Albany, N.Y. - Warren Smith passed for two touchdowns and Pushuan Brown rushed for 125 yards and one score in leading Maine to a 31-15 victory over UAlbany on Saturday, Sept. 17 at University Field.
     Brown, a senior tailback, reached the end zone on his team's first possession with a 33-yard scamper off the right side. Smith tossed a pair of TD passes in the second quarter as his team took a 21-0 lead to the intermission. He hit Justin Perillo with a 7-yard pass and the tight end carried three tackles across the goal line. After Trevor Coston's punt return set his team up with good field position, Smith fired a 14-yard strike to wide receiver Maurice McDonald with 24 seconds left in the period.
     The Black Bears, who were coming off a six-point less to FBS opponent Pittsburgh one week ago, held UAlbany to 78 total yards in the first half. Brian Harvey added a 27-yard field goal midway through the third quarter for a 24-0 advantage.
     "You can certainly see why they played Pittsburgh tough," said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, whose team was at home for the first time this season. "They ran the ball with authority, (Warren) Smith threw the ball well and they have a good defense. We just couldn't do a thing in the first half."
     UAlbany (0-2) tried to battle back in the final stanza. Dan Di Lella hooked up with Cole King on a 44-yard completion that led to Dillon Roman's one-yard blast over the right side. A failed onside kick and two penalties led to Maine's Terrel Walker scoring from two yards out and a 31-7 lead. Di Lella, who completed 16-of-32 through the air for 179 yards, connected with Kevin Chillis on a 49-yard pass-and-run play. Tailback Andrew Smith, out of a wildcat formation, would finish off the drive by flipping a six-yard touchdown to fullback Justin Petersen with 8:22 remaining.
     "We didn't run, block, throw or catch," Smith offered. "We need to keep the defense off the field and help the other side (of the ball). We didn't take a step backward tonight, but we didn't go forward."
     Maine's Smith connected on 21 of 32 attempts for 202 yards and added 31 more on the ground, usually off a series of quarterback draw plays. The Black Bears, who improved to 2-1 on the season, avenged a pair of losses in this series, last year's 3-0 defeat and a four-point setback on this same field in 2009.
     "Their quarterback draw looks like a three-step and he caught us out of position a couple of times," explained inside linebacker Jon Morgan, who made a career-high 14 tackles. "We knew what they were doing, but we didn't execute. 

Maine 31, UAlbany 15 (Sep 17, 2011, University Field)

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Maine (2-1) vs. Albany (0-2)

Date: Sep 17, 2011 • Site: Albany, N.Y.  • Stadium: Varsity Field  •  Attendance: 4944