Worcester, MA --- Senior Casey Hippert (Douglas, MA) hauled in 11 receptions for 243 yards and three touchdowns as he helped lead Worcester State to a 50-43 victory on homecoming against UMass Dartmouth in MASCAC football action this afternoon at Coughlin Field.
With the win the Lancers improve their record to 4-2 (2-2 MASCAC) while the Corsairs fall to 3-4 and 2-3 versus league competition.
Senior Pat Viencek (Bernardston, MA) went 21-for-42 with one interception while he finished with 376 passing yards and five touchdowns to tie a school record in the victory. Hippert put up a new career-high for receiving yardage as he registered the third-highest sum in program history.
Junior Kemani Jones (Milton, MA) scampered for 100 yards and one score to go over the century mark for the fourth time in six games for WSU.
UMD was led by senior Abiola Aborishade (Attleboro, MA) who compiled 204 yards of total offense which included a trio of rushes for 70 yards and one touchdown to go with seven receptions for 134 yards with two scores.
Sophomore Cory Burnham (Essex, MA) passed for 297 yards and two TDs, but he was picked off three times and sacked on five occasions.
Trailing 35-28 following 71 yard bomb from Burnham to Aborishade to put UMass Dartmouth ahead with 10:39 left in the third, Worcester State stalled on their next drive, but pinned the Corsairs on the one-yard line with a 48-yard punt by senior Jeremy Burke (Mansfiled, MA).
The play loomed large as sophomore Trent Barney's (Avenel, NJ) was tackled in the end-zone by senior Mike Goulden (Rehoboth, MA) as the Lancers made the score 35-30 midway through the quarter on the safety.
Towards the end of the frame, UMass Dartmouth had a chance to score deep inside WSU territory, but their drive stalled on the 24 yard-line when the visitors turned the ball over on downs.
The Blue and Gold then took full advantage of the opportunity as Viencek hit Hippert for a 76-yard scoring strike with 45 ticks remaining in the third. On the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, UMD senior Cody Merritt (Plymouth, MA) deflected the key pass that went right through the hands of Hippert to keep it a 36-35 edge in favor of the Lancers.
Despite missing a 35-yard field goal early on in the stanza, Worcester State added some insurance when Viencek tossed a seven-yard screen pass to Jones for the 43-35 advantage with 7:16 remaining in regulation.
The drive was set up by freshman Aurian Dawkins (Mansfield, MA), who snatched the ball on the Lancer one-yard line following a long pass by Burnham and returned 59 yards to put the hosts in excellent field position on the UMD 40.
Burnham though shrugged off the interception as kept confidence in his arm and scored the equalizer. On the first playoff the drive he hit senior Jake Scott (Somerset, MA) for a 50-yard completion before he capped off the series with a 38-yard flick to Aborishade.
Sophomore Stephen Roy (Northboro, MA) then marched into the end-zone for the successful two-point conversion to tie things up at 43-43 with 6:15 left to play.
The Lancers did stall on their next drive, but sophomore Rafael Guzman (Cambridge, MA) helped the hosts seize the momentum back with an interception to put WSU in solid position at midfield on the right side of the 50 yard line.
The play set the stage for what proved to be the game-winning hook-up between Viencek and senior Dana Barry (Hudson, MA) for a 42-yard touchdown.
UMass Dartmouth failed to score on their final possession as senior Zack Skerry (Milford, MA) registered a sack on second down to put the Corsairs deep in their own territory.
Both squads traded touchdowns over the span of the first quarter as Worcester State opened with the early 7-0 advantage on a two-yard plunge by Jones. Burnham answered with a 15-yard burst to knot up the score just 4:35 into the contest.
After WSU went three-and-out, sophomore Shane Gleim (N. Grosvenordale, CT) diagnosed a short pass in the flat and took a 21 yard interception return for a touchdown to put the hosts up 14-7. But the Corsairs came right back and tied up the score again on a 15-yard blocked kick return by freshman Brandon Miller (Holden, MA).
UMass Dartmouth though soon took over the 21-7 lead with 13:49 left in the second on a 68-yard reverse by Aborishade. Two touchdown passes to Hippert from Viencek sandwiched a Barney's eight-yard rushing score for the 28-28 contest at the intermission.
The Lancers were led offensively by senior Sean Hanley (Wilmington, MA) who collected 14 tackles (eight stops) including 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks while Skerry added seven tackles and 2.5 sacks for 20 yards.
Senior Bryan Narcisse (Medway, MA) added one sack, two TFLs for 11 yards and two break-ups at the line of scrimmage.
Freshman Seth DeMello (Somerset, MA) distinguished himself with 10 tackles (eight solo) with two sacks and a break-up.
Classmate Marvey Mathurin (Woburn, MA) chipped in with five tackles, two sacks and one interception as sophomore Marcel Flynn (Taunton, MA) and teammate Jaleel Johnson (Dedham, MA) both had 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Burke was solid on special teams for the Lancers averaging 41.4 yards on seven punts for 290 yards while a trifecta of them landed inside the 12 yard-line.
It was an even game all around as WSU held the 376-364 edge in passing yards while UMD led in rushing (102-81) and total offense (466-457). The two squads also combined for 22 penalties and a remarkable 84 pass attempts.
The Lancers were limited to three of 16 on third downs as the Corsairs controlled the clock (32:15-27:45).
Next week Worcester State heads south to take on Western Connecticut at 5 PM as they try to spoil the homecoming game of the Colonials next Saturday. UMass Dartmouth continues their slate with next door neighbor Mass Maritime in a matchup at high noon.