Box Score DANBURY, Conn. – UMass Dartmouth was limited to a season-low rushing total, mustering just 123 yards on the ground while Western Connecticut gunned nearly 300 yards passing to silence the Corsairs with a 35-22 MASCAC win on Saturday evening.
The Basics
Score: Western Connecticut 35, UMass Dartmouth 22
Records: Western Connecticut (4-5, 3-4 MASCAC) | UMass Dartmouth (5-4, 4-3 MASCAC)
How it Happened
Western Connecticut's Kyle McKinnon (New London, Conn.) pounded the Colonials for the game's first score on the hosts' first drive, which went for 12 plays, 79 yards and over five minutes. It took two more possessions for UMass Dartmouth to respond, led by two 20-plus yard completions by senior Cory Burnham (Essex, Mass.) on the Corsairs' third drive. Burnham found sophomore Abbi Bamgbose (Worcester, Mass.) for a 26-yard touchdown pass, and then punched the ball in for a two-point conversion.
The 8-7 lead would be the only advantage for the Corsairs on the game, as the Colonials would rush in the next three touchdowns, all during the second quarter. Khalil Patterson (Hartford, Conn.) bookended a UMass Dartmouth three-and-out with one-yard scoring carries, and McKinnon scored another on Western Connecticut's third-straight drive resulting in points. Heading into half, the Corsairs gained another touchdown back when Burnham found Eddie Sheridan (Chelmsford, Mass.) for a 21-yard reception.
Neither team could convert in a penalty-ridden third quarter, but WCSU drove in the final stake on its first drive of the fourth. Quarterback Quinn Fleeting (Windford, Conn.) registered one of his 21 completions on the night for a score to Bobby Durham (New Haven, Conn.), making the hosts' lead 25-16.
On the Corsairs' ensuing drive, UMass Dartmouth would take seven plays 75 yards, capped by a four-yard touchdown rush by Michael Slaughter, Jr. (Springfield, Mass.), but time would run out on a comeback attempt.
Inside the Numbers
- Junior Marvey Mathurin (Woburn, Mass.) registered a season-high 12 tackles to lead UMass Dartmouth on defense, including two for a total loss of six yards.
- Saturday marked the first game on the season that UMass Dartmouth did not have a running back rush for more than 100 yards.
- Slaughter's 32-yard completion to Micah Gregory (Centerville, Mass.) was the longest by a non-quarterback for UMass Dartmouth this season.
- The Corsairs surrendered 464 yards offense on the game, the most they have allowed since the loss to Hartwick in the second game of the season.
- Burnham had a solid passing night, throwing for 219 yards (14-of-28) with two touchdowns.
- Senior Kevin Wadsworth (Bridgewater, Mass.) connected for a season-long 70-yard punt, averaging 42.8 yards per punt on the contest.
Up Next
UMass Dartmouth closes the regular season next weekend, hosting Fitchburg State at Cressy Field for Senior Day at a 1 p.m. start.
