Maine battles back to knock off Bulldogs, 35-31, Saturday

ORONO, Maine – Senior Dalton Easton (Miami, Fla.) tied the program record for career touchdown passes and junior Matt Sewall (Portsmouth, R.I.) hauled in three touchdowns but the Bryant University football team could not hold on to a 21-0 lead, falling to the University of Maine 35-31 on Saturday evening at Alfond Stadium.

Saturday's loss is the second for the Bulldogs (2-3) this season when they have led by 21 points. The Black Bears (1-3) earned their first victory of the season and improved to 4-1 all-time against the Bulldogs thanks to a 28-point second half.

Trailing 31-14 with 3:57 to go in the third quarter, the Black Bears scored the final 21 points of the game to earn the victory. After the Bulldogs opened the 17-point lead, DeAndre Scott returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to start a quick four-play, 55-yard drive that lasted just 1:09. The drive was capped by a Jaleel Reed 38-yard TD reception.

The Black Bears then forced the Bulldogs to punt and Micah Wright quickly changed the direction of the game with a 53-yard punt return. With the ball at the Bryant 25, Josh Mack burst down the sideline for a touchdown to make it 31-28.

Maine stopped Bryant again and this time took advantage of a nine-yard punt. Starting at its own 49, Maine needed 10 plays to take the lead for the first and only time in the game. Reed made a 12-yard catch on 3rd-and-8 to keep the drive alive and Mack gave the Black Bears the lead with a nine-yard TD run with 10:16 remaining.

Bryant had three more chances to retake the lead but Maine's defense stood tall. The Bulldogs went three-and-out on their first two possessions before running eight plays on their final drive of the game. Easton scrambled for a first down on 4th-and-9 to keep the game alive but Scott intercepted another fourth down pass with 1:48 left to put the game away.

It was all Black and Gold in the first half, as they scored the first 21 points of the game. Starting at the Maine 45, Bryant began its first scoring drive with 8:57 left in the first quarter. Junior Aaron Aryee (Hartford, Conn.) picked up 18 yards on 3rd-and-10 and then senior Keenan Thompson (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) capped the drive with a 28-yard TD reception. He caught the ball along the Bryant sideline, made two defenders missed and then scampered down the sideline for the score.

Bryant's defense quickly forced a three-and-out and the Bulldogs went back to work. Sewall picked up 18 yards on a jet sweep to start the drive and then senior Ryan Black (Joppa, Md.) made a 14-yard reception on 4th-and-8 to keep the drive alive. Three plays later, Easton fired to Sewall over the middle and the speedy receiver raced to the corner pylon for a 25-yard scoring strike.

The Bulldogs' defense then helped Bryant keep the lead and extend it. Charles Wingate (Englewood, N.J.), Charles Keenan (Tyngsborough, Mass.) and Danny Hughes (Shoreham, N.Y.) all intercepted passes in the second quarter. Hughes returned his second interception of the season 49 yards to the Maine 35 with just over a minute remaining in the first half. Bryant turned it into seven points as Easton found Sewall for a 19-yard touchdown with 42 seconds left.

Maine started to change the momentum, however, on the very next possession. Mack opened the drive with a 20-yard run and the Black Bears decided to go for a late score. Collins eventually connected with Wright for a 31-yard gain to the put the ball at the Bryant 3 with two seconds left. Maine snapped the ball as time expired and Dan Collins lofted a TD pass to Wright to make it 21-7 at the half. It started a string of five-straight drives in which Maine scored a touchdown.

Easton finished the game 27-of-53 for 318 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He set career-highs for completions and attempts, with his 53 attempts also setting a single-game program record. With four TD passes, Easton also tied former Bryant great Charlie Granatell with 56 career touchdown passes.

Sewall led Bryant in both rushing and receiving on the evening, carrying the ball three times for 19 yards and finishing with seven catches for 89 yards and three touchdowns. Sewall's first-career multi-TD game tied the single-game program record.

Defensively, freshman Jesse Nemerowicz (Hudson, Mass.) led Bryant with a career-high 13 tackles. Keenan added 10 tackles to his first-career interception.

Mack led Maine with 151 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries, while Wright caught five passes for 53 yards and a score. Collins finished 14-of-30 for 180 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Pat Ricard led the Black Bears with eight tackles and three sacks, while Christophe Mulumba Tshimanga also had eight tackles.

The Bulldogs will enjoy their only bye week of the season this upcoming Saturday before returning to Northeast Conference play on Oct. 15 at Saint Francis U.