WESTFIELD – UMass Dartmouth quarterback Cory Burnham (Manchester-Essex/Essex, Mass.) and Westfield State quarterback Erik Washburn (Norwich Free Academy/Lisbon, Conn.) staged an epic shootout on Saturday, with UMD emerging a 48-41 victor over the Owls in a MASCAC football game before a Family Day crowd of 2,163 at Alumni Field on Saturday.
Burnham threw for 489 yards and six TDs for the Corsairs, while Washburn aired it out for a school-record 448 yards and four TD’s while rallying the Owls from a two-TD deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 41-all with 1:25 to play, before Burnham completed a 73-yard scoring strike to Abbi Bamgbose (Fitchburg/Fitchburg, Mass.) on the next play from scrimmage to lift UMass Dartmouth to the win.
Westfield State had a last-gasp effort to try and tie the game, marching down the field and getting two shots into the end zone, with the final pass play coming with two seconds left in regulation and Washburn nearly finding wider receiver Colin Smith (Norwich Free Academy/Groton, Conn.) in the front corner of the end zone before the pass was broken up by the Corsairs’ DaVon Fuller (Dunbar/Washington, DC) as Smith went to the ground.
Colin Smith (20) leaps to try to make the catch on the final play of the game as UMass Dartmouth’s DaVon Fuller (7) defends. (Kiley Berube photo)
UMass Dartmouth improves to 2-1 on the year and 1-0 in the MASCAC, while Westfield falls to 1-2 and 0-1 in the MASCAC.
Big numbers were the order of the day, as the Corsairs posted 744 yards of total offense on 74 plays. Westfield hung 516 yards of total offense on the board. Eight touchdowns of more than 20 yards, including three scoring plays of 70 plus yards.
For UMass Dartmouth, Bamgbose finished with 209 yards receiving on seven catches, and four TD’s. Stephen Roy (Algonquin/Northboro, Mass.) rushed for 164 yards on 13 carries including 72-yard TD run. Burnham threw for 489 yards on 24 of 40 attempts.
Washburn finished 24-50 for 448 yards, breaking the school’s single game record for passing yards set by Chris LaPointe with 390 in the 2003 season. Smith finished with 178 receiving yards while Evan Cain (Hudson/Hudson, Mass.) caught eight balls for 115 yards.
Westfield State got on the board first with Washburn finding Smith over the middle for an 85-yard pass-run connection with 7:12 left in the first half. Westfield increased that lead to 14-0 with a seven yard scoring strike from Washburn to Sam Laurin early in the second quarter.
UMD finally got on the scoreboard with 35 seconds left in the first half when Burnham rolled right and found tight end Kevin Wadsworth in the middle of the end zone for a 4-yard TD pass, and the Corsairs trailed the Owls 14-7 at the half.
Burnham and Bamgbose found their stride in the third quarter, as that duo hooked up on scoring strikes of 30, 24, and 40-yards, twice on bombs into the endzone on the right sideline. Westfield got a 10-yard TD run from Bryan Waruhiu in the midst of the Corsairs’s spree.
UMass Dartmouth grabbed a 34-21 lead on a 40-yard scoring strike from Burnham, who hit Alex Heffernan on a post route and Heffernan broke several tackles en route to the end zone with 12:37 left in the game.
Westfield did not fold, with Washburn plunging in from 2-yards out after a sharp 4-play 75-yard drive that featured a 67-yard completion to Cain to set up the score.
The Corsairs lobbed another salvo at the Owls with a 72-yard Stephen Roy run on the next play from scrimmage to regain a 13-point lead, 41-28. The resilient Owls responded with a 10-play, 84-yard drive capped by a 2-yard Washburn to Laurin TD pass on an excellent back shoulder throw that cut the lead to 41-28 with 3:50 to play cutting the lead to 41-35.
The Owls onside kicked, with senior linebacker Marcus Pettigrew recovering possession for Westfield, and again Washburn marched the Owls, completing a 27-yard pass to senior widout Yinka Areago on a nifty roll right, throwback left play that tied the game at 41-41 with 1:20 to play. The Owls point after try was blocked.
UMass Dartmouth again uncorked a big play, with Burnham hitting Bamgbose in stride near the 50-yard line, and Bamgbose outran the shoestring dive of the last Owls defender near the to complete a 73-yards scoring play. The extra point gave the Corsairs a 48-41 lead with 1:08 left.
On the ensuing kickoff, Westfield took possession at their on 35-yard line, and the Owls marched into scoring contention, with 10 seconds left in regulation, the Owls had the ball on the Dartmouth 25-yard line. Washburn lofted a 3rd down attempt to Sam Laurin in the back left corner of the end zone with the ball sailing just a yard too far to be caught in play. Westfield has two seconds left on the clock and a fourt down play, and Washburn nearly found Smith at the front right pylon, as Smith leapt among a group of defenders and had a play on the ball, but the ball was defended by Fuller to preserve the Corsairs’ victory.
The high scoring affair matched the highest scoring game in Owls’ school history with 89 combined points. Westfield’s 516 yards of offense was just 18 yards short of the school mark.
Westfield got 10 tackles from Pettigrew. Richard Monteiro broke up three passes for Westfield, and John Ollari came up with a fumble recovery. UMass Dartmouth got 12 tackles and a pair of interceptions from Jon Biggs.
Westfield has a bye next week. The Owls will return to the gridiron on October 3, traveling to Plymouth State.
