Football beats No. 21 UAlbany, 34-20

Box score ALBANY, NY Jamaree Gibsons A 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:46 remaining in regulation sealed a 34-20 win for the Black Bears over No. 21 UAlbany on Saturday night.

The win was Maine's first win over a ranked opponent since 2021 and also the Black Bears' first back-to-back wins since November 2021.

Maine outscored UAlbany 337-260, including a 148-91 lead in the second half. Maine limited UAlbany to just 15 yards in the third quarter and 58 total rush yards for the game.

Carter Peevy led Maine's balanced offensive attack with an efficient 20-for-24 passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Jaharie Martin led the rushing game with 82 yards and a touchdown as the Black Bears rushed for 144 yards in the win. Go away, Irefin posted five catches for 68 yards while Cooper Heisey recorded a pair of touchdown receptions. Joey Bryson taped on a pair of 40-yard field goals.

Maine finished the day 7 of 12 in third place and converted on five of six red zone drives.

Maine's defense, which allowed just six points in the second half, forced three turnovers for the second straight game while recording three sacks. Kesean Dyson guided Maine with six tackles while Alhaji Kamara And Shakur Smalls each added five. Izaiah Henderson posted two sacks in the win.

The Black Bears opened the scoring after cashing in with a field goal on the opening drive of the afternoon. Peevy started the quarter with a 15-yard strike Joe Gillette before finding it later Montigo Moss for a 17-yard completion to the UAlbany 31. Five plays later, Bryson hit a season-high 40-yard field goal to complete the 11-play drive.

UAlbany took a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter on a two-yard rushing score from Jojo Uga.

The Great Danes tried to extend their lead with a 48-yard field goal attempt. The kick would miss, but the Black Bears were flagged for running into the kicker. The UAlbany offense got back on the field, but the Black Hole defense made the stop just before the first down and gave the ball back to Maine at its own 38.

Peevy and the Black Bears went back to work as the quarterback scrambled for a gain of 25. Facing a third-and-7, Peevy connected with Irefin on a shoulder throw to the Maine sideline for a first down. Four plays later, Martin cut through the left side for his third touchdown of the season.

UAlbany regained the lead with 14 seconds left in the half on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Myles Burkett to Seven McGee.

Maine went into the break trailing 14-10.

Kamara grabbed his third interception of the season, and second in as many games, giving Maine good field position at the UAlbany 41 in the third quarter. A 16-yard rush from Martin took Maine deeper into Great Danes territory, but the drive stalled, allowing Bryson to come and convert on another 40-yard field goal. The kick cut Maine's deficit to one, 14-13, with 10:14 left in the third.

Maine's defense pushed UAlbany back as the Great Danes lost 11 yards on their next drive and were forced to punt.

The Black Bears began their next drive at their own 45. Facing a third-and-21 after a penalty, Peevy scrambled before hitting Trevin Ewing for a 26-yard conversion to the UAlbany 40. Maine continued to chip away as a 16-yard rush from Tavion Banks took the Black Bears to the UAlbany two-yard line before Peevy found Heisey for a short score. Maine's two-point conversion would fail, but the Black Bears were on top, 19-14.

After forcing another UAlbany punt, Maine's offense worked its way down the field, converting a trio of third downs along the way. A pair of pass interference penalties on the Great Danes eventually got Maine to the UAlbany two-yard line, where Peevy again found Heisey for a touchdown. The Black Bears converted on a two-point try when Peevy handed the ball to Moss, who spun in the air to avoid a tackle and floated a pass to Gillette for the creative and successful try. The score increased Maine's lead to 27-14 with 6:59 left in regulation.

UAlbany answered just over 1:30 later when Burkett and McGree connected on a 32-yard touchdown. A bad snap caused the Great Danes to miss the point as Maine's lead stood at seven, 27-20.

The Black Bears were forced to punt with 3:02 left to play in regulation when UAlbany began its drive at the Maine 47. The Great Danes began to advance the ball, but a pass from Burkett slipped through the hands from his receiver and Gibson was able to get it and return the interception 78 yards for a touchdown to put Maine on top for good, 34-20.

Entering its bye week, Maine will return to action on Saturday, October 12 when it travels to take on Delaware at 1 p.m.

-UMaine-