​AMHERST – UMass football shut down Stonehill in the second half and pulled away for a 36-14 victory Saturday afternoon at McGuirk Stadium.The victory was the third straight to open the season for the Minutemen. It’s the first time in UMass’ brief Football Bowl Subdivision history that the Minutemen are 3-0.UMass last won its first three games of the season in 2007.“It feels good, but at the same time we haven’t started MAC play yet,” UMass senior receiver T.Y. Hardin said. “It feels good, but we have more to accomplish.”The Minutemen recovered a fumble, then intercepted Stonehill quarterback Jack O’Connell on back-to-back drives late in the third. UMass scored following each turnover as the offense found its footing after the break.“We came to the half, and I told the offense they will get the ball on every drive,” UMass linebacker Tyler Martin said. “They will not score, you guys do your thing, and we will separate ourselves.”UMass cornerback Isaiah Reed forced the fumble on O’Connell’s first-down completion to Stonehill receiver Alijah Turner with 5 minutes, 19 seconds left in the third quarter. The ball dropped along the sideline as Minuteman safety David Chiavegato recovered the ball.UMass reached Stonehill’s 6 on its next drive, but a tripping penalty stalled the drive. The Minutemen settled for a 33-yard Derek Morris field goal and a 22-7 lead.UMass sophomore cornerback JC Clark intercepted O’Connell three plays into the Skyhawks’ next drive. A Watson 1-yard TD run capped a five-play, 40-yard drive as UMass extended its lead to 29-7.“We just had to be tougher, starting everywhere,” Hardin said of the second-half adjustments. “I just felt that we weren’t bringing that aggression that we should have.” Watson (15-of-25, 160 yards) capped the second-half surge with a 51-yard touchdown pass over the top to Harding at the goal line. The three-play scoring drive followed a three-and-out by Stonehill and gave UMass a 36-7 lead.“It felt good seeing the other guys happy,” Harding said.Stonehill did not pick up a first down in the second half until there were nine minutes left in the fourth. The Skyhawks finished with 161 yards of total offense.“What a job by our defense,” UMass coach Joe Harasymiak said. “That’s what a good team does; when you are not rolling on one side, the defense came through.”UMass opened the third quarter with a momentum-stealing touchdown drive.The 10-play, 59-yard drive started at the UMass 41-yard line. Two runs by Elijah Faulkner gave the Minutemen a first down. On the next set of downs, a five-yard reception by Dallas Elliott on third-and-1 produced a first down at the 34.Two short runs followed by a short pass left UMass with a fourth-and-2 at the 26. Watson then found tight end Reece Adkins alone downfield for a first down at the two-yard line.Faulkner (11 carries, 62 yards) punched it in on the next play for a 19-7 lead. UMass outgained Stonehill 195 yards to 2