First Quarter Action

Football
Eli Rosenswaike

The Minutemen won the toin coss, but chose to defer to the second half. The Crusaders will return the opening kick. The opening kick was returned for 21 yards to the Crusader 24 yard line.

On a side note, UMass starting tight end Brad Listorti has an injured back, and will not play. Ian Jorgensen will get the starting nod.

After a few first downs, the Holy Cross offense stalled and was forced to punt. A short punt gave UMass the ball at their own 22 yard line.

The offense went right to work, with three straight rushes totaling 38 yards. Matt Lawrence had two of those carries for 34 yards. However, UMass settled for a 48-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. It was the third-longest field goal in school history.

Holy Cross did little with their ensuing drive, and UMass marched down the field with good field position and pounded the ball in the endzone thanks to strong rushing by Lawrence. It's interesting to note that Tony Nelson has yet to carry the ball, while Lawrence has 8 carries already for 55 yards.

Holy Cross answered back with a nice drive of their own -- driving the ball all the way to the UMass 6-yard line. As the first quarter comes to a close, it will be Holy Cross with a 2nd and goal situation at the 6-yard line. Check the next update to see if Holy Cross scores a touchdown.