ORONO, Maine — The University of New Hampshire football team needed to beat the University of Maine to sew up a Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth. The 25th-ranked Wildcats’ performance Saturday certainly proved they are worthy of a spot.
The Wildcats spotted the Black Bears a 9-0 first-quarter lead but rattled off 27 unanswered points and went on to post a 27-9 victory before 3,190 fans at a rainy, windy Morse Field.
That also earned them the Brice-Cowell Musket, which is awarded annually to the winner of the game.
UNH is now 8-4 overall and wound up 6-2 in the Coastal Athletic Association. It was UNH’s fourth straight win and third in a row over UMaine.
UMaine concluded a 5-7 season with a 3-5 conference record.
UMaine was 2-9 overall in each of the previous two seasons and a combined 3-13 in CAA play.
UNH outgained UMaine 286-198, had a 19-8 edge in first downs and a 39:11-20:43 advantage in time of possession.
The UNH defense, led by graduate student linebacker Ryan Toscano’s 11 tackles and senior defensive end Flex Ruiz’s three tackles for lost yards, held UMaine to just 122 yards over the last three quarters.
“Getting down 9-0 early wasn’t ideal but the defense has done a great job responding to adversity and when we respond and get the ball in the hands of Seth (quarterback Seth Morgan) and Caleb (running back Caleb Mead) and the rest of the offense, good things happen,” said Toscano.
The Wildcats converted 7-of-18 third downs and were a perfect 4-for-4 on fourth down while UMaine failed to convert any of its nine third down attempts and was 1-for-3 in fourth down tries.
“We were really competitive through the first three quarters but we weren’t able to maintain that momentum in the end,” said UMaine head coach Jordan Stevens. “We weren’t able to capitalize and they really drained the clock.
“They dominated time of possession. We struggled to get off the field and penalties hurt us. They were able to run the ball and control the lead in the second half and that’s what good teams do,” added Stevens who praised his seniors for “working their tails off” and moving the program in the right direction.
UMaine was penalized nine times for 88 yards compared to UNH’s 2-for-20.
The Wildcats took the lead for good with touchdowns 27 seconds apart spanning the second and third quarters to make it 14-9.
Two second-half field goals by Nick Mazzie expanded the lead to 20-9.
UMaine’s attempt to get back into the game in the fourth quarter failed when wide receiver Montigo Moss’ potential touchdown pass to open running back Tavion Banks bounced off Banks’ shoulder pads and then Joey Bryson clanged a 29-yard field goal attempt off the left upright with 9:11 remaining.
Morgan added an insurance TD with 2:03 remaining on a seven-yard run after UMaine turned the ball over on downs deep in its own territory.
“They jumped us early. We knew it was going to be a slugfest but we weathered the storm out there, figuratively and literally, out there. It was tough conditions but the guys battled, had a ton of resolve and a lot of mental toughness,” said UNH head coach Rick Santos. “I was really proud of the way we finished the game.”
Morgan completed 22 of 34 passes for 164 yards. Six different receivers had at least two catches led by Caleb Burke’s six for 32 yards.
UMaine quarterback Carter Peevy completed 12 of 25 passes for 168 yards and Montigo Moss had five catches for 50 yards to finish the season with 61 receptions for 722 yards.
Senior linebacker Christian Thomas had a game-high 12 tackles for UMaine with end Xavier Holmes, linebacker Kesean Dyson and Vaught involved in nine, eight and seven tackles, respectively.