Third Quarter Scoring Puts Mississippi State Over UMass, 47-35

GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State 47, Massachusetts 35
Records: Massachusetts (1-3) • Mississippi State (2-2)
Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.
Attendance: 13,074
Time of Game: 3:36
Weather: 68 degrees and partly cloudy at kickoff; winds 8 MPH N/NW

MASSACHUSETTS HIGHLIGHTS

Marquis Young rushed for an 83-yard touchdown in the first quarter, tied for his longest run as a Minuteman. He also had an 83-yard score at No. 6 Notre Dame during his true freshman season. He finished with 125 yards on 18 carries.
Jalen Williams caught two touchdown passes from Andrew Ford, his second career multi-touchdown game. Williams had scoring receptions of 19 and 31 yards and finished with three receptions for 64 yards.
Bernard Davis accounted for another 19-yard UMass score reception with a toe-drag touchdown catch along the left sideline of the South endzone. It was his second career TD grab and first since Sept. 7, 2013 against Maine.
Sadiq Palmer caught his first collegiate touchdown during the fourth quarter, a 19-yard grab inside the front-left pylon. It was also his first collegiate catch.
Da'Sean Downey forced a fumble on Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, his third forced fumble of the season. Steve Casali recovered the loose ball and returned it 20 yards to set the Minutemen up at the Mississippi State 20 yard line.
Jesse Monteiro's 11 tackles led both sides and put him one shy of tying his single-game personal best. Monteiro recorded double-digit stops through the strength of his play in the secondary and on special teams.
Andrew Ford distributed his four touchdown passes to three different receivers while six different Minutemen caught at least one pass.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Massachusetts led by as much as eight points late in the second quarter after Marquis Young (83-yard run) and Jalen Williams (31-yard catch) posted Minuteman touchdowns and off-set a pair of Westin Graves field goals.
Fred Ross caught a nine-yard touchdown throw from Nick Fitzgerald with 28 seconds left in the second quarter to cut the Bulldogs' deficit to 14-13 entering halftime.
Mississippi State rallied back with 28 points in the third quarter via a pair of touchdown receptions, one rushing score and an interception returned for another TD. Ross started the comeback effort with a 46-yard TD reception with 9:05 left in the third
Jalen Williams put UMass back in front, 21-20 with his second touchdown of the game at the 7:08 mark of the third. He hauled in an Andrew Ford throw along the left side of the North endzone while he fought off a pair of defenders.
Mississippi State tallied three-straight scores to turn their one-point deficit into a 41-21 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Aeris Williams rushed in from 16 yards out, Jamoral Graham returned an interception 36 yards and Farrod Green college a 13-yard TD grab to account for the three conversions.
Massachusetts pulled back within 41-35 with five minutes left to play via consecutive 19-yard touchdown catches from Bernard Davis and Sadiq Palmer. Palmer's score marked his first collegiate catch.
Ashton Shumpert put the game out of reach for UMass when he glided into the endzone with 2:33 to go. Mississippi State failed on its ensuing two-point conversion attempt.

UP NEXT
The Maroon and White come back to for a Sat., Oct. 1 tilt with Tulane at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. on NESN, NESNnational and ESPN3.

Fans are encouraged to contact the UMass Athletics Ticket Office at 1-866-UMASS-TIX or visit the Mullins Center Ticket Office (9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) for all ticket purchasing needs. Questions can be directed to Doug Bean via email (dbean@umass.edu).

For continued coverage of UMass football, follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@UMassFootball).

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