Game 560: Maine Black Bears eat up UNH Wildcats, 35-7
Orono, Maine – In our 560th game kicking off our 2018 season, the Maine Black Bears ate up the pre-season No. 16 FCS New Hampshire Wildcats in dominating fashion, 35-7. In our 40th season of attending at least one college game every weekend, this game started a three-game weekend attending all in New England. It started with our first trip ever to Maine to watch an annual rivalry played 107 times between the two FCS teams located in the farthest northeastern reaches of the U.S.
The Black Bear cheerleaders donned shirts in memory of Freshman WR Darius Minor who passed away this past summer during a freshman workout.
The Black Bears build momentum
After a scoreless first quarter, the Black Bears scored in the first minute of the second period of play with a five-yard TD pass to the left pylon from QB Chris Ferguson to WR Micha White. The home team followed up with 22 unanswered points to take a 29-0 lead midway through the third period.
With the help of a safety through the end zone on a snap sailing high above the punter’s head for a nine-point lead, the Black Bears went to their key playmaker, Earnest Edwards on a reverse 17-yard end around for a TD to take a 16-0 lead. As ten seconds remained in the first half, Ferguson (21 for 31, 199 yards, two TDs) connected with Edwards with an 11-yard TD pass at the left pylon to lead, 22-0, as the PAT went wide. In the second period, Soph Christian Lupoli replaced UNH starting QB Trevor Knight who never returned. The Black Bear defense hit hard and dominated with twelve tackles for loss. LB Sterling Sheffield (Mullica Hill, NJ) led with three sacks and two TFLs.
Black Bear DE Jalik Heyward closes in on UNH QB Trevor Knight early in the game.
Second half
In the third, the Black Bears extended their lead 29-0 on a well-executed flea-flicker when 253-lb TE/QB Drew Belcher fired a 52-yard scoring strike to WR Jacquin Blair. The Bears continued to shut down the Wildcats as UNH HC Sean McDonnell, in his 20th season, paced up and down the sideline totally frustrated waiting for his Cats to get something going.
Maine QB Chris Ferguson gets good protection to look long for an open receiver.
In the fourth, Lupoli found RB Carlos Washington open down field for a 62-yard TD to put New Hampshire on the board trailing, 29-7. The Wildcats seemed to have a chance to challenge once again when they forced the Black Bears to punt from their 15, but a muffed punt by Evan Horn put Maine back in possession on the 50. Later in that drive, Maine work horse RB Joe Fitzpatrick (17 carries, 80 yards, one TD) hurdled a would-be tackler on the right side taking the ball in from the nine to seal a 1-0, 1-0 CAA record for the Black Bears. The extra point was blocked.
Celebration time!
The Black Bear fans celebrated their first win over UNH since 2010. They happily took back the Brice-Cowell Musket, the coveted trophy in this rivalry played since 1903. Next season, the rivalry reverts back to the final game of the season. Glad to have attended this one as it was played on a cool late August evening as opposed to a cold, snowy afternoon in November!
Extra points:
Maine travels to play the FBS Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-1), losers to Wisconsin, next Saturday. They then travel to play another FBS team, Central Michigan, two weeks after. The Black Bears do not play another home game at Alfond Stadium until October 6, and subsequent to that, they play only two more home games including the finale versus Elon on November 17. As a matter of fact, the Maine hockey team opens on Oct. 8 and plays five home games before the last football game of the Black Bear’s four-game home season. Shows what the big game is on the Orono campus.
Bear WR Earnest Edwards (81) snags a Ferguson pass near the left pylon for his second TD of the game and a 22-0 halftime lead.
UNH (0-1, 0-1) goes back home to Durham to host Colgate (1-0). The status on QB Trevor Knight is up in the air according to post game reports. A shoulder injury took him out of our game in Q2. The Cats seek their 15th straight FBS playoff bid this season, but other Colonial Athletic teams may have a say in this. Not only did the Black Bears pull this big upset, but so did Rhode Island by defeating No. 8 Delaware on the road, 21-19. UNH visits Rhody for the last game of their season.
We next drive down to Springfield, MA from Orono for a D-3 opener between Springfield College and Western New England University, two cross-town rivals. Maine HC Joe Harasymiak, a native of Waldwick, NJ in his third year as Black Bear HC, captained the 2007 Springfield College team. That year on September 15, we saw his Pride team beaten by Montclair State, 33-30. We’ve evidently been doing this for a long time.
Harvest Moon settles over Maine’s Alfond Stadium as Bears take The Musket from the Wildcats for the first time since 2010.