Nov. 24, 2007

Amherst, Mass. - Fordham fought back from three separate 14-point deficits and tied the score at 35 in the fourth quarter, but Massachusetts scored the final two touchdowns of the game to win a 49-35 shootout in first-round action of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on Saturday at McGuirk Stadium.

"I'm proud of the way our kids played and the effort they gave," Fordham Head Coach Tom Masella said. "We knew we had to make plays, and we seemed to hang in there until we tired some in the end."

The Rams, who won the Patriot League title outright with a 5-1 record and were making their first playoff appearance since 2002, finish the season with an 8-4 mark.

After closing the deficit to 28-21 on the final play of the first half, the Rams came out with a surge of momentum on the first possession of the third quarter. Fordham quarterback John Skelton hit Asa Lucas with a first-down pass to move it to the Massachusetts 30, and the Rams picked up another first down at the 19. On the next play, Skelton threw a wide receiver screen to Richard Rayborn at the 20, and Rayborn then sped down the Fordham sideline for the touchdown to complete an impressive drive and even the score for the first time of the contest at 28-28.

The Minutemen struck right back. After starting with the ball at their own 20, Massachusetts moved to the Fordham 33 in six plays. Then, Liam Coen threw his fourth touchdown pass of the day with a 33-yard strike to Chris Zardas to put the Minutemen back on top, 35-28, with 9:05 left in the third quarter.

The Massachusetts defense came up with a three-and-out stand aided by Fordham penalties on the next possession, and the Minutemen offense appeared to be in position to extend the lead when they moved inside the Fordham five-yard line. But on a third-and-goal play, Fordham's James Crockett intercepted a tipped ball on a halfback pass to stop the Massachusetts drive and give Fordham the ball at the two.

The Rams picked up a first down on a Massachusetts pass interference penalty at the eight-yard line, then used a pair of runs for another first down at the 19 on the last play of the third quarter. They faced a third-and-five at the 24, and picked up another first down on a seven-yard pass by Skelton to Lucas. Skelton and Lucas hooked up again on the next play with 22-yard completion to the Massachusetts 47. Skelton stayed hot on his next pass attempt, with a 29-yard completion to Rayborn all the way to the Massachusetts 16. After a five-yard run by Jonte Coven, Skelton hit Sylvester Clarke with an 11-yard scoring strike to complete a 98-yard touchdown drive and even the score at 35 with 11:59 to play in the game.

Massachusetts started its next possession inside its own 20-yard line, but used a mix of run and pass to quickly move into Fordham territory with a first down at the 41. Matt Lawrence carried the way to the Fordham 29 with a 12-yard run. The Minutemen then faced a third-and-three at the 22, and Coen connected with Ian Jorgensen on a rollout for a nine-yard gain and a first down. Lawrence ran the rest of the way to the endzone on the next play, scoring on a 13-yard run to put the Minutemen back in front, 42-35, with 9:25 to play.

Fordham started its next possession at its 20-yard line, and made its first big mistake of the game when Skelton was intercepted by Charles Walker on a third-down play to give Massachusetts the ball at the Fordham 22 with just under eight minutes to play. The Minutemen cashed in on a two-yard touchdown run by Lawrence to re-gain a 14-point advantage at 49-35 with 5:15 to play in the game.

Skelton was sacked on third down as the Rams went three-and-out on their next possession. The Rams had one more chance with the ball near midfield after a mishandled snap on a Massachusetts punt, but Skelton's scramble attempt came up short on fourth down with less than two minutes to play and the Minutemen ran out the clock to seal the victory.

The Rams had to fight back from three 14-point deficits in the first half after Massachusetts claimed a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and they used some excellent special teams play to do it. After retaining possession on a 38-yard run on a fake punt by Nick Magiera, Fordham scored its first touchdown when Skelton jumped over the goal line from one yard out with 55 seconds to play in the first quarter.

Massachusetts made it 21-7 with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Liam Coen to Rasheed Rancher with 8:18 left in the second quarter, but another huge play by Magiera helped the Rams close back to within seven. Magiera blocked a Massachusetts punt to give Fordham the ball at the Minutemen 35, and the Rams capitalized with a three-yard touchdown pass from Skelton to Cody Kritzer with 2:46 left in the half to make the score 21-14. Massachusetts re-claimed a 14-point edge with a 41-yard touchdown reception by Rancher just 20 seconds later.

Fordham closed to a 28-21 halftime deficit with a few big plays in the last minute of the first half. With the Minutemen leading, 28-14, Isiejah Allen recovered a Rancher fumble after a big gainer at the Fordham 40, and returned it all the way to the Massachusetts 33. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave the Rams possession at the 18, and Skelton completed a third-down pass to James Caldwell that left the Rams inches from the goal line with three seconds to play in the half. Masella elected to go for the touchdown, and the move paid off when Skelton scored on his second quarterback keeper of the day.

Skelton set a Patriot League playoff record with five touchdowns responsible for, surpassing the four of Colgate's Chris Brown in 2003. Skelton finished 25-for-46 passing for 281 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, and also scored on the two quarterback sneaks. Skelton also set a new League playoff record for passing attempts, and tied the mark of three passing touchdowns. Lucas caught eight passes for 107 yards, while Rayborn had five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Matt Loucks led the Fordham defense with a game-high 11 tackles.

Fordham won its first Patriot League title since 2002, and its first-ever outright crown. The Rams were picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League preseason poll.

"I liked the way our kids worked all winter, and we found a way to finish a lot of close games," Masella said. "We have young talent and a quarterback that can throw the ball, and when you have that you can do some things."

Massachusetts improves to 10-2 with the victory. It moves on to face Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals.