Box Score BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – UMass Dartmouth held a 13-point lead heading into the third quarter on Saturday afternoon at Clean Harbors Stadium, but Massachusetts Maritime registered a two-touchdown fourth quarter to lead the Buccaneers to a 35-34 MASCAC victory over the Corsairs.
UMD began the day on a hot streak, responding to an early 7-0 Massachusetts Maritime lead to open play. The Corsairs then rattled off the next 20 points. At the 4:17 mark in the opening stanza, junior Jakarrie Washington (Everett, Mass.) capped off a 53 yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run to even the score at seven.
The Corsairs struck again early in the second quarter, this time driving for 83 yards including a 58-yard pass from junior quarterback Cory Burnham (Essex, Mass.) to freshman Jeremy Jackson (Middletown, R.I.) to down the ball at the Massachusetts Maritime one-yard line. Following a timeout, junior Mike Slaughter (Springfield, Mass.) rushed in the score to put UMD up 13-7 following a blocked extra-point attempt from junior Steve Trask (Billerica, Mass.).
The defense then made a solid stop, forcing the Buccaneers to a three-and-out series eclipsing only 40 secons. UMD began their next drive at their own 43, with Burnham completing a 10-yard pass to freshman Abbi Bamgbose (Fitchburg, Mass.). Sophomore Eddie Sheridan (Chelmsford, Mass.) then got loose for a 47-yard run, posting his third rushing touchdown of the season and pulling the visitors ahead by a 20-7 following the Trask extra point.
Control then belonged to the Buccaneers for the next three minutes and 13 plays. Massachusetts Maritime quarterback Brad Skeffington put forth much of the drive effort himself, rushing for several yards and completing two passes before finding Shane Haggerty for a 21-yard touchdown completion.
The tide then began to turn to more of a back-and-forth affair, as Burnham saw a pass attempt intercepted in the next drive by Paul Sances at the Buccaneer 28. Following a 51-yard drive attempt, Massachusetts Maritime committed an interception of their own as sophomore Marvey Mathurin (Woburn, Mass.) snagged Skeffinton's pass at the UMD two yard line. The Corsairs converted following a 71-yard Washington run, with Slaughter earning his second rushing score of the day at 5:44. Following another Massachusetts Maritime touchdown late in the second quarter, UMD entered halftime with a narrow 26-21 lead.
The Corsairs opened the scoring in the second half, with Burnham completing his first touchdown pass of the evening, a 21-yard heave to Washington. UMD converted the two-point addition with a rush from Slaughter.
The remainder of the afternoon was controlled by the Buccaneers, who completed a fourth-quarter comeback with help from the defense. UMD forced into a punting situation on their own 44 , and Buccaneer junior Jonathan Furtado blocked the punt that was recovered and returned 44 yards for a touchdown by senior teammate Brendan Smith to pull the hosts' to within six at 34-28. After another punt by the visitors, Massachusetts Maritime engineered a nine-play, 93-yard drive on the ensuing possession that included a key 19-yard connection on third down from Skeffington to Furtado deep in Buccaneer territory. Six plays later, Kenny Pierce's rush and freshman Mitch Miskell's extra point gave the hosts the lead, 35-34.
UMD was unable to recoup the lead in the final eight minutes of play, despite two drive attempts of 40 yards or more.
Sheridan rushed for a game-high 152 yards on 20 carries to go with his touchdown in the setback for UMass Dartmouth, which also received 159 all-purpose yards (98 rushing, 61 receiving) from Washington. Burnham completed 14-of-30 passing attempts for 208 yards for the Corsairs, who amassed 527 yards of total offense on the day, including 292 on the ground.
Senior Derek Tarpey (Tewksbury, Mass.) led UMass Dartmouth's defensive effort with 11 total tackles, while sophomore Brandon Miller (Holden, Mass.) added 10 stops (eight solo) for the Corsairs. Massachusetts Maritime has now won all three series meetings between the teams since the formation of the MASCAC in 2013, including the last two by a combined six points.
Massachusetts Maritime heads to Framingham, Mass. next Saturday afternoon to take on Framingham State in a MASCAC clash that kicks off at Noon, while UMass Dartmouth hosts Western Connecticut in a MASCAC outing next Saturday afternoon in North Dartmouth, Mass. that also kicks off at Noon.
