Taisun Phommachanh threw three touchdown passes and Brandon Campbell scored from three yards out in the fourth quarter as FBS independent Massachusetts earned its first victory by holding off Central Connecticut 35-31 on Saturday at Amherst, Mass.
Brady Olson’s 2-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds left in the first half pulled Central Connecticut even with UMass at 21-21 going into intermission. The Blue Devils took their first lead when Olsen found Paul Marsh, Jr. from 10 yards out early in the third quarter.
Phommachanh, a Connecticut native who played at Avon Old Farms, hit T.Y. Harding for a 57-yard catch-and-run to tie the game 28-28, and after Jack Barnum kicked a 25-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter to put Central Connecticut in front, 31-28, Campbell capped a 10-play, 75-yard answering drive for the game-winning score.
Phommachanh completed 20 of his 30 pass attempts for 287 yards with an interception. Jakobie Keeney-James had five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. Harding pulled in two passes for 72 yards and a score.
Olson was 12-of-26 passing for 157 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, but the Blue Devils were held to just 247 yards of offense while the Minutemen amassed 450.
Yale 38, Holy Cross 31: At Worcester, Mass., Nathan Denney ran for two touchdowns in the final 6 1/2 minutes — the second with 12 seconds remaining — and the Elis opened their 151st season of football with a thrilling road win.
Denney’s 5-yard run with 6:32 remaining gave Yale a 31-24 lead. After Holy Cross’s Jayden Clerveaux scored on a 1-yard run that tied the score for the fifth time, Denney scored the winning points on a 3-yard run that capped a 10-play, 64-yard drive that took 3:18 off the clock.
Holy Cross helped out on Yale’s winning drive, committing a personal foul and a pass interference on a fourth-down play.
Brogan McCaughey completed 18 of 32 passes for 217 yards with a touchdown for Yale (1-0). Denney had 29 carries for 80 yards with the two touchdowns.
Clerveaux scored three touchdowns and had 49 yards rushing for Holy Cross (1-3). Joe Pesansky was 12 of 26 passing for 279 with a touchdown. Max Mosey had five receptions for 129 yards.
This was the fifth consecutive time that Yale opened its season against Holy Cross and the Bulldogs lead the series 30-8.
The Bulldogs have won or shared the Ivy League title in each of the last two seasons and in four of the last six years. The Crusaders have won or shared the Patriot League championship in five consecutive seasons.
Trinity 28, Bates 7: At Lewiston, Maine, Zander Zabrowski threw for three scoring passes as the Bantams scored a touchdown in each quarter in the NESCAC road victory.
Zabrowski completed 23 of 30 passes for 196 yards as Trinity improved to 2-0. He threw scoring passes of 10 and four yards to Sean Clapp and for nine yards to Nolan O’Brien.
Jack Tosone accounted for the other score with a 56-yard TD run to open the game. O’Brien caught seven passes for 76 yards and Clapp five for 57. Tosone finished with 76 yards rushing.
Stonehill 35, Sacred Heart 21: At North Easton, Mass., Jarel Washington rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns and the Skyhawks grabbed a big lead and rode it to their first win of the season.
Washington scored on a 26-yard run early in the game and the Skyhawks (1-2) rolled to a 28-7 halftime lead with Ashur Carraha throwing touchdown passes to Chase Miller and Cody Ruff and Washington going around the right end 72 yards for another score.
Zavion Woodard added 110 yards and a score to a Skyhawks ground game that rolled up 354 yards.
John Michalski was 16 of 28 for 143 yards passing with a touchdown throw to Ethan Hilliman for the Pioneers (2-2). Jalen Madison rushed for 110 yards and a score.
