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Football Drops Five-Overtime Game to WPI, 34-28
Quarterback Justin Wells scored on a two-yard run in the fifth overtime to give visiting Worcester Polytechnic Institute a 34-28 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth football team in the 2008 season opener at Cressy Field Friday evening.
NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA- Quarterback Justin Wells scored on a two-yard run in the fifth overtime to give visiting Worcester Polytechnic Institute a 34-28 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth football team in the 2008 season opener at Cressy Field Friday evening.
The game, which was the longest in the history of WPI, is believed to be the longest in UMass Dartmouth history as well.
The Corsairs, who trailed at halftime, 20-6, rallied to score twice in the fourth quarter and send the game into overtime. Senior quarterback Alex Garro (Mattapoisett, MA/Old Rochester Regional HS) capped a 67 yard, 13 play drive with a one-yard run with 11:54 left in the fourth quarter to make it 20-13. He then connected with senior wide receiver John Henry (Tenafly, NJ/Tenafly HS) from 12 yards out with 6:54 to play to tie the game and send it to overtime.
WPI struck first, taking a 7-0 lead when Manny Cambra scored on a 14-yard run 4:08 into the first quarter. The Corsairs tied it on a 35-yard run by senior running back J.T. Harold (North Andover, MA/Austin Prep), but the extra point failed when they snap went awry. Backup quarterback Mike Swanton hit Cody McGregor with a four-yard scoring pass with 3:23 to play in the first half, and Wells connected with R.C. Grady from 43 yards out a minute and two seconds before halftime to stake the Engineers to a 14-point lead at the intermission.
Neither team scored in the third period, setting the stage for the Corsairs' comeback.
UMass Dartmouth started the first extra period on offense, and Vasiliadis missed a 36-yard field goal. WPI's Cody Beckel missed a 35-yarder at the end of the Engineers' possession. The Engineers took the ball first in the next overtime and drove to the Corsair one-yard line, but senior linebacker Rich Braley (Wareham, MA/ Wareham HS) stopped Ernie Mello on fourth down. A 42-yard field goal try by Vasiliadis barely missed to the left on the Corsairs' next possession.
UMass Dartmouth broke through in the third extra period. Harold ran 13 yards to the WPI four, setting up a first and goal situation. Garro ran consecutive quarterback sneaks on the last two plays of the drive, scoring on a one-yard run on fourth down and hitting Vasiliadis with a two-point conversion pass to give the Corsairs a 28-20 lead. Wells hit McGregor for 12 yards, then connected with Aaron Champagne from 12 yards out on third and nine to make it 28-26. His two-point pass to McGregor tied the score.
WPI was pushed back to the UMD 28 by a penalty for an illegal block on the next series, and Beckel's 45-yard field goal try fell short. Junior David Menapace (Holliston, MA/Holliston HS) missed a 34-yard field goal attempt on the Corsairs' possession.
UMass Dartmouth got as far as the Engineer 18 on their possession in the fifth overtime, and Vasiliadis missed from 34 yards out. Cambra rushed for eight yards on the first play of the ensuing WPI possession, and Wells rushed for four yards to give the Engineers a first down at the 13. Cambra gained nine yards on the next two plays, and the Corsairs went offside on third down, giving WPI a first and goal at the two and setting the stage for Wells' winning score.
"We gave it everything we had, we had several chances to win, and we did everything but win," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Mark Robichaud. "I was concerned at halftime when we were down, 20-6, but we fought back. I thought we were the better team in the seond half, but WPI is a good team and they made the plays at the end."
The Corsairs fell to 0-1 with the defeat, while the Engineers improved to 1-0, winning the second game ever between the teams. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they visit Bridgewater State next Saturday afternoon. WPI will host crosstown rival Worcester State next Saturday afternoon.
UMASS DARTMOUTH FOOTBALL
Box Score (Final)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 OT Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -- -----
WPI1................ 7 13 0 0 14 - 34 Record: (1-0)
UMass Dartmouth..... 0 6 0 14 8 - 28 Record: (0-1)
Scoring Summary:
1st 11:52 WPI1 - Manny Cambra 14 yd run (Cody Beckel kick), 10-69 3:08, WPI1 7 - UMD 0
2nd 07:13 UMD - J.T. Harold 35 yd run (Chris Pinheiro rush failed), 2-35 0:14, WPI1 7 - UMD 6
03:23 WPI1 - Cody McGregor 4 yd pass from Mike Swanton (Cody Beckel kick), 8-72 3:43, WPI1 14 - UMD 6
01:02 WPI1 - R.C. Grady 43 yd pass from Justin Wells (Cody Beckel kick blockd), 4-94 1:17, WPI1 20 - UMD 6
4th 11:54 UMD - Alex Garro 1 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 13-67 5:06, WPI1 20 - UMD 13
06:54 UMD - John Henry 12 yd pass from Alex Garro (George Vasiliadis kick), 7-68 3:38, WPI1 20 - UMD 20
OT 15:00 UMD - Alex Garro 1 yd run (George Vasiliadis pass from Alex Garro), 14-0 0:00, WPI1 20 - UMD 28
15:00 WPI1 - Aaron Champagne 12 yd pass from Justin Wells (Cody McGregor pass from Justin Wells), 14-0 0:00, WPI1 28 - UMD 28
15:00 WPI1 - Justin Wells 2 yd run, 6-25 0:00, WPI1 34 - UMD 28
WPI1 UMD
FIRST DOWNS................... 18 20
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 42-144 66-159
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 254 125
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 35-17-0 27-12-1
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 77-398 93-284
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 3--2 5-23
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 4-71 4-71
Interception Returns-Yards.... 1-0 0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 8-35.6 7-34.9
Fumbles-Lost.................. 1-1 1-1
Penalties-Yards............... 8-60 6-57
Possession Time............... 24:08 30:37
Third-Down Conversions........ 5 of 17 7 of 22
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 0 of 2 2 of 3
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 4-6 2-5
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 3-14 0-0
RUSHING: WPI1-Manny Cambra 14-59; Justin Wells 12-41; Myles Walsh 12-21; Mike
Swanton 2-16; Ernie Mello 2-7. UMass Dartmouth-J.T. Harold 35-124; Alex Garro
15-19; Alex Duff 2-8; Aaron Russo 12-4; Omar Philip 1-3; Michael Allen 1-1.
PASSING: WPI1-Justin Wells 16-34-0-250; Mike Swanton 1-1-0-4. UMass
Dartmouth-Alex Garro 12-27-1-125.
RECEIVING: WPI1-R.C. Grady 6-141; Cody McGregor 5-58; Manny Cambra 2-21; Myles
Walsh 2-15; Aaron Champagne 1-12; David Parry 1-7. UMass Dartmouth-John Henry
4-59; J.T. Harold 2-26; Marc Fiore 2-18; Aaron Russo 1-8; Dwayne Tynes 1-6;
Cameron Pontes 1-5; Michael Allen 1-3.
INTERCEPTIONS: WPI1-Michael Toto 1-0. UMass Dartmouth-None.
FUMBLES: WPI1-Justin Wells 1-1. UMass Dartmouth-Darrien Furr 1-1.
Stadium: Cressy Field Attendance: 1350
Kickoff time: 7:00 pm End of Game: 10:45 pm Total elapsed time: 3:45
Officials: Referee: Jeff January; Umpire: Mike Coffey III; Linesman: Mark Getchell;
Line judge: Ryan MacDonald; Back judge: Dennis Read; Field judge: Craig Smail;
Side judge: Jim Rourke;
Weather: Clear and warm
The game, which was the longest in the history of WPI, is believed to be the longest in UMass Dartmouth history as well.
The Corsairs, who trailed at halftime, 20-6, rallied to score twice in the fourth quarter and send the game into overtime. Senior quarterback Alex Garro (Mattapoisett, MA/Old Rochester Regional HS) capped a 67 yard, 13 play drive with a one-yard run with 11:54 left in the fourth quarter to make it 20-13. He then connected with senior wide receiver John Henry (Tenafly, NJ/Tenafly HS) from 12 yards out with 6:54 to play to tie the game and send it to overtime.
WPI struck first, taking a 7-0 lead when Manny Cambra scored on a 14-yard run 4:08 into the first quarter. The Corsairs tied it on a 35-yard run by senior running back J.T. Harold (North Andover, MA/Austin Prep), but the extra point failed when they snap went awry. Backup quarterback Mike Swanton hit Cody McGregor with a four-yard scoring pass with 3:23 to play in the first half, and Wells connected with R.C. Grady from 43 yards out a minute and two seconds before halftime to stake the Engineers to a 14-point lead at the intermission.
Neither team scored in the third period, setting the stage for the Corsairs' comeback.
UMass Dartmouth started the first extra period on offense, and Vasiliadis missed a 36-yard field goal. WPI's Cody Beckel missed a 35-yarder at the end of the Engineers' possession. The Engineers took the ball first in the next overtime and drove to the Corsair one-yard line, but senior linebacker Rich Braley (Wareham, MA/ Wareham HS) stopped Ernie Mello on fourth down. A 42-yard field goal try by Vasiliadis barely missed to the left on the Corsairs' next possession.
UMass Dartmouth broke through in the third extra period. Harold ran 13 yards to the WPI four, setting up a first and goal situation. Garro ran consecutive quarterback sneaks on the last two plays of the drive, scoring on a one-yard run on fourth down and hitting Vasiliadis with a two-point conversion pass to give the Corsairs a 28-20 lead. Wells hit McGregor for 12 yards, then connected with Aaron Champagne from 12 yards out on third and nine to make it 28-26. His two-point pass to McGregor tied the score.
WPI was pushed back to the UMD 28 by a penalty for an illegal block on the next series, and Beckel's 45-yard field goal try fell short. Junior David Menapace (Holliston, MA/Holliston HS) missed a 34-yard field goal attempt on the Corsairs' possession.
UMass Dartmouth got as far as the Engineer 18 on their possession in the fifth overtime, and Vasiliadis missed from 34 yards out. Cambra rushed for eight yards on the first play of the ensuing WPI possession, and Wells rushed for four yards to give the Engineers a first down at the 13. Cambra gained nine yards on the next two plays, and the Corsairs went offside on third down, giving WPI a first and goal at the two and setting the stage for Wells' winning score.
"We gave it everything we had, we had several chances to win, and we did everything but win," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Mark Robichaud. "I was concerned at halftime when we were down, 20-6, but we fought back. I thought we were the better team in the seond half, but WPI is a good team and they made the plays at the end."
The Corsairs fell to 0-1 with the defeat, while the Engineers improved to 1-0, winning the second game ever between the teams. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they visit Bridgewater State next Saturday afternoon. WPI will host crosstown rival Worcester State next Saturday afternoon.
UMASS DARTMOUTH FOOTBALL
Box Score (Final)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 OT Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -- -----
WPI1................ 7 13 0 0 14 - 34 Record: (1-0)
UMass Dartmouth..... 0 6 0 14 8 - 28 Record: (0-1)
Scoring Summary:
1st 11:52 WPI1 - Manny Cambra 14 yd run (Cody Beckel kick), 10-69 3:08, WPI1 7 - UMD 0
2nd 07:13 UMD - J.T. Harold 35 yd run (Chris Pinheiro rush failed), 2-35 0:14, WPI1 7 - UMD 6
03:23 WPI1 - Cody McGregor 4 yd pass from Mike Swanton (Cody Beckel kick), 8-72 3:43, WPI1 14 - UMD 6
01:02 WPI1 - R.C. Grady 43 yd pass from Justin Wells (Cody Beckel kick blockd), 4-94 1:17, WPI1 20 - UMD 6
4th 11:54 UMD - Alex Garro 1 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 13-67 5:06, WPI1 20 - UMD 13
06:54 UMD - John Henry 12 yd pass from Alex Garro (George Vasiliadis kick), 7-68 3:38, WPI1 20 - UMD 20
OT 15:00 UMD - Alex Garro 1 yd run (George Vasiliadis pass from Alex Garro), 14-0 0:00, WPI1 20 - UMD 28
15:00 WPI1 - Aaron Champagne 12 yd pass from Justin Wells (Cody McGregor pass from Justin Wells), 14-0 0:00, WPI1 28 - UMD 28
15:00 WPI1 - Justin Wells 2 yd run, 6-25 0:00, WPI1 34 - UMD 28
WPI1 UMD
FIRST DOWNS................... 18 20
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 42-144 66-159
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 254 125
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 35-17-0 27-12-1
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 77-398 93-284
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 3--2 5-23
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 4-71 4-71
Interception Returns-Yards.... 1-0 0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 8-35.6 7-34.9
Fumbles-Lost.................. 1-1 1-1
Penalties-Yards............... 8-60 6-57
Possession Time............... 24:08 30:37
Third-Down Conversions........ 5 of 17 7 of 22
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 0 of 2 2 of 3
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 4-6 2-5
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 3-14 0-0
RUSHING: WPI1-Manny Cambra 14-59; Justin Wells 12-41; Myles Walsh 12-21; Mike
Swanton 2-16; Ernie Mello 2-7. UMass Dartmouth-J.T. Harold 35-124; Alex Garro
15-19; Alex Duff 2-8; Aaron Russo 12-4; Omar Philip 1-3; Michael Allen 1-1.
PASSING: WPI1-Justin Wells 16-34-0-250; Mike Swanton 1-1-0-4. UMass
Dartmouth-Alex Garro 12-27-1-125.
RECEIVING: WPI1-R.C. Grady 6-141; Cody McGregor 5-58; Manny Cambra 2-21; Myles
Walsh 2-15; Aaron Champagne 1-12; David Parry 1-7. UMass Dartmouth-John Henry
4-59; J.T. Harold 2-26; Marc Fiore 2-18; Aaron Russo 1-8; Dwayne Tynes 1-6;
Cameron Pontes 1-5; Michael Allen 1-3.
INTERCEPTIONS: WPI1-Michael Toto 1-0. UMass Dartmouth-None.
FUMBLES: WPI1-Justin Wells 1-1. UMass Dartmouth-Darrien Furr 1-1.
Stadium: Cressy Field Attendance: 1350
Kickoff time: 7:00 pm End of Game: 10:45 pm Total elapsed time: 3:45
Officials: Referee: Jeff January; Umpire: Mike Coffey III; Linesman: Mark Getchell;
Line judge: Ryan MacDonald; Back judge: Dennis Read; Field judge: Craig Smail;
Side judge: Jim Rourke;
Weather: Clear and warm
