AMHERST, Mass. - The script was nearly identical, all of the way up until the ending, which veered wildly into UMass’ direction.
Just as it had done last month at Buffalo, the Minutemen took a lead into the final two minutes, gave up the tying score and went to overtime.
But instead of losing the way they did at Buffalo, UMass prevailed here at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Wednesday night over Ball State, 31-30.
The offensive line wasn’t dominant, but it was good enough.
The defense gave up the late fourth-quarter touchdown and another in overtime, but played good enough before that to keep the Minutemen in the game.
Pop Watson wasn’t perfect, but the electric UMass quarterback provided plenty of juice all night, including the winning touchdown.
And, after missing a relatively easy field goal in the first quarter, Derek Morris walked it off with his most important PAT as a Minuteman.
Watson finished with 302 passing yards and a touchdown while running for two more, including the 13-yard score in overtime.
UMass moves to 5-4 on the season, 2-3 in the MAC while the Cardinals fall to 3-6 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
UMass outgained Ball State 455-350 and held the ball for 33:21 to Ball State’s 26:39, throwing for 302 yards and running for 153. The Cardinals leaned on their ground game for 168 of their 350 yards and were flagged 10 times for 95 yards to UMass’ five for 50, but the Minutemen’s two lost fumbles, and the seven points that followed the second one, kept Ball State in it all night.
UMass won the overtime toss and chose defense, and Ball State struck first. Ball State quarterback Keldric Luster hit Tate Hoover for 20 yards to the 2, and after the Minutemen stopped the Cardinals twice from the 1, Ball State running back Jalen Bonds punched it in on 3rd & 1. Ball State kicker Brody Boehm’s extra point sailed wide left, though, and Ball State’s lead was just 30-24.
Watson needed three plays to end it.
His first throw, for tight end Max Dowling down the left side, was dropped, but Watson kept the next two himself, 12 yards up the middle and then 13 more to the left for the tying touchdown. Morris drilled the extra point, and the Minutemen had their walk-off win.
Watson finished 17-25 for 302 yards and a touchdown and added 40 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Curtis Kimmons carried 19 times for 85 yards, and Elijah Faulkner scored the Minutemen’s other rushing touchdown. T.Y. Harding caught six passes for 70 yards, Kez Dia-Johnson three for 97, Jabari Lewis had two for 78 and a touchdown and Reece Adkins four for 44.
Bonds carried 17 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and Luster went 17 of 27 for 182 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score.
Leading 14-10 at halftime, the UMass defense opened the third quarter with a statement, forcing Ball State to go backward on its first possession before punting.
Watson put the UMass offense in business on the ensuing drive with a nifty 21-yard run on 3rd & 3 to the Ball State 33. But the Minutemen gave it away. A holding penalty pushed UMass back and on the next play, Harding took a short pass and fumbled for the second time in the game, with Ball State recovering at its own 35.
After being bailed out by his defense on his first-half fumble, this time it cost the Minutemen. Two plays after taking over, Ball State had the lead.
Bonds ran for 8, a deep shot drew a pass interference flag that moved the Cardinals to the UMass 42, and Bonds broke the next carry up the middle for a 42-yard touchdown. Boehm’s extra point put Ball State ahead 17-14 with 8:15 left in the third quarter.
The teams exchanged three-and-outs on the next two possessions.
UMass and Watson busted out on their next drive though with Watson needing just four plays to go 91 yards.
After a short completion to Faulkner, he hit Harding deep down the middle for 46 yards to the Ball State 42, then found Dia-Johnson deep to the left for 41 more to the 1. Watson kept it himself for the touchdown from there, and Morris put UMass back in front 21-17 with 2:31 left in the third quarter.
Ball State’s final drive of the third was hampered by a penalty and the Cardinals had to punt the ball to UMass on the opening play of the fourth. The Minutemen would have to punt on their ensuing drive as well when Watson’s deep pass to Lewis on third down was swatted away by Ball State’s Willizhuan Yates, saving a touchdown and giving his team the ball back.
Luster overthrew Bonds on what would have been an easy touchdown and the Cardinals’ drive stalled with UMass taking over after a punt with nine minutes to play.
UMass answered with a drive to give itself some space, but not enough.
Starting at their own 10 with 8:59 to play, the Minutemen went 86 yards in 11 plays and burned 6:45 off the clock.
Watson hit Adkins for 13 to get it started, Kimmons converted a 3rd & 1 and Watson then found Dia-Johnson deep for 47 yards to the Ball State 18. Kimmons broke a 16-yard run down to the 2, but the Minutemen nearly fumbled it away at the goal line, a bobbled snap on 3rd & 2 costing 2 yards before Watson fell on it himself. Morris came on and drilled a 23-yard field goal with 2:14 to play to push the lead to 24-17.
Ball State managed to rip down the field to tie it just before the end of the fourth.
Starting at its own 25, Luster went to Bonds three times and then hit Donovan Hamilton deep for 21 yards to the UMass 39. Three more completions, the last to Hamilton on 3rd & 4, reached the UMass 24, and the drive got its break there, a pass interference call on an incompletion that moved the ball to the 9. Luster found Bonds down to the 2, then kept it himself for the tying touchdown with 25 seconds left. Boehm’s extra point made it 24-24 to force overtime.
UMass certainly missed some opportunities throughout the first half, but Watson provided the biggest play of the game at the end of the half, a touchdown bomb to Lewis just before halftime to give the Minutemen the 14-10 advantage.
UMass took the opening kickoff and marched straight into Ball State territory.
Starting at their own 25 after a touchback, the Minutemen rode Kimmons early. The running back carried four times on the drive, including gains of 9 and 11 yards while Watson converted a couple first downs as well. His deep shot to Harding drew a 15-yard pass interference flag on Ball State, and he followed with completions of 11 yards to Adkins and 10 yards to Harding to reach the Ball State 18.
But the drive died there. Hurried on 3rd & 2, Watson had to throw the ball away and UMass had to settle for a 36-yard field goal attempt, but Morris pushed it wide right.
Ball State responded immediately.
Luster kept for 7 yards on the Cardinals’ first snap, then found Alex Scherle running alone down the right side for 35 yards on a busted coverage to the UMass 38. Bonds carried three straight times for 18 yards, and Luster finished it, finding Jamarion McDougle on a crossing route for a 20-yard touchdown to give Ball State a 7-0 lead with 6:49 left in the first quarter.
UMass could not answer. Kimmons lost 3 yards on first down and the Minutemen could never get ahead of the chains and had to punt.
Ball State threatened again before stalling. Timmy Hinspeter dropped Luster for a loss of 6 to highlight UMass’ defensive stand.
The UMass offense started moving again on its next drive, which spanned the end of the first quarter and the start of the second. Ball State helped the Minutemen out with some crucial penalties on the drive.
Faulkner did the early work himself, carrying three straight times for 13 yards and a first down, and Watson’s 9-yard completion to Dia-Johnson became much more when Ball State was flagged for roughing the passer, moving UMass to midfield at the quarter break.
Kimmons opened the second quarter with a 10-yard run to the Ball State 40, and from there the flags took over. An ineligible receiver penalty wiped out an 18-yard completion to Joseph Griffin, and offsetting penalties erased a Ball State pass interference. But the Cardinals were flagged for pass interference on the next play before a facemask added 15 more.
Faulkner finished what he started, carrying 8 yards to the 1 and then one more to tie the game at 7 with 11:34 left in the second quarter.
Ball State’s next drive stalled, and UMass took over at its own 23 after a punt.
The Minutemen gave it right back on the first snap, though when Harding fumbled on a quick pass and Ball State recovered at the UMass 23.
The defense bailed the offense out, though. Ball State went backward from there, a false start and a short run leaving 3rd & 11 before Joshua Iseah sacked Luster for a loss of 9 and forced the Cardinals out of field goal range.
UMass picked up one first down, but the drive stalled at the 30 and Ball State would take advantage.
The defense had two chances to end Ball State’s answer and missed both. Luster hit Hamilton for 14 on 3rd & 11, and on 3rd & 8 in the final two minutes, Luster scrambled up the middle for 21 yards to the UMass 36. He hit McDougle for 14 one play later, and Bonds carried 12 more to the UMass 10, but the Cardinals had to settle for three after Khari Bendolph broke up Luster’s pass on 3rd & Goal. Boehm kicked a 22-yard field goal with 33 seconds left in the half to put Ball State ahead 10-7.
Joe Harasymiak used a timeout after Ball State’s second down run, signaling he was going to be aggressive when UMass got the ball back.
A 28-yard kickoff return by Dia-Johnson to the UMass 36 made the decision even easier for Harasymiak. On the second play, Watson hit Lewis for a 64-yard touchdown bomb down the right side to give the Minutemen their first lead of the night.
Morris’ PAT made it 14-10 at halftime.
The half was as even as the score suggested.
UMass outgained Ball State 174-170, both teams ran for exactly 71 yards, and the quarterbacks nearly mirrored each other, Watson going 8 of 14 for 103 yards and a touchdown and Luster 5 of 12 for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Discipline was the difference. Ball State was flagged 8 times for 80 yards, UMass once for 5 yards, and the Cardinals’ penalties directly fed the tying touchdown drive. UMass’s one giveaway, the Harding fumble, cost nothing when the defense held on the short field.
The Minutemen return to action next Wednesday, when they travel to Toledo.
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