Campus Currents

Possession Obsession
Football gears up for the 100th anniversary of the UNH vs. Maine rivalry

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UNH hearing aids
Josh Gibney/AP
ALL THEIRS: The UNH football team celebrates a 30-27 win over Maine in 2011, which kept the Brice-Cowell Musket at UNH.

When it comes to football, the rivalry between UNH and the University of Maine ranks as one of the fiercest in New England, and this fall the long-standing feud will hit a new milestone. The game on Oct. 20 between the Wildcats and Black Bears will mark the 100th time the two teams have competed on the gridiron.

Hinging on the outcome of the game is the coveted Brice-Cowell Musket. The 270-year-old rifle has been brought to the field since the 1950s (some say the 1940s) and returns home with the winning team to hang—with pride and bragging rights—in its locker room.

Eight out of the past nine years, UNH has claimed the musket—named in honor of former Maine coach Fred Brice and former Wildcat coach, and later athletic director, William Cowell. Approaching this year's centennial matchup, UNH is hoping its winning streak continues.

"That musket is something we talk about all year long," says co-captain and offensive lineman Chris Zarkoskie '13. "It's a big thing to see it every day before and after practice. When we lost to Maine two years ago, it was a really weird feeling not having the musket."

Sports information officer Mike Murphy recalls the November 2010 game when the Wildcats lost 16-13 in overtime at Orono. "I had to take the musket from our bench and hand it over to Maine after the game," he says. "It was not fun."

Before this October's game, the seniors and head coach Sean McDonnell '78 will remind the team of the historic rivalry. "It's now a century of tradition," says linebacker and co-captain Matt Evans '13. "This is something that is bigger than ourselves. We'll recognize the players who have come before us to play Maine. It's definitely a give-your-all kind of game."

Playing Maine for the 100th time isn't the only milestone the Wildcats face this year. The number 100 plays a pivotal role in two other potential Wildcat records. At the start of his 14th season as head coach, McDonnell was four games shy of his 100th win; linebacker Evans was 100 tackles away from having the most career tackles in UNH football history.

Few Wildcats, however, were aware of either impending record. "Coach Mac hasn't even told anybody that he is coming up on his 100th win," Zarkoskie says. "You never hear him talk about his individual successes. It's all about the team."

Evans is the winner of the 2011 Buchanan Award, presented to the most outstanding defensive player in the division. He recorded 165 tackles in 2011 and 156 the year before. "To be the leading tackler in UNH history with the number of people who have come through this program is something very special," says senior captain and middle linebacker Alan Buzbee '13. "But if you ask Matt about his record, you're not going to hear much. He's more focused on winning games and letting the awards speak for themselves."


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