BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Senior tailback J.T. Harold (North Andover, MA) rushed for 222 yards and two touchdowns to lead visiting UMass Dartmouth to a 32-27 come-from-behind victory over host Bridgewater State College this afternoon at Swenson Field.
With the win UMass evens its' record at 1-1, while Bridgewater falls to 0-2. UMass is now 10-11 all-time against the Bears as the two New England Football Conference (NEFC) rivals have met every year since 1988.
Harold scored on runs of 62 and 15 yards as the Corsairs overcame a 21-10 halftime deficit by outscoring the Bears 16-0 in the third quarter.
Harold's 62-yard run with 1:58 remaining in the third quarter gave UMass its' first lead of the game at 26-21. After Bridgewater jumped back ahead, 27-26, with 11:47 left in the fourth quarter, Harold capped off a nine-play, 66-yard drive with his game-winning 15-yard run with just over seven minutes left on the clock.
The two teams combined for 664 yards rushing and 874 yards of total offense. UMass racked up 364 yards on the ground while Bridgewater finished with 300. Both teams turned the ball over three times by virtue of two interceptions and one fumble apiece.
Bridgewater State senior running back Bruce Burley (Mansfield, MA) paced the Bears with 151 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. Burley opened the scoring on just the second play from scrimmage as he broke off a 65-yard touchdown run. After UMass junior kicker George Vasiliadis (Worcester, MA) booted a 31-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3, Burley capped off a seven-play, 69-yard drive with a three-yard TD run to put BSC up 14-3.
On the Corsairs opening drive of the second quarter, junior running back James Moore (Wakefield, MA) busted off a 35-yard touchdown run to close the gap to 14-10 in favor of the Bears. But with 3:08 left in the half, BSC junior fullback Jeff Creeden (Mansfield, MA) found the end zone on a 23-yard run to give Bridgewater a 21-10 lead at the half.
The third quarter belonged to UMass Dartmouth as the Corsairs intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble. UMass marched 53 yards on eight plays on the opening drive of the quarter with sophomore fullback Alex Duff (Acushnet, MA) scoring on a 15-yard run to cut the deficit to 21-17.
A Rolando Andrade (Brockton, MA) interception on BSC's ensuing possession led to another field goal by Vasiliadis, this time from 30 yards out, to pull the Corsairs to within a point at 21-20.
What followed was a series of turnovers as both teams exchanged interceptions and then Bridgewater fumbled deep in UMass territory to give the Corsairs the ball at their own 20. Four plays later, Harold broke free for his 62-yard TD run to give UMass their first lead of the game at 26-21. The Corsairs conversion attempt from 35 yards out (because of a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty) failed however.
BSC reclaimed the lead on their next possession as senior quarterback Tyler D'Ambra (Mansfield, MA) connected with junior receiver Jesse Teixeira (Taunton, MA) on a five-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-two play to give the Bears a 27-26 advantage. The drive covered 68 yards on 10 plays with the go ahead score coming with 11:47 left in the fourth quarter. BSC went for two but a D'Ambra rush on the conversion attempt failed.
After Harold's second touchdown put the Corsairs back on top for good, the Bears were forced to punt on their next possession. UMass then basically ran out the final 4 ½ minutes of the game, giving BSC the ball back with just seven seconds left to play.
D'Ambra completed 8 of 19 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown but was also intercepted twice. Along with Burley's 151 yards on the ground, Creeden and sophomore running back Jessy Resende (Brockton, MA) combined for 127 yards on 22 carries. Senior wide receiver David Wall (Braintree, MA) posted his second straight 100-yard receiving day as he caught 6 passed for 124 yards.
Along with Harold's 222-yard performance, Moore finished with 55 rushing yards while Duff chipped in with 437. Senior quarterback Alex Garros (Mattapoisett, MA) completed 4 of 10 passes for 39 yards and a pair of interceptions.
Junior linebacker Casey Florence (Bridgewater, MA) led the Bears with nine solo tackles and a forced fumble. Senior cornerback John Bascon (Bridgewater, MA) recorded his 12th career interception while also making three tackles. The BSC career mark for interceptions is 15 by Tom Glynn (1973-1975). Bascon's interception occurred in the end zone as he thwarted a second quarter UMass scoring drive.
Senior linebacker Rich Braley (Wareham, MA) paced the Corsairs with 10 tackles (8 solo). Senior defensive end Anthony Musto (Dedham, MA) registered 5 solo tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble. Senior linebacker John Waldron (Lynn, MA) also recorded 5 solo tackles with a sack and a forced fumble.
The Bears take to the road for the next two weekends. BSC travels to Salve Regina next Saturday for a noontime game with Seahawks. Bridgewater then opens NEFC divisional play at Maine Maritime on the 27th of September. UMass hosts Fitchburg State College next week at 6 PM in their annual Shrine Game.