MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) – Steve Baylark ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 76 yards to lead Massachusetts to a 19-17 victory over Montana on Friday night in the NCAA Division I-AA semifinals.
Third-ranked UMass (13-1) advanced to the championship game against the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between top-ranked and defending national champion Appalachian State and fourth-seeded Youngstown State.
No. 2 Montana (12-2) saw its 12-game winning streak come to an end.
Baylark scored on a 35-yard run with 12:10 left in the first quarter and on a 6-yard run with 8:33 left in the half.
The Minutemen, who trailed 17-14 at halftime, pulled to 17-16 when Domenique Milton forced Montana quarterback Josh Swogger to fumble and the ball rolled through the end zone. UMass’ Chris Koepplin added a 43-yard field goal with 13:25 remaining.
Montana’s first score was a 23-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter 3 seconds into the second quarter. The Griz went up 10-7 when Muckie Foreman intercepted Liam Coen’s pass and returned the ball 58 yards for a score with 11:54 left in the half.
Montana ran the 2-minute drill to perfection just before halftime, taking a 17-14 lead on a 1-yard run by Brady Green with 10 seconds left.
AP-ES-12-08-06 2319EST
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