Kickoff, interception returns for TDS spark UMass win over Central Connecticut
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AMHERST - Jesse Julmiste's 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Boston College last month was a rare highlight in an otherwise bad game for the University of Massachusetts football team, a nice play with little lasting significance.
But the senior's second return to the end zone had far more impact. After a long scoring drive brought Central Connecticut within two points of the Minutemen in the fourth quarter Saturday, Julmiste's 90-yard kickoff return for a TD proved to be the knockout blow as UMass prevailed 42-26 at McGuirk Stadium.
"We were struggling," said junior safety Darren Thellen. "A play like that gives us a lot of energy."
Julmiste was thinking touchdown before the ball was even kicked. He fielded the ball on the right side of the field and knifed through traffic in the middle before racing into the end zone on the left side.
"You have to think that. It's the only way you're going to make plays," Julmiste said.
A week ago, Old Dominion avoided kicking to Julmiste, but Blue Devils coach Jeff McInerney wanted to challenge his team by kicking to him.
"I wanted to play it straight up against the big boys," McInerney said. "I'm not going to play against another player like him this year. I wanted to see what we got. Give him credit. He returned it and did a heckuva job."
With starting quarterback Kellen Pagel out with a head injury, Brandon Hill helped the Minutemen (3-2) snap their two-game losing streak. The redshirt freshman was 10-of-18 for 169 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and was not intercepted.
"In the first half I caught some rhythm there," said Hill who was sacked four times. "I felt a lot more comfortable today."
UMass coach Kevin Morris praised his performance.
"He made sure guys got the ball in the right spots," Morris said. "He got on a good roll with good tempo in the first half ... I'm very happy with Brandon's play running the offense."
Hill's TD pass was a 58-yarder to senior tight end Emil Igwenagu. It went about eight yards in the air and 50 after the catch. Igwenagu broke two tackles along the sideline right away and then dragged another defender across the goal line.
"I'm always looking to score any time I get the ball in my hands," Igwenagu said.
The score was part of 19 unanswered points in the first and second quarters for the Minutemen, who led 22-7 with 8 minutes, 44 seconds left in the first half.
But Central Connecticut scored in the final minute of the first half. The point after failed and UMass led 22-13 at halftime.
Jonathan Hernandez (20 carries, 75 yards) scored his second touchdown of the game with 8:27 left in the third quarter to stretch the Minutemen's edge to 28-13 when the point-after kick was blocked,
The Blue Devils answered with two TD drives. The second lasted nearly eight minutes and brought the visitors within 28-26 as they set up for the two-point conversion.
But Minuteman senior captain Tyler Holmes had the biggest of his career-high 19 tackles when he buried Chris Tolbert well short of the goal line to keep Central Connecticut from tying the game.
After UMass regained the momentum with Julmiste's touchdown return, Thellen picked off his second pass of the game and brought it back for an 85-yard touchdown with 1:33 left.
"Every DB's goal is to get an interception for a touchdown," Thellen said. "You go into every game wishing you could get one, Tonight was my lucky night."
The game ended the Minutemen's nonconference schedule. They will travel to Delaware at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
"We definitely needed that to get back on a streak," Igwenagu said. "I think we were able to come up big and did a pretty good job."
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.
