After two penalties on UMaine enabled Albany two extra plays with no time left on the clock, quarterback Reese Poffenbarger threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Julian Hicks to give the Great Danes a 23-21 Colonial Athletic Association win over the University of Maine on Saturday afternoon.
The win by the Great Danes snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Black Bears.
Albany is now 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the CAA while UMaine fell to 2-8 and 2-5 after losing its fourth straight game.
UMaine quarterback Joe Fagnano gave the Black Bears a 21-17 lead with 1:50 left in the game on a six-yard run.
On the ensuing game-winning drive, Albany was faced with a fourth-and-20 at the UMaine-27 with 26 seconds left and Poffenbarger completed a 21-yard pass to Thomas Greaney to pick up a first down at the UM six-yard line and keep Albany in the game.
A targeting penalty on UMaine’s Robby Riobe moved the ball to the three-yard line and a holding penalty on Darius McKenzie took it to one yard from the endzone with no time left on the clock.
A potential game-ending incompletion was negated by a pass interference call on Benito Speight and Albany took advantage on the next play.
UMaine took a 7-0 lead when Fagnano tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Montigo Moss with 6:31 left in the first quarter.
John Opalko kicked a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter to cut the lead to 7-3.
The Great Danes took their first lead of the game with 19 seconds remaining in the first half on a 20-yard TD pass from Poffenbarger to Greaney.
It capped a three-play, 67-yard drive after Albany took over at its own 33-yard line with just 39 seconds left in the half.
A 47-yard pass from Poffenbarger to Roy Alexander set up the TD.
Albany extended the lead to 17-7 on Todd Sibley’s two-yard run early in the second half after he had rattled off a 52-yard run.
But Zavier Scott pulled UMaine within 17-14 on a two-yard run following an Adrian Otero interception..
In the fourth quarter, Scott’s 29-yard run and a 22-yard pass from Fagnano to Declan McKevitt set up the Black Bears at Albany’s seven-yard line and, two plays later, Fagnano scored from the six.
It was tight end McKevitt’s first career reception.
Albany outgained UMaine 443-314.
Poffenbarger completed 19 of 37 passes for 274 yards and two TDs. Greaney caught seven passes for 126 yards and Alexander caught six passes for 91 yards. Sibley rushed for 165 yards on 19 carries.
Fagnano completed 15 of 25 passes for 164 yards and a TD. He also ran the ball 10 times for 46 yards.
Scott carried the ball eight times for 78 yards and caught six passes for 58 more yards. Rohan Jones had three catches for 47 yards.
Dylan Kelly had a game-high nine tackles and also had an interception for Albany. A.J. Mistler had seven tackles and Anton Juncaj had si including two sacks.
Otero had eight tackles, including the 250th of his career, and an interception for UMaine. Kahzir Brown had six tackles, four pass breakups and a blocked field goal attempt before leaving the game with an injury during Albany’s last drive. Riobe and Austin Ambush had five tackles each.
UMaine will host New Hampshire in the battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket on Senior Day at noon next Saturday. Albany will visit Rhode Island.