The University of Maine’s football team’s woes at the University of New Hampshire’s Wildcat Stadium continued on Saturday.
The Wildcats built a 27-7 lead in the first half and held off a second-half rally by the Black Bears to earn a 33-27 victory in Durham, N.H. It was UNH’s 11th win in the last 12 meetings vs. UMaine at Wildcat Stadium.
The Wildcats claimed the Brice-Cowell Musket that goes to the winner of the game for the fourth straight season. UNH has won 20 of the last 23 overall games between the two rivals.
UNH improved to 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the Coastal Athletic Association with its fifth straight win. The win also kept UNH’s Football Championship Subdivision playoff hopes alive. UMaine concluded the season with an overall record of 6-6 and a 5-3 conference mark.
The Black Bears pulled to within six points on a 12-yard touchdown pass from graduate student quarterback Carter Peevy to Trevin Ewing in the third quarter and a nine-yard touchdown run by Rashawn Marshall with 9:39 left in the game.
But the Wildcats responded with a time-consuming 12-play, 73-yard drive capped by sophomore quarterback Matt Vezza’s 10-yard TD run with 1:56 remaining to all but sew up the victory. Vezza carried the ball five times for 35 yards on the decisive drive and completed a four-yard pass to Josh Fillion. Myles Thomason carried the ball six times for 39 yards.
Peevy made things interesting with a 62-yard touchdown run with 39 seconds remaining, but UNH recovered UMaine’s onside kick to close the door on UMaine’s rally.
Nick Reed kicked four field goals for the Wildcats in the first half, including a 55-yarder, and UNH also got a one-yard TD run by Thomason and an eight-yard TD pass from Vezza to Chase Wilson.
Peevy’s two-yard run represented UMaine’s only points in the first half.
Vezza completed 16 of 27 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball 12 times for 37 yards and a TD. Thomason finished with 73 rushing yards on 22 carries. Fillion had four catches for 48 yards and Wilson had three for 58 yards.
Safety Cohen Cook led the Wildcats in tackles with eight and linebacker Cole Bullock had five.
Peevy completed 15 of 27 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown and he was also intercepted twice. He led all rushers with eight carries for 114 yards and two TDs. Marshall had nine carries for 43 yards and a TD and Sincere Baines carried the ball seven times for 29 yards.
Harvard transfer Scott Woods had four catches for 33 yards and Marshall had three for 23 yards. Ty’ee Stephens had a 68-yard reception that set up Peevy’s second-quarter TD run.
Safety Devin Vaught had a game-high 10 tackles for the Black Bears with linebackers Christian Thomas and Latrell Couchman making nine and eight, respectively.
UNH had 396 total yards to UMaine’s 369. UMaine had an edge in rushing yards 189-130 but UNH had 266 passing yards to UMaine’s 180.
UNH went 6 for 14 on third down while UMaine went 3 for 10. UMaine was penalized 12 times for 95 yards while UNH had nine penalties for 75 yards.
