In its fifth and final game this season against a Mid-American Conference opponent, the Massachusetts football team fell 34-20 to Northern Illinois on Saturday. After losing to Miami (OH) in heartbreaking fashion last week, the Minutemen (1-5) continued showing improvement against the Huskies (3-2, 0-1 MAC), but their successful plays were too few and far between for the program to notch their second win.
UMass’ 14-point loss didn’t come from a lack of opportunities. After heading out of halftime with a 13-7 lead, all but one of the Minutemen’s second half drives reached Northern Illinois’ 25-yard line. From there, though, success became a whole lot trickier. On two separate UMass possessions, a drive deep in enemy territory led to zero points, with the offense sputtering out on short fourth downs where quarterback Taisun Phommachanh couldn’t find an open receiver.
“I thought our guys showed up ready, willing and able and competed hard,” head coach Don Brown said. “[We were] not consistent enough on offense [in the second half].”
A 27-point second half from the Huskies couldn’t have happened without their ground game. Star running back Antario Brown picked up an injury with the home team down three in the second quarter, and the senior left the game for good. In the first-team All-MAC player’s absence, Northern Illinois’ run game only got stronger.
Relying on backups Gavin Williams and Jaylen Poe, Northern Illinois ran a one-dimensional offense in the second half, running the ball on 34 of its 36 plays. Those 34 runs went for 249 yards and four touchdowns, with the Huskies outworking the Minutemen defense in the game’s crucial moments. After seeing little playing time in the first half, both Williams and Poe finished with over 90 rushing yards.
“They did a good job running the counter to the weak side,” Brown said. “They used what they [had] available to them and those guys did a good job.”
Though the final score didn’t show it, the UMass offense kept pace with Northern Illinois for nearly all of Saturday’s contest. Where the Huskies were able to succeed on the ground, the Minutemen found success in the air, as Phommachanh finished with 263 passing yards and two touchdowns.
The senior’s first touchdown strike came a little over four minutes into the game, as it didn’t take long for Phommachanh to find a wide open T.Y. Harding towards the left side of the field. From there, the sophomore wideout outran defenders for a 58-yard touchdown that represented a counterblow after the Huskies scored early. Harding would receive Phommachanh’s other touchdown toss as well, making an impressive sideline grab that brought the Northern Illinois lead down to seven late.
While the Huskies looked unstoppable after halftime, the team’s first half offense struggled to get off the ground. Northern Illinois’ only touchdown in the opening two quarters came off a strip sack of Phommachanh that gifted the Huskies a free possession in the red zone. Past that, Northern Illinois struggled to string together consistent drives to the point that backup quarterback Josh Holst came in for a possession.
When it did look like a consistent drive was being built early, the UMass defense stepped up. Both of Northern Illinois’ turnovers occurred in the first half in Minutemen territory, led by Isaiah Rutherford snagging an Ethan Hampton overthrow for his first interception of the season.
“When you look at us at the half, you feel pretty good about where you’re at and what you’ve done and where you’re going,” Brown said. “And third quarter … it’s like we had to start over again and that was a little disappointing.”
With running backs Jalen John and Jackson Paradis out due to injury, CJ Hester had his best day in a UMass uniform, finishing with 15 carries for 71 yards along with three receptions for 26 yards. In the receiving corps, Harding had a career day with four receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Jalen Stewart led the Minutemen with 14 tackles.
Thanks to their success on the ground, the Huskies passed the ball just 10 times, with their starter Hampton going 5-of-9 for 34 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Hampton also ran the ball for 64 yards, which ranked third on the team behind Williams’s 125 and Poe’s 98.
Next for UMass: the team’s marquee home game against Missouri. That matchup is on Oct. 12 at noon on ESPN2.
Dean Wendel can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @DeanWende1.
