By Tiffany Williams –
AMHERST, Mass. — Massachusetts needed just 44 seconds to seize control against Sacred Heart, and T.Y. Harding made sure the Minutemen never gave it back.
Harding caught a 49-yard touchdown pass on UMass’ second offensive play and later returned a punt 82 yards for another score as Massachusetts raced out to a 17-point first-quarter lead and defeated Sacred Heart 37-10 Friday afternoon at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
UMass improved to 2-0 while Sacred Heart dropped to 0-2 and 0-1 in conference play. The Minutemen led 17-0 after the first quarter, carried a 23-0 advantage into halftime and scored twice in the opening five minutes of the third quarter to put the game away.
Sacred Heart won the toss and deferred, giving Massachusetts the football first. After the opening kickoff and an offside penalty placed the ball at the UMass 25, Elijah Faulkner immediately broke loose for 26 yards to the Sacred Heart 49.
On the very next play, William Watson III went deep over the middle to Harding. Harding made the catch at the Sacred Heart 1 and completed the 49-yard touchdown with 14:16 remaining. Derek Morris converted the extra point, and just 44 seconds into the game UMass had a 7-0 lead.
Sacred Heart answered with a promising opening possession. Poochie Snyder completed a five-yard pass to Dean Hangey before Chuck Webb rushed five yards for the game’s next first down. The drive stalled at the Sacred Heart 38, forcing Jack O’Sullivan to punt.
That punt became another UMass touchdown.
Harding fielded O’Sullivan’s 44-yard punt at the Massachusetts 18 and raced 82 yards all the way to the end zone. Morris added the extra point with 11:44 remaining, and Harding had scored touchdowns two different ways in the game’s opening 3:16 to give the Minutemen a 14-0 advantage.
Sacred Heart moved near midfield on its next possession, helped by a UMass personal foul, but the Pioneers again had to punt. O’Sullivan’s 43-yard kick pinned Massachusetts at its own 2, presenting the Minutemen with their first difficult field position of the afternoon.
UMass responded with one of its most impressive possessions of the game.
Watson completed a 19-yard pass to Joseph Griffin Jr. to move the Minutemen away from their own goal line. Watson then broke loose for a 22-yard run to the UMass 46. Penalties temporarily pushed Massachusetts backward, but Watson continued moving the offense, connecting with Kezion Dia-Johnson and Logan Inagawa while also using his legs to convert a third down.
Faulkner rushed for 14 yards on third-and-three to move the football to the Sacred Heart 21. The Pioneers kept UMass out of the end zone, but Morris connected on a 33-yard field goal with 1:40 remaining. The 15-play possession traveled 83 yards and consumed 8:18, extending the Massachusetts lead to 17-0.
Sacred Heart put together its best drive of the first half after Morris’ field goal. Snyder connected twice with Jason Palmieri before scrambling nine yards on the opening play of the second quarter. He later converted fourth-and-one with an 11-yard completion to Jimmy Casey, moving the Pioneers to the UMass 28.
Penalties destroyed the scoring opportunity. Sacred Heart had consecutive completions wiped out by offensive penalties and eventually faced third-and-27 from the UMass 45. Webb gained eight yards before O’Sullivan punted, ending an 11-play possession that had reached deep into Massachusetts territory without producing points.
UMass was forced to punt on its next possession, giving Sacred Heart another opportunity with 6:51 remaining before halftime. Snyder found Palmieri for 15 yards, and a UMass personal foul moved the Pioneers across midfield. Another nine-yard completion to Palmieri eventually helped Sacred Heart reach the UMass 29.
The Pioneers again came away empty. On fourth-and-five, Snyder tried to find Hangey deep down the left side, but the pass fell incomplete, turning the ball over to Massachusetts with 1:49 remaining.
The Minutemen immediately punished Sacred Heart for the missed opportunity.
Watson connected with Griffin for 39 yards on the first play, moving the football to the Sacred Heart 32. Faulkner followed with runs of 11 and 13 yards, taking UMass to the 8. Watson finished the four-play, 71-yard drive himself, running eight yards into the end zone with 21 seconds remaining. Morris missed the extra point, but Massachusetts carried a 23-0 lead into halftime.
Sacred Heart received the second-half kickoff and went three-and-out. O’Sullivan punted from the Pioneers’ 32, and once again Harding changed the game with a return. He took the punt 59 yards to the Sacred Heart 8, immediately putting UMass in position to score.
Faulkner carried three consecutive times, gaining six yards and then one before being stopped at the 1 on third down. UMass kept its offense on the field for fourth-and-goal, and Reece Adkins powered through the middle for the one-yard touchdown. Morris converted the extra point with 11:51 remaining in the third quarter, increasing the lead to 30-0.
The Minutemen defense then joined the scoring.
Sacred Heart took possession at its own 25. Webb was stopped for no gain, and Snyder completed a six-yard pass to Steven Dowdy Jr. On third-and-four, Snyder tried another pass, but Jahmad Harmon intercepted it at the Sacred Heart 34.
Harmon never gave the offense another chance to take the field. He returned the interception 34 yards for a touchdown, and Morris’ extra point made it 37-0 with 10:23 remaining in the third quarter. UMass had scored 14 points in just 1:28.
Sacred Heart finally broke through on its next possession after turning to John Michalski at quarterback. On third-and-eight, Michalski connected with Darius Chukwuemeka for 35 yards to the UMass 38. He later found DJ Williams for nine yards to the 25, and his seven-yard run moved the Pioneers to the UMass 17.
The Minutemen stopped the drive there, but Ryan Bocklet kicked a 35-yard field goal with 5:29 remaining in the third quarter. Sacred Heart was finally on the scoreboard, trailing 37-3.
Aedan McCarthy took over at quarterback for Massachusetts on the ensuing possession. The Minutemen were unable to add to their lead and eventually punted, pinning Sacred Heart at its own 15. The Pioneers carried the ensuing possession into the fourth quarter before a short punt gave UMass the football at the Sacred Heart 40.
Justin Williams-Thomas carried the ball four times as Massachusetts moved to the Sacred Heart 25. McCarthy then threw consecutive incompletions, and Morris attempted a 43-yard field goal. The kick was no good with 11:42 remaining, keeping the score at 37-3.
Sacred Heart used the missed field goal to put together its lone touchdown drive of the afternoon. Dameon Crosby opened with a nine-yard run, and Nicholas Yanchuk followed with runs of five, five and six yards as the Pioneers crossed midfield.
Crosby completed an 11-yard pass to Cole Snider and later converted fourth-and-eight with a 10-yard completion to Justin Bloise. Facing third-and-eight from the UMass 17, Crosby found Dowdy for 12 yards to the 5. Yanchuk then rushed four yards to the 1 before Snider finished the 15-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Bocklet’s extra point made it 37-10 with 3:32 remaining.
Massachusetts ran down most of the remaining clock before punting with 1:04 left. Sacred Heart managed two final running plays before time expired, completing UMass’ 37-10 victory.
Watson was highly efficient in leading the Massachusetts offense, completing 9 of 10 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown while adding 40 rushing yards and another touchdown on four carries. Faulkner led the Minutemen on the ground with 72 yards on 11 carries, including a 26-yard run, while Griffin caught three passes for 59 yards.
Harding’s impact went far beyond his single reception. He finished with a 49-yard touchdown catch and returned two punts for 141 yards, including the 82-yard touchdown in the first quarter and the 59-yard return that set up another UMass touchdown in the third. Harmon added the defensive touchdown with his 34-yard interception return.
Sacred Heart finished with 303 yards of total offense compared with 315 for Massachusetts and actually held the football for 35:01. The Pioneers also recorded 16 first downs compared with 11 for UMass. Those numbers, however, could not overcome the Minutemen’s explosive plays on offense, special teams and defense.
UMass scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass, an 82-yard punt return and a 34-yard interception return. Harding’s second punt return went for another 59 yards and directly set up a touchdown. Massachusetts finished with 141 punt-return yards while Sacred Heart had none, allowing the Minutemen to turn a relatively close total-offense comparison into a decisive 27-point victory.
The game kicked off at 3:32 p.m. and concluded at 6:25 p.m., lasting two hours and 53 minutes. A crowd of 14,895 attended at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on a cloudy, 76-degree afternoon.