Lynch Leads Northern To 63-19 Rout Of Masschusetts
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Jordan Lynch ran for 119 yards and four touchdowns and threw for another in just over a half to lead No. 21 Northern Illinois to a 63-19 victory over Massachusetts on Saturday.
The Huskies (9-0, 5-0 Mid-American Conference) scored touchdowns on their first five possessions and six of their seven drives in the first half. Cameron Stingily rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown, and Tommylee Lewis also ran one in for Northern Illinois.
Lynch, who leads all active FBS players in rushing yards, also completed 10 of 14 passes for 160 yards and threw for at least one touchdown for the 22nd consecutive game. He played one series in the third quarter before giving way to backup Drew Hare, who connected with Chad Beebe on an 81-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and followed it with a 47-yard TD run to make it 63-19.
Playing without injured No. 1 quarterback A.J. Doyle, UMass (1-8, 1-4) lost its third consecutive game. Backup Mike Wegzyn, who lost the starting job earlier in the season, completed 10 of 25 passes for 169 yards and Lorenzo Woodley ran 38 times for 163 yards and a touchdown.
Wegzyn also threw two interceptions, the first at the Minuteman 20 on the second play of the second quarter that Huskies defensive lineman Ken Bishop ran to the UMass 6-yard line. Two plays later, Stingily ran it in to make it 28-6.
UMass drove 83 yards to score its only touchdown on a 1-yard run by Woodley, cutting the deficit to 15 points. But on the Huskies' next play, Lynch hit Juwa Brescacin for a 66-yard touchdown.
Minutemen kicker Brendon Levengood made a school record-tying four field goals — all more than 40 yards; his career high coming into the game was a 38-yarder.
UMass stopped Lynch for just the second time on the Huskies' first possession of the second half. The Minutemen blocked a 44-yard field-goal attempt, but after defensive end Brandon Potvin picked up the loose ball he fumbled and the Huskies' Jared Volk recovered for a fresh set of owns.
Lynch accounted for six touchdowns in last week's win over Eastern Michigan — four passing, one rushing and another receiving.
Northern Illinois left tackle Tyler Loos was injured in the third quarter and taken off on a stretcher.
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