2 min read

Where: Beirne Stadium, Smithfield, R.I.

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Streaming: FloCollege

All-time series: Maine leads, 6-1. Maine won last season’s game, 38-26, in Orono.

Key stat: Maine quarterback Carter Peevy threw for 302 yards in last week’s 37-30 win over North Carolina A&T. It was the first time this season the Black Bears have gained more than 139 yards in the air.

Outlook: Getting the passing game going was the offensive key in Maine’s first win of the season last week. Peevy finally looked like the quarterback he was in 2024, completing 20 of 27 passes with a pair of touchdowns. He earned Coastal Athletic Association offensive player of the week honors for his effort. Maintaining that will be a key to Maine’s success over the second half of the season. Scott Woods, a transfer from Harvard, has become Peevy’s favorite target. Woods had eight catches for 96 yards last week, and leads the Black Bears with 25 catches for 214 yards. Linebacker Brandon Perkins tops Bryant with 42 tackles, while defensive lineman Michael Otty has four sacks.

Bryant’s offense averages 357 yards and just under 29 points per game. The Bulldogs are coming off a pair of close CAA losses, 26-24 at Towson last week, and a 50-48 double OT loss at Campbell on Sept. 20. Quarterback Brennan Myer leads the Bulldogs, and his 1,193 passing yards are third-most in the CAA. Myer has seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Tristen Riley (23 catches, 242 yards) and Aldrich Doe (20 catches, 269 yards) are the top receivers, and Zyheem Collick (19.88 yards per catch, team-high three touchdowns) is a deep threat. Maine’s secondary, led by safety Devin Vaught and corner Jamaree Gibson, will be tested. Defensive lineman Ta’kai Chisolm has enjoyed success disrupting opponents’ passing games, with five QB hurries and 1 1/2 sacks.

Of note: This is the second Maine/Bryant matchup as conference opponents. Between 2011 and 2017, Maine and Bryant played each other six times, with Maine winning five times. … This is the Maine’s first visit to Bryant since Sept. 13, 2014, a 13-10 loss and Bryant’s only victory over the Black Bears. … One of Bryant’s two wins came over Football Bowl Subdivision opponent UMass, 27-26 on Sept. 6.

Travis Lazarczyk has covered sports for the Portland Press Herald since 2021. A Vermont native, he graduated from the University of Maine in 1995 with a BA in English. After a few years working as a sports...

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