DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth football team are bowl champions for the second time in program history, and first since 2003, after defeating Alfred State, 42-16, in the New England Bowl Saturday afternoon at Cressy Field.
The win marks the ninth win of the season, which ties the 2003 squad for the second most victories in the 34-year history of UMass Dartmouth football.
The Corsairs (9-2) combined for 621 yards of total offense and an average of 6.8 yards per play with 303 rushing yards and 318 through the air. UMass Dartmouth held the Pioneers (6-5) to only 63 rushing yards and finished with 29 first downs compared to 12 for Alfred State.
Sophomore quarterback
Dante Aviles-Santos was a threat through the air and ground. He passed for 316 yards with four touchdowns and added two more scores using his legs. 5th-year senior
Douglas Machado was named the Bowl Game MVP after putting up 151 receiving yards on five catches. Coming down with TD receptions were freshman
Antonio Brown, senior
Keenan Little and junior
Winston DeLeon. Sophomore offensive lineman
Tyler Gmyr even got in on the action after taking a lateral to the house. Freshman
Marvens Jean carried the ball for 129 yards, while junior
Luis Gonzalez finished with 128 yards.
Sophomore
Trell Best picked off two passes to bump his total to five on the year, while graduate student
Marcus Elysee, seniorsÂ
Mekhi Geter and
Malik Gibson and freshman
Mike Henricksen all finished with a sack.
UMass Dartmouth took its first drive of the day 62 yards in three minute, which included a 26-yard pass to Machado. Aviles-Santos capped it off with a three-yard scamper for six and the 2-point conversion by Gonzalez made it an 8-0 lead with 11:56 in the first.
The Cosairs quickly made it 16-0 when Aviles-Santos connected with Brown for a 43-yard touchdown pass and catch. Freshman
Thomas Zednik then pulled down the 2-point conversion to give UMass Dartmouth some breathing room with 5:36 on the clock.
After Alfred State cut its deficit to 16-3, Little finished a 10-play, 78-yard drive, with a TD catch from Aviles-Santos to make it a 22-3 advantage at halftime.
The Pioneers opened the second half with a 13-yard touchdown pass to make it a 22-9 game. The next score for the Corsairs was a memorable one. From Alfred State's the 17-yard line, Aviles-Santos sent a pass to Little, who then pitched a lateral to Gmyr, who stiff-armed a defender and rumbled his way to the endzone to extend the lead to 28-9 with 10:14 in the third.
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Alfred State scored another touchdown, but it was too late as Aviles-Santos found DeLeon, who toe-tapped in the back of the endzone, to finish things off and begin the celebration.
UMass Dartmouth will look to build off the success of recent years and compete for the MASCAC Championship next fall.
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