DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Sophomore Abbi Bamgbose (Worcester, Mass.) converted both the overtime touchdown and two-point conversion, lifting UMass Dartmouth Football to a 35-34 victory over Framingham State on Saturday and handing the Rams their first-ever MASCAC conference loss since the league began sponsoring football in 2013.
The Basics
Score: UMass Dartmouth 35, Framingham State 34 (OT)
Records: UMass Dartmouth (3-2, 2-1 MASCAC) | Framingham State (3-2, 2-1 MASCAC)
How it Happened
UMass Dartmouth opened the first quarter in control, as senior Stephen Roy (Northborough, Mass.) scored two quick rushing touchdowns on his squad's first two drives. The Corsairs gained the ball back on the ensuing kickoff after Roy's first score, when Matt Clement (Bridgewater, Mass.) forced a Ram fumble and David Collins (Mansfield, Mass.) recovered. With the ball on the Framingham State 38-yard line, the Corsairs rushed for eight straight plays, capped by Roy's second touchdown in three minutes.
The Rams would score the only points of the second quarter when Stephen Beahn (Spencer, Mass.) caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Adam Wojenski (Stratford, Conn.), but UMass Dartmouth's rushing game remained in the driver's seat until the fourth quarter. Senior Michael Slaughter, Jr. (Springfield, Mass.) tacked on the next two touchdowns, including a 92-yard dash to begin the final stanza.
With the Corsair advantage at 27-7, the Rams then went on the offensive. Starting with another Beahn score, the Rams rattled off three touchdowns in a matter of eight minutes, culminating when Napoleon Miller (Boston, Mass.) returned a UMass Dartmouth punt with just six seconds remaining. Miller scooped up the dropped ball and then scampered through the Corsairs for a 90-yard touchdown, with the Shawn St. Marie (Wilbraham, Mass.) extra point tying the game at 27 and forcing overtime.
Framingham State took the ball first in extra minutes and chipped away, scoring on a rush from Quron Wright (Worcester, Mass.) and converting the PAT from St. Marie. On UMass Dartmouth's turn, quarterback Cory Burnham (Essex, Mass.) found Bamgbose on the second play for a 24-yard touchdown reception. Electing to go for two, Burnham then reversed the snap back to Bamgbose, shifting the Ram defense enough to dive into the endzone and snatch the victory.
Inside the Numbers
- With the win, UMass Dartmouth hands Framingham State its first-ever MASCAC conference loss since the league added football prior the 2013 season. The Rams have gone 8-0 in league play in the past three seasons.
- UMass Dartmouth secures its first victory over Framingham State since 1997, and now holds the edge in the series history at 8-7 all-time.
- The Corsairs posted 436 rushing yards on the game, the highest total for a UMass Dartmouth team since Sept. 28, 2013, when it put up the same total against Plymouth State.
- The running back trio of Roy, Slaughter and Eddie Sheridan (Chelmsford, Mass.) surpassed 100 yards on the ground (Roy – 109 yds, Slaughter – 150 yds, Sheridan – 101 yds).
- Burnham rushed for a single-game career-high 82 yards, and passed for the exact same amount on six completions.
- Slaughter sets a new UMass Dartmouth single-game season-high and career-high with 150 net yards rushing, bettering Sheridan's 134-yard performance against Mount Ida.
- The Corsairs have exceeded 500 yards of offense in all but one game this season: last Saturday against Plymouth State, when they accumulated 368 yards.
- Defensively, UMass Dartmouth set a new season-high with seven sacks, three at the hands of senior Anthony LaRose (Dorchester, Mass.).
- Tony Slaughter (Springfield, Mass.) paced the defense with 11 total tackles, and Marvey Mathurin (Woburn, Mass.) registered 10, including two for a total loss of 20 yards.
Up Next
UMass Dartmouth is on the road for the next two weekends, traveling to Bridgewater State next Friday night for 7 p.m. kickoff. Framingham State will be back at home against Westfield State on Saturday at noon.