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Three weeks of hard work and the rigors of preparing for an Atlantic-10 football game with nothing to show for it. But this team wouldn’t hang its head or change its habits. They simply kept working.
Finally, despite giving away a 13-0 lead, it paid off as the University of Maine football team outlasted the Delaware Blue Hens 25-15 Saturday at Alfond Stadium.
“We keep telling them to go all out and never quit hustling, and good things will happen. This game proved that today,” said UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove, who celebrated his 50th birthday Sunday with a win against a team the Black Bears seldom beat, as they have now won just six of their 28 meetings with the Blue Hens.
The win, UMaine’s first in Atlantic-10 play, snaps a three game losing skid and sees their conference record improve to 1-4 while they stand at 2-5 overall.
The Black Bears seized control as Delaware looked poised to score the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter. At UMaine’s 12-yard line, Delaware running back Danny Jones had the ball stripped by sophomore defensive tackle Bruno Dorismond and the Black Bears recovered to end the scoring threat.
“We hung in there and got a couple of turnovers against a team that doesn’t turn it over much. That changed the complexion of the game,” said Cosgrove.
Junior quarterback Ron Whitcomb took over after the fumble and led the Black Bears 88 yards in 10 plays to give UMaine the lead for good on the offense’s only sustained drive in the second half.
Whitcomb hit senior wide receiver Kevin McMahan for a six-yard touchdown, but UMaine missed the extra point to take a perilous 19-13 lead.
“We started that drive well, especially with the running game. We needed to break the pattern of going three and out,” said Whitcomb.
Delaware took over looking to find the go ahead touchdown, but instead it was the Black Hole defense that came up with another game-changing play.
Blue Hens quarterback Sonny Riccio dropped back and the Black Hole pass rush reached him, as sophomore defensive end Patrick McCrossan knocked the ball out of Riccio’s hands. Dorismond pounced on the loose ball and rumbled 29 yards to the one-yard line.
“The defense came up big for us today and as an offense we didn’t want to let them down,” said senior tailback Montell Owens, who high-stepped his way into the end zone to give the Black Bears a 25-13 lead on the second play following Dorismond’s recovery.
Delaware recorded a safety when UMaine intentionally snapped the ball out of the end zone with just under 15 seconds to play in the contest, accounting for the 25-15 final score.
Midway through the first quarter, the Black Bears drew first blood when Whitcomb connected with McMahan for a 47-yard touchdown pass. Whitcomb finished with 134 yards passing and two touchdowns while McMahan hauled in four balls for 70 yards and both scores.
UMaine went on top 13-0 after Owens capped a lengthy drive with a one-yard scoring run.
Delaware pulled to within six when Omar Cuff found the end zone with just over a minute to go in the first half. A pair of third quarter field goals by Blue Hens kicker Zach Hobby tied the game 13-13 heading into the fourth.
Despite its losing streak and having dropped close contests to Delaware the past two seasons, the Black Bears wouldn’t blink in the face of adversity.
“That just speaks to the character of these kids,” said Cosgrove.
“We just said ‘we’re tired of losing’ and came out with the attitude that we’re going to do whatever it takes,” added Owens. “Those two fumbles energized us, I don’t think just for today but for the rest of the season.”
The Black Bears return to action Saturday when they travel to Boston to take on Atlantic-10 rival Northeastern.
Kick off is set for 12:30.
