AMHERST – On Tuesday, UMass acting head coach Ed Pinkham warned of South Florida’s big-play capability on offense.
The Minutemen fell victim to those momentum-changing plays on Saturday at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. South Florida scored four touchdowns of 30 yards or more and added a special teams score as well in a 58-42 rout of the Minutemen.
Bulls running back Jordan Cronkite had a career day on the ground, running for a school-record 302 yards, most of which came on just four rushes. He busted through the UMass defense for a 66-yard rush that set up a USF field goal and then added rushing scores of 30, 76 and 77 yards. He is the first opponent to run for 300 yards against UMass since Georgia Southern’s Adrian Peterson in the 1999 FCS national quarterfinal game.
However, the game turned in the visitors’ favor late in the second quarter. After Cronkite’s 66-yard run, USF quarterback Blake Barnett seemed to have snuck in for a touchdown from a yard out. UMass (2-5) challenged the spot and Barnett was ruled to be down short of the goal line, spurring a goal-line stand that held USF to a field goal that left the Bulls trailing 14-13. On the ensuing kickoff, Vincent Davis stripped the ball from Marquis Young and set up a 19-yard Johnny Ford touchdown run that gave the Bulls (5-0) the lead for good.
In the middle of the third quarter, Davis and Young collided again on a kickoff return, this time Davis landed a helmet to Young’s chin, forcing the UMass senior to drop the ball and Davis scooped up the fumble for a score. Young was shaken up after the hit and was down on the field for almost five minutes before being helped to the bench.
It was a much happier ending for UMass than the a similar incident in the second quarter when USF’s Trevon Sands was ejected for targeting on a kickoff after laying a hit on linebacker Michael Nesmith. The freshman laid motionless on the field for more than five minutes then was lifted onto a backboard and flashed a thumbs up while being wheeled off the field on a stretcher. According to a UMass spokesman, Nesmith was responsive while being wheeled off and was being transported to Cooley Dickinson Hospital for further evaluations a precaution for a head/neck injury.
The UMass offense had chances to extend its lead several times in the first half, but mistakes kept the Minutemen off the board. In the second quarter, the Minutemen drove to the USF 22 with a 14-10 lead, but Jaylen Larry sent a low snap skipping past Andrew Ford that the Bulls recovered. After forcing a punt, UMass was able to drive toward midfield before a holding penalty put the unit behind the chains and stalled the possession.
The unit sprung to life after Young’s injury, marching down the field for touchdowns on the three drives following the incident under the direction of Ross Comis. The senior quarterback ran for a 14-yard score, threw a 53-yard bomb to Andy Isabella and fitted a seven-yard throw to Travis Reynolds.