BANGOR, Maine. – Sophomore quarterback
Dante Aviles-Santos connected with freshman wide receiver
Antonio Brown for a 39-yard touchdown pass with 1:48 remaining in the game to push the Corsairs past Husson, 21-14, Saturday afternoon in the season opener in Bangor, Maine.
Aviles-Santos led the Corsairs (1-0) with 128 yards passing and two touchdowns. Brown, and junior
Diondre Ellis each had touchdown receptions. Graduate student
Stephen Gacioch, who left the game in the second quarter due to injury, threw for 93 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
For Husson (0-1), quarterback Nic Visser passed for 281 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Walker's lone catch was for 10 yards and a score. The Eagles' second time crossing the plane came on a 70-yard pick-six by Tucker Buzzell off Gacioch.
UMass Dartmouth's defense was especially solid, holding the Eagles to 73Â yards on the ground and no rushing touchdowns. Senior
JP Mason led the team with 12 tackles, while senior
Javien Delgado finished with nine, and sophomores
Logan Chappell and
Jackson Wellman each had seven tackles.
After a scoreless first quarter, Husson's Buzzell spoiled the first drive of the second with a 70-yard interception returned for a touchdown with 13:36 on the clock to give the home team a 7-0 lead.
Gacioch and UMass Dartmouth had an answer on its very next drive, moving 67 yards in 10 plays in just over three minutes to cross the plane. The Corsairs pushed through as Gacioch hit senior
Douglas Machado for 32 yards in the air. Junior
Luis Gonzalez chewed up 21 yards on the ground, and Gacioch added 10 more with his legs. Gacioch then completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Vincent and sophomore
Douglas Chicca added the extra point to tie the game at 7-7.
The Corsairs took a 13-7 lead in the third quarter with Aviles-Santos in at quarterback. Aviles-Santos led the offense by connecting on three passes for 39 yards and rushed for 10 more. He capped off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ellis to put his team ahead.
Husson then went 92 yards in 4:28 to start the fourth quarter to take the lead back. The big play of the drive was a 44-yard pass to Tyler Thompson to put his team ta the 10-yard line. A 10-yard touchdown pass from Visser to Walker gave the Eagles a 14-13 lead after the extra-point kick was good.
After a number of clutch stops by the Corsairs defense, Aviles-Santos and the offense got the ball back with 4:37 to go, trailing by one. Aviles-Santos connected with freshman
Thomas Zednik on 4th-and-3 on the UMAssD 35-yard line to keep the drive alive. He then hit senior
Keenan Little for 20-yards and finally connected with Brown for the game-winning, 39-yard, touchdown pass.
UMass Dartmouth will now prepare for its home opener against Dean College on Saturday at 12 p.m. at Cressy Field.
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