Graduate student quarterback Carter Peevy completed 17 of 25 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as the University of Maine built a 34-0 lead en route to a 34-14 Coastal Athletic Association victory over Bryant University at Beirne Stadium in Smithfeld, R.I. Saturday afternoon.
UMaine improved to 2-4 overall and 2-1 in the CAA while Bryant fell to 2-4 and 0-3, respectively.
It was Bryant’s 11th straight CAA loss.
It was UMane’s fourth straight victory over Bryant and the triumph marked the first time UMaine fourth-year head coach Jordan Stevens has won back-to-back CAA games.
UMaine had beaten North Carolina A & T 37-30 in its previous contest.
Peevy threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Harvard University transfer Scott Woods on UMaine’s first possession and the Black Bears never looked back.
UMaine linebacker Latrell Couchman then recovered a Bryant fumble at the Bryant-26 yard line and Sam Tremblay extended the lead to 10-0 with a 29 yard field goal 2:40 later.
Bryant was forced to punt on its next possession and Woods returned it 40 yards to the Bryant 20-yard line. Two plays later, wide receiver Trevin Ewing sprinted 15 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-0.
Woods averaged 15.3 yards per punt return last season and that was fifth best in the Football Championship Subdivision. He was an All-Ivy League first team returner.
Early in the second period, Peevy hooked up with Cape Elizabeth running back Nick Laughlin on a 64-yard TD pass before Jake Kucera’s interception and 70-yard return set up a 33-yard field goal by Tremblay.
Peevy finished off the first half by orchestrating a 10-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a 14-yard TD pass to Woods with 25 seconds remaining.
The Black Bears racked up 346 total yards in the first half while holding Bryant to just 92.
The Bulldogs were without injured starting quarterback Brennan Myer, who has averaged 239 passing yards per game.
Back-up quarterback Jaden Keefner rattled off touchdown runs of 12 and six yards in the fourth quarter.
Peevy wound up completing 23 of 38 passes for 328 yards. Woods, Laughlin and Mo Irefin each caught five passes for 103, 92 and 71 yards, respectively.
Sincere Baines was UMaine’s leading rusher with 13 carries for 52 yards and Rashawn Marshall had 35 yards on eight carries.
Linebacker Christian Thomas had six tackles to lead the UMaine defense. Shane Keyes-Wilson had five and Sherrod Hudson, Noah Carpenter and Jaedin Lee had four each.
Keefner had a game-high 83 rushing yards on 12 carries and completed five of nine passes for 76 yards. Elijah Elliott caught five passes for 43 yards and carried the ball 14 times for 44 yards.
Brandon Perkins had a game-high 10 tackles and Lonnie Rice had nine.
UMaine will travel to Merrimack for a non-conference game on Saturday at 1. Bryant will entertain in-state rival Brown University on Friday night at 7.
