After two poor showings in back-to-back losses to Football Bowl Subdivision team Appalachian State and Merrimack College, the University of Maine’s football team turned in an impressive performance against FBS team Boston College on Saturday afternoon but fell just short, 22-16, at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
The Black Bears fell behind 16-0 and then 19-3, but pulled within 22-16 with 4:34 remaining in the game when redshirt sophomore quarterback Eddie Buehler threw his second touchdown pass to redshirt junior running back Nick Laughlin, a seven-yarder.
But the Eagles were able to run out the clock to improve to 2-1. UMaine is 1-3 and has lost three in a row.
BC outgained UMaine in total yards 359-270.
UMaine, a Football Championship Subdivision team, is now 4-27 against FCS schools, including nine straight losses.
FBS schools have significantly more resources than FCS teams.
It appeared as though the Eagles were going to cruise against the Black Bears, who had lost to Appalachian State 55-3.
Running back Evan Dickson, a transfer from Liberty University, where he was the nation’s fifth-leading rusher in the FBS with 1,362 rushing yards in 2025, opened the scoring with a 39-yard touchdown run with 9:01 left in the first period.
A holding penalty on UMaine in the end zone resulted in a two-point safety and a 9-0 BC lead before BC quarterback Mason McKenzie tossed a 31-yard TD pass to Johnathan Montague Jr. with 1:42 left in the first quarter.
Cornerback Jamaree Gibson’s interception and 42-yard return set the Black Bears up at the BC 30-yard line, but the Black Bears wound up settling for Samuel Tremblay’s 27-yard field goal with 5:22 left in the second quarter to make it 16-3.
BC put together an eight-play, 67-yard drive capped by Luca Lombardo’s 26-yard field goal with 2:50 remaining, but UMaine strung together a 13-play, 75-yard drive to close out the half with Buehler connecting with Laughlin on a five-yard TD pass with only nine seconds remaining, making it 19-10.
A pair of third-down passes from Buehler to Evan Wallace picked up first downs to extend the drive and then Buehler threw a 44-yard pass to Ty’ee Stephens to set UMaine up deep in Eagles territory, leading to the TD.
In the third quarter, a K.P. Price interception gave the Eagles offense the ball at the UMaine-14. But the stout Black Bear defense limited the Eagles to six yards on three plays, and BC had to settle for Lombardo’s 26-yard field goal.
That was one of several Black Bear defensive stands deep in its own territory.
UMaine had a golden opportunity to cut into the lead when it marched from its own 25 to the BC three yard line at the end of the third quarter and had a first down and goal to go.
But the Black Bears couldn’t convert and turned the ball over on downs.
They were able to put one last drive together that produced the seven-yard TD pass from Buehler to Laughlin with 4:54 remaining, but they were never able to get the ball back as the Eagles were able to march the ball down the field and pick up first downs.
McKenzie completed 14 of 21 passes for 173 yards and a TD and also ran the ball 15 times for 53 yards. He was intercepted twice. Dickens rushed for a game-high 102 yards in 15 carries. Montague caught five passes for 72 yards. Anthony Palano had a game-high 12 tackles for BC. Carter Davis had nine and Marcus Upton had eight.
Buehler completed 22 of 32 passes for 201 yards and two TDs with two interceptions. Wallace had six catches for 46 yards and Laughlin had six for 42. Laughlin was also UMaine’s top rusher with 38 yards on 10 carries. Rashawn Marshall had 37 on 12 carries.
Sam Oppenheimer had 11 tackles and an interception for UMaine. Chris Bacon had six tackles and Jeremiah McGill had five.
UMaine will travel for a Coastal Athletic Association game at Elon at 2 p.m. Saturday while BC will host Virginia Tech at noon for an Atlantic Coast Conference game.