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Jordan Stevens rushes off the edge in pursuit of Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin. Stevens and the Black Bears fell to the Blue Hens on Saturday night 27-17.

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After letting halftime leads slip away in their last two games, the University of Maine football team was eager Saturday night to prove they could play hard for the entire game against the University of Delaware.

Unfortunately for the Black Bears, Delaware was just as desperate for a victory after dropping two conference games to the University of Richmond and the College of William and Mary, both of whom were nationally ranked.

UMaine gave up some key big plays and Delaware re-established a run game that was held to negative rushing yards last weekend as the Black Bears dropped their conference home opener 27-17 at rainy Alfond Stadium.

A light rain that began hours before kickoff made playing conditions less than stellar, but the inclement weather didn’t stop recently promoted sophomore quarterback Warren Smith from coming out firing and completing his first five passes of the game.

The effort got Maine into the red zone before the offense stalled and watched sophomore kicker Jordan Waxman’s 31-yard field goal attempt sail wide left.

“We’ve got to stop driving down and just settling for field goal attempts,” said Smith, who threw for 258 yards. “We’ve got to finish, and finish with a touchdown.”

“As an offense that doesn’t feel good, to drive all the way down that far and get nothing out of it.”

Delaware took advantage of UMaine’s miscue on their next possession, as recently transferred junior quarterback Pat Devlin (21-31, 329 yards, TD) hooked up with senior wide receiver Mark Duncan for a 79-yard touchdown pass.

After trading punts, the Black Bears unleashed a deep ball of their own, as Smith hit junior wideout Desmond Randall (2 receptions, 57 yards, TD) for a 45-yard score to tie it up 7-7 late in the first quarter.

UMaine looked to capitalize after forcing another Delaware punt, until a Smith pass over the middle was picked off by freshman defensive back Ricky Tunstall.

“The defense did great making stops like that. When defense makes a big play, that’s when the offense has got to respond,” Smith said. “That’s momentum in the game right there, and I don’t think — as an offense we didn’t do that.”

With the tide turning in favor of the Blue Hens, and freshman running back Leon Jackson (23 rushes, 61 yards, 2 TDs) carrying Delaware down the field, the Black Hole came up big and denied Devlin on a fourth-and-1 goalline keeper.

UMaine was unable to create any offense after starting on their own goal line. Facing the prospect of giving Delaware the ball with good field position, Waxman got a favorable roll on the punt from UMaine’s own end zone, finally settling at Delaware’s 37-yard line.

Even with a longer field, the defense had no answer for Devlin’s arm or Jackson’s legs on the next drive, as the Blue Hens mounted a seven play 63-yard drive, capped off by Jackson’s eight-yard touchdown run to put Delaware up by seven with 5:12 left in the half.

The Black Bear offense came roaring back to tie the game behind sensational catches from leading receiver Landis Williams (10 catches, 104 yards) and Tyrell Jones (4 catches, 41 yards, TD). Jones finished the drive on a nine-yard grab with 1:40 left in the half.

“We’ve made strides, there’s no doubt,” said UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove. “The biggest obvious is how we’re playing offensively. We’re throwing the ball significantly more than we were three weeks ago. Unfortunately we’re not running the ball as effectively as we were at that time.”

UMaine came out of the half and drove the field once more, only to stall out in the red zone again and settle for a 35-yard field goal.

The Black Bears forced a turnover on Delaware’s next possession as sophomore defensive lineman Kevin Phanor came up with a fumble, but UMaine quickly went three and out, allowing the Blue Hens to score again on a 2-yard Leon Jackson run to put Delaware up 21-17.

Eventually both defenses took over, and neither team scored until the fourth quarter when Delaware’s David Hayes went 25 yards for the score with just under four minutes to play. Delaware’s missed point after touchdown put the final score at 27-17.

“Of course the loss isn’t what you want; and it’s not easy, and it might put a little pain in your stomach, but I can see, as a team, us growing every week,” Williams said. “I can see us developing and starting to play better football every week.”

“I’m glad they’re off our cycle for another two years, because when those kids become juniors and seniors Jack’s going to have a heck of a football team on his hands,” Delaware coach K.C. Keeler said.

The loss puts the Black Bears at 2-3 and 1-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play, heading into next week’s matchup against Hofstra University. The trip to Hempstead will be the Black Bears’ third trip to New York in the last four weeks. The Black Bears have a 7-10 record all time against the Pride with UMaine winning a 41-40 double overtime thriller last season.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will be televised on the Comcast network.

• Football: Spiders steamroll Bears in second half (October 19, 2009)
• Football hopes to end struggles over weekendBlack Bears hope to end struggles over weekend (October 4, 2007)
• Black Bears stumble in second half, fall to URI (December 1, 2005)
• Black Bears’ second half downs Dragons (February 19, 2001)
• Football: Black Bears top Minutemen, sit tied for first in CAA North (November 10, 2008)

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