By Staff Writer Benjamin Pfeffer.
On October 26, the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs’ football team, then with a record of 4-3, traveled to Framingham State University, 5-2, to butt heads with the Rams.
The end result was not what the Corsairs were looking for. It was a blowout from the beginning. The final score ended up being 44-13 in favor of the Rams. This game put the Corsairs back to a .500 record, meaning if they lose the next game they will have a losing record for the first time all season, and will not be able to have a winning record again all season.
The Corsairs were determined to not let this happen. If they won, they couldn’t possibly have a losing record for the year. This was more motivation for them to win their next game.
On November 3, the Corsairs had a home game hosting the Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers. There were not perfect conditions for the game, however. There was rain before the start of the game leaving a slippery field and there were winds that reached over 25 miles per hour with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. Despite these conditions, the Corsairs were ready to play one of their best games yet.
The Corsairs started out strong on their home turf in the first quarter. They dominated the field and, after a few changes in possession, scored the first touchdown of the game and the extra point was good, putting them up 7-0. Throughout the first quarter, the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs had quite a few big plays from 35+ yard passes to 10+ yard sacks.
The Corsairs didn’t have as strong of a start in the second quarter. The first time they touched the ball, they fumbled it and the Buccaneers recovered it. The Buccaneers got their first first down of the game toward the middle of this quarter.
However, the defense remained strong throughout this quarter and the entire half to allow zero points. The closest moment that the Buccaneers had to scoring was when they attempted an 11-yard field goal and missed it. The Corsairs then had an 80-yard drive for a touchdown immediately after the missed field goal with a 34-yard completion to end the drive. UMass Dartmouth was up 14-0 by the end of the half.
The third quarter was very uneventful for the first 9 minutes of it, with both teams going 3 and out multiple times. The Corsairs got the first first down of the quarter when there were 6 minutes left in the quarter.
When the Corsairs were punting, the receiver fumbled the ball and it was recovered on the Corsairs’ 37-yard-line. This started another successful Corsair drive with it ending in a one-yard touchdown rush but missed the extra point which made the score now 20-0 in favor of the Corsairs.
The fourth quarter needed to be comeback time for Mass Maritime, but it wasn’t. They attempted three fourth down plays and only successfully completed the first one. The game ended with the Corsairs taking a knee twice and ending the game with an 0-0 scoreboard for the fourth quarter, but a 20-0 scoreboard for the game.
The Corsairs have a winning season after that shutout. They are now 5-4 and will play their last game of the season, senior night, against Fitchburg State University at noon on Saturday, November 10.