The Massachusetts football team was set to face off against Appalachian State on Oct. 28 of its 2017 season. It was the Minutemen’s final game at McGuirk Alumni Stadium of the season.

UMass had been coming off its first victory of the season against Georgia Southern the week before but was headed into the game with a struggling record of 1-6.

Appalachian State had been entering the game with a 5-2 record. The Mountaineers had been averaging 418.6 total yards of offense coming into the game, led by dual-threat quarterback Taylor Lamb who had thrown for 13 touchdowns in seven games.

They were being led by dual-threat quarterback Taylor Lamb who had already thrown for 13 touchdowns in seven games. It was clear that this matchup would again prove to be a tough one for the Minutemen.

Running back Nick Orekoya got it started early for the Minutemen, running for this first career rushing touchdown just a few minutes into the first quarter to give UMass the early lead.

Minuteman Kicker Logan Laurent drilled a 47-yarder later in the first to push the lead to 10 by the end of the quarter.

Fans were silent in the second quarter when UMass Quarterback Andrew Ford laid still on the turf after taking a hit. Ford threw an interception and was blindsided by Appalachian State’s nose tackle while trying to push the defender out of bounds.

The Mountaineers scored on the return, but it was called back by the illegal hit placed on Ford, a scary moment for everyone as he laid there motionless for about 10 minutes before giving the crowd a thumbs-up as he was taken off on a stretcher.

The very next play the Minutemen responded. Running Back Marquis Young took the ball 95 yards to the endzone for the score. His run helped UMass take a 17-14 lead over Appalachian State into halftime.

The Minutemen let its lead slowly vanish. Two field goals in the second half from Mountaineers Kicker Chandler Staton, UMass found themselves down by three.

With just five seconds remaining in the game, Laurent drilled another big kick from 45 yards out to tie the game at 20 and send the game to overtime.

The Minutemen got the ball first to begin overtime, which led to Young punching the ball in from 10 yards out for his second touchdown of the day, giving the Minutemen a seven-point lead. Appalachian State responded as Taylor Lamb hit Ike Lewis for a 20-yard touchdown pass to tie the game up.

The ensuing possession, the UMass defense forced its third turnover of the day. Mountaineers running back Daetrich Harrington had the ball stripped from him by Ali Ali-Musa. Bryton Barr was there on the play to recover the fumble for UMass.

With a chance to win the game, the Minutemen ran the ball three straight times with Young and were not able to convert a first down. On fourth and three, UMass decided to put the game in the leg of Laurent, who had already made field goals. Laurent delivered for the team once again, drilling the kick and giving the Minutemen the win.

UMass’ 207 rushing yards and three forced turnovers helped lead them to victory over the Mountaineers in its home finale at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Despite just being its second win of the season, this game has become one of the more memorable victories for the Minutemen, as it was the first time UMass had won in overtime since moving to the FBS.

Carson Depp can be reached at [email protected].