The University of Maine’s football team, in its third game this year, took its first two leads of the season in Saturday night’s game against Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
But after Cole Baker’s 45-yard field goal staked the Black Bears to a 3-0 lead and Joe Fagnano’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Bowman answered a 51-yard TD pass from Phil Jurkovec to Zay Flowers, the Eagles rattled off 24 unanswered points and then the defense made two crucial stops in the fourth quarter to stunt a UMaine rally and earn a 38-17 victory at Alumni Stadium.
The win for BC, which plays in Football Bowl Subdivision and Atlantic Coast Conference, was its first of the season after two losses, while Football Championship Subdivision team UMaine fell to 0-3.
Trailing 31-17, the Black Bears drove 74 yards to the BC-10 with 9:03 left in the game but failed to pick up a first down on a fourth-and-two when Elijah Barnwell was stacked up at the line of scrimmage and fumbled. BC’s Josh Deberry recovered it.
Following a BC three-and-out, UMaine took over possession off a BC punt at BC’s 47-yard line and a Fagnano pass to Montigo Moss moved the ball to the BC-39.
But Fagnano’s next pass was intercepted by BC linebacker Kam Arnold and he returned it 49 yards to the UMaine-20 with 6:47 left and that sewed up the win.
Pat Garwo III capped the scoring with a 30-yard run with 1:48 to go after UMaine had turned the ball over on downs.
The Eagles, who had averaged 233.5 yards of total offense in losses to fellow FBS teams Rutgers (22-21) and Virginia Tech (27-10), racked up 253 yards of offense in the first half alone thanks to seven plays of at least 11 yards, including two in excess of 50 yards.
Following Bowman’s TD, the Eagles took the lead for good 2:21 later on Jurkovec’s 2-yard TD pass to 6-foot-6 tight end and Notre Dame transfer George Takacs. A 53-yard pass from Jurkovec to Jaden Williams had set up the TD.
Williams scored again, this time on a 9-yard run around the right end, to extend the lead to 21-10 just 2:56 into the second quarter, capping a 6-play, 46-yard drive.
All-ACC running back Garwo III closed out the first-half scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run to finish off an eight-play 71-yard drive with 1:08 left in the half.
A 12-yard pass from Jurkovec to Takacs on a third-and-four at the UMaine-13 preceded the TD run.
Connor Lytton kicked a 46-yard field goal 3:46 into the second half but UMaine cut the lead to 31-17 later in the third period when the Black Bears strung together an 8-play, 75-yard drive that produced a 4-yard TD pass from Fagnano to Moss.
A 49-yard pass from Fagnano to Scott and a 17-yarder to Bowman were key plays on the drive.
But UMaine couldn’t get any closer.
Pivotal plays: UMaine’s inability to pick up a first down after being second-and-three at
the BC-11 when BC stopped Barnwell’s fourth-down run and Arnold’s interception and return enabled the Eagles to hold off the Black Bears, who moved the ball in the second half but couldn’t turn those two drives into points.
Takeaway: UMaine has something to build on and will have a week off to prepare for the Oct. 1 visit of Villanova in its Colonial Athletic Association opener. But the Black Bears have to finish drives and be able to convert on third-and-short and fourth-and-short situations.
What’s next: UMaine hosts Villanova on Oct. 1 at 1 p.m while BC travels to Florida State for a game next Saturday night at 8 p.m.