University Sports
Phommachanh completed 20 of 30 passes for 287 yards and an interception.
AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Taisan Phommachanh threw three touchdown passes, Brandon Campbell scored from 3 yards out in the fourth quarter and Massachusetts, an FBS independent team, held off Central Connecticut 35-31 on Saturday for its first win.
Brady Olson’s 2-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds left in the first half gave Central Connecticut a 21-21 tie with UMass going into halftime, and the Blue Devils took the lead for the first time early in the third quarter on an Olsen pass to Paul Marsh Jr. from 10 yards out.
Phommachanh caught and ran a 57-yard pass to T.Y. Harding to tie the game at 28-28, then Jack Burnham hit a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to put Central Connecticut ahead 31-28, and Campbell capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive to seal the win.
Phommachanh completed 20 of 30 passes for 287 yards with an interception, Jacoby Keaney-James had five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown, and Harding caught two passes for 72 yards and a score.
Olson completed 12 of 26 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns, including an interception, but the Blue Devils were held to just 247 yards of total offense while the Minutemen racked up 450 yards.
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