ORONO, Maine -- Kenny Doak's 52-yard field goal as time expired lifted the No. 25 Black Bears to a 13-10 victory over No. 19 Villanova on Saturday evening at Alfond Stadium. With the win, Maine improves to 2-0 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play and 3-2 overall while the Wildcats fall to 3-3 and 0-3 in CAA action.

Doak's 52-yard game-winner matched a school-record last set by Jack Leggett against Delaware in 1975. The sophomore kicker also added a 30-yard first half field goal.

The victory snapped Maine's four-game losing skid against Villanova and provided the Black Bears with their first home win over the Wildcats since 2006. The victory also gave Maine two wins over ranked opponents for the first time since the 2013 season.

Maine, which entered the game as the CAA leader in rush defense, continued to impress on the defensive side of the ball. The Black Bears limited Villanova to just 88-yards on the ground, marking the seventh consecutive game in which Maine has held its opponent to 100 or fewer rushing yards. As a whole, the Black Bears limited Villanova to just 181 total yards.

Deshawn Stevens paced the 'Black Hole' defense, totaling a team-high eight tackles including career-highs in both sacks (2.0) and tackles-for-loss (2.5) while Sterling Sheffield added seven tackles, forced a fumble and tallied his conference leading 6.5 sack. Manny Patterson and Richard Carr each added their first career interceptions for Maine's two takeaways.

Offensively, Maine produced 308 total yards including 143 rush yards behind Joe Fitzpatrick's 15 carries for 66-yards and a score. Earnest Edwards added a career-best 52-yards on the ground and added a game-high five receptions. Seven Black Bears recorded receptions while Jaquan Blair posted a game-high 58-yards receiving.

Maine's offense was impressive on third down as it was able to move the chains on 7-of-16 attempts. Defensively, the Black Bears held Villanova to just 3-of-13 on third down.

How it happened:

1Q | Villanova opened the game with a 13 play, 47-yard drive capped by a 35-yard field goal from Drew Kresge.
2Q | The Black Bears began their second drive of the game at their own 3-yard line with 5:10 left in the opening quarter. Edwards, Fitzpatrick and Isaiah Robinson each picked up double-digit rushes as part of a lengthy 15 play, 84-yard drive. Doak's 30-yard field goal completed the drive, tying the game at 3-3 early in the second quarter.
2Q | Jarrett McClenton's 17-yard rush carried the Wildcats down to the Maine 18. Charles Mitchell's 11-yard sack backed Villanova up to the 29 before Patterson tallied his first career interception on the Maine 2, ending the Villanova threat.
2Q | Maine's next drive stalled and Villanova took over at its own 38. An interception by Jeff DeVaughn was negated by a pass interference call. However, two plays later Carr made his first pick of his career with just 1:31 left in the half.
2Q | A Villanova interception returned the ball to the Wildcats with 56-seconds remaining in the second quarter. Nova marched down to the Maine 18 with 29-seconds on the clock. A sack by Sheffield backed the Wildcats to the Maine 29. Two plays later, a 46-yard field goal attempt by Villanova fell short as the first half came to a close.
3Q | Robinson's 18-yard third down strike to Devin Young was key on Maine's opening drive of the second half. Robinson and the offense marched 73-yards on 13 plays before Fitzpatrick's rush up the middle produced a two yard score. The touchdown gave Maine its first lead of the day, 10-3.
3Q | A Maine fumble midway through the third quarter gave Villanova the ball on the Maine 16. Four plays later, Aaron Forbes bounced in from 20-yards out, knotting the score at 10-10.
4Q | Maine marched down the field early in the fourth and into Villanova territory. A Fitzpatrick 3-yard rush put Maine on the Nova 23 where Doak attempted a 40-yard field goal. However, the Wildcats were able to block the try with 13:30 left in the game.
4Q | The Black Bears forced a Villanova punt late in the fourth and began the drive on the Maine 17. Robinson's 20-yard pass to Blair moved the ball to the Villanova 44. An 8-yard strike to Wright and a 1-yard rush from Fitzpatrick put the ball at the Villanova 35 with 3-seconds left. Doak's 52-yard strike as time expired propelled Maine over Villanova, 13-10.

The Black Bears continue CAA action on Saturday, Oct. 13 at noon when they travel to visit Rhode Island in a battle between two teams with undefeated league records.

-UMaine-