to start the game and then drove to the EMU 30-yard line before a fumble gave the ball back to Eastern. UMass forced the Eagles to punt on the ensuing drive, with Billy Wooden breaking up the third down pass.

The second quarter resumed with the Minutemen trailing 3-0 and driving but a deep pass intended for Christian Wells was picked off by EMU's Bennet Walker at the three-yard line.

After Marcus Bradley had a sack to seemingly stop the Eagles, he was called for a facemask and EMU capitalized with a 55-yard touchdown run by Jaylon Jackson to make it a 10-0 game early in the second quarter.

Gerrell Johnson forced a fumble through the endzone to create a turnover and begin a drive on UMass' own 20-yard line early in the second quarter but UMss was unable to sustain the drive following the turnover.

With 2:09 remaining in the second quarter, the Minutemen started to march down the field from their own 16, with an 18-yard pass from Davis to Gino Campiotti. Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams recorded a 19-yard run and a four-yard reception by George Johnson III put UMass in field goal range. Cameron Carson then put Massachusetts on the board with a career-long 48-yard field goal with 16 seconds left in the half, as EMU led 10-3.

In the third quarter, Lynch-Adams totaled 21 yards on back-to-back-to-back rushes to begin UMass' next drive, before Davis completed an 11-yard pass to Shawn Harris Jr., to the EMU 34. An 11-yard rush from Mark Pope and an eight-yard reception from Harris Jr., put the Minutemen at the EMU 15. A one-yard run by Lynch-Adams on a 4th-and-1 gave Massachusetts the first down. Davis then found Campiotti in the endzone for a 13-yard completion, as Carson's extra point was good to tie the game up at 10-10.

The Minuteman defense shut down the Eagles offense in the third quarter.

UMass began a drive with 4:49 on the clock in the fourth, opening with an 18-yard pass from Davis to Harris Jr. A 19-yard run by Lynch-Adams pushed Massachusetts into Eastern Michigan territory. Davis threw deep down the middle to connect with Greg Desrosiers Jr., for a 40-yard completion, spotting the Minutemen at the EMU 08. Davis handed off the ball to Lynch-Adams for an eight-yard gain for the UMass touchdown. Carson knocked through the extra point, giving Massachusetts the 17-13 advantage.

But a 50-yard touchdown pass put Eastern Michigan back on top with 1:20 remaining in the contest. Kicker Jesus Gomez missed the extra point giving the Eagles only a two-point lead at 19-17. A sack put UMass at its own 13-yard line on a 3rd-and-22, but an incomplete pass and a loss on downs gave EMU the ball with 53 seconds left.

Notes

Billy Wooden and Josh Atwood served as the Massachusetts captains.
Junior Gerrell Johnson's forced fumble marked the first of the season and the fifth of his career
Cameron Carson made a career-long 48-yard field goal in the second quarter
Anthony Simpson tallied a career-best 101 receiving yards, including a career-best 67-yard reception, while matching a career-high with four receptions on the day
Redshirt junior Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams rushed for 129 yards on 26 carries on the afternoon, marking a career-best in both rushing yards and attempts
Gino Campiotti caught three passes to match a career-best, and totaled 52 receiving yards for a career-high, including a career-long 21-yard catch
The UMass defense shutout the Eagles in the third quarter

Next Up

The Minutemen return to McGuirk Alumni Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. matchup with New Mexico on Saturday, September 23, on ESPN+.

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Carlos Davis

Players Mentioned

Josh Atwood

Marcus Bradley

Gino Campiotti

Cameron Carson

Carlos Davis

Greg Desrosiers Jr.

Shawn Harris Jr.

Gerrell Johnson

George Johnson III

Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams

Mark Pope

Anthony Simpson

Christian Wells

Billy Wooden

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics