The University of Maine and Husson football teams both host conference home games on Saturday. Maine will welcome in the William & Mary Tribe in the homecoming game at 1 p.m. at Alfond Stadium, while over at the Winkin Complex at noon the Husson Eagles host Endicott who is one of two teams at the top of the league standings.
Husson (2-4, 2-1 Commonwealth Coast Conference) is coming off a homecoming loss to in-state rival UNE 31-21 last Saturday afternoon. The Gulls from Endicott (5-1, 3-0 CCC) feature the top scoring team in red zone efficiency this season in the conference at .931 and rank eighth in all of Division III football in scoring touchdowns from the 20 yard line or closer. The game will feature a matchup of the Gulls powerful offense and the Eagles defense, which ranks second to last in the conference. Endicott averages 398 yards per game (255 pass, 137 rush) and have averaged 41 points per game. Husson is allowing 34 points per contest and have given up 204 points in six games. PREDICTION- This is a huge game for Husson if it wants to stay near the top of the league standings. Endicott and Western New England are the only unbeatens so far at 3-0, and those two teams will face off next week. I think the Gulls are the pick here though based off how they’ve been playing- Endicott 37, Husson 24
Maine (2-5, 0-3 Colonial Athletic Association) will return home to host William & Mary (2-5, 0-3) in the annual homecoming game in Orono with both teams still seeking their first conference win.
The Black Bears come off a huge offensive game last week at FBS Liberty where they lost the shootout with the Flames 59-44. Freshman quarterback Joe Fagnano earned conference honors as the rookie of the week after throwing for 445 yards and five touchdowns in the loss. Fagnano will quarterback the team the rest of the regular season as junior quarterback Chris Ferguson has been ruled out with a right ankle injury that will require season ending surgery. The passing statistics look to be the key in this matchup as Maine is second in the CAA with 329 yards per game through the air and has had three games of over 400 passing yards this season, and will look to exploit the Tribe who rank 10th in the league in passing defense allowing 240. The Bears may be able to also take advantage of the W & M run defense which allows 168 yards per game. Expect the visitors to lean on their running game as they face a Maine defense that allows 170 yards per game, but the Bears are second in the league in pass defense while the Tribe is last in the CAA with only 169 pass yards per outing. PREDICTION- Maine will balance out the offense and will have success on the ground and in the air. Expect a big day for running backs Emmanuel Reed and Joe Fitzpatrick, and the receiving core of Earnest Edwards, Andre Miller, and Jaquan Blair who all had big games last week. Maine 41, William & Mary 24
