The University of Maine and William & Mary battled through a pair of lightning delays on Saturday evening, but were finally able to play their Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opener at Walter J. Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Virginia. In the end, a 1-yard touchdown run by Rashad Raymond with 3:11 left to play in the game gave the Tribe a 28-27 comeback win by outscoring the Black Bears 21-10 in the second half.
The visiting Black Bears got off to a great start in seeking their first win in a conference opener since 2018. With their first offensive possession, the Black Bears struck first when quarterback Carter Peevy being hurried and rushed on a 4th and goal at the W&M 1-yard line let go a lob pass to Sincere Baines for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. They doubled that advantage in the second quarter on another 4th down play, this time at the Tribe 45. Peevy called his own number and broke through the defense pretty much untouched into the endzone to make it 14-0.
The hosts came back quickly to get on the board for the first time just about 2:30 later helped by a 15-yard penalty. Tyler Hughes capped off the drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Deven Thompson to cut the deficit to seven. Maine added a 27-yard field goal from Samuel Tremblay with 1:46 left to go in the half to take a 17-7 lead into the break.
William & Mary (1-1, 1-0 CAA) took their first lead in the third quarter. Maine had the opening possession of the second half, but on fourth down Stephon Hicks blocked a punt by Anthony Peccorella. David Roulley recovered and returned it to the Black Bears 17. The Tribe took advantage when Hughes found Sean McElwain for a 6-yard touchdown pass to cut it three 17-14. They jumped on top the next time they had the ball helped by another 15-yard penalty and passing plays by Hughes of 16 and 20 yards. Josh Miller finished it off with a 2-yard scoring run and it was 21-17 W&M. Maine then drove to their opponents 28-yard line and would go for it on 4th down and 4, catching a break on that 4th down play. Peevy was sacked for a 12-yard loss it what looked like a turnover on downs. However, a defensive holding penalty continued the drive. Peevy put the guests back in front 24-21 when he tossed a 2-yard TD to Scott Woods on 3rd and goal.
The Bears had a great chance to extend their lead back to 10 in the fourth quarter with a 1st and goal at the 7-yard line with 8:30 left to play. They couldn’t convert however, and had to settle for a second field goal from Tremblay of 22 yards to make it 27-21 with 7:09 remaining. Hughes came up big for his team on the game winning drive for the Tribe. He had runs of 25 and 20 yards to get into scoring position, with the second run setting up the short 1-yard TD by Raymond on the next play with 3:11 to go. Peevy, who had great luck in finding room to run the ball all night, picked up a first down with a 10-yard keeper on the first play of the ensuing possession. But on the second play of the drive, Peevy tried to find his wide receiver Molayo Irefin down the left sideline. The pass though was deflected by Luke Banbury into the waiting arms of Jalen Jones for an interception in which was the first turnover of the game. William & Mary then kept it on the ground for a pair of first downs to salt away the clock to pick up the conference opening victory.
Peevy was limited in the passing game in the loss for Maine, as he finished 13-27 for 97 yards with two short touchdowns and one interception. He rushed 12 times for 98 yards (8.2 average), including the long second quarter touchdown run. Woods hauled in six receptions for 48 yards and a score, while Irefin caught three for 26 yards. After recording 15 tackles in a Week 1 defeat to Liberty, Christian Thomas was big again on defense as he had 13 total tackles (five solo, two for a loss). Elias Sherman was also flying to the football all night as well, as he finished with seven tackles (two solo, 2.5 for a loss) and a sack. The Black Bears now have a record of 0-16 when they don’t force a turnover by their opponent. Hughes was the offensive leader in the win for William & Mary, as he passed for 129 yards (13-19) and two touchdowns. He added 73 yards on 10 rushing attempts. Raymond carried 18 times for 69 yards along with his game winning touchdown. Maine (0-2, 0-1 CAA) plays their home opener next Saturday at 6 p.m. at Alfond Stadium when they take on Stonehill College in non-conference action.
All photos courtesy of UMaine Athletics. Players from top to bottom- Carter Peevy, Scott Woods, Elias Sherman, and Christian Thomas
