Clemson’s football program, arguably the biggest powerhouse in college football under head coach Dabo Swinney, fell for the first time since a 2017 contest against Syracuse. Without future NFL prodigy third-year Trevor Lawrence under center at quarterback for the Tigers, with Lawrence being sidelined due to contracting COVID-19, Swinney’s undefeated squad was unable to hold a lead against the undefeated Notre Dame Irish.

Clemson, ranked as the top team in college football, was punched in the mouth on the first play of the game by the No. 4 Irish. On a left side sweep, second-year running back Kyren Williams broke through Clemson’s front seven, assisted by excellent blocking by his offensive line, and tore down the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown. On a day where Clemson’s defense needed to step up to compensate for losing their special signal-caller on the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers continually gave up big plays to the Irish through the first quarter of play. 

Fourth-year signal-caller Ian Book had the lights shining on him throughout the night for Notre Dame without Lawrence on the field. He took advantage of a spectacular performance by his offensive line against a weak Clemson pass rush to take several shots down the field, and taking off on his own with the ball in several situations where nobody was open. Less than nine minutes into the contest, Notre Dame held a 10-0 lead. 

Doing his best to replace Lawrence under center, first-year quarterback DJ Uiagalelei found his rhythm on his second drive of the day, unloading a beautiful dime past the defense that fourth-year wide receiver Cornell Powell chased down, tearing into the endzone for a 52-yard score to shrink Notre Dame’s lead to three. On the following drive, the Tigers showed their championship prowess, shutting down the Irish’s offense in the red zone on back-to-back drives and forcing Notre Dame to kick two field goals.

Just as quickly as it seemed that Uiagalelei had found his rhythm in the Tigers’ offense, disaster struck on the ensuing drive. On the right side toss to fourth-year running back Travis Etienne, the ball flew awkwardly out of the hands of Uiagalelei and bounced off of the outstretched fingers of Etienne, landing right in the arms of fourth-year linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Owusu-Koramoah shredded an attempted tackle by Etienne and took the ball back for the score, reestablishing the 10-point lead for the Irish. Lawrence stood on the sideline, wearing a mask and distancing accordingly, attempting to assist his offensive coordinator in what to do to turn the tide against the Irish.

Both teams offenses seemed to find consistency after the hectic first 25 minutes of action, trading field goals in the closing minute of the first half. With a 23-16 lead and five minutes left to play in the third quarter, the Irish were on defense in the red zone, having sacked Uiagalelei on first down and backing the Tigers up to the 11-yard-line. Uiagalelei dropped back on a play-action boot, and weaved an absolute dart through traffic to find a wide-open second-year tight end Davis Allen streaking into the end zone on a crossing route. 

Book and the Irish offense drove down the field once more, getting stopped and forced to kick a field goal. Uiagalelei drove the Tigers down the field and were similarly stopped, hitting a field goal as well to notch up at 26-26 with less than seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter. 

On the ensuing drive, Uiagalelei and the offense overcame their red-zone struggles, with Etienne punching the ball in from the 3-yard line for the first Clemson lead of the night, 33-26, leaving less than two minutes on the game clock for the Irish offense. 

Book displayed great instincts and ball management conducting the Irish offense on a 75-yard march down the field, capping off the drive by rolling out of the pocket on third and goal and delivering a strike to fourth-year wide receiver Avery Davis in the front of the end zone. Opting to go to overtime, the Irish banged through the easy extra point to send the game to overtime at 33-33. 

On the first drive, Uiagalelei delivered a strike to Powell on a slant, with Powell being tackled at the 1-yard-line of the Irish after the initial call by the officials was deemed a touchdown. Notre Dame’s defense was unable to hold up against the Tigers, with Uiagalelei faking the handoff to Etienne and punching the ball in himself. The Irish fought their way down the field on the ensuing drive, with Williams punching the ball in on a power run from the 2 yard-line for Clemson. The game was forced to a second overtime period, with the score tied at 40-40. 

The Tigers offense fizzled out, and a few excellent runs by Book and Williams gained the Irish a 47-40 lead. Uiagalelei, trying to make everything he could make happen on the following drive, took two costly sacks before failing to convert on fourth and 22. The Irish and their fans stormed the field following the victory, celebrating the first and likely only defeat for the Tigers this season. With a bye week this week, Lawrence is eyeing a return for next Saturday, Nov. 21 against the Florida State Seminoles. Given that Lawrence is likely to leave for the NFL draft following this season and forego his senior year, the Tigers development of Uiagalelei is promising for the football powerhouse’s future.

Entering the NFL’s 101st season, the league kicked off week one of action with a battle between two of the league’s youngest and brightest stars. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, the league’s highest-paid players following their respective contract extensions, were primed for an impressive duel. 

Mahomes, fresh off of a Super Bowl victory, returned with nearly his entire offense, sans veteran running back LeSean McCoy who departed to Tampa Bay in the offseason. First-round draft pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a running back out of Louisiana State University, fit right into the Chiefs’ offense and took over McCoy’s role with ease. Edwards-Helaire finished his rookie debut with 138 yards and a touchdown on 25 rushing attempts, clearing 5.5 yards per carry in a more balanced Chiefs offense. With a firmly established ground attack, Mahomes had a relatively clean pocket throughout the contest, being sacked just once by linebacker Jacob Martin. Reigning Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes, dissected the Texans’ defense, completing 24 of 32 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns, distributing one each to wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill, and another to tight end Travis Kelce. 

Watson, having received the biggest yearly salary in his contract extension, appeared to be worth every penny in the season opener. Though head coach Bill O’Brien traded away star wide receiver Deandre Hopkins in the offseason, he acquired running back David Johnson and a second-round pick in the process, and David Johnson showed flashes of his prime form for the first time since 2016. Splitting backfield duties with fellow offseason acquisition Duke Johnson, David Johnson toted the ball 11 times for 77 yards, making impressive cutbacks and reads through a stout Chiefs’ defensive front. Duke Johnson, meanwhile, scraped out just 14 yards on five carries, showing that David Johnson will likely be taking the majority of the snaps as the season progresses. In spite of the loss of Hopkins, a quietly bolstered Texans receiving core performed well as Watson spread the ball around. Watson completed just 20 passes on 32 attempts but distributed the ball out to receivers Will Fuller, Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks and Andre Carter. Tight ends Darren Fells and Jordan Akins each contributed two catches apiece to the offensive effort. 

From the opening drive, it was apparent that the modified offseason had left a bit of rust on both teams on both sides of the ball. While certain stars–like Houston defensive end J.J. Watt and the aforementioned Mahomes––got off to a blazing start, there were several missed assignments on each team’s opening drives. Watson threw a beautiful floater to Fuller on the opening drive that was bobbled and dropped, forcing a third down and 10. On the ensuing snap, the Chiefs swarmed against an overmatched Texans offensive line, forcing Watson to throw an errant pass to David Johnson who was behind him, forcing the team to punt on their opening series.

Mahomes wasted little time slashing through the Texans’ defense, as head coach Andy Reid kept their blitzes at bay with mixed-in jet sweeps and outside running plays. Following a quick throw to Kelce to set up a first down inside the Texans’ 35-yard-line, Mahomes dropped back and delivered a beautiful, rainbow shot into the outstretched hands of wide receiver Demarcus Robinson in the endzone just outside of the coverage of safety Justin Reid, but Robinson was unable to maintain possession of the ball on the way to the ground. The call was initially a touchdown, but upon review, the refs got a clear view of the ball making contact with the ground and not being securely in Robinson’s hands. Martin hit home on the lone sack of Mahomes on the night on the next play, effectively ending the Chiefs’ scoring opportunity and turning the ball back over to Watson.

Watson, aided by the threat of David Johnson slashing through the Chiefs’ front seven, hit Cooks on back-to-back passes to set the Texans up inside the Chiefs’ 20-yard-line, where David Johnson proceeded to take the ball on a beautiful cut-back into the endzone for the opening score. After the Texans struck the first blow, Mahomes and Edwards-Helaire amped up their attack, gashing the Texans’ defense for chunk play after chunk play. Mahomes capped off the drive by threading the needle through triple coverage to Kelce in the endzone, beginning a scoring frenzy that wouldn’t be matched by the Texans until late in the game.

The Chiefs scored 24 unanswered points following the Texans’ opening drive, and Watson wasn’t able to drive back down to the end zone until the fourth quarter. By then, Mahomes had already built up an insurmountable lead and was simply letting Edwards-Helaire run out the clock by tiring out an outmatched Texans defense. Though Watson managed to make the final score respectable, 34-20, the holes in Houston’s roster were quite glaring to begin the season, showing that the leagues’ most sacked quarterback since 2018 will have to once more carry his team to the postseason. Meanwhile, his draft classmate Mahomes continues to refine his game with one of the best supporting casts in the league, turning the Chiefs’ offense into a contender to shatter some of the league’s offensive records.

With the first Sunday of September under our belts, the silence of the stands at NFL stadiums should have come to an end weeks ago with the beginning of the preseason in August. However, the NFL’s executive board and players association collectively decided to forgo the preseason in favor of keeping players safe due to COVID-19. 

The intense nature of the sport of football and consistent close interaction between players increases the likelihood of spreading the virus should a member of the team, player or staff, have contracted the virus. The league has been consistently testing its players throughout the summer since the beginning of training camps in May. As of Aug. 7, it has bumped up testing procedures to better identify active cases around the league, rather than “false-positive” results where a player or league employee tests positive but doesn’t show symptoms of the virus. These individuals are then required to receive two more tests within a 24-hour period from the initial positive result, and will not be cleared to return to normal activities unless both follow-up tests come back as negative. Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was a key name added to the league’s COVID-19 reserve list for a positive test on Aug. 6, but following three additional tests and consequent negative results, he was swiftly removed from the reserve list, prompting the league to tweak its policies toward COVID-19 screening. 

The league continues to ensure that all team members and staff are wearing masks any time they are inside team facilities, with face shields no longer being an acceptable substitute. Questions have arisen from players and fans alike regarding the idea of modifying helmets to prevent the spreading of the virus, but have seen little for a response from the league. The big four helmet producers for the league: Xenith, VICIS, Schutt and Riddell, haven’t had enough time to design, test and certify helmets with built-in COVID-19 protection devices that would also properly protect players from the collisions they endure on a regular basis. 

Without proper capabilities to protect players from catching the virus in an airborne state, the league has additionally established its own set of rules and mandates for fans that wish to be in attendance at games when the season begins. Masks will be required to enter the stadium and must be kept on at all times, regardless of whether or not there is already a local mask ordinance. 

Certain teams, such as the New York Giants and New York Jets, won’t have any fans in attendance until the 2021 season, as an executive order put in place by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy put a cap for attendance of any large events, including NFL games, at 500 people. 

Both the Giants and Jets released statements backing the decision by Murphy, stating that keeping fans out of Metlife Stadium is the best move for the densely populated state of New Jersey, showing the clear unity amongst teams, their players, and the regions they play in.

Other teams, such as the Atlanta Falcons, are allowing fans to attend games in a limited capacity. Although the Mercedes-Benz Stadium can hold 71,000 people in its stands, the Falcons have placed the highest fan capacity at 20,000 people in order to stay compliant with social distancing regulations. 

The social distancing actions taken by the league, as opposed to an entire ban on fan attendance by the NBA and NHL, are in an effort to continue to make football engaging and entertaining for fans and to continue to bring revenue into stadiums. The league has acknowledged that if a game is cited as the origin of an outbreak, they will likely be shifting to entirely empty stadiums during the remainder of the regular season and into the postseason. Regardless, sports fans are just happy to have their fall classic back in action, kicking off with the Houston Texans visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, Sept. 10 in an excellent showdown between two of the league’s brightest young stars in quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.

On Saturday, Nov. 2, the University of Maine Black Bears football team took the field against the University of New York Albany Great Danes for a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) clash. 

First-year, redshirt quarterback Joe Fagnano continues to find ways to win in place of injured third-year starting quarterback Chris Ferguson, completing 12 of 18 passing attempts for 257 yards and four scores. Each one of Fagnano’s touchdowns was caught by a different receiver; fourth-year wideout Earnest Edwards, third-year wideout Andre Miller, second-year tight end Ori Jean-Charles and first-year tight end Shawn Bowman all found paydirt in partnership with Fagnano.

Maine kept the ball on the ground the majority of the game, amassing 169 net yards on 41 attempts, good for 4.1 yards per touch. The Black Bears offensive line created gaps for fourth-year running backs Joe Fitzpatrick and Emmanuel Reed the majority of the game, allowing them to clash with linebackers and defensive backs at the second level. 

For the Great Danes, their first-year, redshirt signal-caller Jeff Undercuffler, was gunslinging against a stingy Black Bears defense. With the vaunted “Black Hole” turning up once again, they limited Albany to 67 net rushing yards on 25 attempts, forcing Undercuffler to beat Maine through the air, to which he obliged. Undercuffler dropped back 49 times and only managed to complete 25 of his passes, but the 387 yards and four touchdowns he piled up made up for the incompletions. 

Though Undercuffler was able to shred the Black Bears secondary, Maine’s defensive front continues to force turnovers when the offense needs them to. Following Fagnano’s touchdown pass to Bowman, both teams traded punts, setting up Undercuffler and the Great Danes offense on their own 14-yard line. Maine’s fourth-year punter Derek Deoul did an excellent job of pinning Albany inside their own 20, and third-year defensive lineman Kayon Whitaker looked to capitalize on the field position. On first down, Undercuffler dropped back to pass, only to have Whitaker blow past his blocker to take down Undercuffler for a strip-sack, which Whitaker recovered at Albany’s 8-yard line. 

Setting up shop on Albany’s eight, Black Bears’ head coach Nick Charlton elected to run the ball down the Great Danes’ throat; Fitzpatrick gained seven yards on first down, and Reed punched the ball in for the one-yard score on second and goal, increasing the Maine lead to 24-14. 

Penalties marred the ensuing Albany drive, as pass interference calls helped march Undercuffler and his offense down the field. He uncorked a beautiful 16-yard rainbow to first-year wide receiver Tyler Oedekoven to bring the score to 24-21 heading into the half.

Coming out of the locker room, Maine took off on a tear, scoring 23 unanswered points to build an insurmountable lead. Even when the Black Bears weren’t scoring in the third quarter, they were putting a clamp on the Great Danes’ offense. With Fagnano going three-and-out from Albany’s 31, just outside of third-year kicker Kenny Doak’s range, Deoul was sent out to pin the Great Danes once more and he delivered. A beautiful, 25-yard elevator shot bounced out of bounds right at the Albany 6-yard line. Defensive coordinator Michael Ryan elected to send the house at Undercuffler, and fourth-year defensive lineman Charles Mitchell took Undercuffler down as he threw the ball. The referees determined that Undercuffler hadn’t escaped the tackle box, and deemed the throw intentional grounding, which resulted in a safety. 

From there, the flood gates opened, with Maine’s offense scoring on the ensuing drive as Fagnano dissected Albany on a six-play, 67-yard drive capped off by Edwards’ touchdown. Undercuffler desperately attempted to get his team back into the contest, but an errant throw resulted in an interception by Jean-Charles, who jumped out on defense in coverage for the Black Bears. Jean-Charles returned the pick 47 yards for the score, and within minutes Maine went from being tied 24-24 to holding a 40-24 lead. 

Undercuffler was strip-sacked once more by the Black Bears defense, with Whitaker finding his mark another time and second-year defensive lineman Jamehl Wiley recovering the loose ball. This turnover resulted in another easy six points for Maine, giving Fagnano and the offense great field position to find Jean-Charles for an offensive touchdown pass.  

Holding the 47-24 lead, Maine ran out the clock and continued to harass Undercuffler on defense. When the clock expired at the end of the fourth quarter, Maine came out on top 47-31. 

The Black Bears’ next contest will be on the road at Elon University on Saturday, Nov. 9, with kickoff happening at 2:00 p.m.

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team hosted the University of Vermont Catamounts on Saturday, Feb. 23, for their senior night in front of the home crowd.

Maine came into the game short handed, as fourth-year defender Alyson Matteau, fourth-year forward Cailey Hutchison and third-year defender Brittany Kucera were unable to compete in the final game of the season due to events off the ice. In addition, second-year Maggie Blair, in a related event, is no longer shown on the team’s roster. The lack of a veteran presence on the night of honor for the Black Bears that sweat and bled throughout their college career didn’t diminish the spirits of Maine’s players.

Kicking off the first period, the Black Bears were ready to fight their way to the end of the season, striking first in the contest. Picking up the dumped puck behind the Catamounts net, first-year forward Ali Beltz dished the puck up the ice to a waiting third-year defender Brittany Colton, who clapped a one-timer past Vermont’s first-year goaltender Blanka Skodova, giving the Black Bears a 1-0 lead. With five minutes remaining in the period, fourth-year Catamount defender Sammy Kolowrat intercepted the puck between two Maine defenders and took off into the zone for the one–on–one against third-year goaltender Carly Jackson. Kolowrat flicked the wrist shot behind Jackson for the tying score. Colton’s goal was only one of three shots taken by Maine at the Catamounts’ net for the entire period, with Vermont able to take nine shots at the Black Bears goal in the same frame, and Jackson stopping the other eight shots from the Catamounts.

Heading into the second period, both teams exchanged a barrage of attacks on net, but neither was able to muster a successful attempt until six minutes remained in the period. In similar fashion to the Black Bears’ first goal of the night, Catamounts’ second-year forward Kristina Shanahan scooped up the loose puck behind Maine’s net and passed it up the ice to third-year forward Eve-Audrey Picard, who clapped the one timer past Jackson and the traffic in the crease. Both teams traded offensive drives down the ice for the remainder of the period, but the defenses held strong heading into the intermission.

Skating back onto the ice after the break, the Black Bears took off on offense. With the assist of a power play, Maine fired ten shots at Skodova, but none were able to find their mark. Following the conclusion of the power play, fourth-year forward Lydia Murray, Maine’s lone fourth-year on the ice that day, fed the puck up the ice to Colton. Colton, splitting two Catamounts defenders, crossed the blue line with only Skodova standing between her and the net. Instead of going for the high speed pursuit, Colton came to a quick stop and sent a wrist shot through Skodova’s five hole to tie the game at 2-2. Neither team was able to ring the buzzer once more in regulation, sending the game into overtime. Heading into the extra period, neither team was able to gain a substantial advantage, running out the five minutes and ending the game in a tie.

Post game, the Black Bears honored Murray for her time playing for Maine, as she competed in 111 games and scored 16 goals in her time for the Black Bears.

Maine finished ninth out of ten teams in the hockey east division, outside of playoff contention, and will look to improve for next season.  

With a 23-18 victory over the Weber State University Wildcats, the University of Maine Black Bears football team advanced to the final four for the first time in school history.

Out of the gate, strong defensive efforts by both teams led to a scoreless first quarter. Maine’s aggressive front seven led to a long day for Wildcats’ second-year starting quarterback Jake Constantine, who was taken down by third-year defensive lineman Kayon Whitaker on Weber’s opening drive for a 12-yard loss.

The Wildcats broke the silence on the scoreboard first, as second-year kicker Trey Tuttle hit a chip shot field goal from Maine’s 20-yard line to open up the second quarter. Both teams continued to trade punts on short drives, as the defensive battle kept sending both offensive units back to the sideline just as quickly as they had run onto the field.

With eight minutes remaining in the first half, second-year starting quarterback Chris Ferguson ran back onto the field with his offense, and headed right to work. Between first-year running back Ramon Jefferson pounding the ball between the tackles and Ferguson hitting a plethora of targets, the Black Bears offense smashed their way through the Wildcats’ defense. Capping off the drive, Ferguson found third-year wide receiver Jaquan Blair for the 9-yard score. Second-year kicker Kenny Doak sent the extra point through the uprights with ease, and Maine took the 7-3 lead. Maine quickly forced another punt from Constantine and the Wildcats’ offense, and kneeled out the clock to end the first half.

Receiving the ball first in the second half, Ferguson and the Black Bears offense stormed out of the locker room looking to recapture their offensive form from their previous contest against Jacksonville, and that they did. Dropping back to pass on third down, Ferguson found ever reliable third-year wide receiver Earnest Edwards for the 67-yard score. Another chip shot extra point for Doak, and the Black Bears were up 14-3.

The Wildcats were unable to find their rhythm on offense, mostly due to their inability to run the ball against the vaunted “Black Hole” defense. Weber entered the game averaging 152 yards rushing per game, but were unable to amass a net positive yard total from their rushing attack on the day, leaving the offense to be carried completely by Constantine.

Constantine, propelled forward by penalties and throwing the ball on nearly every play, drove his offense down the field to the Black Bears’ 28-yard line. From there, Maine locked down their defense, forcing the Wildcats into a fourth-and-10 situation. Weber State Head Coach Jay Hill sent Tuttle back onto the field, who drilled the 45-yard kick through the uprights to make the score 14-6.

A swift punt for the Wildcats followed up the Black Bears’ score, giving the Black Bears the ball back on their own 35-yard line. On the first snap following the punt, Wildcats’ fourth-year linebacker Toia LeGrand jumped the route on a Chris Ferguson pass, intercepting the ball before being taken down on the Wildcats’ 47-yard line.

Both defenses went back to their lockdown methods, forcing turn over on every series for the next 10 minutes of play. All of these were punts, aside from an interception from fourth-year defensive back Jeffrey DeVaughn off of a pass from Constantine.

With under five minutes left to play in the third quarter, on fourth-and-12, Constantine dropped back to pass, and found first-year wide receiver Devon Cooley for the 33-yard score. Maine thwarted the extra point attempt, leaving the score at 14-12.

The third quarter came to a close with both teams exchanging turnovers, and the fourth quarter saw its first five minutes of play produce negative offensive yards for both teams. A quick interception by third-year defensive back Manny Patterson six minutes into the quarter gave Maine another opportunity. However, Ferguson and the offense were unable to capitalize, forcing another Black Bears punt.

Constantine’s constant throwing led to the Black Bears playing more sub packages with extra defensive backs, allowing Black Bears’ Head Coach Joe Harasymiak to cast a wide net for Constantine to throw an interception into — and he did. DeVaughn jumped another pass, and managed to return the ball to the Black Bears’ 41-yard line.

Following a few short passes and rush attempts, Jefferson broke free on a 45-yard scamper to the end zone. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty backed up Doak 15 yards for the extra point, which Weber eventually thwarted, leaving Maine ahead 20-12.

A strong return from Wildcats’ second-year return man Rashid Shaheed set up Weber State on their own 29-yard line. Constantine dropped back, and had his first pass of the drive intercepted by second-year linebacker Jaron, who was downed at the line of scrimmage. Maine proceeded to run out the clock before Doak hit another field goal, giving the Black Bears a 23-12 lead.

Constantine marched back onto the field, and dissected Maine’s pass defense on an eight play, 61-yard drive ending in a fourth down touchdown pass to fourth-year wide receiver Darryl Denby. Due to running out the clock and the insurmountable score, Weber State walked off the field with a 23-18 loss to Maine.

Maine’s next contest in their playoff push is a quarterfinal game against the Eastern Washington State Eagles on Saturday, Dec. 15 in Washington.

The University of Maine Black Bears hosted the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks for the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. The Black Bears won 55-27 on one of their best performances this season.

The contest, only the second ever home playoff game in school history, showed the team’s cohesiveness and dedication throughout the season. At a pep rally put on by the university on Thursday, Nov. 29, fourth-year defensive back Jeffrey DeVaughn reflected on one of the main driving forces for the team this season.

“We lost one of our teammates earlier this year, the tragic part is he was only 18 years-old.” Devaughn said. “He has been with us all season, through the ups and downs, we carry him with us everywhere, to road games and home games, everywhere. I know he is here with us everyday. This is very, very important to me because I am 23 and I played my five years of football here, he didn’t play one snap, one practice. I tell my teammates everyday to take no opportunities for granted, even in life.”

DeVaughn’s words rang true to his teammates, and the Black Bears efforts continued to be rewarded.

Maine’s dynamic backfield, composed of second-year quarterback Chris Ferguson and first-year running back Ramon Jefferson, spearheaded the offensive efforts for the Black Bears. Jefferson amassed 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, gashing the Gamecocks’ front seven. Second-year running back Joe Fitzpatrick, giving Jefferson a break in certain offensive formations, carried the ball seven times for 50 yards.

With the Black Bears’ rushing attack bearing the load of carrying the offense down the field, Ferguson completed 14 passes on his 26 dropbacks, throwing for 159 yards and five touchdowns. Anchoring the incredible performance through the air and on the ground, the Black Bears offensive line won the battle in the trenches, only allowing Ferguson to be sacked once on the day.

Jacksonville, winning the coin toss, elected to kickoff to Maine. Gamecocks’ Head Coach John Grass, aware of Maine’s third-year return specialist Earnest Edwards’ ability to score, ordered fourth-year kicker Cade Stinnett to squib the kickoff, preventing Edwards from getting the ball in his hands. Following a short drive that resulted in a Maine punt, the Gamecocks’ offense came out onto the field.

Jacksonville’s second-year starting quarterback Zerrick Cooper fared poorly against the aggressive “Black Hole” defense throughout the game, completing 19 of 44 passing attempts for 365 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Right out of the gate, the Gamecocks’ offense ran into trouble. On back to back rushing attempts, Cooper handed the ball off to second-year running back Jaelen Greene, who was stopped in the backfield for a loss. Facing third down with 13 yards to gain for the first down, Cooper dropped back to pass, only to be taken down by third-year defensive lineman Kayon Whitaker. Whitaker forced Cooper to fumble the ball in the process, which was recovered by first-year defensive lineman Jamehl Wiley on Jacksonville’s three-yard line.

Handed fantastic field position, Ferguson stepped back onto the field and found third year wide receiver Jaquan Blair for the 4-yard touchdown, giving the Black Bears a 7-0 lead following the chip shot extra point from second-year kicker Kenny Doak.

Jacksonville’s ensuing drive had hope, following a free first down thanks to a roughing the passer penalty against Maine, until back to back rushing attempts by Jacksonville resulted in a combined 7-yard loss. Faced with third-and-17, Cooper kept the ball and rushed for six yards, forcing the Gamecocks’ punting unit to send the ball back to the Black Bears.

Paired with strong rushes by Jefferson, Ferguson picked apart the Gamecocks’ secondary, finding fourth-year tight end Julian Dunn for a 20 yard completion, and followed that up by uncorking a 41-yard bomb down the sideline to Edwards, who caught the ball and dove in for the score. Following another extra point from Doak, the Black Bears led 14-0 with five minutes left to play in the first quarter.

Following a strong return by Greene, Cooper and the Gamecocks’ offense set up shop on their own 38-yard line. With two successful rushing attempts from first-year running back Michael Matthews, paired with an incomplete pass from Cooper, the Gamecocks faced a fourth-and-1 situation on their own 47-yard line. Grass kept his offense on the field, having fourth-year running back Leander Burrowes take the direct shotgun snap in the heavy set package, second-year linebacker Deshawn Stevens and DeVaughn met Burrowes in the backfield, forcing a turnover on downs.

Ferguson and the Black Bears’ offense marched back onto the field once more, kicking off the drive with a 20-yard rush by fourth-year wide receiver Micah Wright on the sweep. Eventually facing third-and-11, an incompletion from Ferguson was negated by defensive pass interference, giving the Black Bears a first-and-10 on the Gamecocks’ 13-yard line. Jefferson punched the ball ahead for a nine yard gain, and on fourth-and-1 Ferguson found Edwards once again, and Maine held the 21-0 lead before the first quarter had even ended.

Cooper and the Gamecocks’ offense came back onto the field, and immediately changed up their offensive tempo. Cooper hit Greene for a 42-yard gain, and on the following snap found third-year wide receiver Jamari Hester for the 36-yard touchdown, on a drive that lasted 30 seconds.

Following a short drive that resulted in a punt for Maine, Cooper ran back onto the field with his offense and connected with Hester once more, who took off down the sideline for the 70-yard score. Maine’s massive lead had been diminished even faster than it had been built.

Ferguson and the Black Bears’ offense, starting their drive at their own 27-yard line, and began to dissect the Gamecocks through the air and on the ground once more. Ferguson hit Blair for an 11-yard gain, with Jefferson followed up with a 42-yard scamper up to the Gamecocks’ 20-yard line. Ferguson threw up the ball in the left corner of the end zone, and Wright came down with the 50/50 ball for the score.

The Black Bears scored twice more before the end of the first half, running away with the score at 42-14. The second half of play saw both offensive units slow down, and the Black Bears stormed off the field as the play clock expired with the 55-27 victory over the Gamecocks.

Maine, now ranked seventh out of the eight remaining teams, will travel to Utah to take on the third seeded Weber State University Wildcats on Friday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m., which will be shown on ESPN 2.

The University of Maine Black Bears’ football team hosted the Elon University Phoenix on Saturday, Nov. 17, in a contest that propelled Maine (8-3) to their first Colonial Athletic Association championship since the 2013-14 season.

While Maine struggled to move the ball through the air, as second-year starting quarterback Chris Ferguson was only able to complete four passes on 10 attempts for 51 yards and an interception before being knocked out of the game due to an injury, the rushing attack compensated to the best of their ability. First-year backup quarterback Isaiah Robinson replaced Ferguson, but found similar problems against a strong Elon pass defense. Robinson finished the day completing four of 10 attempts for 35 yards and a pair of interceptions.

First-year running back Ramon Jefferson kept the Black Bears’ offense afloat on 25 rushing attempts, gaining 130 of Maine’s 234 total offensive yards. In comparison, the Phoenix had 432 yards of total offense for the day. Elon’s fourth-year starting quarterback Daniel Thompson had a rough outing against the vaunted “Black Hole” defense, completing just 18 of 43 attempted passes for 250 yards, an interception and a touchdown.

The Phoenix became only the second team to rush for more than 100 yards against Maine this season, with their backfield collectively putting up 153 rushing yards on the day. Second-year running back Brelynd Cyphers and first-year running back Jaylan Thomas carried the majority of the load for Elon, combining for 133 yards on 24 combined attempts.

Black Bears’ third-year wide receiver Earnest Edwards, who tallied two receptions but had a net yard gain of zero, showed off his speed and plethora of talent in the team’s return game.

In the second quarter, following a long Elon drive resulting in a touchdown that tied the game at 7-7, Edwards and the return unit went to work. Catching the ball inside his own 10-yard line, Edwards took off up the right side of the field. Thanks to a few fantastic, edge-sealing blocks by Maine’s return unit, Edwards raced up the sideline with only second-year kicker Christian Vansickle to beat. Edwards turned on the burners, and torched his way past Vansickle on his way to the end zone for the 95-yard return and score.

Following a 39-yard field goal from first-year kicker Skyler Davis, the Phoenix elected to have Davis kick the ball back to Edwards. In a surprising move, Elon special teams coordinator Matt Merritt did not order his kicker to send an unreturnable ball to Edwards, and Merritt paid the price. Fielding the ball at his own seven-yard line, Edwards took off straight up the field, following blocks and breaking a tackle to burst free, thanks in part to a block made by fourth-year defensive back Jeffrey Devaughn on Davis. Edwards saw nothing but green after crossing the 50, and ran the ball in for the 93-yard return and score, putting the Black Bears ahead 24-13 following a chip shot extra point from second-year kicker Kenny Doak.

While Maine allowed Elon to march up and down the field to rack up that high yardage total, the Black Bears’ defense locked down when they needed to, forcing two fumbles and recovering both, while second-year linebacker Jaron Grayer snagged an interception. The first of the two fumbles came in the Black Bears’ red zone, as Thompson kept the ball on a read-option run. Initially, fourth-year linebacker Sterling Sheffield crashed into the backfield, but Thompson was able to shake Sheffield off to avoid the sack. A swarm of Maine defenders came sprinting at Thompson, and second-year defensive back Erick Robertson found his mark in punching the ball out of Thompson’s hands, which was recovered by first-year defensive lineman Jahmel Wiley.

The second forced fumble and recovery for Maine came late in the third quarter, once again in the middle of a strong drive by Elon. Thompson took the snap out of the shotgun, completed his three step drop back, and proceeded to climb in the pocket to avoid defenders while waiting for one of his receivers to break coverage down field. Third-year defensive lineman Alejandro Oregon found himself in a mismatch against Elon’s third-year tight end Matt Foster on the backside block, and Oregon took advantage. Grabbing onto Foster with one arm, Oregon ran around the collapsing pocket and swatted the ball out of Thompson’s hand right as he began his throwing motion. Oregon recovered the fumble, and gave the Black Bears’ offense back the football with great field position.

While tallying an interception, Grayer ended up fumbling the ball on the return, and Elon recovered the fumble. The wild play kept Thompson and his offense stayed on the field, the Black Bears’ defense continued to apply pressure, eventually forcing fourth down. With under a minute left in the fourth quarter, Thompson dropped back to pass, and the Black Bears sent pressure. Sheffield found his mark, as he has all season for Maine in clutch moments, hitting Thompson’s arm as he released the ball, forcing an incompletion and turnover on downs.

The Black Bears stormed the field following the turnover, knowing well that Robinson would retake the field to kneel on consecutive downs to run out the game clock. Maine won by a final score of 27-26, claiming the CAA Championship trophy and finishing the year undefeated at home (4-0).

Maine’s championship team had eleven players take home hardware from the CAA All Conference first and second teams, announced on Tuesday, Nov. 20.

Making an appearance on the CAA first team all conference were third-year defensive lineman Kayon Whitaker, third-year defensive back Manny Patterson, and Sheffield. Edwards was also listed as first team, but for his exceptional skills as a kick returner.

Making an appearance on the CAA second team all-conference were fourth-year tight end Drew Belcher, second-year offensive lineman Liam Dobson, third-year defensive lineman Charles Mitchell, second-year linebacker Deshawn Stevens and special teams ace fourth-year Mozai Nelson. Edwards was included on the second team all-conference as well, this time for his talents at wide receiver.

Head Coach Joe Harasymiak, following in suit with his team, brought home the CAA Coach of the Year award.

The Black Bears will play host to the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks on Saturday, Dec. 1, in a favorable matchup for Maine in the second round of the football championship subdivision playoffs. Practicing in the same conditions they’ll eventually play in, the Black Bears will have a true home field advantage over the Gamecocks.

The University of Maine men’s basketball team struggled on the road this week, playing in three games and losing all of them. The team traveled to Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, Nov. 6 to face off against the University of Denver. They were able to keep up with the Pioneers during the first half tying 27-27. Denver came back with a strong second half outscoring UMaine a for a final score of 50-63.  

Both teams went back and forth throughout the first half with the highest lead being seven points by the Pioneers. The teams ended the half with near equal rebounds, turnovers and assists.

The half was led in scoring by second-year guard Mykhailo Yagodin with seven points and third-year guard Isaiah White with six points. The leading scorers for the Pioneers were first-year guard Jase Townsend with eight points and fourth-year forward Ronnie Harrell Jr. with seven points. Harrell Jr. also happened to be the leading rebounders for Denver in the first half, snagging six boards. The Black Bears spread out their rebounds quite well with first-year guard Terion Moss and third-year forward Andrew Flemming having four rebounds each.

The second quarter was much more difficult for the Black Bears, as they were only able to shoot 9-28 from the field and 3-14 from beyond the arc. The team started out slow, allowing the Pioneers to take a six point lead. But the Black Bears were able to come back and challenge their opponents, and even temporarily held a one point lead. The Pioneers then went on a quick 12-point run, diminishing the Black Bears lead. Although Maine fought hard, they couldn’t overcome this massive run. Both teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the quarter.

The deciding statistic from the game came from Denver’s 29 bench points. With a deep bench the Pioneers were able to stay rested and attack with fresh legs when Maine was tired.

The Black Bears barely had enough time to let the results of the game sink in before they were off to play in their next game. The team flew to Salt Lake City, Utah, to play in a game against the University of Utah on Thursday, Nov. 8. The team came out motivated and ready to prove themselves after a tough loss. This wouldn’t be without great challenge however, as the Utah Utes were well rested heading into their season opener against Maine.

The Black Bears started the game off poorly, allowing the opponents to get a 10-point lead in the first four minutes. This meant that there was no room for error for the Black Bears. Thanks to White and his aggressive play, the team didn’t allow another huge run. White scored 14 for the half, driving to the rim for dunks and popping 3-pointers.

Although the Black Bears’ play improved for the next 16 minutes, it wasn’t enough to stop Utah’s commanding offense. The Utes were able to increase their lead slowly from 10 to 17 points by the end of half. This required a drastic change for the Black Bears to even have a chance. The score at half was 28-45. The team struggled the first half to collect rebounds over their opponents which added to the deficit.

Going into the second half Maine worked to bring the score back thanks to an already warmed up White and a heating up third-year center Vincent Eze, the Black Bears were able to reduce the lead to nine points in the first six minutes. This was as far as the team was able to go however, as Utah started to go basket for basket with the Black Bears for the rest of the game. Eze’s 12 points and White’s 10 weren’t enough to overcome such a large lead made in the first half.

Although Maine shot much better and came out with more energy, out-scoring in the half 33-30, it just wasn’t enough. Utah walked away with the win, as Maine took another loss. With another game on Saturday, Nov. 10,  the Black Bears flew right to San Francisco. The Black Bears faced off against the University of San Francisco, a team that was 1-0 coming off a win against University of California, Davis that Tuesday. The Black Bears struggled in this game the most as the rested Dons tore through their defense scoring 93 to Maine’s 50. The Dons also managed to have six players into the double digits for points.

It was a tough start for UMaine as they were unable to score in the first three minutes as San Francisco became an unstoppable force. The opponents took a 10-point lead in this time. In the next 5 minutes Maine started to make a presence. Flemming, White and Junior Sergio El Darwich each put in two baskets to keep the Dons under control and reduce the lead to 6-points.

Just as Maine was starting to get into a rhythm, their opponents went on another run. The Dons led the Black Bears by 19 points, as Maine only scored 2 points to the Dons’ 15. For the rest of the half the Black Bears struggled to get the ball through the hoop as they fell behind to a 24 point deficit. The team wasn’t able to keep up off the boards as Maine rebounded a measly 11 rebounds to San Fransisco’s 27. Another factor that didn’t help the Black Bears this half was the accuracy from beyond the arc, as they fell flat shooting 0-8.

As the team went back on the court for the second half, another small run was made by the Dons. Flemming was among one of the only players that were able to score against the Dons in the second half with a total of 10 points. He was also one of the few that were able to get boards this half with three of the team’s nine rebounds. With an all but nonexistent defense, the Black Bears’ offensive efforts were essentially hopeless. This resulted in an even larger lead by the Dons, and the eventual win. Although the team improved on their shooting and rebounding, it just wasn’t enough to combat the Dons’ deadly accuracy. Shooting 75 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc as a team, the Dons couldn’t be stopped.

Maine will play their next game Saturday, Nov. 17,  against North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. With plenty of time to rest and make improvements, there is no doubt that the Black Bears will come out strong for the Wolf Pack Classic.

On Nov. 4, the University of Maine field hockey team competed in their final game of the season against the University at Albany. Sunday night’s game was the end of the season for the Black Bears in the America East field hockey tournament, which the Black Bears had fought valiantly to compete in.

Sunday night’s game ended with a score of 2-1, with a win for Albany.

The Black Bears had played Albany twice this season, beating them in their Sept. 30 contest, which went into double overtime. The last time that the Black Bears faced Albany on Oct. 19 on home field, the Great Danes won by one point.

UMaine was seeded as the  second place eastern team entering the tournament, making this their sixth appearance in the America East playoffs. However, this year marked the first year since 2014 that the Black Bears were competing for an America East title.

“It means a lot [to be back in the championships], and I know how hard it is to get here and we had this opportunity four years ago,” said UMaine Coach Josette Babineau. “Our seniors were all first-year players in our program, and I’m just so happy for them to have the opportunity to be in this game again as senior [competitors].”

Despite the Black Bears’ vigor, the Great Danes managed to shut down any goal attempts made by the Black Bears and managed to score twice during Sunday night’s game.

The first goal came from Cosima Rocktaschel, with an assist from Viola Von Der Mühlen 15 minutes into the game. The goal was scored on the third-consecutive penalty corner of the sequence. The second goal was scored 30 minutes into the game, bringing the Great Danes to their winning 2-1 lead.

Although the Black Bears didn’t take home the championship, multiple players of the UMaine team were chosen for the America East Field Hockey All-Championship Team.

Three Maine players, third-year forward Brianna Ricker, fourth-year back Samantha Wagg and fourth-year midfielder Casey Crowley, represented UMaine on the All-Championship team which competed on Nov. 4.

The Black Bears had an impressive 2018 season. They were noticed for being in the Top-10 scoring offense in the nation, with an average of 3.57 goals per game. They also earned a spot in the Top-15 defense in the country, with a 1.38 goals against average. The Black Bears also won four games over nationally-ranked teams during their 2018 season.

Ella Mosky, a fourth-year who will be leaving the Black Bears this year, took to twitter to express her gratification for her team.

Mosky retweeted the official UMaine Field Hockey account’s congratulations for the Black Bears’ hard work during Sunday’s game, commenting, “A heartbreaker but couldn’t be more grateful for my coaches, teammates & our supporters. This program has taught me so much over the past 4 years both on and off the field. Thank you for life long memories and my teammates that have become my best friends — UMaine Field Hockey really is family.”

Ricker, who had a breakaway in overtime during the Black Bear’s playoff game against the University of California Berkeley, was recognized for one of the top plays of the season by America East Field Hockey on Twitter.