On Saturday, Nov. 2, the University of Maine football team fell 59-14 against the Oklahoma Sooners in front of a massive crowd of 82,831, marking the largest audience in Maine Football’s program history. Both teams entered the game with a 4-4 record, but their seasons had taken different turns. Oklahoma, once ranked as high as No. 15, was on a three-game losing streak and had just transitioned to new play-caller Joe Jon Finley. Meanwhile, Maine came off a tough loss to Rhode Island.
UMaine forced an early third-and-out for the Sooners to start the game, giving them a chance to punch their opponents in the mouth early. The drive started slowly, as fifth-year quarterback Carter Peevy and the offense chipped away yardage. The Black Bears were on the successful end of an aggressive fourth-down conversion from their 41-yard line, aided by a penalty.
Peevy then ripped off an incredible 40-yard run off a zone-read down to the Oklahoma 3-yard line, giving some SEC fans deja vu to his long touchdown run against Ole Miss last season. The Mercer transfer capped off the drive with a touchdown pass to fourth-year tight end Cooper Heisey, the first points of the afternoon.
It did not take long for the Sooners to respond. On the first play of the following drive, third-year running back Jovantae Barnes broke off a 74-yard run, then punched it in on his next carry to tie the game 7-7. Although the drive was short, it foreshadowed the struggle that the Black Bear defense may have at stopping Oklahoma’s rushing attack.
Maine failed to score on the next possession, returning the ball to the Sooners. Second-year quarterback Jackson Arnold got rid of the ball extremely fast, making it difficult for Maine’s defensive backs to play off coverage like they usually do. That set up first-year running back Taylor Tatum for an easy 1-yard touchdown, and Oklahoma never looked back.
The Sooners dominated in the trenches on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, stopping Maine from trying to establish the ground game and take time off the clock. Even after recovering an Oklahoma fumble, they couldn’t convert on the gifted possession, so they were forced to punt once again which led to another score, this time by Arnold.
The most impressive play of the game occurred when Oklahoma got the ball back after another flat Black Bear drive. At their 10-yard line, Arnold fled the pocket and found fourth-year wide receiver J.J. Hester for a 90-yard touchdown, Hester’s first as a Sooner.
Barnes scored one more touchdown before the second quarter ended, with Oklahoma entering halftime up 35-7 over the Black Bears. The second half followed the same script. Maine had no answer for Barnes, who found the endzone another time before his career day ended, finishing with 203 yards on the ground and three scores.
Maine had one more scoring drive, which was easily their best-executed sequence of the day. Peevy found fourth-year wide receiver Joe Gillette for a 47-yard gain, the longest for the Black Bears in the game. First-year wide receiver Nick Laughlin was handed the ball for the score, his first career touchdown.
UMaine looks to end its two-game losing streak as they welcome the visiting Bryant Bulldogs in a big conference matchup on Nov. 9.
