No. 13 Campbell Routs Maine 35-6 as Kamden Sixkiller Throws for Record 450 Yards

For most of its history, six wins was the ceiling at Campbell. The Camels hit that number in 2011, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and never got past it. On Saturday in Orono, they blew through it, and their quarterback rewrote the passing record book on the way.

Kamden Sixkiller threw for a school-record 450 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 13 Campbell rolled past Maine 35-6 on Oct. 24 at Alfond Stadium. It was Maine's Homecoming. It did not feel like much of a party.

The Camels improved to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Coastal Athletic Association with their fifth straight win, and they remain perfect against FCS opponents at 7-0. Maine fell to 1-7 and 1-4. The Black Bears have now lost seven straight, their longest skid since the 1967 team went 0-8, and their home losing streak is also at seven games. A nine-game Homecoming winning streak went down with it.

Two plays, one statement

Campbell did not waste time. Midway through the first quarter, Sixkiller hit Jon Gullette over the middle for a 53-yard touchdown. The drive took two plays and 46 seconds. That was a preview of the whole afternoon: Maine's secondary could not keep the ball in front of it, and Sixkiller kept testing it.

Maine did find one opening. Early in the second quarter, Erv Wiggins Jr. picked off Sixkiller and returned it 30 yards, giving the Black Bears a short field. Four plays later, Caden Drezek found Rashawn Marshall uncovered in the flat for an 8-yard touchdown. The extra point did not go, but it was 7-6 with 12:28 left in the half, and the Homecoming crowd had something to hold onto.

It did not last. Late in the half, Maine punted after a short possession, and Campbell needed just four plays to go 61 yards. The big one came on third-and-12, when Jyron Waiters hauled in a 53-yard catch. Ethan Lawrence finished it with a 10-yard touchdown run with 1:43 left, and Campbell led 14-6 at the break.

The third quarter put it away

If Maine had any hope of making this a game, the third quarter ended it. Campbell opened with a 10-play, 89-yard drive. Sixkiller hit J.J. Cowan for 20 yards along the way and capped it with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brady Ambrose at the 9:01 mark. It was 21-6.

The next Campbell possession looked just as clean: 10 plays, 74 yards. On third-and-10, Sixkiller tucked it and ran for 22 yards to keep it alive, and Gullette punched in a 1-yard run with 1:13 left in the quarter. Campbell led 28-6.

The fourth quarter needed exactly one snap to be decided. Sixkiller found Waiters for a 59-yard touchdown 65 seconds into the period, and that was the final score. The Campbell defense held Maine without a point in the fourth quarter for the fifth time in six games, which is quietly one of the most impressive trends in the league.

Sixkiller's record day

There is a version of this game where Sixkiller's interception early in the second quarter rattles him. That is not what happened. The senior went right back to work, and Campbell scored the game's final 28 points. He finished 29-of-44 for 450 yards, three touchdowns and that one pick, the most passing yards in a single game in program history. He also led the team in rushing with 41 yards on seven carries, and his 22-yard scramble on third down in the third quarter was as important as any throw he made.

The spread of the offense might be the most impressive part. Sixkiller completed passes to 13 different receivers. Waiters was the headliner with seven catches for 155 yards, matching a season and career high, including the 53-yard grab that set up a touchdown and the 59-yarder that capped the scoring. Gullette scored through the air and on the ground and had 59 receiving yards on two catches. Evan Austin caught three passes for 50 yards, and Christian Campbell added four for 49.

When a quarterback can go to 13 targets and none of them is a decoy, a defense has nowhere to send help. Maine found that out the hard way.

The defense deserves its own headline

Lost in the passing numbers is how thoroughly the Campbell defense smothered Maine. Charles Battaglia led the way with 10 tackles, 1.5 for loss and a sack. AJ Benton added nine tackles and a pass breakup. Free safety Ravel Cato had eight tackles, an interception and two breakups, and Greg Ransome picked off Drezek as well.

Maine went 2-of-17 on third down. Read that again. The Black Bears were only able to stay on the field by going for it on fourth down, where they converted four of six. That kept a few drives alive, but none of them ended in points after the second quarter.

The six points were the fewest Campbell has allowed since a 72-0 shutout of Presbyterian in 2021, and the fewest against a conference opponent since a 34-6 win over Presbyterian in 2018.

The numbers that matter

Campbell outgained Maine 562 to 275. The Camels threw for 455 yards and ran for 107. Maine managed 212 passing yards and just 63 on the ground, and Marshall, the leading rusher, needed 12 carries to get 32 yards.

Time of possession was almost dead even, 30:59 to 29:01. That is the tell. Campbell did not need to grind the clock or shorten the game. It simply did more with every snap. When an offense is ripping off chunk plays of 53, 53 and 59 yards, possessions do not need to be long. Campbell also piled up 25 first downs to Maine's 14, and the Black Bears did themselves no favors with six penalties for 75 yards, compared with four for 45 by the visitors.

Drezek completed 21 of 40 passes for 212 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Evan Wallace caught six passes for 67 yards, and Nick Laughlin and Corey Rideout had four catches apiece. On defense, linebacker Noah Carpenter had 10 tackles and Sam Oppenheimer had nine. The full stat sheet is in the official box score (opens in a new tab).

What it means

Campbell is no longer a nice story in the CAA. It is a contender. At 4-0 in league play with a top-15 ranking and a record that already beats every season in program history, the Camels have put themselves in position to think about a playoff run, not just a winning record. Next on the schedule was a trip to UAlbany on Oct. 31, the first meeting between the programs. After that, Campbell closes with two of its final three games at home, against Stony Brook on Nov. 7 and Monmouth on Nov. 21.

For Maine, this is a season that keeps getting heavier. Seven straight losses, a Homecoming streak snapped and an offense that could not convert third downs. The Black Bears showed some fight early, with the interception and the touchdown that made it 7-6, but they never found a way to slow down an opponent with this much firepower. The Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab) has the view from Orono, and Campbell's official recap (opens in a new tab) has the record details.

The last word

Campbell's best seasons had all stopped at six wins, four separate times. This team pushed past that in October, with a quarterback setting records and a defense that allowed one touchdown. The ceiling has moved. Now the question is how high it goes.

Sources: Campbell Athletics recap and box score, and the Bangor Daily News. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Campbell Athletics.