CASTINE, Maine — Maine Maritime Academy cut Norwich University's lead to seven points late in the third quarter, but the Cadets responded with two touchdowns in the fourth to pull away for a 28-7 victory over the Mariners on Saturday at Ritchie Field.
The Mariners broke through with 1:04 remaining in the third quarter when freshman quarterback
Harris Stone connected with senior wide receiver
Ty Regis for a 36-yard touchdown. Freshman
RJ Foxx converted the extra point, cutting Norwich's lead to 14-7 and giving Maine Maritime momentum heading into the final quarter. Norwich answered with an 8-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth before adding a 57-yard scoring run with 4:50 remaining to secure the victory.
Maine Maritime finished with 287 yards of total offense, including 214 through the air and 73 on the ground. Stone completed 21 of 37 passes for 214 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Regis led the Mariners' receiving corps with three catches for 64 yards and the touchdown, while freshman wide receiver
Evan Flowers added four receptions for 58 yards.
Junior running back
Auston Harris paced Maine Maritime's rushing attack, carrying the ball 18 times for 74 yards. Harris also contributed five receptions for 16 yards. Sophomore
Jack Austin caught two passes for 33 yards, while
Lucas Pelkey finished with four receptions for 20 yards.
The Mariners recorded 19 first downs and held possession for 29 minutes, 53 seconds. Maine Maritime also came up with a key special-teams play late in the first half, blocking a 24-yard Norwich field-goal attempt.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker
Connor Cuba led the Mariners with 12 total tackles, including four solo stops, and added a pass breakup. Junior linebacker
Matt Gagin finished with 11 tackles, including five solo stops and two tackles for loss totaling seven yards. Junior defensive back
Lucas Houghton recorded seven tackles, while
Dominic St. John added five tackles and two pass breakups. Junior
Daryl Hopper Jr. contributed four tackles and two tackles for loss.
The Mariners return to action on Saturday when it battles the University of New England on the road with kickoff set for noon.
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