Price with 4 TDs, New Mexico State tops UMass to end season

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Juwaun Price ran for 156 yards and scored four touchdowns, leading New Mexico State to a 44-27 season-ending win over UMass on Saturday.

Price scored on runs of 5 and 19 yards to stake New Mexico State to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, then added second-half TD runs of 24 and 26 yards. His final touchdown capped an eight-play, 90-yard drive that gave the Aggies a two-score lead, 34-20, midway through the third quarter.

Jonah Johnson was 26-for-32 passing for 420 yards with touchdown throws to Jared Wyatt and Thomaz Whitford.

New Mexico State (2-10) stopped Ellis Merriweather for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the 10 to end a final scoring threat with 1:43 remaining. Merriweather carried 23 times for 168 yards with two touchdowns for the Minutemen (1-11).

Garrett Dzuro completed 12 of 23 passes for 124 yards with a touchdown for UMass.

NEW (OLD) LEADERSHIP

UMass ended the season on a six-game slide. The school announced on Monday that it had hired Don Brown as coach. Brown, in a previous stint at UMass, led the team to its winningest five-season stretch, 2004-08. Brown had been the defensive coordinator at Arizona.

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