FOXBOROUGH — The University of Massachusetts football team has gotten good at frightening Southeastern Conference teams. Yet a signature win remains elusive.
With just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter Saturday, the Minutemen had a one-point lead and the momentum over Mississippi State. Less than three minutes later, in a flash, UMass was down 13 points.
The Minutemen could not quite dig out of the sudden sinkhole and fell 47-35 at Gillette Stadium.
“Our guys battled,” coach Mark Whipple said. “I’m proud of them. There was a lot more good than bad.”
The UMass portion of the crowd of 13,074 fans was lively midway through the third quarter after watching Jalen Williams’ touchdown catch that put the Minutemen up 21-20. In tight coverage, the senior receiver leaned way back and got his fingers on a slightly overthrown Andrew Ford pass in the end zone. The contact gave the ball enough flutter to keep it airborne while Williams corkscrewed his body. He ended up catching it with two hands underneath him with 7:08 left in the third.
“Jalen has been telling me all year just to give him a chance,” Ford said. “He’s a great football player and he made a great play today.”
The celebration was short-lived, though, as the Bulldogs (2-2) counterpunched quickly. After a five-play touchdown drive put MSU ahead 27-21, with 4:35 left, on the next play from scrimmage, Jamoral Graham intercepted Ford at the UMass 38 and returned it for a touchdown that extended the visitors’ lead to 34-21 with 4:18 left.
After the Minutemen failed to get a first down, the Bulldogs scored again, this time on a 13-yard TD pass from Nick Fitzgerald (299 passing yards, 110 rushing yards) to Farrod Green to make it 41-21 after three quarters.
UMass tried to answer. Initially officials ruled Bernard Davis’ 19-yard reception at the left edge of the end zone was out of bounds, but replay review gave Davis the touchdown and cut the Minuteman deficit to 47-28.
Mississippi State was forced to punt after just four plays on the following drive and Ford kept the momentum alive by directing an 88-yard march. On first down from the Bulldogs’ 19, Ford stepped out of the pocket to evade pass rushers and buy himself time. When freshman Sadiq Palmer got open, Ford hit him just over the goal line near the UMass sideline for a touchdown that brought the Minutemen within 41-35 with 4:59 remaining.
But Mississippi State crushed any hopes of a comeback. The Bulldogs went 66 yards on six plays and Ashton Shumpert’s 12-yard touchdown run with 2:33 left provided the knockout blow.
“I’m proud of the way they came back,” Whipple said. “(Mississippi State) is just bigger and faster. Our guys competed right with them. We just made too many mistakes on both sides of the ball.”
Ford finished with 24 completions on 40 throws. He threw four touchdown passes and was intercepted three times. Marquis Young broke a season-long slump with 125 yards on 18 carries. The Minutemen (1-3) host Tulane at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Amherst.
“We’re going in the right direction,” Ford said. “This is the second SEC team, now, that we were in it in the fourth. There’s no moral victories but we’ll watch the tape (Sunday) and build off of it.”
UMass lost 24-7 at Florida in the opening game of the season.
The Minutemen led 14-13 at halftime Saturday but missed some opportunities to be more in control.
MSU got on the board first. After starting on the Minutemen’s 36, the Bulldogs settled for a 23-yard field goal by Westin Graves that made it 3-0 with 8:45 left in the first quarter.
After the two teams traded punts, Young got free on an end-around and sprinted 83 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown that put the home team up 7-3.
UMass missed a chance to stretch that lead. Logan Laurent set up for a 37-yard field goal attempt but never got a kick off on a bad snap with 7:44 left.
The Minuteman defense bent again on a 67-yard Mississippi State drive, but it stopped three straight plays from the 13 and the Bulldogs settled for another field goal, this one from 30 yards that made it 7-6 with 7:44 left in the half.
The key play of UMass’ second scoring drive might have been a non-play. Facing a fourth and 12 and out of field-goal range on the MSU 36, the Minutemen were also too close to punt. A hard count from Ford fooled the Bulldogs and drew an offside to make it fourth and 7. The additional space opened things just enough in the secondary. Ford lofted the ball to the left corner of the end zone, where Williams leaped over Lashad Durr for a 31-yard TD that made it 14-6 with 1:48 left in the half.
Mississippi State worked its two-minute drill effectively as missed tackles hurt the Minutemen on the seven-play, 65-yard drive that was capped by Fred Ross’ 9-yard touchdown reception from Nick. MSU chose to kick the extra point rather than a potential game-tying two-point try and went to halftime down 14-13.