5 Takeaways from Vermont's 19-14 Win Over New Hampshire in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl

Strong first half allows Vermont to extend winning streak

Ahmed Diawara, SeaWolves football. / ALEX ABRAMI/Free Press / USA TODAY NETWORK

Here are some thoughts and observations from Vermont’s 19-14 victory over New Hampshire in Saturday’s Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl:

1. There was drama with less than a minute to play

Vermont couldn’t celebrate until it came up with a fourth-down stop with 45.3 seconds to play. New Hampshire drove to the Vermont 37-yard line, where it faced a fourth-and-nine situation. Quarterback Brady Lover (Bow) attempted a pass to Jameson Isaac (Pinkerton Academy), but Isaac was out of bounds when he caught the ball. Vermont took possession and took a knee to run out the clock.

2. Vermont had quarterback options

Vermont’s Poppy Diawara (Burlington/South Burlington) and Hayden Boivin (North Country) split time at quarterback, and both were effective.

Diawara opened the scoring on a 69-yard run around right end with 1:47 remaining in the first quarter, and handed Vermont a 19-0 lead when he tossed a 10-yard pass to Carter Bunnell (St. Johnsbury) with 29 seconds left in the first half. Boivin scored Vermont’s second TD on a 17-yard run with 3:47 remaining in the first half. Tucker Morter (Middlebury) made the point-after kick to put Vermont up 13-0. 

Boivin finished with a game-high 122 yards rushing. Diawara ran for 82. Vermont had a 313-185 edge in total offense.

3. Isaac provided New Hampshire with big plays

It looked like Vermont might breeze to an easy victory until Isaac intercepted a Diawara pass and returned it 47 yards to the Vermont 2-yard line. Lover scored on a 2-yard run on the next play. New Hampshire trailed 19-7 after Caden Tucker (Laconia) kicked the PAT with 7:36 to play in the third quarter.

Isaac also caught a 69-yard TD pass from Lover with 9:54 to play. Tucker’s PAT capped the game’s scoring.

4. Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl has become a road game for New Hampshire

This was the 10th straight year the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl was played at Vermont State-Castleton’s Dave Wolk Stadium. The game, which was first held in 1954, has also been played at Holman Stadium (Nashua, N.H.), Athletic Stadium (Manchester, N.H.), Dartmouth’s Memorial Field (Hanover, N.H.), The University of New Hampshire’s Cowell Stadium (Durham, N.H.), Plymouth State University’s Currier Field (Plymouth, N.H.), MacLeay-Royce Field (Windsor, Vt.) and Centennial Field (Burlington, Vt.).

5. Recent history favors Vermont

Saturday’s victory extended Vermont’s winning streak to three games. Vermont has never won four in a row. 

New Hampshire, which won 15 in a row from 2001 to 2015, has a 50-19-2 edge in the all-time series.

-- Roger Brown | @603SportsMedia