University of Maine first-year football coach Jordan Stevens earned his first win Saturday afternoon as junior running back Freddie Brock scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally UMaine to a 31-24 win over first-year Colonial Athletic Association member Hampton University in Virginia.
UMaine is now 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the CAA, while Hampton fell to 3-2 and 0-2, respectively.
Brock finished off a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a seven-yard run to tie it 24-24 with 11:57 remaining.
UMaine scored the game-winner on its next possession, marching 74 yards on just four plays with a wide-open Brock catching a 25-yard TD pass from Joe Fagnano.
The Pirates moved the ball to the UMaine 23-yard line in the waning minutes of the game, but a holding penalty negated a first-down run by Jadakis Bonds and the drive stalled when Austin Ambush intercepted a Malcolm Mays pass in the final minute.
It was UMaine’s third interception of the game.
UMaine took a 17-14 lead into the intermission, but Hampton took a 21-17 lead after recovering a Fagnano fumble as Mays threw a five-yard TD pass to Bonds.
Axel Perez extended the lead to 24-17 with a 36-yard field goal with six seconds left in the third period.
Hampton opened the scoring when Mays tossed a 40-yard TD pass to Tyler Thompson.
But UMaine tied it up on Elijah Barnwell’s four-yard run.
The Pirates regained the lead on a 67-yard pass from Mays to Bonds but, again, UMaine responded as Zavier Scott scampered 27 yards to tie it up.
UMaine took the lead with 6:03 on Cole Baker’s 21-yard field goal.
UMaine had 449 total yards to Hampton’s 358.
Barnwell had 90 yards on 11 carries, Fagnano had 59 on nine, Brock had 46 yards on 10 carries and Scott gained 45 on five, all in the first half. Scott was injured and didn’t play in the second half.
Kobay White caught four passes for 31 yards and Scott and Michael Monios each had three for 31 and 28 yards, respectively.
Adrian Otero, Jamehl Wiley and Buggs Brown had six tackles each to lead the defense.
Mays completed 12 of 27 passes for 230 yards and three TDs. Bonds caught seven passes for 141 yards. Darran Butts carried the ball 13 times for 69 yards.
Qwahsin Townsel’s 12 tackles and Ali Shockley’s seven paced the defense.
UMaine will host Monmouth for Homecoming at 1 p.m. Saturday.
