Football Drops 26-20 Decision to UMass Dartmouth on Senior Day

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting UMass Dartmouth football team edged Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rival Bridgewater State University, 26-20, on Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.

The Corsairs improve to 7-2 on the season and 5-2 in the MASCAC, while the Bears fall to 5-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play. UMass snapped Bridgewater State's five-game winning streak and defeated the Bears for the first time since 2014. The Corsairs are 13-20 all-time against their Southeastern Massachusetts rivals since the two teams first met back in 1988.

UMD sophomore quarterback Dante Aviles-Santos (Cumberland, R.I.) completed 16 of 25 pass attempts for 236 yards and four touchdowns while adding 61 yards on the ground. Senior wide receiver Douglas Machado (Swansea, Mass.) hauled in six receptions for 84 yards and a pair of scores for the Corsairs, while freshman running back Marven Jean (Saugus, Mass.) and junior running back Luis Gonzalez (Greenacres, Fla.) combined to rush for 163 yards on 31 carries.

Junior running back Adam Couch (Winchendon, Mass.) paced the BSU offense as he rushed for a game-high 151 yards and three touchdowns on 22 attempts. Grad receiver T.J. Hairston (Watertown, Mass.) pulled down four catches for 61 yards, while sophomore tight end Jalen Kopecky (Pawtucket, R.I.) added three catches for 21 yards and also rushed for 17 yards on three carries.

Junior linebacker Brendan Albert (Canton, Mass.) put together yet another impressive performance on the defensive side of the ball for Bridgewater State. Albert recorded a game-high 17 tackles (12 solo) including three for loss and a pair of sacks. He also forced his fifth fumble of the season. Classmate and fellow linebacker Steven Silvia (Dighton, Mass.) added 11 tackles (eight solo) for the Bears with two going for loss.

After getting a stop on the opening possession of the game, the Bears marched 53 yards on nine plays with Couch punching it in from one yard. The extra point attempt, however, sailed wide to the left.

The Corsairs answered with a seven-play, 67-yard drive resulting in a 42-yard touchdown pass from Aviles-Santos to Machado. UMass went for two and converted on a Gonzalez rush to take an 8-6 lead.

Bridgewater took advantage of a short kickoff and Dan Cataldo (Wakefield, Mass.) 15-yard return to take over on the BSU 52. Six plays later, Couch broke free for a 33-yard TD run to put the Bears back on top, 12-6, with 3:06 remaining in the first quarter . A high snap on the point after try led to another miss.

UMass put together the longest drive of the first half as the game moved into the second quarter. The Corsairs moved the ball 82 yards on ten plays capped off by a Keenan Little (Stratford, Conn.) two-yard touchdown run to make it a 14-12 game. The two point conversion attempt failed.

Following a punt, the Bears' defense came up with a big stop on fourth down at the BSU 28. Ten plays later, Couch rumbled into the end zone from 25 yards out for his third touchdown of the afternoon to reclaim the lead. Hairston hauled in the two-point conversion pass to put the Bears up, 20-14.

Bridgewater would not score again.

With UMass driving late in the second quarter, a big strip sack by Albert and 38-yard fumble return by junior defensive end Brian Campagna (Canton, Mass.) set up a potential scoring opportunity with 18 seconds remaining in the half. Sophomore cornerback Shane Meerbott (Cumberland, R.I.), however, came up with a clutch interception as the two teams headed to the break with Bridgewater holding the six-point lead.

UMass forced a three-and-out on the opening possession of the third quarter. Starting on their own 27, the Corsairs marched 73 yards on nine play with Aviles-Santos connecting with Jeans on a seven-yard touchdown pass to knot the score at 20-20. The visitors went for two again and failed to convert.

After being forced to punt, the Bears got a huge break when the Corsairs muffed the punt and BSU junior Exondus Barnes (East Providence, R.I.)  recovered at the UMD 18. Bridgewater was unable to capitalize as a fourth down pass attempt fell incomplete.

The two teams then exchanged punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter. UMass then put together the game-winning touchdown drive. Starting at their own 24, the Corsairs ran three straight positive plays including a 41-yard run by Jean to put the ball at the BSU 18. Two plays later, Aviles-Santos found Machado in the end zone for the 18-yard score to give the visitors a 26-20 lead. UMD failed the conversion attempt for the third straight time.

The Bears had two very good opportunities to potentially win the game in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater strung together a 15-play, 57 yard drive that stalled at the UMD 35. After forcing a punt, the Bears moved the ball down the field and had a first-and-ten at the UMass 28 with 51 seconds left to play. Sophomore cornerback Trell Best (West Haven, Conn.), however, thwarted any chances of a BSU comeback as he put the game away with a clutch interception. Two plays before, the Bears had a 32-yard completion down to the UMD two called back due to an illegible receiver down the field.

Senior safety Chris Gomes (Taunton, Mass.) notched a team-best 13 tackles and also added a pass breakup to pace the UMD defense, while JP Mason added 12 tackles (nine solo). The Corsairs recorded four sacks on the afternoon  and broke up seven passes. Junior defensive lineman Josh Lacerte (Westerly, R.I.) tallied 1 ½ sacks and sophomore safety Logan Chappell (Griswold, Conn.) finished with four pass breakups.

The Corsairs amassed 453 yards of total offense with 236 coming through the air and 217 on the ground, while the Bears finished with 304 yards (149 passing/155 rushing). The two teams each turned the ball over twice. UMass went 7-for-13 on third down and 1-for-2 on fourth. Bridgewater converted just 4 of 13 third down opportunities and went 1-for-2 on fourth down.

Prior to the game, the Bears honored 11 student-athletes who were playing in their final home game. Hairston and fellow grad student Michael Rosa (LB, Uxbridge, Mass.) were honored along with seniors Alexander Byron (RT, Tiverton, R.I.), Matthew Crisafulli (QB, North Kingstown, R.I.), Thomas Duell (TE, North Attleboro, Mass.), Thomas Fay (K/P, Raynham, Mass.), Daniel Flores Martinez (LT, Hyde Park, Mass.), John MacDermott (LB, Bridgewater, Mass.), Cole McMahon (C, Abington, Mass.), Wyatt Shisler (WR, Hanover, Mass.), Ryan Verria (WR, Bridgewater, Mass.)  

Notes: Couch became the ninth different running back in BSU football history to crack the 1,000-yard rushing barrier in a season (1,003 yards)…Hairston increased his career totals to 113 receptions and 1,326 received yards as he moved into fifth place on the Bears' all-time receptions list and tenth place on the receiving yardage list.