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When you outgain your opponent by more than 100 yards, convert 65 percent of third-down situations and hold a 12-minute advantage in time of possession, your chances of winning are high.
On Saturday afternoon, the University of Maine football team did all of that but didn’t get a win.
The University of New Hampshire scored a touchdown with just over two minutes to go and held on for a 27-24 win at Cowell Stadium, capturing the Colonial Athletic Association North Division crown and the Brice-Cowell Musket, given annually to the winner of the UMaine-UNH winner.
UMaine ends its season with a 5-6 overall record and 4-4 record in conference, while No. 11 UNH improves to 9-2 with the win, 5-2 in the CAA and defeated UMaine for the seventh year in a row. The Wildcats received one of the eight at-large bids into the 16-team national tournament.
After holding a 17-10 advantage at halftime, the Black Bears could only muster one score in the second half.
UNH started the scoring in the second half, when Dino Vasso picked off a Chris Treister pass and the Wildcats started their drive at the UMaine 33. Dontra Peters tied the game two plays later when he scored on a 14-yard end-around halfway through the third quarter.
The Black Bears responded on a lengthy 14-play drive that ate up over six minutes of clock. UMaine drove 77 yards, converted four third-down conversions and was capped off by Pushaun Brown’s one-yard touchdown run. Brown finished with 90 yards on 23 carries in the absence of starting running back Derek Session who was out with an injury.
Possibly the biggest play of the game came in the fourth quarter with UNH trailing 24-17. Kicker Tom Manning booted a 52-yard field goal to cut the gap to 24-20. Without the kick, which was the margin of victory, UMaine would have had great field position.
Chad Kackert’s five-yard touchdown run with 2:26 remaining gave UNH its first lead of the game and the Wildcats held on when the Black Bears failed to convert a fourth down near midfield.
In the first half, UMaine jumped out to a 7-0 lead on its first possession when they marched 80 yards on eight plays, capped off by Treister’s pass to Mike Brusko for a six-yard touchdown. The drive was set up by Ty Jones’ 66-yard reception.
UNH responded when R.J. Toman led the Wildcats on a 14-play, 59-yard drive, capped off by a Toman one-yard sneak into the end zone to tie it.
UMaine scored twice more in the half, on freshman Josh Hesseltine’s 34-yard field goal and Landis William’s juggling 35-yard touchdown reception in the end zone.
Tom Manning added a 42-yard field goal at the end of the first half to make it 17-10.
Treister, who was 29-for-48 through the air for 303 yards, led the UMaine offense and two scores. He also threw two interceptions. Brusko, playing in his last game as a Black Bear, made a career-high 13 catches for 119 yards and a score.
Vinson Givans paced the defense with nine tackles, while Trevor Coston added an interception.
