ORONO, Maine — On Saturday, Oct. 17, the University of Maine football team lost its sixth straight game 17-14 at home against the Bryant University Bulldogs.
This game marked the return of the Black Bears following their bye week. It also marked the first game for the running backs coach, Sean Green, in his new role as the interim offensive coordinator.
The Black Bears had a solid start to the first half, with their first drive advancing 44 yards in 10 plays. The drive ended when redshirt second-year kicker Samuel Tremblay scored a field goal, putting the Black Bears up early. Following that play, Maine couldn’t get out of its own way.
The Bulldogs’ drive ended in a touchdown following a Maine holding penalty. The penalty meant a 10-yard gain for Bryant and allowed third-year quarterback Brennen Myer to complete a 30-yard pass to third-year wide receiver Jose Leon, who was already in Maine’s end zone. Second-year kicker Nicholas Stoyanovich successfully scored the extra point.
Following the Bulldogs’ touchdown, Maine didn’t have any success. Its next three drives didn’t get it very far, with the first two ending in punts and the third ending with a fumble.
That fumble led to another Bulldogs touchdown, with redshirt fourth-year running back OJ Ross rushing up the middle to Maine’s end zone. Stoyanovich again successfully scored the extra point.
After that, Maine’s next drive once again ended in a fumble, leading to another strong offensive push by the Bulldogs. This time, the Black Bears were able to have a very strong defensive line and prevented the Bulldogs from rushing for a third touchdown.
Following this show of defense, the Black Bears were able to gain some momentum and ended the first half with a solid drive.
To start the second half, the Black Bears were on offense again. Maintaining their momentum from the end of the first, Maine was able to move the ball 75 yards in eight plays. The drive ended with redshirt third-year quarterback Caden Drezek completing an 11-yard pass to redshirt second-year running back Rashawn Marshall for the touchdown. Redshirt second-year linebacker Noah Carpenter was able to rush into the end zone for an extra two points following the touchdown.
About halfway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs’ offensive line and the Black Bears’ defensive line were squared up nine yards from Maine’s end zone. The Black Bears were able to prevent a touchdown. However, Stoyanovich successfully kicked a field goal on a fourth-and-9 play.
The next few plays for each team didn’t result in very much, with all of them ending in punts and little to no movement for either team.
The Black Bears ended the scoring with a field goal by Tremblay early in the fourth quarter, following a mediocre drive of 78 yards in 20 plays.
This game didn’t end the way the Black Bears were hoping following coaching changes and a week without playing a game. While wind played a role in the game, the Black Bears were barely able to catch any passes made and couldn’t hang on to the ball. The Black Bears are now 1-6 overall and 1-3 in CAA games.
Going into their next game, the Black Bears will look to improve their offense and turn strong defensive plays into strong drives. The Black Bears play at home on Saturday, Oct. 24, against Campbell University in a conference game.
