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Black Bears roll over Raiders

Maine starts slow, scores 20 in fourth quarter to defeat Colgate

By Matt Hritz

Posted on Monday, September 10th, 2001, 12:00 am

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There were plenty of fireworks on and off the field Saturday night as the University of Maine football team opened its season against Colgate.

The Black Bears dominated the Raiders in a 34-10 victory.

When you watch fireworks, the best come at the end, and the same can be said about the Black Bears as they exploded in the second half.

Maine started the game slowly in the first half, not scoring until a nine play, 70-yard drive led by junior quarterback Jake Eaton. He rushed for a nine-yard touchdown with seven seconds left.

“[Colgate] was very physical up front in the first half,” UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove said. “We hung in there. We didn’t lose our poise. I really had a good feeling in the locker room. No magic words. Nothing like that, just go play guys.”

After trailing 10-7, UMaine rebounded with a seven play, 64-yard drive. Senior running back Royston English put Maine on the board with a six-yard touchdown with slightlyl more than a minute left in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter senior punt returner Lennard Byrd ran back a Colgate punt for a 55-yard touchdown putting the Black Bears ahead 20-10 in with just over 14 minutes remaining in the game.

“The middle was wide open and I took it up the gut,” Byrd said following the game. “I had one man to beat and it was the punter. If I can’t beat a punter, I shouldn’t be on that team.”

With 8:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, junior linebacker Stephen Cooper stripped Colgate quarterback Rob Markert of the ball. Sophomore nose tackle Dan Josyln picked it up, dropped it, recovered it and ran to the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown.

The final nail in the coffin came with 3:47 left in the game. Freshman running back Marcus Williams scored a 30-yard touchdown in his first college game to put the Black Bears ahead 34-10.

Maine’s defense dominated the Raiders, allowing 47 yards in the second half and recovering three fumbles. Maine also got to Colgate quarterback Markert with nine sacks.

“We were stopping the run well,” Byrd said. “Once we did that, they had to come out and pass and that made it fun.”

Eaton’s performance can be best summed up as “A Tale of Two Halves.” Despite Eaton’s 9-yard run at the end of the half, he was six for 15 in passing with one interception and 69 passing yards.

“I think we were playing pretty well early, but we were just missing plays,” Eaton said. “I didn’t feel like I got into a good rhythm early.”

Eaton got that rhythm back and led the Black Bears to 24 consecutive points.

“I was getting comfortable,” Eaton said.

With game one of the Black Bears’ season in the books, Maine heads to Fargo, N.D., to play North Dakota State University Saturday, Sept. 15, at 1:30 p.m. Maine will play again at home on Saturday, Sept. 29, when they host James Madison University.