GameDay Central: Football Continues CAA Action Saturday at UAlbany

Maine looking for back-to-back CAA victories

Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine football team (2-3, 1-3 CAA) travels to UAlbany (3-3, 1-2) for the 11th meeting between the two teams on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 3:30 p.m.. Maine will look for its second-straight CAA win, and first on the road, Saturday at Casey Stadium live on Fox College Sports Atlantic and Fox Sports Go.

UMaine at UAlbany | Oct. 21 | 3:32 p.m. | Casey Stadium

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Watch - Saturday's game will be broadcast nationally on Fox College Sports Atlantic and available on the web via the Fox Sports Go platform. Note: The game can be found on DISH channel 443 and DirecTV 608. To find your local listing, please click here.
Listen - The game will be carried by the Black Bears Sports Network radio affiliates through the state of Maine. Fans can tune in at 103.9 FM, 101.3 FM, 1450 AM, 1310 AM and live at GoBlackBears.com.
Live Stats - Fans can follow along to live, up to the second stat updates throughout the game, provided by StatBroadcast at GoBlackBears.com.
Social Media - Follow @BlackBearsFB on Twitter for all in-game social media photos and updates!

Game Storylines:

Maine and UAlbany will be meet for the 11th time with the all-time series deadlocked at 5-5. The Black Bears have won two in a row in the series and each of the last three road games. All-time, Maine is 3-1 at UAlbany and has scored 30+ in each of its last three visits to Albany. Last season, Maine racked up 467-yards of offense in a 20-16 victory. Earnest Edwards and Jared Osumah each hauled in touchdowns in last season's win.
Maine will be looking to hand UAlbany its first home loss of the season (2-0). The Great Danes posted wins over Monmouth and Villanova in September and will be playing their first game at Casey Stadium since Sept. 23.
The Black Bears are coming off their first CAA win of the year after outscoring Rhode Island 28-0 in the third quarter to seal a 51-27 victory. In the win, Josh Mack rushed for 248-yards and became the first Black Bear to rush for 200+ yards in a single season since Carl Smith (1989). For his performance, Mack was named the CAA Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this year. Chris Ferguson tossed for five touchdowns in the win, earning him CAA Rookie of the Week honors.
Mack, the nation's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) leader in rush yards per game (154.4) will have another test when he faces the stout UAlbany rush defense which enters allowing just 89.3 ypg; second best among CAA leaders.
UAlbany, coming off a bye, dropped a 41-38 decision in double overtime at Richmond in its last outing back on Oct. 7. Entering Saturday's contest, UAlbany has played three-straight ranked opponents (No. 7 Villanova, No. 23 Elon, No. 14 Richmond).
On Thursday, Josh Mack was added to the Walter Payton Award Watch List; an award presented annually to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

A UMaine win would...

...Be Maine's 6th victory over UAlbany, snapping a 5-5 tie in the series.
...Be Maine's third-straight win over UAlbany.
...Be Maine's fourth road win against UAlbany. (3-1 all-time)
...Be Maine's first road win of the year.
...Be Maine's fourth-straight road win in the series with UAlbany (last road loss to UAlbany was in 2009).
...Be Maine's fourth win against UAlbany in the last five meetings.
...Be Maine's third-straight win in the state of New York (Stony Brook 2016, UAlbany 2015).

Series Notes:
Maine and UAlbany will be meeting or the 11th time ... The all-time series is currently deadlocked at five wins each ... Maine has won each of the last two meetings, including a 20-16 victory last season ... Maine is 3-1 all-time in Albany and has won each of the last three road meetings ... Maine is averaging 34.3 points in its last three trips to Albany, outscoring the Great Danes 103-49. The Black Bears defeated UAlbany 39-7 in their last trip to Albany (2015) ... A year ago, Maine racked up 467-yards of offense in the win. The Black Bears featured throwing scores of 49-yards, 40-yards and 51-yards in the 2016 win ... Defensively, Maine limited UAlbany to just 4-of-15 on third down.

Bear Tracks:

Sophomore running back Josh Mack, who was named to the Walter Payton Award watch list earlier this week, currently leads the country at 154.4 rush yards per game and ranks second in the nation in total rush yards (772). Mack, averaging a league best 6.89 yards per carry, had a historic performance against Bryant earlier this season. In that game, Mack rushed for 255-yards becoming just the second Black Bear ever to rush for more than 250+ in a game, and the first to go over 200 since Marcus Williams (246 yds) in 2003. Mack again eclipsed the 200+ yard mark with 248 rush yards against URI - becoming just the second Black Bear since 1989 (Carl Smith) to rush for 200+ twice in a single season. Mack, a two-time CAA Offensive Player of the Week honoree, has now rushed for 100+ seven times in his career and in four of Maine's first five games of 2017.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Jaron Grayer has burst onto the scene for Maine. After leading the Black Bears with 10 tackles in his first career game, Grayer followed up with 3.0 TFLs, including a sack, and a forced fumble against Bryant before adding a career-high 11 tackles at Villanova. Grayer current ranks fourth in the CAA with 9.0 tackles per game.
Sacks: The Black Bears' offensive line have provided incredible production thus far. Maine has allowed just eight sacks all season, tops in the CAA. On the flip-side, the Black Hole defense ranks second in the CAA and seventh nationally with 3.70 sacks per game.
Third Down Defense: The Black Hole defense has held its ground on third down as it ranks 15th in the country and second in the CAA, allowing a slim 31.3% conversion rate to opponents facing third down.
Special Teams: The return game, which was a highlight for Maine in 2016, has picked up right where it left off. The Black Bears returned all five of their return weapons (DeVaughn, Edwards, Scott, Mack, Wright) to a unit which currently ranks first in the CAA in kickoff return at 24.1 yards per return. Individually, Edwards is the CAA's top returner and ranks 16th nationally at 26.1 yards per return. On the punt side, Maine is seventh in the country and tops in the CAA, averaging 17.7 yards per return. Defensively, the Black Bears are third nationally and first in the CAA after allowing a 1.71 yards per punt return rate.
Redshirt freshman QB Chris Ferguson made his career debut in Maine's opener at UNH. Ferguson tossed three touchdown passes in the 24-23 loss, becoming the first player since Ron Whitcomb (2003) to throw for 3+ touchdowns as a freshman. Ferguson matched the feat with three more TDs in his second career game, against Bryant before tossing five touchdowns against Rhode Island. Ferguson is just the third UMaine QB since the start of the 1999 season to throw for 5+ TDs in a game.
Take Aways: On Sept. 9, the Black Bears forced an impressive eight turnovers (five interceptions, three fumble recoveries) in a win over Bryant.
Sterling Sheffield enters the game against with a tackle for loss in each of his last eight games, dating back to 2016. In his last eight outings, Sheffield has totaled 12.5 TFLs.
Electric Earnest: During his true freshman campaign, Earnest Edwards rushed for a score, caught a score, threw for a score and returned a kickoff for a score. Edwards was the only Division-I player to score a touchdown four different ways (rush, reception, pass, kick return) during the 2016 season. His 97-yard kickoff return for a score was Maine's longest kickoff return touchdown since 2004. Edwards set a career-high with two TD receptions in 2017 against Bryant.
Sophomore RB Josh Mack is 16 rush yards from 1,500 in his career.
Freshman Earnest Edwards enters action 49 receiving yards from 500 in his career.
Senior WR Jared Osumah, who pulled down his 50th career reception at UNH, is 299 receiving yards from 1,000. Osumah stands 35 receptions from 100.
Senior WR Jaleel Reed is 264 receiving yard away from 1,000 for his career.
Preseason all-conference corner Najee Goode recorded his 100th career tackle in Maine's opener at UNH. Goode is now 38 tackles away from 150.
Redshirt junior safety Darrius Hart stands 23 tackles from 100 in his time at Maine. Hart has a pick in two of Maine's first five games.
Senior safety Jason Matovu is Maine's active leader in tackles (131).
All-Conference selection Sterling Sheffield is the veteran at linebacker for Maine. A three-year starter, he has appeared in 26 games over his first three seasons and recently record the 100th tackle of his career (at JMU). Sheffield will lead a team of two first-year starters at linebacker in Taji Lowe and Jaron Grayer.
Senior right guard Isaiah Brooks is Maine's active leader in games played at 37, starting all 37 he's appeared in. Jamil Demby and Najee Goode, rank second on the active games played list for Maine (34).