The Husson football team will be back at home on Saturday in an important Conference of New England (CNE) matchup with Western New England University at the Winkin Complex. Meanwhile, Maine football takes a huge leap in a non-league game to play Southeastern Conference (SEC) and FBS opponent the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma.
Husson (5-2, 2-0 in the CNE) will hope to get a big win against visiting WNEU (4-3, 1-1) when the ball is kicked off at noon on Saturday in Bangor. The Eagles have struggled historically against the Golden Bears going 1-6 in their seven matchups, including a 10-9 setback on a missed 49-yard field goal on the final play last season in Springfield, Massachusetts. Husson is coming off a nice road comeback win last Saturday 35-34 at Curry College, rallying from a 14-point first half deficit and scoring a touchdown and getting in on a two-point conversion with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter to steal the conference victory. The Eagles are currently in second place in the Conference of New England, as top seed and nationally ranked #11 Endicott is 6-1, 2-0 in the CNE and is set to host Nichols College this weekend. Husson and Endicott meet next Saturday, November 9 in Beverly, Massachusetts for what very well could be a contest that’ll decide the league championship.
Maine (4-4), who lost in Coastal Athletic Association play on the road at #15 Rhode Island 24-14 last Saturday all but eliminating them from FCS playoff contention, takes a break from league play and heads to Norman, Oklahoma to take on the Sooners for the first ever meeting on the gridiron between the two schools. This will be the second ever SEC team the Black Bears have faced, having beaten Mississippi State 9-7 in 2004 for one of their four all-time wins against an FBS opponent (2004 vs Mississippi St., 24-14 over UMass in 2013, 31-28 over Western Kentucky in 2018, and 35-10 over UMass in 2021). Overall Maine is 4-26 all-time vs FBS teams. They will hope to keep the ground game going that they showed last week vs URI (114 yards), to try to keep the more athletic OU offense off the field. The weather in Norman on Saturday is calling for rain and thunderstorms which also could become a factor. The Sooners are also 4-4 on the season, but just 1-4 in the SEC and have never lost to an FCS school. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
