Maine defeats Merrimack College 26-15

University Sports

Merrimack (1-3)’s Jermaine Corbett ran for 80 yards.

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (AP) — Carter Peavy threw two touchdown passes, the Maine defense allowed just 195 yards and the Black Bears rallied back in the second half to beat Merrimack College 26-15 on Saturday.

Maine took its first lead at 16-15 on a 28-yard field goal by Joey Bryson on the first play of the fourth quarter. Tavion Banks added a 5-yard touchdown run and Bryson’s third field goal of the day finally cut the lead.

Despite being held back by the Maine defense, the Warriors used strong defensive play to take a 15-6 lead by halftime. Grant Jackson’s 52-yard fumble return gave Merrimack a 7-0 lead, and the Warriors also got a safety in the second quarter when Jay Thompson sacked Peavy.

Peavy galvanized Maine by orchestrating four scoring drives in the second half, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Hagee that put the Black Bears up 15-13 in the third quarter before sealing the win in the fourth.

For the Black Bears (2-2), Peavy completed 18 of 27 passes for 210 yards and Banks ran for 62 yards.

Merrimack’s (1-3) Jermaine Corbett rushed for 80 yards. The two quarterbacks combined to complete 13 of 25 passes for 92 yards and two interceptions.

Maine is 2-0 all-time against Merrimack and improved to 15-2 against current/former members of the Northeast Conference, the conference before Merrimack became independent.