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Mississippi State and Syracuse? Almost.
After jumping out to a 17-13 halftime lead against Syracuse on Saturday night, many University of Maine football fans were probably thinking of the 2004 upset over the Bulldogs of Mississippi State.
Those dreams were put to rest fast in the second half against the Orange, the higher-division Bowl Championship Subdivision opponent.
Greg Paulus threw for two touchdowns and Delone Carter rushed for three more and was on the receiving end of one as the Orange outscored the Black Bears 28-7 in the second half on their way to a 41-24 victory at the Carrier Dome.
UMaine (2-2) outgained Syracuse in the first half 256-149 in total yardage and held possession for about three minutes longer.
After a first quarter touchdown by Syracuse, the Black Bears responded with a 16-play, 70-yard drive that was capped off with a 35-yard Jordan Waxman field goal.
UMaine caught the Orange (2-2) off guard on the kickoff by recovering an onside kick.
On the next play, newly anointed starting quarterback Warren Smith lofted a deep pass to Landis Williams for a 56-yard touchdown pass to give the Black Bears a 10-7 lead.
Williams and Smith hooked up again at the end of the first half on a 14-yard connection to put UMaine up 17-10.
Smith, who took over the starting job from Michael Brusko this week, completed 12 of 20 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
In the second half, the Orange offense got in a groove with its short, efficient passing game. Paulus, the former starting point guard for the Duke University men’s basketball team, directed four scoring drives in the second half to give Syracuse a 41-17 lead.
Paulus was 21 for 28 and had 270 yards through the air to go along with two touchdowns.
Delone Carter caught a first quarter touchdown pass from Paulus and had three touchdowns rushing. The running back carried the ball 19 times for 72 yards.
Smith guided a high-flying UMaine attack, passing for 304 yards on the evening and throwing for three touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions.
Williams finished the night with 102 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Tyrell Jones caught Smith’s other touchdown pass—a 15-yard strike with 10 seconds left in the game.
Brusko, now the backup quarterback, caught two passes for 16 yards as a wide receiver and also punted for the Black Bears. He also threw a pass for 35 yards on a fake punt play in the second quarter.
The Black Bears return home after three weeks on the road when they host the University of Delaware on Saturday. The Blue Hens are 2-2 on the season and are coming off a 30-20 loss on the road to No. 5 William & Mary. Delaware dropped a 16-15 decision in week two to No. 1 Richmond.
Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Alfond Stadium.
Bangor Daily News