Massachusetts Falls To New Mexico In Overtime Clash

AMHERST, Mass.– The University of Massachusetts football team dropped a 34-31 decision to New Mexico in overtime on Saturday afternoon at McGuirk Alumni Stadium (8,298).

The Massachusetts defense flipped the script after halftime, holding the Lobos scoreless for the entire third and fourth quarters. The Minuteman capitalized on the opportunity erasing a 14-point halftime deficit as freshman Ahmad Haston launched a 65-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Simpson to make it 28-26 with 45 seconds remaining in regulation. Gino Campiotti caught the two-point conversion to tie the game, 28-28.

Massachusetts started overtime with the ball, converting a field goal, but was unable to hold off the New Mexico offense as a two-yard rushing touchdown sealed a Lobos victory.

Lynch-Adams led the way on the ground, finishing with 97 yards on 26 attempts for the Minutemen.

Quarterback Carlos Davis made his third consecutive start, completing 11-of-20 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game due to injury. Haston, who entered for the injured Davis, finished the game a perfect 5-for-5 through the air, throwing for 102 yards and a touchdown.

The pair of quarterbacks shared the wealth on offense, as seven different receivers recorded a catch on the day. Simpson had a another impressive performance tallying a career-high five receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown.

In an injury-depleted secondary, Te'Rai Powell finished with a team-high nine tackles (four solo). Billy Wooden had a sack, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

How It Happened

New Mexico received the kickoff to begin action at McGuirk Alumni Field, however, the Minuteman defense forced the visiting Lobos into a quick three-and-out after holding strong on third down and a yard.

Massachusetts, who received the ball at its own 45-yard line saw its first offensive drive kept alive with a roughing the passer call. Junior receiver Anthony Simpson followed by taking a jet sweep for 11 yards to get to the Lobos 30. The Minutemen followed the run with an impressive catch by Lynch-Adams for seven yards, before the drive was ended by a missed 39-yard field goal attempt.

New Mexico opened the scoring, putting together a six-play, 79-yard touchdown drive to claim a 7-0 advantage with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter.

The Lobos made it 14-0 with 1:59 remaining in the first quarter after running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt capped a 40-yard drive with a 21-yard rushing touchdown.

Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams capped the Minutemen's first scoring drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown, making it 14-7 with 13:02 left in the second quarter. UMass put together an extended nine-play, 68-yard drive which included a 22-yard reception from Greg Desrosiers Jr.

New Mexico quarterback Dylan Hopkins finished an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown. The quarterback keeper made it 21-7 Lobos with 9:09 remaining in the first half.

The Minutemen responded with a touchdown of their own as a 24-yard receiving touchdown from Christian Wells made it 21-14 with 4:22 remaining in the second quarter. The eight-play drive marked back-to-back scoring drives over 65 yards for Massachusetts.

The Lobos ended the first half with a seven-play touchdown drive to make it 28-14 with 35 seconds remaining.

Massachusetts received the kickoff to open the second half and a 32-yard field goal by Cameron Carson made it 28-17 with 12:08 left in the third quarter. The eight-play scoring drive was keyed by a 54-yard reception from Carlos Davis to Mark Pope.

After forcing back-to-back punts on defense, the Minutemen assembled a 12-play, 75-yard drive which culminated in a 28-yard Carson field goal. The drive was highlighted by a 32-reception from George Johnson III and the first career snap for freshman Ahmad Haston. The field goal made it 28-20 with 10:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Facing an eight-point deficit with 1:31 remaining, Haston orchestrated a four-play, 79-yard touchdown drive which featured Simpson's 65-yard reception. The Minutemen converted on the two-point attempt to make it 28-28 with 45 seconds remaining in regulation.

Massachusetts started overtime with possession, scoring on a 34-yard Carson field goal. The Lobos responded by scoring the game-winning rushing touchdown after a pass interference penalty resulted in an automatic first down.

Notes

Billy Wooden and Josh Atwood served as the Massachusetts captains.
Carlos Davis made his third consecutive start at quarterback.
Kay'Ron Lynch Adams' second quarter, two-yard rushing touchdown was his fourth of the season and the sixth of his career
With 97 rushing yards on the day, Lynch-Adams now has 874 yards for UMass and 1,194 in his career.
Christian Wells' 24-yard receiving touchdown was his first with UMass and tenth overall.
With his 54-yard reception, Mark Pope ties his career-high. It marked Pope's longest reception in a UMass uniform, matching a reception vs. Bethune-Cookman (09/14/19) during his time at Miami.
Freshman Ahmad Haston made his first appearance for the Minutemen.
Anthony Simpson set new career highs in receptions (5) and total receiving yards (104).
This was the first overtime game for Massachusetts since defeating Liberty 62-59 (3OT) in 2018.

Next Up

The Minutemen continue their home stand with Arkansas State visiting McGuirk Alumni Stadium at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 30 (ESPN+).

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Carlos Davis

Ahmad Haston

Players Mentioned

Josh Atwood

Gino Campiotti

Cameron Carson

Carlos Davis

Greg Desrosiers Jr.

Ahmad Haston

George Johnson III

Mark Pope

Te'Rai Powell

Anthony Simpson

Christian Wells

Billy Wooden

Players Mentioned

Josh Atwood

Gino Campiotti

Cameron Carson

Carlos Davis

Greg Desrosiers Jr.

Ahmad Haston

George Johnson III

Mark Pope

Te'Rai Powell

Anthony Simpson

Christian Wells

Billy Wooden

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics