Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Second half struggles doom UMass as Colorado escapes 41-38

Madeline Parsons/Daily Collegian
Madeline Parsons/Daily Collegian

FOXBORO – For a fleeting moment, it appeared the Massachusetts football team had positioned itself to pull away from Colorado and capture the most important win in program history.

But as ominous storm clouds converged on Gillette Stadium, moments of UMass prosperity came to a grinding halt.

UMass squandered an 11-point lead en route to a 41-38 loss to Colorado Saturday, as its defense struggled mightily in the second half to slow a Buffs attack which stormed back midway through the third quarter.

“We’re having a hard time handling the success again,” UMass coach Mark Whipple said following the loss.

The Minutemen led 31-20 halfway through the third quarter. But a succession of missed opportunities combined with the second half emergence of Colorado receiver Nelson Spruce spelled disaster for UMass.

Following a 2-yard Jamal Wilson touchdown run which pushed the lead to 31-20 with 12 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Minutemen allowed the Buffs to embark on a 10 play, 77-yard scoring drive which ended on a 14-yard touchdown run by running back Christian Powell to cut the lead to 31-27. For UMass, it was a drive marred by missed tackles as well as missed chances for the defense to get off the field, as Colorado committed three potentially drive-hindering penalties on the play.

The Minutemen had their chances to keep control of the game – they drove down to the Colorado 28-yard line on the ensuing drive – but the drive flamed out on fourth down, when UMass running back J.T. Blyden couldn’t convert on fourth and 2, putting possession back in the Buffs’ hands.

“That’s something where they covered pretty well and I knew I had to try and throw it somewhere,” Minutemen quarterback Blake Frohnapfel said. “We wish we could’ve had that, but we can’t take it back.”

Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau accepted the opportunity with open arms, hitting Spruce just three plays later for a 70-yard touchdown on third down. Spruce snuck behind Minutemen linebacker Steve Casali in coverage and bolted down the right sideline for the score.

In a span of eight minutes, the Buffs had stormed back to take a 34-31 lead. Whipple said his team failed to overcome a series of third quarter mishaps and needs to develop a winning mentality.

“It’s a mentality,” he said. “It’s not that the guys aren’t tough-minded but they have to learn to overcome that.”

Colorado extended its lead in the fourth quarter on a nine play, 81-yard drive which ended in Liufau and Spruce connecting for another touchdown to make it 41-31. Spruce caught 10 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns while Liufau was 26-for-42 for 318 yards and three touchdowns.

UMass answered with 2:55 left in the game – receiver Marken Michel took a jet sweep handoff seven yards in for a touchdown – but couldn’t muster a defensive stop on the following possession to earn the ball back. In total, Colorado ran 89 plays and totaled 474 yards.

“There were plays there we could’ve made,” Minutemen cornerback Randall Jette said.

The disappointing finish overshadowed a number of positive developments for UMass. Most notably, tight end Jean Sifrin delivered an impressive performance in his Minutemen debut after missing all of the season to this point while awaiting a decision on his eligibility from the NCAA Clearinghouse.

The 6-foot-7, 250-pound tight end caught four passes for 40 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown – which gave UMass a 21-20 lead with 18 seconds left in the first half – was a leaping one-handed grab which he snared out of the air within multiple Buffs defenders before landing on his back in the end zone.

Sifrin, who had a certain number of plays packaged for him in the playbook entering the game, credited his experiences as a basketball player.

“I always told (Frohnapfel), ‘Just throw it up if we’re in the end zone, I’ll be able to go up and get it,’” Sifrin said.

UMass’ offense as a whole took a major step forward. After scoring just seven points last week against Boston College, the Minutemen amassed 371 yards of total offense in addition to 38 points scored. Frohnapfel was 20-of-38 for 267 yards and three touchdowns. His first touchdown – to fullback Rodney Mills to make it 7-3 UMass – was a beautifully thrown 14-yard pass to the back right corner of the end zone over a Buffs defender.

The Minutemen were primed to pull away in the third quarter after Jette intercept a Liufau pass intended for receiver Shay Fields. The junior cornerback took advantage of a carom off of Shields to snag the ball and return it to the Colorado 2-yard line. Wilson scored on the following play and it was 31-20 UMass.

But the Minutemen failed to hang onto the lead. Whipple acknowledged his team still needs to learn how to win and it’s still a “work in progress.”

Jette said the key to getting over the hump is a mindset.

“We just have to overcome adversity,” he said. “We can’t be down on ourselves. Just a little more maturity and we can get over that hump, we can win.”

Mark Chiarelli can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.

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