UNH Retains Brice-Cowell Musket with 44-25 Win vs. Maine

Saturday, November 18

Durham, N.H.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

6-5 , 4-4

Maine

2-9 , 1-7

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Maine

New Hampshire

Brice Cowell musket 2023_20231118_221830600

Photo by: Hannah Smith

11/18/2023 9:40:00 PM | Football

Box Score

DURHAM, N.H. – Junior quarterback Max Brosmer (Roswell, Ga.) passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns – and rushed for another TD – to lead the University of New Hampshire football team to Saturday afternoon's 44-25 victory against the University of Maine at Wildcat Stadium.

With the win, the Wildcats retain the Brice-Cowell Musket – which is presented annually to the winner of the Buffalo Wild Wings Border Battle – and end the regular season at 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the CAA.

SENIOR DAY PHOTO GALLERY

UNH scored first and held the lead the entire game by scoring six touchdowns, including five in the first half to build a 34-14 lead that was extended to 44-17 in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore running back Myles Thomason (Montclair, N.J.) finished with a game-high 174 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. He carried the ball a career-high 16 times for 55 yards, caught two passes for 11 yards – including a 10-yard score – and had two punt returns for 108 yards, including an 89-yard TD.

Grad student wide receiver Logan Tomlinson (Manchester, Conn.) led all players with eight catches for 121 yards, including a two-yard touchdown.

UNH's defense recorded six tackles for loss, including three sacks, one forced fumble and fumble recovery, an interception and seven pass breakups. Senior safety Joe Eichman (Merrimack, N.H.) recorded a team-high six tackles (six solo) and his team-leading third interception of the year.

Junior cornerback Noah Stansbury (Orange, N.J.) tallied five tackles (four solo) and three pass breakups. Junior linebacker Ryan Toscano (Bedford, N.H.) also had five tackles, one of which was a strip-sack in which he recovered the fumble.

Maine QB Derek Robertson had numbers close to his career highs. He completed 31 of 51 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns; he entered the game with career highs of 36 completions and 52 pass attempts.

Trevin Ewing had seven catches for 79 yards – both career highs – with a 14-yard TD. Jamie Lamson had a team-high eight catches for 50 yards, including a two-yard score. Tristen Kenan was Maine's top ground gainer with 11 rushes for 48 yards.

Maine finished the 2023 season at 2-9, 1-7.

FIRST QUARTER

The 'Cats were first on the board with a 2-yard pass from Brosmer to Tomlinson in the right side of the end zone at 8:57. Nick Mazzie (Boxford, Mass.) kicked the PAT for the 7-0 lead.
Brosmer completed a pass to a wide-open Lepkowski at the Maine 37 yard-line and he ran into the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown at 5:25. The 'Cats attempted a two-point conversion, but the pass to Lepkowski fell incomplete to keep the score 13-0.

SECOND QUARTER

Robertson found Lamson in the right flat and he ran the ball the last yard into the end zone at 14:53. Cody Williams made the PAT kick to trim the deficit to 13-7.
Brosmer's shovel pass up the middle to Thomason for 10 yards marked the Wildcats' third touchdown of the game and the PAT kick was good by Mazzie to extend the lead to 20-7 at 12:04.
The Black Bears responded with a Robertson-to-Ewing 14-yard touchdown at 10:10 and Colby kicked the PAT to lift Maine within 20-14.
On the ensuing kickoff, Williams deliberately kicked the ball into UNH's player 10 yards away and recovered the ball to give possession back to the visitors.
Two plays later, however, Toscano sacked Robertson to cause a fumble and he recovered the ball at the Maine 35 to give UNH the ball back at 9:20.
And two plays after that, Brosmer ran toward the right pylon into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown at 8:54. Mazzie's PAT pushed the score to 27-14.
Eichman intercepted a tipped pass at Maine's 38-yard line at 8:07 to put UNH's offense back on the field. Brandon Perkins (Williamstown, N.J.) was the 'Cat who deflected Robertson's pass at the Maine 35.
Isaac Seide (Everett, Mass.) rushed up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown at 6:34 and Mazzie's PAT kick gave New Hampshire a 34-14 lead.
Maine converted a 4^th-and-1 at the UNH 9 to extend its drive but the Wildcats' defense made a stand to force Williams' 25-yard field goal that advanced the score to 34-17 with 33 seconds on the clock.

THIRD QUARTER

Thomason scored the only TD of the third quarter when he caught punt at the 11-yard line, found a seam up the middle and raced the final 50 yards down the left sideline for an 89-yard touchdown at 2:56. Mazzie's PAT made it 41-17.

FOURTH QUARTER

Mazzie made a 35-yard field goal at 9:04 to extend UNH's lead to 44-17.
Robertson threw the ball 12 yards down the middle to Cooper Heisey in the end zone for a touchdown at 3:54. The Black Bears went for a two-point conversion and Robertson completed the pass Eli Mahan on the right side for a successful conversion that brought the score to 44-25.

GAME NOTEBOOK

UNH's offense amassed 373 yards on 62 plays while Maine recorded 346 total yards on 73 plays.
New Hampshire had a +2 turnover margin with two takeaways.
The Black Bears had the edge in time of possession at 33:10.
UNH converted 8 of 13 first downs and was 1-for-1 in fourth down conversions.
The Wildcats scored on all five trips into the Red Zone and Maine scored on all four possessions inside the UNH 20.

UNH NOTEBOOK

Sophomore wide receiver Joey Corcoran (Montreal, Quebec) eclipsed 1,000 career receiving yards. He increased his total to 1,017 with two catches for 21 yards.
Junior safety Noah Palm (Reinholds, Pa.) recorded his 100^th career tackle with the third of his four stops. He is 1 of 10 active Wildcats to reach that milestone and now has 101 career tackles.
Mazzie went 6-for-6 on PAT attempts for the fourth time this season and made his lone field goal attempt.
Brosmer ended the season with 294 completions on 459 attempts for 3,464 yards and 29 TDs. Those numbers rank second on UNH's list of single-season superlatives in completions, attempts and yards.
Brosmer also ranks No. 2 on UNH's career leaderboard in yards (8,716), completions (760) and attempts (1,225).
Lepkowski's 56-yard TD was longest career reception.
Thomason's 89-yard punt return marked his career long; his previous long was 61 yards at Stonehill College in the this year's opener.
Senior running back Dylan Laube (Westhampton, N.Y.), the national leader in all-purpose yards who has been invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, did not play.

SENIOR DAY

UNH recognized 19 Wildcats on Senior day. Here's the list:
cornerback Charles Briscoe III (Bowie, Md.), defensive end Chris Donnelly (Park Ridge, N.J.), Eichmann, tight end Kenny Fazio (Oakland, N.J.), defensive tackle Kyle Finnick (Simi Valley, Calif.)
cornerback Randall Harris (Walled Lake, Mich.), Laube, Lepkowski, linebacker Oleh Manzyk (Feasterville, Pa.), wide receiver Heron Maurisseau (Bellport N.Y.)
offensive lineman Matt O'Neil (Weymouth, Mass.), offensive lineman Osho Omoyeni (Lowell, Mass.), safety Max Oxendine (Chester, Va.), Palm, wide receiver Cam Peach (South Hamilton, Mass.)
running back Tyler Pereira (Narragansett, R.I.), linebacker Bryce Shaw (Raynham, Mass.), safety Derek Thompson (Bear, Del.) and linebacker Max Tillett (Catawissa, Pa.)