For most of Saturday afternoon, UMass struggled to find the offense it needed against Miami (Ohio).
Then Logan Inagawa came off the bench and nearly stole the game.
The backup quarterback engineered a 91-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes, but a failed two-point conversion left the Minutemen on the wrong end of a 20-19 decision at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
“I’m here to be aggressive,” UMass head ocach Joe Harasymiak said of the decision to go for the win. “I trust our guys. We practice that play a lot.
“I believe what I was told is there was a backside run-through in the A gap or B gap that got penetration. So I got to live with it, but I would do it again and I trust our guys to go do it.”
UMass dropped to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the MAC while Miami improved to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
Pressed into action after freshman starting quarterback Aedan McCarthy suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter, Inagawa completed all six of his passes for 83 yards and a touchdown on the Minutemen’s final possession.
His 21-yard touchdown pass to Max Dowling with one second remaining brought UMass within a point, but the Minutemen’s two-point conversion failed.
It was a dramatic finish to an afternoon in which UMass struggled to sustain drives despite a defensive effort that repeatedly gave the Minutemen opportunities to get back in the game.
Making his first career start in place of the injured Pop Watson, McCarthy displayed his arm strength and mobility, but struggled to connect on downfield throws as the Minutemen repeatedly failed to move the chains. McCarthy was also without receivers Joe Griffin and Dallas Elliott.
McCarthy finished 15 of 29 for 171 yards without a touchdown or interception before leaving the game with approximately six minutes remaining.
UMass finished with 319 yards of offense, including 254 through the air, but managed just 65 rushing yards on 30 attempts and converted only four of 15 third downs.
T.Y. Harding led the Minutemen with nine receptions for 91 yards, while Jabari Lewis added five catches for 89 yards. Curtis Kimmons IV rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown.
The UMass defense forced Miami to punt on five consecutive possessions after allowing touchdowns on back-to-back first-quarter drives, holding the RedHawks to 260 total yards.
But the Minutemen offense couldn’t take advantage of those opportunities for much of the afternoon.
Trailing 14-10 at the half, UMass went three-and-out on its first two possessions of the second half.
The first ended with a partially blocked punt, although Miami was unable to capitalize. The second began at the UMass 8 and ended with McCarthy taking a nine-yard sack on third-and-three, forcing another punt.
Miami took over at the UMass 48 following that possession, but the Minutemen’s defense responded again. Timmy Hinspeter and Romando Johnson combined for a 10-yard sack on first down, helping force another RedHawks punt.
The next UMass possession ended in the game’s first turnover.
After Elijah Faulkner gained nine yards on first down, a second-and-one option pitch from McCarthy to Faulkner resulted in a fumble recovered by Miami’s Grant Lyons at the UMass 21.
The RedHawks moved inside the UMass 10, but the Minutemen’s defense limited the damage.
Michael Robinson II and Tyler Martin combined to stop D’Shawntae Jones for a two-yard loss before Kendall Bournes and Zakar Morris held Rodney Nelson to no gain. Caleb Heavner then threw incomplete on third down, forcing Miami to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Kellan McLaughlin with 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
That extended Miami’s lead to 17-10.
UMass went three-and-out again on its next possession, with McCarthy missing on two more deep attempts intended for Harding.
Miami took advantage of the resulting field position, moving from its own 49 to the UMass 28.
Heavner converted a third-and-six with a 13-yard completion to Maleek Huggins, but the Minutemen’s defense prevented another first down.
McLaughlin connected on a 47-yard field goal with 11:36 remaining, stretching Miami’s lead to 20-10, which felt like more given UMass’ offensive inefficiency to that point.
But UMass finally managed to sustain a possession on its next series, with McCarthy connecting with Lewis for 24 yards on third-and-nine to move the Minutemen to midfield.
Faulkner kept the drive alive with a four-yard run on fourth-and-one at the Miami 41 before McCarthy found Harding for 17 yards on first-and-15, advancing UMass to the Miami 25.
But the possession took a concerning turn when McCarthy went down following an incomplete pass under pressure. The freshman attempted to get up multiple times before being helped off the field, appearing reluctant to put weight on his right leg.
Inagawa entered and gained nine yards on his first play, an option keeper that set up third-and-one at the Miami 16, but was stopped for no gain on the next play, and UMass elected to attempt a field goal on fourth-and-one.
Derek Morris converted from 34 yards with 4:55 remaining, cutting Miami’s lead to 20-13 and bringing the Minutemen back within one possession.
Miami picked up a first down on its ensuing possession, but the UMass defense eventually forced another punt after a botched snap resulted in a 10-yard loss on third down.
That gave Inagawa and the Minutemen one final opportunity.
Taking over at his own 9 with 2:22 remaining, Inagawa was sacked for a six-yard loss on first down, immediately putting UMass in a difficult position.
But the backup quarterback responded with a 30-yard completion to Harding on second-and-16, moving the ball to the UMass 33 at the two-minute timeout.
Inagawa found Lewis for six yards on the next play, but a three-yard loss on a keeper and a one-yard completion to Harding left the Minutemen facing fourth-and-six at their own 37.
With the game on the line, Inagawa connected with Lewis for 16 yards to the Miami 47, keeping the drive alive.
A nine-yard completion to Drew Alsup moved UMass to the Miami 38 before a pass interference penalty against Miami gave the Minutemen a first down at the 23.
Inagawa gained two yards on a keeper before finding Dowling over the middle for a 21-yard touchdown with one second remaining.
The score brought UMass within 20-19, and the Minutemen elected to go for two and the lead.
In the first half, McCarthy completed 12 of 20 passes for 126 yards without a touchdown or interception. Harding led UMass with five receptions for 39 yards in the first 30 minutes, while Lewis had two catches for 43 yards. The Minutemen managed just 42 rushing yards and were outgained 176-168 overall, with Heavner accounting for 117 yards of Miami’s offense through the air and on the ground in the first two quarters.
Both teams went three-and-out to begin the game before UMass got the scoring started on its second possession.
Starting at their own 17-yard line, the Minutemen put together an 11-play, 83-yard touchdown drive. McCarthy connected with Kezion Dia-Johnson for 18 yards on second-and-16 and picked up another first down with a seven-yard keeper.
Kimmons finished the possession with consecutive runs of six and 23 yards, scoring on the latter to give UMass a 7-0 lead with 6:36 remaining in the first quarter.
Miami answered with 14 consecutive points, relying heavily on Heavner’s running ability.
Heavner gained 47 yards on three carries during the RedHawks’ first scoring possession, including runs of 29 and 14 yards. Scoop Smith capped the five-play, 73-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown on a reverse, tying the game 7-7 with 3:51 remaining in the opening quarter.
UMass’ next possession ended with a gamble that quickly proved costly.
Facing fourth-and-one at their own 34-yard line, the Minutemen elected to go for the first down, but Faulkner was stopped for no gain.
Miami took advantage of the short field, getting a 15-yard run from Nelson before a defensive holding penalty moved the RedHawks inside the 10. Heavner scored on a nine-yard keeper to put Miami ahead 14-7 with 1:11 remaining in the first quarter.
McCarthy responded with his longest completion of the half, finding Lewis for 34 yards down the left sideline on the first play of UMass’ ensuing possession.
The drive stalled after McCarthy lost five yards on a keeper and failed to connect on another deep attempt, but Morris converted a 56-yard field goal with 14:11 remaining in the second quarter. The kick broke his own UMass record and trimmed Miami’s lead to 14-10.
From there, the Minutemen’s defense tightened a bit.
Miami converted a fourth-and-one near midfield on its next series, but UMass forced a punt when linebacker Josh Iseah broke up Heavner’s third-down pass intended for Braylon Isom.
The RedHawks threatened again on their following possession, with Heavner finding Smith for 33 yards on play-action and Huggins for 25 yards on third-and-seven.
UMass’ pass rush responded. Justin Krueger pressured Heavner into an incompletion before CJ Amobi recorded a nine-yard sack on third down, pushing Miami back to the UMass 37 and forcing another punt.
The Minutemen were unable to take advantage offensively.
UMass will travel to Buffalo for another MAC contest next Saturday.
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