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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
1-4 , 0-0
Miami (OH)
1-3 , 0-0
Football Falls To Miami (OH), 23-20, In Overtime
September 28, 2024 | Football
Keeney-James totaled a career-high 150 yards receiving
OXFORD, Ohio – University of Massachusetts football fell, 23-20, in overtime to Miami (Ohio) on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Yager Stadium (9,542).
Jakobie Keeney-James accumulated a career-high 150 yards receiving, including a career-long 64-yard grab, on four catches and a touchdown to lead the Minutemen offense. It marked his second game of the season with 100-plus yards and second consecutive game with a touchdown.
Quarterback Taisun Phommachanh was 9-for-22 on passing for 173 yards and a touchdown. Phommachanh was the leading rusher with 80 yards on 18 carries. Running back CJ Hester followed with 63 yards rushing, including a 23-yard run, on 14 attempts with a touchdown of his own.
On defense, Jalen Stewart tallied a team-high eight tackles with one tackle for loss and a 0.5 sack. Gerrell Johnson and Etinosa Reuben had seven tackles each, while Reuben recorded two tackles for loss for nine yards, with a sack for eight yards. Jalen Harrell came away with UMass' lone interception for the first of his career and added a pass breakup.
How It Happened
After each team was forced to punt on their opening offensive drives of the day, Miami took advantage of a pass interference call to move into UMass territory and then Keyon Mozee posted a 27-yard touchdown run to give the RedHawks a 7-0 lead at 6:27 of the first quarter.
The Minutemen answered right back, putting together an eight play, 82-yard scoring drive that culminated in Jakobie Keeney-James' 64-yard touchdown grab. Taisun Phommachanh accounted for a tough 13 yards on the ground during the drive and added another seven-yard pass to Keeney-James.
Massachusetts kept its first drive of the second quarter alive with a 10-yard reception from T.Y. Harding on a fourth-and-six. The 13-play, 46-yard drive ended on a career-long 45-yard field goal by Jacob Lurie at the 6:25 mark to give the Minutemen a 10-7 lead.
With Miami driving deep into UMass' territory, Tyler Martin stopped a rush with a five-yard tackle for loss on a second-and-nine to bring up a third-and-14. The Minutemen defense held the RedHawks to a 37-yard field goal which made it a 10-10 game.
After forcing UMass to punt and beginning another drive, an intentional grounding penalty pushed the RedHawks back to the UMass 22 for a second-and-18. Miami's quarterback Brett Gabbert scrambled before throwing the ball on the move and Jalen Harrell jumped in front of the intended receiver to come away with his first career interception on the one-yard line, preserving the 10-10 tie at the half.
In the second half, Miami took the lead back, 17-10, on a 7-yard Devon Tracey touchdown catch following a 66-yard run by Mozee to set up the play.
The Minutemen tied the game at 17-17 on a CJ Hester 1-yard touchdown run at 8:12 of the fourth quarter, capping an eight-play, 61-yard drive that took 3:58. On the drive, Phommachanh had a key third down rush for 10 yards. Hester had a 23-yard grab after that third down conversion and Phommachanh added a 12-yard rush to set up the score.
Massachusetts held Miami to a three-and-out on the next possession and took over with 6:13 on the clock at its own 36. UMass began the drive with a 28-yard reception for Keeney-James, before Phommachanh rushed for six yards on a third-and-four to get the first down. Phommachanh converted another third down with a seven-yard run up the middle to keep moving the Minutemen down the field. Hester fell one yard short of the first down on a third-and-four, forcing a field goal attempt. Lurie made his second field goal of the game, this time from 23 yards out to complete an 11-play, 59-yard drive that took 5:33 and pulled Massachusetts ahead 20-17.
Miami took over with 38 seconds left in regulation and moved down the field from their own 25 to the UMass 28 in seven plays. The RedHawks then kicked a 47-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to tie the game up once again at 20-20 to force overtime.
UMass received the ball first to start overtime but was unable to put points on the board after an apparent Keeney-James touchdown was wiped off the board with a penalty and a 44-yard field goal attempt went wide. Miami began its drive on the 25-yard line and ended up kicking a game-winning 43-yard field goal.
Notes
- For the fifth consecutive game, Josh Atwood, Taisun Phommachanh, Te'Rai Powell and Tyler Rudolph served as the Massachusetts captains.
- Jakobie Keeney-James caught his third touchdown pass of the season on a career-long 64-yard grab late in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7.
- It marked Keeney-James' seventh career touchdown.
- Jacob Lurie made a career-long 45-yard field goal on his first attempt of the day.
- Jalen Harrell recorded his first career interception late in the first half.
- It was the second interception of the season for UMass.
- Ohio native CJ Hester tied the game at 17-17 with his second rushing touchdown of the season midway through the fourth quarter (fourth touchdown of his career).
Next Up
Massachusetts is on the road again next Saturday, Oct. 5 for a noon ET game at Northern Illinois (CBSSN).
Team Stats
UMA 0, MIA 7
MIA - Mozee,Keyon 27 yd run (Dzioban,Dom kick), 4 plays, 45 yards, TOP 01:51
UMA 7, MIA 7
UMA - Keeney-James,Jakobie 64 yd pass from Phommachanh,Taisun (Lurie,Jacob kick) 8 plays, 82 yards, TOP 03:43
UMA 10, MIA 7
UMA - Lurie,Jacob 45 yd field goal 13 plays, 46 yards, TOP 07:07
UMA 10, MIA 10
MIA - Dzioban,Dom 37 yd field goal 6 plays, 47 yards, TOP 03:27
UMA 10, MIA 17
MIA - Tracy,Javon 7 yd pass from Gabbert,Brett (Dzioban,Dom kick) 5 plays, 86 yards, TOP 02:55
UMA 17, MIA 17
UMA - Hester,CJ 1 yd run (Lurie,Jacob kick), 8 plays, 61 yards, TOP 03:58
UMA 20, MIA 17
UMA - Lurie,Jacob 23 yd field goal 11 plays, 59 yards, TOP 05:33
UMA 20, MIA 20
MIA - Dzioban,Dom 47 yd field goal 7 plays, 47 yards, TOP 00:40
UMA 20, MIA 23
MIA - Dzioban,Dom 43 yd field goal 4 plays, yards, TOP 00:00
