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1. Ursua I
>> Situation: UMass 7, Hawaii 7, 1:57 remaining second quarter, Hawaii ball, second-and-12 at own 15
>> The Play: QB Dru Brown completes a pass to SB John Ursua cutting across the middle at the 25. Ursua eludes the entire UMass defense, including two diving tackle attempts, on his way to an 85-yard touchdown.
>> Impact: The spectacular score came two plays after Ursua fumbled a punt (which he recovered).
>> Ursua: “I was able to shake that off and focus on what was coming. I knew there were going to be a lot more plays.”
2. Keeper
>> Situation: UMass 21, Hawaii 14, 6:37 remaining third quarter, UMass ball, fourth-and-4 at Hawaii 28
>> The Play: QB Andrew Ford runs for an 11-yard gain for a first down.
>> Impact: The long drive continued, and UMass took a 28-14 lead with 4:35 left in the third quarter on Ford’s 3-yard touchdown pass to FB Malik Lee. To this point, UMass had run 22 plays to 3 and outscored Hawaii 14-0 after halftime.
>> Ford: “I felt like we were in control of the game for most of it. Even with the two-score lead everybody on the sideline feels like every time we have the ball we’re going to score, and we didn’t get that done.”
3. Turning Point
>> Situation: UMass 28, Hawaii 21, 14:21 remaining fourth quarter, Hawaii ball, fourth-and-4 at UMass 47
>> The Play: P Stan Gaudion’s kick glances off the facemask of PR Jessie Britt as he attempts a fair catch. Hawaii RB Ryan Tuiasoa pounces on the loose ball at the UMass 15.
>> Impact: Two plays later, WR Marcus Armstrong-Brown caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Brown.
>> Tuiasoa: “One of the thoughts that went through my head was trying to pick it up and score. But with that situation, we needed the ball. I just jumped on it.”
4. Ursua II
>> Situation: UMass 35, Hawaii 31, 1:43 remaining fourth quarter, Hawaii ball, third-and-10 at Hawaii 41
>> The Play: Brown finds Ursua wide open on the left side of the field. Ursua cuts back and races for a 52-yard gain before he is stopped at the UMass 7.
>> Impact: Running out of time and downs, the long gain to set up a touchdown was just what Hawaii needed. It gave Ursua 272 yards receiving, fourth in program history for a single game.
>> Ursua: “I knew somebody had to step up and make a play.”
5. ‘Unga hangs on
>> Situation: UMass 35, Hawaii 31, 0:48 remaining fourth quarter, Hawaii ball, third-and-goal at UMass 7
>> The Play: Facing single coverage, TE Tui ‘Unga was open deep in the middle of the end zone. QB Dru Brown’s pass was on target. ‘Unga, who had dropped a pass earlier, hung on for the touchdown.
>> Impact: Hawaii’s defense hung on against UMass’ desperation drive. It was Hawaii’s first win of a nonconference road season opener since 1992.
>> ‘Unga: “It was just like practice. They were lined up exactly how we’ve seen it in film … I already had my drop and I wasn’t planning on having another one this game.”
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