ORONO, Maine (Oct. 28, 2017)—The William & Mary football team fell at Maine, 23-6, on Saturday afternoon.
 
W&M (2-6, 0-5) jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a 41-yard field goal by Kris Hooper early in the first quarter but was outscored 23-3 during the remainder of the contest.
 
The Tribe limited Maine (4-3, 3-3) to just 342 total yards of offense but managed 199 yards of its own and converted on just one of its three trips into the red zone.
 
W&M trailed by just a touchdown, 13-6, entering the fourth quarter after Hooper connected on a 25-yard field goal late in the third stanza, but UM closed the game with 10 unanswered points. Tailback Josh Mack provided the first score on a 2-yard touchdown run with 13:43 showing, while Brandon Briggs connected on his third field goal of the game – a 23-yard kick – with 8:13 remaining.
 
Tribe Standouts
Safety Corey Parker led the Tribe defensively with a team-high 12 tackles, while defensive tackle Bill Murray posted seven stops, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble.
 
Defensive end Gavin Johnson also posted a half sack with 1.5 TFL, while defensive end Matt Ahola registered a half sack.
 
Inside the Numbers
Although Maine narrowly outgained W&M on the ground (150-142), the Black Bears held a 192-57 advantage through the air.
 
While UM was 5 of 16 on third down, the Tribe converted on just 3 of its 16 third downs.
 
Both teams were heavily penalized, as Maine (10-92) and W&M (8-95) were flagged for more than 90 yards.
 
The Opposition
Mack led Maine with 99 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown, while quarterback Chris Ferguson completed 13 of 22 passes for 192 yards and threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Drew Belcher late in the second quarter.
 
Earnes Edwards was the Black Bears' leading receiver with three catches for 66 yards.
 
Jaron Grayer led UM defensively with 12 tackles, while Ster Sheffield totaled seven tackles and a sack.  
 
Notes
Although Maine's Josh Mack totaled a game-high 99 yards on the ground, it was more than 47 yards fewer than his nation-leading average entering the contest … True freshman defensive tackle Will Kiely earned his first career start, becoming W&M's fifth true freshman to start a game this season … With his 1.5 TFL, Gavin Johnson has recorded at least 1.0 TFL in five straight games … Punter Will Michael converted a fourth-and-6 at the W&M 29 with a 12-yard run on a fake punt during the second quarter … W&M is now 7-6 all-time vs. Maine and owns a 4-3 edge in Orono.
 
Up Next
The Tribe will return to action when it hosts No. 17/16 New Hampshire at Zable Stadium next Saturday at 2 p.m.