The University of Maine’s football team scored touchdowns 2:23 apart early in the third quarter to build a 21-point lead over Stony Brook and secure the Black Bears their fifth straight win on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Morse Field in Alfond Stadium in Orono.
It is the first five-game winning streak for UMaine since the 2018 season, when the Black Bears reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoff semifinals for the first time in program history.
UMaine is now 5-4 overall and 4-1 in the Coastal Athletic Association. Stony Brook fell to 4-5 and 2-3.
The Black Bears led 14-7 at halftime and strung together a seven-play, 79-yard drive to open the second half that culminated in graduate student quarterback Carter Peevy’s 1-yard plunge for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season.
A 44-yard pass from Peevy to Aaron Arteaga highlighted the drive. It was Arteaga’s third catch of the campaign.
On Stony Brook’s next possession, quarterback Quinn Boyd got the ball knocked out of his hands by Christian Thomas while he was being sacked and UMaine’s Kye Pressley recovered it at Stony Brook’s 15-yard line.
Three plays later, Peevy threw a 14-yard TD pass to freshman running back Daniel Batch in the corner of the end zone to make it 28-7. It was Batch’s first career touchdown.
But the Seawolves made things interesting.
Late in the third quarter, a Peevy pass went off the hands of Batch to Stony Brook’s A.J. Roberts for an interception at the UMaine 23-yard line.
Eight plays later, Roland Dempster rambled into the end zone from the 1-yard line.
Dempster scored on another 1-yard run with 40 seconds remaining in the game to finish off a 15-play, 62-yard drive.
But UMaine recovered the onsides kick to sew up the victory.
The Seawolves used a nine-play, 69-yard drive at the end of the first half to pull within 14-7.
Boyd capped the drive by tossing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dez Willams with just 13 seconds remaining.
Boyd completed four of five passes for 53 yards on the drive including a 26-yarder to R.J. Lamarre.
UMaine took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with touchdowns just 2:22 apart.
Peevy threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Mo Irefin with 7:58 left in the quarter to open the scoring and then Sincere Baines scampered 24 yards for a touchdown after he had rattled off a 45-yard run to set it up.
Peevy completed 14 of 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon. He was intercepted twice, including once in the end zone as UMaine was looking to expand its lead to 35-14.
He also carried the ball nine times for 51 yards.
Baines had 12 carries for 86 yards and Rashawn Marshall had 19 for 44 yards and also caught three passes for 40 yards. Irefin had three catches for 31 yards and Scott Woods had three for 23 yards.
The Black Bear defense limited Dempster to just 22 rushing yards on 14 carries. He entered the game averaging 111.3 rushing yards per game.
They also sacked Boyd five times, giving them two straight games with five sacks.
Linebacker Thomas had seven tackles to lead UMaine. Vincent Nwachi and Latrell Couchman had six tackles apiece.
Boyd completed 33 of 59 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown. Williams had nine catches for 129 yards and Lamarre had eight for 71 yards.
Linebacker Anthony Ferrelli had a game-high 16 tackles for Stony Brook. Aidan Kaler had 13 and Chayce Chalmers had 12.
UMaine will travel to Hampton for a 1 p.m game on Saturday while Stony Brook will host North Carolina A&T at noon.
