Box Score WORCESTER, Mass. – Senior wide receiver Abiola Aborishade (Attleboro, Mass.) registered 204 total yards of offense and three touchdowns, but it was not enough. Worcester State University connected on a 43-yard touchdown pass with just under three minutes remaining in regulation to outlast the Corsairs, 50-43, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football game at Coughlin Field.
Aborishade powered the UMass Dartmouth offensive attack, leading the Corsairs in both rushing and receiving yards. The senior from Attleboro, Mass. demonstrated his big play capabilities, averaging 19.1 yards per catch and 23.3 yards per carry. He pulled in seven receptions for a career-high 134 yards and two TDs, while rushing three times for 70 yards and a score.
UMass Dartmouth suffered its first road loss of the season to slip to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference circuit. Worcester State raised its overall record to 4-2, including a 2-3 mark against MASCAC opponents. The Corsairs produced their highest point total in a single game since posting a 53-35 victory at Endicott College on Nov. 1, 2008.
Both offensive attacks were clicking on all cylinders this afternoon as the teams combined for 923 yards of total offense and 11 offensive touchdowns. UMass Dartmouth posted a season-high 466 yards of offense, exceeding the previous high of 459 yards at Plymouth State on Sept. 27. The Lancers generated 457 yards of offense, including 376 through the air.
In a back-and-forth shootout that featured five ties and two lead changes, the Lancers delivered the decisive touchdown on their penultimate possession. The hosts forced their third turnover of the afternoon to set their offense up in plus territory. Following an incomplete pass, senior quarterback Pat Viencek (Bernardston, Mass.) connected with senior Dana Barry (Hudson, Mass.) for a 42-yard strike to hand Worcester State the Homecoming victory.
Neither team led by more than one possession (8 points) at any point in the conference contest. Both teams were able to score touchdowns on their opening possessions to set the tone for the offensive frenzy.
The game then took a brief departure from its offensive theme as Worcester State sophomore Shane Gleim (North Grosvenordale, Conn.) returned an interception 21-yards to the house. UMass Dartmouth responded when freshman Brandon Miller (Holden, Mass. / Wachusett Regional) blocked a punt, scooped up the recovery, and raced 15 yards to the end zone to forge a 14-14 tie with 5:52 remaining in the first quarter.
The Corsairs appeared to swing the momentum in early in the second quarter as the visitors took their first lead of the game. Aborishade ripped a game-long, 68-yard touchdown run to push the Corsairs in front, 21-14. However, Worcester State evened the score just two minutes, 27 seconds later, when Viencek connected with Hippert for an 18-yard touchdown.
Sophomore quarterback Trent Barneys (Avenel, N.J. / Colonia) led UMass Dartmouth on a nine-play, 79-yard scoring drive. The signal caller connected on 4-of-6 passes for 62 yards, highlighted by a 29-yard strike to senior Jake Scott (Somerset, Mass.). Barneys capped the drive with an eight-yard run. He completed the contest 5-for-8 with 67 passing yards, while running seven times for 13 yards and a TD.
With the teams tied at 28-all, the Corsairs struck first in the second stanza as Aborishade hauled in a 71-yard touchdown reception from freshman Burnham (Essex, Mass. / Manchester-Essex). On UMass Dartmouth's ensuing possession, Barneys was tackled in the end zone for a safety to trim the Corsair lead to 35-30.
Worcester State seized the momentum, scoring the next 13 points to build a 43-35 lead. UMass Dartmouth would not go quietly, however, as the Corsairs needed only four plays to travel 88 yards. The visitors ignited the drive with a 50-yard completion from Burnham to Scott to the hosts' 38-yard line. Two plays later, Burnham tossed a 38-yard TD to Aborishade to draw UMass Dartmouth within two points, 43-41. Sophomore Stephen Roy (Northboro, Mass. / Algonquin Regional) converted the two-point try to tie the score with 6:15 remaining in regulation.
Burnham was 15-for-34 with 297 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also ran for a 15-yard touchdown that tied the score at 7-all. Sophomore Kevin Wadsworth (Bridgewater, Mass. / Bridgewater-Raynham) and senior Jake Scott (Somerset, Mass.) made the most of their two catches apiece, with 87 and 79 yards respectively.
Viencek piloted the Lancer attack, converting 21-of-42 passes for 376 yards and five touchdowns, while tossing one interception. Senior Casey Hippert (Douglas, Mass.) pulled in 11 catches for 243 yards and three TDs, including a game-high 76-yard reception. Junior running back Kemani Jones (Milton, Mass.) rushed 25 times to reach the century mark on the ground, including a two-yard plunge of the first possession of the game. He also caught a seven-yard scoring pass out of the backfield.
Freshman Seth DeMello (Somerset, Mass.) spearheaded the defensive attack, accounting for 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, two sacks, and a pass breakup. Sophomore David Collins, making his first collegiate start, registered eight tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, while freshman Marvey Mathurin (Woburn, Mass. / Northeast Metro) collected an interception.
UMass Dartmouth will return to action at 12 p.m. on Oct. 25, when the Corsairs host the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
