Several players had big offensive days on both sides on Saturday afternoon, but it would be the University of Maine holding on to pick up their first win of the season with a 37-30 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) football victory over North Carolina A&T State University at Alfond Stadium in Orono. It was the conference home opener for Maine, and the first ever meeting between the Black Bears and Aggies.
Sincere Baines, the junior transfer running back, continued his big offensive output by ripping off a 51-yard touchdown run just four minutes into the game for a 7-0 Maine lead. Quarterback Carter Peevy also found the endzone with a short 2-yard TD run to extend it to 14-0 early in the second quarter. Wesley Graves got NC A&T on the board for the first time with a 3-yard TD run to cut the deficit in half, before a Samuel Tremblay 35-yard field goal and a Rashawn Marshall 15-yard scoring scamper pushed it 23-7 Black Bears with 6:17 left in the period. On a two-point attempt after the Marshall TD, Tre Mittman intercepted Peevy and went 98-yards for a safety for the Aggies. Another explosive play by the Maine offense matched the biggest lead of the day of 21 when Peevy found a wide open Nick Laughlin (Cape Elizabeth) down the middle of the field for an 81-yard TD connection with under two minutes left before the break. The visitors though responded when QB Kevin White hit Jayvonne Dillard for a 34-yard touchdown with 42 seconds remaining and it was 30-16 at halftime.
Maine looked to be easing their way to that first win on the year when Peevy tossed his second touchdown of the afternoon of 6-yards to Elijah Smalls halfway through the third quarter again increasing their advantage to 21 at 37-16. NC A&T had some fight left in them though as the contest went to the fourth period. Antoine Bell caught a 26-yard TD pass from White with 12:09 left, and then with 1:43 remaining and the Black Bears forced to punt, Elijah Kennedy took that punt and went 85-yards to the house to cut it to 37-30. Maine had an opportunity to run out the clock but instead went three and out and had to punt. The Aggies had to go 80 yards to try to tie it with just 1:12 showing on the clock and no timeouts left. They would get almost to the redzone, that included a key 30-yard passing play from White to Jamison Warren. On first down at the 22, White tried two passes into the endzone to Amonte Jones that would fall incomplete. The first was a great breakup by Latrell Couchman, while the second incompletion would end it as the clock ran out.
White finished 19-32 passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns in the loss for NC A&T. Graves rushed for 47 yards on 13 carries with one score, while Dillard hauled in six receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. The Aggies fall to 1-4 and 1-1 in the CAA. Peevy was very proficient in the Maine win going 20-27 for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Baines on 15 attempts rushed for 98 yards and a score. The Black Bears ran for 192 yards. Baines now has 450 yards rushing in five games (62 attempts, 7.2 average). Laughlin had a career receiving day with three catches for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Scott Woods also reeled in eight receptions for 97 yards. The redshirt sophomore Laughlin only had one collegiate touchdown coming into Saturday, and three receptions for just five yards in two games played this season. Christian Thomas continued his superb senior season on defense with 11 tackles (six solo, 1.5 for a loss) and one sack. His team had a total of four sacks in the victory. Maine improves to 1-4 and 1-1 in conference play, and will hit the road for more CAA action next Saturday when they head to Rhode Island to take on Bryant University at 2 p.m.
Photos in this story are courtesy of UMaine Athletics
