STATESBORO, Ga. -- The Black Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead on their opening possession against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent. Georgia Southern would respond with 23 unanswered points but there was no quit in Maine, who battled back to make it a one possession game but ultimately fell in the end by a 26-18 final.

"Disappointed," head coach Nick Charlton said following Saturday's contest. "I'm sure some people would think we were competitive and got it to a one possession game with these guys but we recruit and we develop players and our guys go into these games looking to win. We shot ourselves in the foot a little bit today on both sides of the ball."

Chris Ferguson went over 250 yards passing for the third consecutive game, finishing 24-for-48 with 286 yards and a touchdown. Ferguson found seven receivers in the game, with Jaquan Blair, Devin Young and Shawn Bowman all recording five receptions. Blair led the way with a game-high 78-yards receiving and a score while Young added 71-yards, matching a career best with five catches, and score. Bowman's five catches for 36-yards were both career highs for the redshirt freshman.

Georgia Southern's triple option offensive scheme guided it to 395 rush yards on 52 carries with a pair of rushing touchdowns. The Eagles featured three, 100-yard rushers led by Matt LaRoche's 154-yard night.

Maine's defense held Georgia Southern to just 3-of-13 on third down as the Eagles fumbled seven times in the contest but Maine was only able to recover one. Individually, Joshua Huffman tallied a career-best seven stops with Charles Mitchell and Taji Lowe each matching Huffman's team-high seven tackle night.

Maine wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, chewing off 7:13 of clock on its opening drive while moving the ball 66 yards on 14 plays and ending with a 26 yard field goal from Kenny Doak. The Black Bears were 3-of-3 on third down to start the game as Ferguson kept the drive alive early, finding Blair for 12 yards on third and nine before hitting Andre Miller for a seven yard gain on third and four. With the ball in Georgia Southern territory, the Black Bears faced another third down. This time, a defensive pass interference moved the chains, setting Maine up at the Georgia Southern 11 yard line. The drive stalled as Doak cashed in on his first field goal of the season, giving the Black Bears a 3-0 edge.

Maine carried its 3-0 advantage through the first quarter but was forced to punt on its first drive in the second. Georgia Southern snatched the lead three plays later on a 45-yard rushing score from quarterback Justin Tomlin.

The Black Bears looked for the immediate answer as they were handed good field position at the Georgia Southern 46 following as the Eagles were whistled for offsides on the kickoff. Ferguson found Miller for a gain of 16 down to Georgia Southern 24. However, Maine was unable to advance the ball further. Doak's 40-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left as the Eagles were able to hang on to their 7-3 advantage.

With 8:11 remaining in the half, Georgia Southern's Tomlin found Darion Anderson for a 45-yard gain. Maine's defense stood strong, forcing Tyler Bass to a 37-yard field goal as the Eagles extended their lead to 10-3.

Georgia Southern looked to extend its lead early in the second half when Logan Wright bounced outside and broke free for a 70-yard rush. However, a tremendous effort by Manny Patterson kept Wright out of the end zone as Patterson was able to make the stop at the Maine three. The effort by Patterson paid off as Alejandro Oregon forced a fumble on the next play. Richard Carr scooped the fumble up at the Maine 20 and the Black Bears were able to escape the 70-yard gain unscathed.

Maine's bend don't break mentality was once again featured midway through the third. A 50-yard carry from Tomlin put Georgia Southern first and goal at the Maine four. The Black Hole limited the Eagles to just one yard in three attempts, holding the hosts to a 20-yard field goal as Georgia Southern extended its lead to 13-3.

The Black Bear offense looked to answer as Ferguson hung in the pocket and absorbed a hit as he threw. Earnest Edwards elevated to haul in the 53-yard reception at the Georgia Southern 18. A 13-yard reception by Bowman followed to set Maine up first and goal at the Eagles' five. However, Reed's fumble on the next play was recovered by Georgia Southern, giving the Eagles the ball back at their three with 5:34 left in the third.

Following the fumble, Georgia Southern's Matt LaRoche sprinted down field for a 75-yard gain down to the Maine 22-yard line. The Eagles were unable to move the chains as Tyler Bass' 31-yard field goal moved the deficit to 16-3 late in the third.

Georgia Southern added to its lead early in the fourth when LaRoche crossed the goal line, extending the Eagles' lead to 23-3 with 13:33 remaining in regulation.

There was certainly no quit in the Black Bears. Devin Young was heavily involved in Maine's next scoring drive, pulling in three catches for 62 yards and a touchdown to help bring Maine back within two scores. A 34-yard, juggling reception by Young brought Maine to the Georgia Southern 34 before Ferguson picked up 13 more on a pass to Reed. The Black Bears found paydirt thanks to some trickery as Ferguson handed the ball off to Edwards who tossed a 21-yard touchdown reception to Young in the corner of the end zone, cutting the lead to 23-10. For Edwards, it marked his second career touchdown pass.

The Eagles took advantage of a Maine interception and added their fourth field goal of the game, this time a 40-yard strike from Bass, to make it 26-10 late in the fourth quarter.

Maine kept fighting. The Black Bears began their next drive at their own 25 before completing to Edwards for 12-yards and Bowman for eight advanced the ball to the Georgia Southern 46. On the next play, Ferguson hit Blair up the eam where the senior receiver shredded a tackle before crossing the goal line for the score. Maine would go for two where it was again Blair, this time leaping for an impressive grab to make it a one score game.

However, the Black Bears were unable to recover the onsides kick try and the Eagles would run the clock out, escaping with a 26-18 victory.

Maine returns home to Alfond Stadium for its CAA opener when it hosts Towson on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

-UMaine-