The longshot University of Maine football got off to a good start in their game against the University of Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday afternoon, but it ended quickly.
UMaine quarterback Carter Peevy’s 40-yard run set up a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cooper Heisey to give the Black Bears a 7-0 lead over the SEC team that leads the nation in wins in the modern era and has seven national championships.
The Sooners answered just 52 seconds later on Jovantae Barnes’ two-yard TD run two plays after he had scampered 74 yards. The Sooners scored 52 unanswered points and went on to post a 59-14 victory at the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in front of 82,831.
That is the largest crowd a UMaine football team has ever played before. The game was moved up by two and a half hours due to thunderstorms in the weather forecast.
The Sooners built a 35-7 lead at the half en route to their fifth win in nine games and snapped a three-game losing streak. The Sooners racked up 665 yards in total offense to UMaine’s 251, and the Black Bears fell to 4-5.
Barnes rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. In addition to his two-yard TD run, he added an eight-yarder to close out the first half with 34 seconds left and a 19-yarder to open the second half.
Jackson Arnold completed 15 of 21 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for one. He threw a 90-yard TD pass to J.J. Hester in the second quarter which was the longest for the Sooners since 1995 and he also threw a nine-yarder to Kaden Helms in the third period.
Taylor Tatum and Jackson had one-yard TD runs in the second quarter. Xavier Robinson had a four-yard TD run in the fourth quarter for the Sooners and Zach Schmit kicked a 24-yard field goal.
Cape Elizabeth’s Nick Laughlin added a five-yard TD run for UMaine with 9:38 left in the game.
Hester caught a game-high four passes for 112 yards and Jacob Jordan snared three for 36 yards. Joe Gillette caught three passes for 64 yards and Heisey and Laughlin also had three catches apiece.
Peevy completed 13 of 24 passes for 123 yards. He was also UMaine’s leading rusher with 30 yards on six carries.
Danny Stutsman’s six tackles and sack and Jaren Kana’s five tackles paced the Oklahoma defensive effort, while Christian Thomas had a game-high 10 tackles for the Black Bears and Shakur Smalls and Kenneth Cooper had seven apiece.
UMaine will return to Coastal Athletic Association action against Bryant University of Rhode Island on Military Appreciation Day in Orono on Saturday at 1 p.m.
