After a series of slow starts early in the season, the Massachusetts football team got a much needed early lead on Saturday against Army. 

UMass opened the game with back-to-back nine play touchdown drives, each capped off by a Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams touchdown run, to take a 13-0 lead at Michie Stadium at West Point, N.Y. 

The Black Knights, which have an offense that’s predicated on running the ball, were forced to put the ball in the air 21 times, but completed just nine of them. The Minutemen defense did their job keeping Army out of the end zone, with UMass walking away with a 21-14 victory. 

It’s the first time since 2018 the Minutemen (2-7) have won multiple games since 2018. 

“That’s a good football win,” UMass coach Don Brown said. “We gave up 14 total points to an Army team we gave up 44 to a year ago. I’m just happy with the way the guys competed. Technically, we used the bye week the right way. It was to adjust our game plan style to the new Army. If you don’t, they’ll present problems. I have a lot of respect for that football team.

“Our whole thing was getting the second win,” Brown added. “You say ‘c’mon coach, that’s not very good.’ Well it is good when you’ve only won one a few years in a row. I think this will catapult us and we won’t have to look back at that. That was haunting us and now it’s gone. There’s a lot of good, young people who have done the right things during this challenging time. It was nice to see them get paid today in a big way.” 

Lynch-Adams was the engine that made the Minutemen go on Saturday, as he carried the ball 34 times, gained 234 yards and got in the end zone three times. His first touchdown run came from 34 yards out while his second with a nine-yard carry.  

“A year ago [Lynch-Adams] was banged up and we didn’t get the best that he had to offer,” Brown said. “This year we’re getting the best out of Kay’Ron. He’s playing at a high level. He’s not the biggest guy in the world but he just finds a way to gain yards and make guys miss. He’s gaining a lot of yards after contact and he’s a great kid, too.” 

Lynch-Adams, who’s in his third year at UMass after transferring over from Rutgers, noted the work and preparation the Minutemen put in during the bye week to be ready to go against the Black Knights. 

“Happy because we got the ‘W’ so I feel amazing,” Lynch-Adams said. “We had two great weeks of preparation. I feel like having a week off helped us a tremendous amount. That’s a big win. We knew the next one was big and now the next one is even bigger. We just got to continue to keep winning.”

After falling behind 13-0, Army (2-6) was able to get on the scoreboard late in the first half after Bryson Daily barreled in with 2:34 to go before the intermission, cutting the UMass lead to 13-7. 

The Black Knights got the ball to open the second half and opted to go for it on a fourth-and-3 from their own 43 but Jalon Ferrell and John Burton were there to make the stop in the backfield on a Cooper Allen rush, setting the Minutemen up at the Army 30. 

UMass marched it to the goal line where Lynch-Adams ran it in from the 3, with George Johnson converting the two-point try to put the Minutemen ahead, 21-7. 

Army quarterback Champ Harris kept it himself and ran it in from 36 yards out to cut the lead to 21-14 with 5:01 to play but UMass was able to run the clock down to eight seconds before punting it away to seal the win. 

Taisun Phommachanh finished 17-for-23 for 121 yards for the Minutemen. His top weapon was Anthony Simpson, who caught seven passes for 36 yards. 

Juan Lua and Jeremiah McGill came up with interceptions in the win.