Coen's parting gift is a UMass victory

AMHERST - Darkness had fallen on a frigid November afternoon, and Liam Coen stood alone.

In the final quarter of his final game for the University of Massachusetts, Coen had just completed the clinching touchdown pass to Chris Zardas, giving the Minutemen their final score in a 28-14 victory over Hofstra yesterday. Coen turned to the UMass bench, clenched his right first, and delivered a triumphant pump of his right arm.

The victory might not have been the blaze of glory Coen had hoped for, but it did provide a warm glow to close out his stellar career. The win put the wraps on a 7-5 season that marked four straight winning years with Coen as the starting quarterback. It also established Coen's senior class as the winningest four-year group in UMass history, having gone 37-14.

"It's nice to be able to go out like that," said Coen.Coen was at the controls for a UMass team that won two conference titles (in 2006 and 2007) and advanced to the '06 national championship game. He leaves with his name all over the UMass record book, including 11,031 yards passing and 90 touchdown passes (No. 1 among current quarterbacks in the Football Championship Subdivision).

"He's left his legacy and his mark on UMass football," said coach Don Brown.

Coen's focus, according to Brown, was always singular: "All he cared about was getting a 'W.' From the day he took over when he was a redshirt freshman until now, the only thing that's been important to this young man is finding a way to win the football game."

This year proved a formidable challenge for Coen and the Minutemen, who finished 4-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. He battled an elbow injury for much of the season, and had to adjust to a revamped offense, with a new receiving corps, major changes on the offensive line, and a new marquee running back in Tony Nelson.

Beset by major injuries, the more experienced UMass defense did not perform at the high level it had demonstrated in the past.

All of that added up to a season that was, by UMass's standards, a disappointment.

"Obviously, it's a good feeling when you can win your last game, but we know we've got a ton of work to do," said Brown. "We cannot be at this level. At the same time, a winning season and people are disappointed, [that] goes to show you how high the bar's been set here."

After last week's 52-21 ambush at New Hampshire, UMass had to forget the frustration and summon one more effort to preserve its streak of seven straight winning seasons. The ability to do so, Brown said, made yesterday's win over Hofstra (4-8, 2-6) one of the five most satisfying in his 30 years of coaching.

With the cold and windy conditions limiting the passing game, UMass relied heavily on Nelson. He was explosive all afternoon, carrying 28 times for 204 yards and a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs that gave UMass a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Hofstra made a game of it on an Everette Benjamin 11-yard run late in the quarter, but Coen (13 of 18 for 79 yards, with two TDs and one interception) upped the margin to 21-7 at the quarter's end with a 8-yard touchdown pass to Ian Jorgensen.

The Pride pulled within a touchdown before the half on a 2-yard run from impressive freshman quarterback Steve Probst (16 of 24 for 152 yards and two interceptions, and 11 carries for 65 yards).

The UMass defense forced five turnovers. One of those, a fumble recovery by Jeromy Miles late in the third quarter, set up the decisive score. Nelson almost provided it, rumbling 61 yards to the 1 early in the fourth. Then Coen hit Zardas on a play-action pass for his final collegiate touchdown.

Nearing the game's conclusion, Coen watched the clock tick down before taking one final snap and dropping to his knee. That moment was precious."It was nice to be able to just take it in under the lights," said Coen. "It was a nice moment for me."