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The ending of the UMass-Hawaii game was very sad

Sam Cooper
College football writer
(AP)
(AP)

UMass surrendered a fourth quarter lead in its opener against Hawaii, but still had a chance in the final minute.

After the Rainbow Warriors took a 38-35 lead, the Minutemen were able to inch toward midfield with five seconds remaining, putting themselves in position for a desperation Hail Mary.

Or so we thought.

Instead of chucking it deep, well, UMass did this:

Um, what?

Maybe quarterback Andrew Ford doesn’t have the arm strength to chuck it toward the end zone, but UMass has to have a more creative play in its arsenal than whatever that was.

That confusing finish capped off a really tough loss for UMass, which led 28-14 late in the third quarter. Hawaii cut it to 28-21 before the third quarter came to a close, and then UMass coughed up the lead for the first time with a self-inflicted wound — a muffed punt inside its own 20. Two plays later, with 13:34 left in regulation, it was tied at 28.

The Minutemen retook the lead, 35-28, on the ensuing drive when running back Marquis Young scored from 21 yards out at the 11:41 mark of the fourth quarter.

It was all Hawaii from there.

The Rainbow Warriors cut into the lead, 35-31, with a field goal on its next drive, taking more than six minutes off the clock in the process. That long drive gave the Minutemen the chance to run out the clock and clinch its first-ever season-opening win at the FBS level. Instead, UMass could muster just one first down, and kicked it back to Hawaii with 2:52 to play.

The Rainbow Warriors quickly faced 3rd-and-10, but quarterback Dru Brown found John Ursua for a 52-yard gain, giving the sophomore 12 catches for 272 yards in the game. Three plays later, Brown found tight end Metuisela ‘Unga for a seven-yard touchdown. It ended up being the winning score.

That long trip back across the country will be a lot sweeter for Hawaii after a come-from-behind win.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!