What a way to come back from a blowout. UMass had a long two weeks to reflect and prepare for this game at West Point after being pummeled by Penn State 63-0.
This break provided UMass time to heal, as there were many knocks on both sides of the ball including starting quarterback Taisun Phommachanh who looked much much healthier in this one. Running back Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams stole the show on Saturday, scoring three touchdowns and running for a season high 234 yards.
Army came into this game favored but they were also on a dry spell themselves, not scoring any points over their last two games against Troy and LSU. They relied heavily on dual threat quarterback Bryson Daily over the start of the season, but this was his first game after recovering from injury.
The game plan in this game was very simple for UMass: Get the ball in the hands of your most dangerous player. Lynch-Adams has been the most effective Minuteman this season, and he did not disappoint this time out, even getting national attention from the Big Game Boomer account on X who put Lynch-Adams at the top of their weekly running back rankings.
UMass was in control of this game from the beginning, taking a 13-0 lead in the first quarter courtesy of Lynch-Adams scoring from 34 yards and 9 yards away. Daily brought the game back to one score on a rushing touchdown of his own, but his passing left a lot to be desired. Daily went 3 for 13 through the air, including two interceptions.
In the third quarter, Lynch-Adams added to his tally from three yards out, making it a 21-7 game. Army drove back down the field, but Daily threw a red zone interception to cornerback Juan Lua which dampened their hopes.
Army did score the next points with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, but the damage was already done. UMass gave them a chance to tie the game up with eight seconds left in the game, and recovered a fumble on the attempted lateral play.
The Minutemen improved to 2-7, but two wins over FBS opponents is significant progress from anything they have done in the past few years. With Merrimack and UConn still on the schedule, UMass has a legit chance of winning four games this season. That should be considered a successful step in the right direction.
