DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The UMass Dartmouth football team came-from-behind on Saturday, defeating Curry College by a 28-14 margin in the Gold Rush game on Cressy Field. The Corsairs improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Colonels – who held a one-point lead to open the fourth – are now 0-2.
UMass Dartmouth opened the game's scoring in the first quarter behind two outstanding plays from junior wide receiver Marvens Jean. At the 6:36 mark, Jean caught a long pass from senior quarterback Dante Aviles-Santos, sprinting in for the 71-yard score and a 6-0 lead.
Jean then carried the ball in a 1-yard run, culminating in an eight play, 65 yard drive to put the Corsairs up by a 13-0 margin following the successful P-A-T from kicker Braedyn DeMarco.
After a scoreless second quarter of play, the visiting Colonels began to make a move as sophomore quarterback Finn Sullivan ran it in for the score on an 85-yard drive by Curry. The Colonels opened the fourth quarter with another solid drive, going 89-yards down the field as rookie running back Hunter Telesco converted on a 5-yard run for the 14-13 lead.
On Curry's third drive of the fourth quarter, the Corsairs battled back as sophomore defensive back Xavier Lopes intercepted a Sullivan pass, returning it 11-yards for the pick-six and a 21-14 lead.
UMass Dartmouth saw Aviles-Santos rush for five yards on a 3rd and two, giving the Corsairs a fresh set of downs that the senior QB took advantage of. On a 2nd and 3, Aviles-Santos broke through the line, evaded multiple defenders as he rushed 49 yards for the touchdown. DeMarco added the extra point as UMD opened a 28-14 lead with just 2:43 remaining.
The Corsairs defense held strong as junior linebacker Guerby Murat broke up a pass on a 2nd and 10 from quarterback Dallas Murphy and rookie linebacker Jason Nickerson had a quarterback hurry on an incomplete pass by Murphy to Pat Leary.
UMass Dartmouth held Curry off in the final drive as Aviles-Santos took a knee in the final minute to secure the victory.
Aviles-Santos paced the passing effort, going 11-of-23 with 265 yards. He threw for one touchdown and had one interception on the night. On the rushing side, grad student and captain Luis Gonzalez had 13 carries with 54 yards, while Aviles Santos netted 52 yards on three carries with a score.
Jean paced the receiving core for the Corsairs, hauling in four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown, while junior wide receiver Antonio Brown had two catches for 87 yards.
Defensively, the Corsairs saw senior defensive back and captain Trell Best record 10 tackles on the evening, including four solo and two for a loss of three yards. Senior linebacker Jackson Wellman added eight tackes, including two solo, while senior defensive back Shane Meerbot had seven tackles, including a game-high six solo.
Junior linebacker Sam Alicea, who had six tackles (four solo) recorded a sack, while Murat also had a sack for a loss of two yards. Nickerson also posted a sack with a loss of 20 yards to go along with five tackles (three solo).
For Curry, Murphy was 7-of-17 for 44 yards, getting sacked three times in the contest, while Sullivan was 2-for-4 with nine yards. Montie Quinn led all rushers in the game, carrying the ball 19 times for 169 yards. Sullivan added 36 yards and a touchdown, while Telesco had 19 yards and a score.
Defensively, the Colonels saw Adem Kica record 10 tackles, including four solo. Michael Sims posted five tackles (1 solo), while Leo Yardumian and Pete Jurovich each had five tackles (three solo).
On special teams, UMass Dartmouth saw sophomore Eli Matthews return two kickoffs for 48 yards, while for Curry, Colin Ridley had three returns for 54 yards.
UMass Dartmouth recorded 391 yards of total offense, while Curry posted 274 yards. The Corsairs also paced the effort in passing yardage, amassing 265 yards, while holding the Colonels to just 53 yards.
The Corsairs return to action next Saturday, traveling to Framingham State to open MASCAC conference play at 12pm against the Rams.
Corsairs Football Battles Back to Down Curry in Gold Rush Game
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230909_6huk.xml
2023
Curry
14
Mass-Dartmouth
28
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curry (0-2) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Mass-Dartmouth (2-0) | 13 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 28 |
Sep 09, 2023