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UMass is on a six-game streak of home losses, Arkansas State a six-game streak of away losses, but someone’s luck is about to change. The UMass Minutemen will take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The matchup is expected to be a close one, with UMass going off at just a 1-point favorite.
The point spread favored UMass on Saturday, but luck did not. They fell just short of New Mexico by a score of 34-31. The match was as close as the oddsmakers predicted, but UMass was the slight favorite coming in.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another: Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams and Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Lynch-Adams had a solid game and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Croskey-Merritt did his best for the losing side, rushing for 33 yards and two touchdowns.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for UMass, racking up 11 points in total. All those points came courtesy of Cameron Carson: he added nine points with three field goals, and another two kicking extra points.
Meanwhile, Arkansas State gave up the first points last Saturday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 44-37 victory over Southern Miss.
Jaylen Raynor was on fire, as he threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Raynor's most impressive run was a 62 yard score in the fourth quarter. Courtney Jackson was another key contributor, picking up 94 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Arkansas State's win bumped their season record to 2-2 while UMass' defeat dropped theirs to 1-4.
Looking ahead, UMass is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by one point.
UMass couldn't quite finish off Arkansas State in their previous matchup last November and fell 35-33. Thankfully for UMass, Marcel Murray (who rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
