Football Edged By No. 8/9 Maine, 33-27, In Back-And-Forth Battle

ALBANY, N.Y. – Throughout much of Saturday night's contest at Bob Ford Field, the hosting University at Albany Great Danes appeared as though they might spoil No. 8/9 Maine's unblemished conference record, but in the end the Black Bears escaped with a 33-27 win over the hosts. Maine improved to 9-1 overall and 6-0 in CAA play, while UAlbany fell to 1-9 on the season and 0-6 in conference.

Trailing by a touchdown with 1:50 remaining in the contest, the Great Danes started their drive on their own  20-yard line after Maine punted into the end zone. However, the Black Bears quickly quashed what would be UAlbany's last chance for victory, as Trevor Bates sacked Will Fiacchi and forced a fumble. Maine recovered on the 12 and ran the remainder of the clock out, sealing the win.

“Our margin of error is so small,” said head coach Bob Ford. “We turned the ball over twice tonight.  You can't do that against a 9-1 team.

“But, I'm really proud of our kids I think we're getting better.  It doesn't show in the record, but I know it shows on Sundays when we look at the film.”

Offensively, junior quarterback Will Fiacchi totaled 139 passing yards and threw for two touchdowns, completing 9-of-20 passes. Senior Kevin Chilis served as his top receiver with three catches for a total of 74 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown reception. Tight end Brian Parker also caught a touchdown pass and totaled 39 receiving yards for the Danes.

On the ground, junior running back Omar Osbourne netted 134 rushing yards and a touchdown, as he carried the ball 29 times. Out of the wildcat, Jake Meek found a number of holes, rushing eight times for a total of 59 yards, averaging 7.4 yard per carry.

Defensively, junior Jake Dwyer led UAlbany with 11 tackles, followed by senior Tramaine Wilson's nine, and classmate Andrew Smith's eight, including a sack.

Looking to capture the program's first win in the new stadium, the Great Danes won the coin toss and deferred, kicking off to the Black Bears. Maine wasted no time getting onto the board, as Nigel Jones capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive with a 1-yard run with 10:36 in the first quarter.

While UAlbany lost their first possession due to a fumble, they came away unscathed, as Maine missed a 47-yard field goal attempt at the 6:29 mark.

The Great Danes immediately responded with a nine-play, 70-yard drive into the end zone. Taking hits along the way, Fiacchi battled his way across the goal line with a drive-capping 10-yard rush. Tom O'Riordan's made extra-point, tied the ballgame, 7-7, with 3:11 remaining in the opening stanza.

UAlbany's defense held Maine at-bay, forcing three straight punts until the Great Danes were able to capitalize offensively with a four-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Starting from their 33, Osbourne rushed three times for a positive gain, setting up Fiacchi's 44-yard touchdown pass to Chillis. All alone, Chillis was untouched as scampered into the end zone, giving UAlbany a 14-7 lead after O'Riordan's kick with 6:43 remaining in the half.

However, Maine tied it up on their next possession, as quarterback Marcus Wasilewski connected a 23-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Johnson at the 4:41 mark. A flag-ridden final few minutes held both squads off the board, sending the teams into the break with an even score.

Much like the opening half, Maine scored first, picking off Fiacchi's first pass of the third quarter and returned it to the UAlbany-6. Jones then rushed six yards into the end zone. Missing the extra-point, Maine took a 20-14 lead with 14:04 on the clock.

Undeterred, the Great Danes marched down the gridiron with a 12-play, 79-yard scoring drive. Fiacchi hit Parker in the end zone with a 16-yard pass, tying the game with 9:18 remaining in the third quarter. While UAlbany had a chance to take the lead with the point-after, the Black Bears blocked the kick, keeping the score at 20-all.

The see-sawing nature of the game continued late into the quarter with Maine getting on the board again with 3:42 to go. Wasilewski connected a 13-yard touchdown pass to John Eberling, finishing a nine-play, 86-yard drive, giving the Black Bears a 27-20 lead.

Determined to upset the first-place visitors, UAlbany battled 86-yards down the field and into the end zone. In the drive, Fiacchi completed a 36-yard pass to Chillis, and Meek rushed four times for a total of 37-yards (18/6/6/5), setting up Osbourne's 4-yard touchdown dash. Making the extra-point, the game was again tied, 27-27, with 14:35 remaining in the conference contest.

On their next drive, Maine scored what would be the winning and final touchdown of the night with 11:16 to go. Starting on their own 35, the Black Bears used six plays to travel 65-yards, ending with Ebeling's 4-yard touchdown catch from Wasilewski. Again, Sean Decloux missed the extra-point, giving the Great Danes an opportunity to steal a win in a single possession, trailing just 33-27.

However, both squads were forced to punt twice as the clock ticked down, leaving the score as is for the remainder of the contest.

For Maine, Wasilewski finished with 231 passing yards and three touchdowns, completing 20-of-32 attempts. Defensively, freshman Christophe Mulumba totaled a game-high 19 tackles.

“Maine, I give them a lot of credit," added Ford. "They play hard all the time. Jack Cosgrove does a great job with them."

Up next, the Great Danes host their final home game of the season against New Hampshire Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The contest will honor both the senior members of the team, as well as Bob Ford, who will be coaching his final career home game.

#8 MAINE vs Albany (Nov 09, 2013 at Albany, N.Y.)

MAINE (9-1,6-0) vs. Albany (1-9,0-6)

Date: Nov 09, 2013 • Site: Albany, N.Y.  • Stadium: Bob Ford Field  •  Attendance: 4912

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#8 MAINE vs Albany (Nov 09, 2013 at Albany, N.Y.)

Individual Statistics (Final) 
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#8 MAINE vs Albany (Nov 09, 2013 at Albany, N.Y.)

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#8 MAINE vs Albany (Nov 09, 2013 at Albany, N.Y.)