For three quarters on Saturday night, the Maine Black Bears played better football than William and Mary. They held a 14-3 lead at the of the third quarter, were playing solid defense and special teams, and looked like they were going to even their record at 2-2. Then, out of nowhere, it happened.
The fourth quarter showed up.
William and Mary scored 21 points in the final session, including a Chase Hill 21 yard touchdown reception with just under 21 seconds left ion the game to beat UMaine 24-21.
The touchdown capped off a 70 yard, 2 minute 26 second scoring drive led by William and Mary QB Michael Paulus, who took over for an ineffective Mike Callahan with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Paulus led two touchdown drives in the 4th, which sandwiched the Tribe's Dante Cook picking off a Warren Smith pass for 50 yards and a touchdown, which briefly gave the Tribe a 17-14 lead with 6:46 left.
The Bears stalled on the ensuing drive and had to punt, but Tribe return man BW Webb was run into by his own player, and Maine recovered the ball at the Tribe 20 yard-line. 4 plays later, Smith found Desmond Randall for a 3 yard touchdown pass that gave the Bears a 21-17 lead with 2:46 remaining, but it wasn't enough.
Maine was done in by penalties, getting called for 11 penalties that totaled 134 yards lost. It put the offense in a lot of 3rd and longs in the second half, and they could not get untracked until that 4th quarter touchdown.
Star running back Jared Turcotte was not available for the Black Bears, as his wife was giving birth to their first child in Lewiston. Pushaun Brown ran for 104 yards in his absence.
Maine hosts New Hampshire next week.
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