No. 13 UMass Drops Heartbreaker To Maine, 21-20

Nov. 8, 2008

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AMHERST, Mass. - After losing its last two games at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on missed extra points, Maine benefitted from a missed UMass extra point in the fourth quarter as the Black Bears pulled off a 21-20 upset win over No. 13 UMass on a rainy Saturday. The win moved Maine (7-3 overall, 4-2 CAA) ahead of UMass (6-4, 3-3) in the CAA North standings.

Liam Coen was 15-for-33 for 200 yards and four interceptions. Jeremy Horne had his fourth-career receiving game with more than 100 yards as he finished with 141.

Maine's Andrew Downey nearly sealed the win with an interception at the UMass 33-yard line with 4:16 left in regulation. But the Black Bears couldn't convert a 4th-and-3 at the UMass 26-yard line and the Minutemen regained possession with 2:26 left in regulation.

But UMass' fate wasn't to be as Coen was intercepted by Lamir Whetstone with 1:37 left in regulation. Maine nearly closed the game out, but the Black Bears didn't convert a 4th-and-13 and gave UMass the ball with two seconds remaining.

Coen's hail merry was picked off by Norman Smith in the endzone to end the game.

After four of the games' first five scoring drives were more than 12 plays, UMass answered Maine's third score on its ensuing drive as Coen hit Horne on a 58-yard bomb to bring UMass within 21-20, just 20 seconds after Maine took a 7-point lead. Then UMass kicker Armando Cuko, who was 38-38 on the season, banged the extra point attempt off the upright to keep the Minutemen at a one-point disadvantage.

The missed extra point proved to mark the third straight UMass-Maine game in Amherst decided by a botched PAT. Back in 2004, UMass won in overtime, 35-34, as the Minutemen blocked an extra point in the extra session. Then in 2006, Maine's Devin McNeill missed a PAT with 1:44, on what would have been a game-tying kick in a 10-9 loss to UMass.

Maine took a 21-14 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 3-yard rush by Jared Turcotte with 11:59 left in the fourth as the skies opened up and its started to pour rain. That drive sealed another 12-play effort lasting 6:42.

The Minutemen tied the game at 14-14 on a drive that began with Jeromy Miles' third interception of the season as UMass took over possession at its own 49-yard line. The Minutemen evened the score on a Chris Zardas 3-yard TD rush up the middle with 3:41 left in the third. On the drive, UMass benefitted from a pass interference call on Maine, which placed the ball at the 3-yard line.

UMass opened the second half driving down the field 78 yards and scoring for the first time on the afternoon as Coen hit Ian Jorgensen on a 5-yard pass with 10:05 left in the third quarter to cut the Black Bears lead to 14-7.

Maine's ground game was potent throughout the first half. They finished off a 12-play (11 rushes), 75-yard drive in 7:23 with a 26-yard rushing TD by Jhamal Fluellen to give Maine a 14-0 lead with 3:59 left in the first half.

The teams stood scoreless after the first quarter. Maine cracked the scoreboard first as they wrapped up a 14-play, 95-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Derek Session with 12:24 left in the first half. It was the first score allowed by UMass in eight quarters.

UMass continues its quest to win the CAA North Division and move closer to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth when the Minutemen travel to New Hampshire for a 12 Noon kickoff, next Saturday, a contest also televised on CSN.

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