Box Score Lowell, MA — The Massachusetts Pirates four-game winning streak at home came to an end on Saturday afternoon, as they suffered a narrow 41-40 defeat against the Northern Arizona Wranglers at the Tsongas Center.

Jimmie Robinson's exceptional performance, amassing 80 yards rushing and scoring five touchdowns, served as the cornerstone of the offense. His remarkable display not only energized the team but also provided a blueprint for success. 

"We had discussed this last week that we had to get him some more touches because he's one of the best backs in the league," head coach Rod Miller said. Last week, he didn't get a lot of touches. So, we wanted to emphasize him to get him some touches and let things revolve around that."

The Pirates opening drive took only two plays. Alejandro Bennifield hit Thomas Owens for a 13-yard gain, and on the following play, Jimmie Robinson found a wide-open hole and reached the end zone with a 14-yard rush, giving Massachusetts an early 7-0 lead.

The Wranglers answered with a full-field drive, ending with a six-yard touchdown pass from Joshua Jones to David Elder. This tied the game at seven apiece with 4:59 left in the first quarter.

Robinson dominated the Pirates second drive. He returned the kickoff 15 yards, followed by rushes of nine and six yards. A few plays later, Robinson secured his second rushing touchdown of the game with a three-yard run, putting the Pirates ahead 14-7.

To begin their second drive, the Wranglers aimed for a deep pass, but a defensive pass interference penalty advanced Northern Arizona to the Massachusetts 16-yard line with a fresh set of downs. On the next play, Jones connected with a wide-open John Maldonado, who broke two tackles and dove into the end zone for a touchdown. As the first quarter ended, the Wranglers tied the game at 14.

At the start of the second quarter, Robinson gave the offense a strong position with a 28-yard kick return. On the drive's first play, he ran 21 yards for his third touchdown of the game, reclaiming the lead. However, after a missed extra point attempt, the score remained 20-14.

The Wranglers drove downfield to the Massachusetts 16-yard line, but the Pirates defense rose to the occasion. Matt Elam made a crucial pass breakup in the end zone, and the defense forced two more incompletions. The Wranglers nearly converted on fourth down, but John Maldonado bobbled the pass, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Massachusetts advanced downfield to the one-yard line, where Bennifield attempted a run but fumbled the ball. Malik Sonnier of Northern Arizona recovered the fumble. Despite starting deep in their own end zone, the Wranglers quickly moved downfield. The drive ended with a 32-yard touchdown catch by Kobay White, who was hit into the stands by Matt Elam but held onto the ball. Wranglers kicker Axel Perez successfully made a dropkick, worth two points in the IFL, giving Northern Arizona their first lead of the night at 22-20.

On the kickoff, the ball bounced off one of the up men and was recovered by Darren Carrington, setting up the Pirates offense at the 18-yard line with 50 seconds remaining before halftime. Following several failed pass attempts and a mishandled snap, the Pirates encountered a third down and 11. However, Bennifield connected with Thomas Owens for an 18-yard gain, positioning Massachusetts just shy of the one-yard line. 

Of course, the Pirates turned to their bell-cow running back, Jimmie Robinson, to secure the touchdown. Initially ruled short of the goal line, a Massachusetts challenge led to a reversal, awarding the Pirates the touchdown. Despite a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Pirates reclaimed the lead, 26-22, with only 35 seconds remaining in the second half.

As time dwindled down, the Wranglers had their eyes set on the endzone. They advanced 12 yards with a catch-and-run by Maldonado, followed by an eight-yard completion to Arsiah McCorker. Finally, Maldonado rushed for five yards into the endzone. The Wranglers covered 45 yards in just 31 seconds. Despite a missed drop-kick attempt by Perez, Northern Arizona led 28-26 going into halftime.

"Knowing that they were going to get the ball back and start a second half, and just trying to get those scores, so we tried to get some points and try to pin them deep," Miller said. "You have to take those opportunities, especially since it's a big difference between the outdoor game and this game when you can get points on the kickoff. So, we were trying to see if we could get some points and try to tie it back up so at least we can go into halftime with an even ballgame." 

At the start of the third quarter, Northern Arizona took possession and continued their momentum. Jones completed a 15-yard pass to Maldonado, followed by a nine-yard run. Jones then threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Maldonado in the endzone. Despite the missed extra point, the Wranglers increased their lead to 34-26.

In just two plays, the Pirates quickly leveled the score. Bennifield connected with Teo Redding on a 37-yard deep ball, with Redding outmaneuvering his defender for a touchdown. This completion put Alejandro Bennifield over 5,000 career all-purpose yards for his career. Opting for a two-point conversion, the Pirates succeeded as Bennifield found Thomas Owens, tying the score at 34-34.

The Massachusetts defense stepped up with a four-and-out, limiting the Wranglers to only four yards on their drive, including two incompletions. Northern Arizona failed to convert on fourth down, giving possession to the Pirates, who set up their offensive drive at the 19-yard line.

"We started off slow," Miller said. "So, half time, we talked about how we have to come out and play the way we're capable of playing. They ran the same kind of plays and the same formations; it was just a matter of our guys wanting it more than the other group. And I think in the second half, we wanted a little bit more defensively."

However, the Wranglers executed a defensive stand of their own. Following four consecutive rushes, two by Robinson and two by Bennifield, Northern Arizona halted Jimmie Robinson at the goal line, forcing a turnover on downs as the third quarter concluded.

"We have to make those touchdowns," Miller said. "Those are scores that we needed, and we need to do a better job at making a score in that position. We got to make sure that doesn't happen again next week."

The Pirates came close to securing another defensive stop, yet on fourth and two, Jones launched a deep pass to Kobay White, resulting in a 25-yard touchdown connection that propelled Northern Arizona into a 41-34 lead.

With 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Connor Degenhardt replaced Bennifield, who was nursing injuries from a hard hit earlier. However, the Wranglers defense forced a four-and-out, granting them possession at the Massachusetts 14-yard line. In turn, the Pirates countered with a four-and-out of their own, notably featuring a tackle by Julius Turner that thwarted Jones' attempt to secure a first down.

"When you come in off the bench, and you're under pressure with a couple of minutes left, it's hard," Miller said. "We knew we had to make some critical drives, and he did that for those last couple of drives and got us back in the game." 

Degenhardt initiated the drive with a three-yard pass to Robinson, followed by a 23-yard gain as he connected with Teo Redding streaking across the field. Subsequently, Darren Carrington caught an 11-yard pass, leading to Robinson's fifth touchdown of the day with a four-yard run. However, a false start penalty pushed back the point-after attempt, resulting in a missed kick by Josh Gable. With just 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Pirates now trailed by just one point, 41-40.

The Wranglers drive commenced with a rush resulting in a loss of five yards, courtesy of Guy Thomas tackling David Ellar behind the line of scrimmage. Following that, Calvin Bundage sakced Jones, leading to a loss of ten yards. Opting for a field goal on fourth down from 58 yards out, Northern Arizona attempted the kick, which Dallas Daniels returned for 22 yards.

With only 38 seconds left on the clock, Degenhardt carried the ball, but a helmet-to-helmet penalty during the tackle placed the ball halfway to the goal line. Consequently, the Pirates advanced to the 11-yard line with just 25 seconds remaining. Degenhardt attempted to connect with Thomas Owens in the endzone, but Travion Banks intercepted the pass, which promptly ended the game. 

"That's what this game is; it always goes down to the last second, and you never know what can happen in a matter of a couple of seconds," Miller said. "We battled back and got ourselves in position to try to win the game at the end. And unfortunately, it didn't go in our favor."

"He took a shot, so I'm still wondering if he had all his senses after that hit," Miller added. "Who knows on that in the last series. But for him to come out there and battle and be put in that situation to come in having to have to make something happen, he did a good job in that aspect of it." 

About the Massachusetts Pirates:
The 2021 United Bowl Champions; Massachusetts Pirates are members of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and play their home games at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. For more information on the Massachusetts Pirates please call (508)452-MASS (6277), email contact@masspiratesfootball.com or visit http://www.masspiratesfootball.com. Follow the Pirates on Facebook via Facebook.com/MAPirates, Instagram @mass.pirates, and Twitter @mass_pirates.