DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth football team (3-1, 1-1 MASCAC) rushed for 381 yards and five touchdowns in its 52-7 wallop of Worcester State (1-3, 1-1 MASCAC) Saturday afternoon at Cressy Field.
It was all about the running backs. Freshman
Marvens Jean led the Corsairs with 137 yards rushing on 10 attempts, which included a 62-yard TD run. Junior
Luis Gonzalez picked up 89 yards and two scores, sophomore
Richarno Hylton had 49 yards and a score and freshman
Jalyn Aponte ran one in from 16 yards out.
Sophomore quarterback Dante-Aviles Santos did his thing through the air as well. He passed for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Coming down with two of those scores were 5th-year senior
Douglas Machado, who finished with 72 receiving yards, and freshman
Easten Coleman.
The Corsair defense was stifling, holding Worcester State to just 191 yards and 3.1 yards per play. Seniors
Javien Delgado and
Mekhi Geter, and junior
Josh Lacerte all sacked the quarterback, while sophomore
Trell Best came down with his second interception of the year.
Gonzalez got the day started for the Corsairs, punching in a 6-yard touchdown with 11:42 on the clock.
It then took UMassD only two plays to move 34 yards as Aviles-Santos connected with Machado for a 25-yard touchdown pass and catch to extend the lead to 12-0 with 4:02 to go in the first.
After a slow start to the second, Gonzalez capped off a quick, two play, drive to give him his second touchdown rush of the day from three yards out to bring the score to 18-0 with 3:08 left in the quarter.
Jean then broke off his 62-yard touchdown run where he stiff armed three defenders, spun around another, and won the footrace to the end zone to make it 25-0 at halftime.
Worcester State cut its deficit to 25-7 after a 1-yard pass for a score. Aviles-Santos then hit Machado for a 39-yard touchdown and found Coleman in the end zone for 12 yards, pushing the advantage to 38-7.
Aponte (16 yds) and Hylton (27 yds) each rushed for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to cap off the victory.
UMass Dartmouth will now prepare for a road game at Western Connecticut State at 5 p.m.
