Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine football team concludes the 2023 season with the 111th Battle for the Brice-Cowell musket in the Border Battle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, at New Hampshire on Saturday at 1 p.m. Maine will be looking for its second-straight win at UNH after capturing the Musket at Wildcat Stadium in 2021.
Broadcast Details:
Saturday's game will be live streamed on FloFootball and can be heard in the Bangor area on 92.9 The Ticket, in Portland on 100.5 WLOB and nationwide at GoBlackBears.com. Tickets for the Maine and UNH game remain available and can be purchased here.
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- The Black Bears square off with New Hampshire, Maine's longest tenured rival, in a series that dates back to 1903. New Hampshire currently owns a 57-45-8 record in the all-time series. Maine, entering the series 19-29-5 on the road against the Wildcats, will be looking for its second straight road win in the series after a 33-20 victory at Wildcat Stadium in 2021. Maine last won two in a row on the road in the series in 1986, 1989. Maine's 2021 win at UNH was its first in Durham since 2001. UNH took last season's meeting in a thrilling showdown, 42-41, in overtime at Alfond Stadium. After the Wildcats scored in overtime, Maine answered with a score but a failed two-point conversion proved to be the difference. Last season's meeting featured 1,010 total yards of offense as the Black Bears rushed for 336 yards in the loss. Current Black Bear Rohan Jones scored Maine's overtime touchdown.
- A special trophy, the Brice-Cowell Musket, is at stake each year of the rivalry between Maine and New Hampshire. Named after two great former coaches -- Fred Brice of Maine and William Cowell of UNH -- the winner of the annual football game gains possession of the musket for the following year. The tradition began in the late 1940s. The musket is a flintlock rifle made by Ebenezer Nutting of Falmouth, Maine between 1722 and 1745. The George I period flintlock has a barrel 43 inches in length and rifled to a .65 caliber.
- The Black Bears, coming out of the bye week, enter the season finale stuck in a three-game losing skid following a 42-35 loss to Hampton in Orono on Nov. 4. Maine, which entered the fourth quarter with a 35-28 edge in the game, was led by Derek Robertson's 349 passing yards and career-high matching five touchdown passes, three to Rohan Jones. The Black Bears, who racked up 30 first downs and 526 total yards in the game, also received a career performance from Jamie Lamson who tallied career-bests in receptions (8), and receiving yards (180) to go along with his team-high fifth touchdown reception. Lamson's 180 receiving yards were the most by a Black Bear in the last 55 games.
- New Hampshire enters action fresh off a 31-24 victory at Monmouth on Nov. 11. Max Brosmer threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns in the win while Dylan Laube added 47-yards on the ground but both would leave the game early due to injury and not return. Laube leads all of FCS with 209.5 all-purpose yards per game and is second in the CAA with 6.8 receptions. Brosmer currently leads the FCS in passing yards per game (317.8) with 26 passing touchdowns (5th in FCS/2nd in CAA) on the year. UNH boasts the CAA's leading offense at 36.8 points per game. The majority of the offense comes through the air as UNH is tops in the CAA in passing offense (322.5) and 13th in rushing (118.0). The Wildcats rank ninth in the league in scoring defense (30.0 ppg) and 14th in pass defense (271.3).
- Derek Robertson has thrown for 2,618 yards this season. Currently, that number ranks sixth on Maine's all-time list for single season passing yards, just 30 yards from fourth (Mickey Fein, 2,648 - 1998). Robertson's 4,179 career passing yards sits him 12th on Maine's all-time career passing yards list, 314 behind Bob Wilder for 11th all-time. Robertson, who has the second most completions per game in the CAA (22.6), is 10th nationally in passing yards this season (2,618).
A Maine Win Would:
...Be Maine's 46th win over New Hampshire.
...Be Maine's second consecutive road victory over UNH (2021).
...Be Maine's 20th road win over UNH
...Snap Maine's three game losing streak.
...Be Maine's first road win of the season.
...Be Maine's first back-to-back road wins in the series since the 1986, 1989 seasons.
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Tale of the Tape
| Maine (CAA rank) |
Category |
UNH (CAA) |
| 23.4 (10) |
Points |
36.8 (1) |
| 361.2 (9) |
Total Offense |
440.5 (2) |
| 84.6 (15) |
Rushing Yards |
118.0 (13) |
| 276.6 (3) |
Passing Yards |
322.5 (1) |
| 7/24 |
Rushing TDs/Passing TDs |
16/27 |
| 30:18 (7) |
Offensive Time of Possession |
31:34 (4) |
| 31.6 (11) |
Points Allowed |
30.0 (9) |
| 420.6 (11) |
Total Defense |
425.9 (12) |
| 184.5 (13) |
Rushing Yards Allowed |
154.6 (6) |
| 236.1 (10) |
Passing Yards Allowed |
271.3 (14) |
| 20/21 |
Rushing/Passing TDs Allowed |
19/20 |
| 37.6 (9) |
3rd-Down Conversions |
41.8 (7) |
| 48.4 (14) |
3rd-Down Conversion Defense |
31.7 (2) |
| -4 (10) |
Turnover Margin |
+3 (8) |
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