AMHERST – The boos echoed as CJ Kolodziey jogged over to midfield to punt.
UMass confronted a fourth and three from its personal 45 and trailed New Mexico State by three with 9 minutes, 30 seconds left. The Minutemen’s offense had simply picked up 41 yards over 10 performs behind quarterback Brady Olson, who accomplished 3-for-5 passes for 29 yards and ran for an additional 9. They hadn’t scored within the second half.
If UMass ever had momentum on offense to choose up a fourth down conversion, that was the second. As an alternative, UMass coach Don Brown despatched out Kolodziey and the punt unit. The person who solves all of his issues with aggression went conservative within the recreation’s essential second.
Kolodziey dropped the kick on the New Mexico State 12 with 9:14 left. Brown’s protection wanted a cease to offer the Minutemen an opportunity at a brief subject and a tying or go-ahead rating.
“My thought was, we’re enjoying ok protection we’ll pin them right here and have one other shot,” UMass coach Don Brown stated.
They didn’t. After a five-yard Ahmonte Watkins rush, New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia uncorked a 33-yard go down the precise sideline to Jonathan Brady, instantly negating any subject place features from the punt.
The Aggies completed that drive with a 27-yard landing go from Pavia to Terrell Warner with 3:42 left, cementing a 23-13 victory. New Mexico State hadn’t received on the highway since 2018.
The Aggies (3-5) outscored UMass 13-0 after halftime and held UMass (1-7) to 85 complete yards and 27 rush yards within the second half.
“Very disappointing. Clearly we’re coming off a bye. We had two weeks to arrange. Had good moments within the soccer recreation, however too little too late,” Brown stated. “First half, I believed guys have been actually competing arduous at excessive degree, and we mirrored that, however clearly we weren’t capable of manufacture something offensively within the second half .”
New Mexico State took its first lead 16-13 on a 43-yard Ethan Albertson subject objective with 6:16 left within the third. A UMass defensive go interference penalty adopted by a facemask put the Aggies on the UMass 26. After an incompletion and a brief rush, UMass’ Marcus Cushnie and Jalen Stewart sacked Paiva on third right down to arrange the more difficult kick.
The Aggies compelled a UMass three and out to begin the third quarter, and Pavia scooted up the left sideline for 38 yards into Minutemen territory. He discovered a large open Thomaz Whitford on the UMass 15 that compelled a UMass timeout two performs into the second half.
The Minutemen’s protection stiffened, together with halting a third-and-4 reverse to power an Albertson 35-yard subject objective that tied the sport at 13 with 9:59 on the third quarter clock.
New Mexico State scored 10 unanswered factors within the second quarter. Albertson linked on a 41-yard subject objective with 6:37 to halftime. Aggies nook Syrus Dumas arrange the rating with a diving interception. Olson hit George Johnson III with a excessive go on the left sideline, however Johnson bobbled it and couldn’t haul the ball in. Dumas stored it off the bottom together with his left and hand cradled it as he fell to the bottom.
The Aggies gained eight yards and kicked the sector objective.
Their subsequent possession, Pavia entered the sport and hit Justice Powers for a 31-yard catch and run that injured two UMass defensive backs – Tanner Davis and Jordan Mahoney – after they collided attempting to make the deal with. Mahoney walked off below his personal energy, however Davis wanted examination on the sector and was taken on to the locker room.
On the subsequent play, Pavia linked with a wide-open Jamoni Jones for a 39-yard rating that tied it at 10 5 minutes later.
Pavia completed 7-of-12 via the air for 223 yards with two scores and ran for a team-high 56 yards.
“He bought the recent hand. Generally that occurs with the quarterback,” Brown stated. “He made – I believed – three throws that have been actually distinctive.”
UMass appeared to stall after three performs following a robust Greg Desrosiers kickoff return, however a New Mexico State operating into the kicker penalty gave the Minutemen new life as halftime approached.
Olson discovered Cam Sullivan-Brown on a fast out, then operating again Ellis Merriweather (84nyards) picked up a primary down with a six-yard run. After two passes to Josiah Johnson put the Minutemen in subject objective vary, each groups referred to as timeout with seven seconds to go and the ball on the 17 yard line.
It was Olson’s fifth look of the season and second begin. He eclipsed his season totals with 15 completions on 28 makes an attempt for 97 yards.
“It has been been an ongoing course of for 2 weeks. We opened it up through the bye week,” Brown stated. “We’re continuously attempting to tweak our roster and discover guys that may assist assist our roster. That is not solely the quarterback place, it is each place on the staff. He clearly had the most effective two weeks of apply.”
UMass’ Cameron Carson hit a 34-yard subject objective that put the Minutemen up 13-10 and was run into once more. The Minutemen declined the penalty and took that benefit into halftime, the place they’d obtain the third quarter kickoff.
UMass operating again Kay’Ron Adams delivered a haymaker to open the second quarter after a primary quarter full of jabs. He burst via a gaping gap on the precise facet of the road and ran 66 yards untouched to the top zone for his second rating as a Minuteman with 12:54 to halftime. It was the longest rush of his profession and the longest offensive play of UMass’ season.
He completed with 72 yards on six carries.
Carson put the Minutemen forward initially with a 41-yard subject objective with 6:15 left within the first quarter. The groups mixed for 26 performs and simply 78 yards within the opening stanza. Neither averaged greater than 5 yards per play.
Kyle Grabowski will be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Comply with him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.