COLUMBIA, S.C. — In a game pockmarked with mistakes, for a moment in the fourth quarter, the UMass football team looked like it might find the memorable comeback that’s eluded it all year.
But after mistakes and turnovers put the Minutemen in an early hole, it was the clock that finally finished them off as South Carolina escaped with a 34-28 win at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday.
UMass trailed 34-14 entering the fourth quarter as many of the 73,248 fans began heading across the parking lot to the ongoing state fair.
Nothing about the start of the final quarter gave any indication that those making an early exit were going to miss much. Even after the Minutemen recovered South Carolina’s fumbled punt return, quarterback Andrew Ford threw an interception two plays later.
But true freshman corner Isaiah Rodgers stripped receiver Deebo Samuel shortly after that and recovered the fumble, giving the Minutemen the ball at the USC 30 with 12 minutes, 3 seconds remaining.
Ford started the comeback on an 8-yard touchdown scramble with 9:59 left.
The UMass defense held again, forcing a three and out. Marquis Young, who had 123 yards on 28 carries, started the drive with a 12-yard run and Ford took it from there. He completed five passes on the 74-yard drive, including an 18-yarder to Adam Breneman in the end zone with 4:32 remaining to make it 34-28.
Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley (17-for-26, 201 yards, two TDs, no interceptions), who made his first career start, led the final drive like a veteran. Starting at his own 11, Bentley scrambled for 6 yards on first down, then eluded a near sack and completed a 25-yard pass. After that, the Gamecocks benefited from two pass interference calls, one borderline and one blatant on the Minutemen as UMass was forced to burn its timeouts.
Rico Dowdle’s 11-yard run on third and 4 with 1:36 was the final blow, allowing the home team to run out the clock.
South Carolina had two touchdowns before UMass had two first downs. The Gamecocks went 76 yards on their opening touchdown drive. On the Minutemen’s first drive, the normally sure-handed Breneman fumbled the ball away on their own 32.
A 47-yard pass by Bentley highlighted an otherwise run-based drive that David Williams finished with a 1-yard TD run with 8:58 left.
When Andy Isabella fumbled at midfield on an end-around two plays later, it looked like the game might get out of hand.
But the UMass defense forced a punt and the Minutemen settled down.
After Ford and Breneman (nine catches, 94 yards) hooked up for a 14-yard touchdown, on the first play of the second quarter, South Carolina scored the next two touchdowns, but botched one extra point, to lead 27-7.
Ford, who was 20 of 42 for 247 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, took advantage of a coverage breakdown late in the half.