AMHERST, Mass. (Sept. 17, 2016) -- UMass scored two touchdowns in the span of nine minutes in the second quarter and went on to defeat FIU 21-13 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, Massachusetts.
 
FIU scored first on a 47-yard field goal by Austin Taylor in the first quarter.
 
The Minutemen struck back in the second quarter. UMass quarterback Andrew Ford connected with Jalen Williams on a 26-yard touchdown pass to give the Minutemen a 7-3 lead.
 
Exactly nine minutes later with 51 seconds left before halftime, Ford found Andy Isabella in the right corner of the end zone for a 31-yard score. UMass led 14-3 at the break.
                   
FIU took the opening drive of the third quarter and went 16 plays and 75 yards before Alex Gardner scored the Panthers touchdown on a 2-yard run. Gardner ran for 50 of the 75 yards on the drive.
 
Gardner was a bright spot for the Panthers rushing for 130 yards to go with his touchdown run. Gardner fell eight yards shy of his career-high rushing yardage total.
 
The Panthers drew within one point on a Taylor 35-yard field goal with 4:48 left in the third quarter. But that was as close as FIU would come.
 
The Minutemen answered Taylor's field goal with a 12-play drive that culminated with Adam Breneman catching a 1-yard touchdown pass from Ford. UMass led 21-13 after three quarters.
 
The Panthers return home to host the UCF Knights on Saturday, Sept. 24. Kickoff from Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium is set for 7:00 p.m.
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.