University of Massachusets Athletics

Football Falls 38-23 At Toledo
September 07, 2024 | Football
Jakobie Keeney-James scored his first touchdown as a Minuteman and tallied a team-high 93 yards receiving.
TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Massachusetts football team made it a one-point game, 17-16, with six minutes to play in the third quarter but Toledo responded and ultimately pulled away for a 38-23 win on Saturday afternoon at the Glass Bowl (21,688).
Jakobie Keeney-James and Jacquon Gibson led the way on offense, registering career-best games. Keeney-James recorded his first receiving touchdown as a Minuteman and caught a career-high six receptions for 93 yards. Gibson hauled in six passes of his own for a career best with a career-high 72 yards receiving, which included a career-long 39-yard catch.
Quarterback Taisun Phommachanh threw for 259 yards on 26-for-40 passing with a touchdown and an interception. Phommachanh added 44-yards rushing on 22 carries, scoring a touchdown on the run.
For the UMass defense, Jaylen Hudson totaled five tackles, while six Minutemen tallied three. Derrieon Craig had a team-high two solo tackles, as Craig and Te'Rai Powell had 0.5 tackles for loss each.
As a team, Massachusetts came away with nine pass breakups and held Rockets quarterback Tucker Gleason to an 8-for-23 mark (175 yards).
How It Happened
After UMass' first drive ended with a punt, the Minutemen forced Toledo to punt behind a Jaylen Hudson pass breakup on a third-and-six. Massachusetts and Toledo each traded a pair of three-and-outs, with another three-and-out for UMass. Toledo then started a drive at the 4:57 mark of the first quarter, resulting in a 40-yard pass completion from Tucker Gleason to Jerjuan Newton to give the Rockets the lead. Toledo's extra point was good, putting the Rockets ahead, 7-0.
Continuing a drive that started late in the first quarter, Jacquon Gibson hauled in a career-long 39-yard reception to set up a 23-yard field goal from Jacob Lurie to put Massachusetts on the board and make it a 7-3 game at 11:52 of the second quarter.
Toledo extended its lead with a 26-yard field goal to cap off an eight-play, 67-yard drive, which was aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties against the Minutemen.
Taisun Phommachanh connected with Jakobie Keeney-James for a 23-yard pass, advancing UMass from the 50-yard line to Toledo's 27-yard line. Keeney-James then caught a 14-yard touchdown pass, his first with UMass, while Lurie made the extra point to give Massachusetts another seven points. The scoring drive was 11-plays and 75-yards and tied the game up at 10-10.
The Rockets pulled ahead, 17-10, with Jacquez Stuart returning the next kickoff for 98 yards.
The Minutemen pulled within four when Laurie hit a career-long 42-yard field goal with one second remaining in the first half, making it a 17-13 contest.
After the teams traded a pair of possessions, Toledo's Braden Awls made a diving interception with the Minutemen driving deep into Toledo's end. Junior Vandeross III then caught a 73-yard touchdown pass for the Rockets on the next play, moving it to a 24-16 game with 4:08 left in the third quarter.
Toledo continued to hold the 24-16 lead to open the fourth quarter and took over at their own 45 to start their first drive of the fourth. The Rockets finished a four play, 55-yard drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown to extend their lead to 31-16.
With 7:57 on the clock, UMass took over on its own 27-yard line on a turnover on downs from Toledo. Phommachanh opened Massachusetts' drive with a 25-yard run to the Toledo 48-yard marker, before Sterling Galban grabbed a 14-yard pass up the middle to move the chains. The Minutemen converted a fourth-and-two on Toledo's 13-yard line with a seven-yard rush from Phommachanh to gain the first down with Phommachanh scrambling up the middle for eight yards into the endzone to add to UMass' tally, 31-23.
The Minutmen were unable to grab the ensuing onside kick and then a seven-yard pass ended a four play, 25-yard and 29-second scoring drive from Toledo to cement its 38-23 win late in the fourth quarter.
Notes
- For the second consecutive game, Josh Atwood, Taisun Phommachanh, Te'Rai Powell and Tyler Rudolph served as the Massachusetts captains.
- Playing in his first game with the Minutemen (and 46th of his career), Jaylen Hudson recorded his first career pass breakup when he deflected a pass at the line early in the first quarter.
- Jacquon Gibson hauled in a career-long 39-yard reception in the second quarter (previous long was a 29-yard catch against Arkansas State on Nov. 11, 2022), while adding a career-high in receptions (six) and receiving yards (72).
- Graduate student Jacob Laurie made his first career field goal, a 22-yard kick to make it a 7-3 game early in the second quarter.
- Jalen Harrell notched his first career pass breakup midway through the second quarter (20th career game played).
- Jakobie Keeney-James pulled in his first touchdown pass as a Minuteman for 14-yards in the second quarter, while marking the fifth touchdown reception of his career.
- Keeney-James recorded a career best in receptions with six and tallied 93 reception yards on the day.
- Jacob Lurie kicked a career-long 42-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Next Up
Massachusetts continues on the road to face Buffalo at 1 p.m. next Saturday, Sept. 14 at UB Stadium in Amherst, New York and on CBSSN.
Team Stats

MAS 0, TOL 7
TOL - Newton,Jerjuan 40 yd pass from Gleason,Tucker (Cunanan,Dylan kick) 4 plays, 67 yards, TOP 01:38

MAS 3, TOL 7
MAS - Lurie,Jacob 23 yd field goal 10 plays, 86 yards, TOP 06:22

MAS 3, TOL 10
TOL - Cunanan,Dylan 26 yd field goal 8 plays, 67 yards, TOP 02:43

MAS 10, TOL 10
MAS - Keeney-James,Jakobie 14 yd pass from Phommachanh,Taisun (Lurie,Jacob kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:27

MAS 10, TOL 17
TOL - Stuart,Jacquez 98 yd kickoff return (Cunanan,Dylan kick)

MAS 13, TOL 17
MAS - Lurie,Jacob 42 yd field goal 10 plays, 41 yards, TOP 02:32

MAS 16, TOL 17
MAS - Lurie,Jacob 30 yd field goal 17 plays, 59 yards, TOP 07:17

MAS 16, TOL 24
TOL - Vandeross III,Junior 73 yd pass from Gleason,Tucker (Cunanan,Dylan kick) 1 plays, 73 yards, TOP 00:11

MAS 16, TOL 31
TOL - Shaw III,Willie 4 yd run (Cunanan,Dylan kick), 4 plays, 55 yards, TOP 01:47

MAS 23, TOL 31
MAS - Phommachanh,Taisun 8 yd run (Lurie,Jacob kick), 10 plays, 73 yards, TOP 05:01

MAS 23, TOL 38
TOL - Torres,Anthony 7 yd pass from Gleason,Tucker (Cunanan,Dylan kick) 4 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:29