Massachusetts football opens 2023 campaign with a 41-30 win at New Mexico State

Las Cruces, New Mexico – The University of Massachusetts football team scored 31 points in the second half to seal a 41-30 win over New Mexico State at Aggie Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. In his UMass debut, he was a quarterback Tyson Fumachaneh I 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 He also contributed a TD and had 27 yards on the ground to go along with three receptions for 65 yards. Christian Wells Dragged a 68-yard rushing Minutemen receiving corps.


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

how did that happen

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

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

With three seconds left in the first half, New Mexico State kicked a 36-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10.

After stopping the Aggies, Phommachanh converted a third-and-4 with a 22-yard touchdown connection with Simpson, setting up a 29-yard field goal by Carson to give UMass a 13-10 lead.

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

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

Jordin Parker’s 40-yard touchdown grab brought the Aggies’ deficit back to 10 before Lynch-Adams went home 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 He served as captain of Massachusetts.
• Michael Oppong He caught his first career interception to set up the first touchdown of the game.
• Tyler Rudolph He recorded his first career sack.
• With 10 minutes left in the second quarter CJ Kolodzie He posted a punt 62 yards (previous distance was 55 yards).
• Isaiah Rutherford The interception, which he returned 55 yards for a touchdown, his first pick six since Jordan Mahoney Against Stony Brook on September 17, 2022.
• The 41 points marked UMass’ highest offensive production since defeating Liberty 62-59 in a 3OT on November 3, 2018 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
• Kay Ron Lynch Adams He matches his career high in carries (15) and had his first career game with multiple touchdowns on the ground. He also posted the longest career rush (66 yards) and single-game best rushing yards (79).
• the Don Brown The defense had two interceptions and recovered a fumble while recording three sacks for 21 yards. 24 individuals made at least one tackle in the Minutemen competition.
• The 28 points UMass scored in the fourth quarter matched the most points scored by a team in a single quarter in the program’s FBS era. The Minutemen also scored 28 in the first quarter against Charlotte on September 22, 2018 and 28 in the first quarter against Georgia Southern on October 21, 2017.

Next

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