Maine Advances To FCS Semifinals With 23-18 Victory At Weber State
Rob Washburn
photo courtesy of Ronald Gillis
Box Score
OGDEN, Utah - CAA Football champion Maine (10-3) advanced to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs for the first time in school history after earning a 23-18 victory at Big Sky champion Weber State on Friday night.
The Black Bears will face the winner of Saturday's game between Eastern Washington and UC Davis in the semifinals.
Maine's Black Hole defense turned in a dominant effort, limiting Weber State to -1 yard rushing and 271 yards overall. The Black Bears also intercepted four passes, including two by Jeff DeVaughan. Linebackers Taji Lowe and Deshawn Stevens each made nine tackles, including two for loss, while Sterling Sheffield added six stops and 3.0 TFL.
Weber State (10-2) moved on top 3-0 early in the second quarter, but Maine took the lead for good on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Chris Ferguson to Jaquan Blair with 2:05 left in the first half.
The Black Bears pushed their advantage to 14-3 on the opening drive of the second half as Ferguson hit Earnest Edwards on a slant pass that went 67 yards for a score. Weber State battled back to within 14-12 at the end of three quarters on a 45-yard field goal by Trey Tuttle and a 33-yard pass from Jake Constantine to Devon Cooley.
In the fourth quarter, DeVaughan made a clutch interception with just over five minutes remaining, and the Black Bears' offense took advantage. Freshman Ramon Jefferson broke loose for a 45-yard TD run that increased Maine's lead to 20-12 with 2:56 to play.
On WSU's ensuing possession, Maine's defense came up big once again as Jaron Grayer intercepted a pass. Three plays later, Kenny Doak converted a 46-yard field that helped seal the victory with 1:34 to go.
Weber State tacked on a touchdown as time expired for the final margin.
Ferguson finished 15-of-30 passing for 170 yards and 2 TD's, while Jefferson rushed for 88 yards on 15 carries.
With the victory, CAA Football has had a team reach the semifinals of the FCS playoffs for six straight years. Maine improved to 7-0 on the season against ranked opponents while stretching its win streak to six-straight. The victory also marked Maine's fifth road win, its most since 2013, and tied its most overall victories since the 2013 season.