AMERST, Mass. (AP) — William Watson III broke loose for a 13-yard touchdown run in overtime to give Massachusetts a 31-30 victory over Ball State on Wednesday night.
Ball State quarterback Keldric Luster scored on a 2-yard run with 25 seconds left in regulation to end a nine-plane, 75-yard drive that tied it 24-all.
Jalen Bonds, who finished with 132 yards rushing on 17 carries, scored from a yard out for the Cardinals on the first possession of overtime, but Brody Boehm’s extra-point attempt was wide left.
Derek Morris, who missed a 36-yard field-goal attempt in the first quarter but was good on a 23-yarder in the third, converted the extra point in OT for UMass.
Watson completed 17 of 25 passes for 302 yards. He tossed a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jabari Lewis just before halftime to give UMass a 14-10 lead, and his 1-yard TD run gave the Minutemen a 21-17 advantage with 2:31 to play in the third quarter.
Curtis Kimmons had 85 yards rushing and Elijah Faulkner scored from a yard out for UMass (5-4, 2-3 Mid-American Conference), which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Luster was 17-of-27 passing for 182 yards and threw a touchdown pass for Ball State (3-6, 2-3).
Ball State: Hosts Buffalo next Wednesday.
UMass: At Toledo next Wednesday.
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