2014 Week 1

After losing to Maine last season, UMass eagerly awaited their return to Gillette Stadium for their opening game of the 2014 season. In the first quarter, it didn't look good for the Minutemen. Maine was able to force a 3-and-out to start the game then promptly marched down the field to score a touchdown. After a horrible decision by QB Mike Wegzyn, resulting in an interception, the Maine QB kept it on a read-option and took it 78-yards to the house. Just like that, UMass was down 14-0.

The game would be tied going into the half. Lorenzo Woodley, who continues to be the goal line back for this team, pounded in a 4-yard touchdown early in the 2nd quarter. After both teams traded punts and turnovers, UMass had the ball with under a minute to go. A couple of plays later, Wegzyn took the snap on the 26-yard line and fired a jump ball to his big WR Bernard Davis. Davis, who was injured most of last season, is the tallest and best athlete of the receiving core. He climbed up over the top of the DB and hauled in a big TD with just 31 seconds left in the half to tie it up.

The second half started with both teams punting the ball. AJ Doyle then saw his first action of the season, running some option offense and resulting in a Stacey Bedell 1-yard touchdown run to take a 7-point lead. Maine would answer back with a TD run of their own just a minute and a half later.

The fourth quarter was a defensive struggle. UMass found themselves with the ball, staring down a 4th-and-1 on their own 25-yard line with just 2:30 left in the game. Kris Murphy decided to go for it...and got stuffed in the backfield leading to a turnover on downs. His first game and he makes a call like that?!?

Maine would drive down the field in 40 seconds for seven points. With one timeout and the need to score a touchdown, UMass got a great return from D'Metrius Williams to the 40-yard line. Mike Wegzyn completed pass after pass, but the receivers couldn't get out of bounds. With 15 seconds left, Tajae Sharpe was tackled at the 2-yard line and the Minutemen had to use their last timeout. The next play, Wegzyn split out 4 receivers with Jordan Broadnax in the backfield. When the play broke down, Wegzyn took off and dove in the endzone for the game-tying score, leading to OT.

In OT, Maine started with the ball and scored in just two plays, forcing the Minutemen offense back on to the field. It took 10 plays from the 25-yard line, including a 4th-and-Goal from the 1, for Lorenzo Woodley to pound in his 2nd TD of the game, sending us to a second OT period.

On the first play of 2nd OT, Jamal Wilson ripped off a 25-yard TD. The defense needed to keep Maine out of the endzone. After a first down sack, Maine took a shot to the endzone, but Jaurice Jones was there to pick it off, ending this classic season opener!