The University of Maine football team closes out the 2019 regular season when it travels to Durham and Wildcat Stadium to battle the University of New Hampshire Wildcats in the 108 all-time meeting for the annual Brice-Cowell Musket on Saturday afternoon.
Maine (6-5, 4-3 Colonial Athletic Association) is playing for more than just the Musket on Saturday, as the Black Bears with a win would close out the regular season with seven overall wins (five in the CAA) and a five game winning streak. Maines playoff fate would then be in the hands of the NCAA to make a decision on a return trip to the FCS Tournament for the Black Bears. For that to happen Maine would need a win and hope the committee sends five teams from the conference to the playoffs as James Madison and Villanova are a lock to make it, and Albany and Towson also would likely be in with a win Saturday as well putting those two teams with eight wins overall.
Maine will be seeking their first win in Durham in the series since 2001. UNH is 4-0 this year at home and have won six straight on their home turf since the end of last season. The Wildcats (5-5, 4-3) enter the game with the second ranked defense in the CAA allowing only 21.1 points per game, but their offense ranks last in scoring at 19.4 PPG. The Black Bears who played without wide receiver Jaquan Blair in last weeks home comeback win over URI will get the speedy talented playmaker back this week. Freshman quarterback Joe Fagano has been excellent since an injury to junior starting quarterback Chris Ferguson in a Week 6 home loss to Richmond. Fagnano has completed 102-151 passes for 1,644 yards, with 16 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. The Pennsylvania native has only thrown one interception in his last four starts, all four were Black Bear wins.
The Black Bears also hope to be moving one offensive and a defensive player up on some all-time career numbers lists at the University this weekend. Wide receiver/kick return specialist Earnest “Electric Ernie” Edwards is just 32 yards shy of breaking the career receiving yards mark. Edwards will enter the game in Durham with 2,581 yards and will try to break the record of Sergio Hebra who is the leader at 2,612. Edwards has been exceptionial this season per game ranking first in all of FCS football in kick return average (30.0), third in all purpose yards (175.9), fourth in yards per catch (23.0), and seventh in receiving yards per game (103.7). Defensive lineman Kayon Whitaker amassed his 27th career sack in the win last weekend, leaving him just 0.5 sack behind second place Mike Denino and two sacks away from the leader Mike Cole at 29.
PREDICTION- Maine has everyone healthy and have played their best football over the past 4 weeks. UNH has the home field advantage in this matchup but this time it won’t matter. The Black Bears offense is too explosive and the Wildcats won’t have enough offense stay up with them. Black Bears get their fifth straight win and hope to find their way into the FCS playoffs. Maine 31, UNH 20
