Eastern Michigan controls UMass from the start to beat the Minutemen in season opener
Cole Snyder threw for 241 yards and a touchdown and ran for another and Eastern Michigan beat UMass 28-14 in a season opener on Saturday.
Eastern Michigan now has beaten the Minutemen for four straight seasons. UMass will join the Mid-American Conference next year.
The Eagles scored first when on their second possession they put together a 10-play, 97-yard drive that ended when Snyder ran it in from the one yard line. Snyder threw a 32-yard completion to Terry Lockett Jr. for the longest play of the drive.
Just before the end of the first half, Snyder threw an 18-yard scoring pass to Oran Singleton who made an acrobatic over-the-shoulder grab in the left corner of the end zone for a 14-0 lead. Snyder connected with Lockett for 29 yards to mark the drive's longest play.
UMass got back in it after forcing the Eagles to three-and-out to start the third. The Minutemen used a 10-play, 70-yard drive and ended when Jalen John ran it in from the one yard line.
Eastern Michigan's Jesus Gomez kicked a 20-yard field goal with 4:49 left in the third, a 31-yarder with 7:49 remaining, and Delbert Mimms III ran it in from the six yard line with 5:43 to go, and the two-point conversion made it 28-7.
Taisun Phommachanh threw for 177 yards and ran for 57 yards on 16 carries for UMass.