Minutemen yield 28 unanswered points in loss to Chippewas.
UMass tight end Rob Blanchflower stretches for an extra yard as Central Michigan's Sharami Benton holds on Friday in Foxborough.
FOXBOROUGH – For the University of Massachusetts football team, time ran out on the progress being made.
For the second straight week, the Minutemen lost a second-half lead, this time giving up 28 straight points to Central Michigan and closing the season with a 42-21 loss Friday before 6,385 at Gillette Stadium.
UMass finished its first season in the Football Bowl Subdivision 1-11, and 1-7 in the Mid-American Conference. It was a season that could have ended with three straight wins. The Minutemen beat Akron Nov. 10, and had a 19-7 lead on Buffalo before yielding 22 consecutive points to lose Saturday.
Friday was a little different in that UMass rallied from a 14-0 deficit to tie the game just before the half, then took a 21-14 lead on the opening possession of the third quarter.
But it was all Central Michigan and Zurlon Tipton after that. The junior running back had three of his four touchdowns in the second half and rushed for 185 yards as the Chippewas wore down the UMass defense.
"We never really got quite the confidence, we never really got a rhythmic drive going in the second half," UMass coach Charlie Molnar said. "The second interception A.J. (Doyle) threw, the first of the second half, was a real killer. He had an okay idea to throw the ball to who he did, but there was coverage over the top and coverage underneath. If he places the ball a little bit better, it's a catch and a first down and it keeps the drive going. But unfortunately, the ball was just a little off and got intercepted.
"I don't know if he got rattled, but we certainly didn't have quite the same confidence as an offense. The defense goes right back on the field and you can kind of feel the foundation of the game starting to shake underneath."
Doyle, a true freshman quarterback from Lakeville, was tapped for his first start. His playing time had been limited to a series here and there in games out of reach in the fourth quarter.
His final numbers Friday were a mixed bag. Doyle was 30 for 45 for 253 yards and two touchdowns – as well as three interceptions.
"I had some moments out there where I thought I did well, but obviously a lot of errors as well, throwing three picks, especially two in a row and putting the defense in a bad spot," Doyle said. "Overall, I don't think I performed at a level that I wanted to."
Down 14-0, the UMass defense got the offense rolling when senior safety Darren Thellen intercepted Chippewas quarterback Ryan Radcliff and returned it to the Central Michigan 9-yard line. Three plays later, Mike Cox went around left end for a 1-yard touchdown run.
UMass forced a three-and-out and Doyle started the next drive at the UMass 34. He connected with junior tight end Rob Blanchflower (10 catches, 100 yards, one TD) on a pair of third-down passes to get the Minutemen within striking distance, but he underthrew a fade in the end zone and was intercepted by cornerback Jason Wilson.
Undeterred, Doyle was back in business shortly thereafter when the defense forced another punt. This time, he drove UMass 50 yards, capping the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Blanchflower to tie the game 4 seconds before the break.
An 11-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Deion Walker on the opening drive of the second half put the Minutemen up 21-14, but little good happened for the Minutemen after that.
The Chippewas tied it on Tilton's 3-yard run before Doyle interceptions on back-to-back possessions led to a Tilton 9-yard touchdown and a 6-yard score for Saylor Lavallii.
UMass mounted a counterattack, but the drive ended on downs at the Central Michigan 38. Two plays later, Tilton sprinted 61 yards for a touchdown to put the game away.
While the Chippewas piled up 262 yards rushing – the seventh team to break 200 against UMass – Molnar put the blame on the offense for putting the defense on the field too often and in short-field situations.
"I still always go back to the offensive performance," Molnar said. "The offense doesn't have to score a touchdown every single series – doesn't even have to kick a field goal – but you got to convert first downs and you got to eliminate the penalties."
Molnar admitted the program's transition from Football Championship Subdivision was more difficult than he expected, but the Minutemen had chances to win more than one game.
"(The season) didn't meet my expectations, but it came a long way," Molnar said.