Sports

UM: Why not us?

UMaine at Boston College, Sat. Sept. 30, 1 p.m.

By Matt Williams

Posted on Sept. 28, 2006, at 12:00 a.m.

andrew gordon

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR - Freshman Desmond Randall corrals a would-be touchdown pass during last Saturday's game. He was ruled out of bounds by officials.

Putting aside all the mantras about respect and fear, courage and talent, and the game being played between the stripes and not on paper, the University of Maine football team faces simply the greatest challenge in its 104-year history this weekend at Boston College.

The I-AA Black Bears line up against the I-A Eagles, ranked No. 25 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, at 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Mass. It will mark the first time UMaine has ever played a ranked I-A opponent.

Boston College is bigger and stronger than UMaine, and they are considerably deeper. They have more money, more tradition, and are heavily favored on Saturday. Still, over the last two years, the Black Bears have made a reputation of playing these teams tough, beating Mississippi State in 2004 and giving Nebraska all it could handle last year.

“With eight minutes left in those games, we were in them, and that’s where we hope to be this week,” said UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove. “We have some experience that we didn’t have two years ago, and that’s an advantage for everybody here.”

“It’s good to be able to tell the team that we can win, and actually have proof,” said senior quarterback Ron Whitcomb.

The Black Bears’ challenge comes from the sheer physicality of coach Tom O’Brien’s Eagles. Traditionally one of the best offensive lines in college football, BC boasts a pair of bruising backs in L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callendar who each average over 4.0 yards per touch.

“The legacy they have is phenomenal, they just pass the baton on from lineman to lineman,” said Cosgrove.

Coming off a devastating loss to North Carolina State last week, BC is 3-1 and may line up and pound the rock directly at the Black Hole defense. The question will be if UMaine has anything they can do to stop it.

“That may well be their plan, and they’d have every right to do that based on the size differential here,” Cosgrove said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if both those backs got 20 carries.”

In their way is UMaine’s defensive line, one of the top units in all of Division I-AA. That match-up may decide the Black Bears’ fate this weekend.

“It’ll be a good chance to see what we’re made of,” said Mike DeVito, the d-line’s anchor at the tackle spot. “To be the best, you have to go against the best, and we expect them to run at us right off the bat.”

One thing UMaine won’t be is in awe of BC’s speed or strength. Some of the best athletes in I-AA, and on the Black Bears, are comparable to the Eagles’ top talent.

“We compete with guys with talent on a I-A level; it’s not like I’m going against receivers with speed I’ve never seen in my whole life,” said senior safety Darren Stone. “I played with [NFL draft pick] Kevin McMahan, and Arel [Gordon] will be one of the fastest guys in the stadium this week.”

The Black Bears certainly have a number of players with the physical gifts and talent to play at the I-A level, among them Stone, DeVito, Gordon and defensive end Matt King. It’s the Eagles’ depth that may hurt UMaine, as BC simply has a larger number of big, strong, fast players.

In terms of a game plan to stick with the Eagles, UMaine is looking to protect the ball and create good field position that puts them in position to succeed. One facet is the talent of senior running back Arel Gordon, who has racked up over 400 all-purpose yards so far this season. He’ll likely line up more in an outside role, and won’t play the traditional I-back against the Eagles.

“I wouldn’t look for Arel to be in a pounding, I-back role; that’s really not his cup of tea,” Cosgrove said.

Last year against Nebraska, Whitcomb was sacked 11 times, and that’s a number UMaine has to reduce if they’re to have success against BC.

“Being under center last year, there wasn’t a lot of chance to run and find lanes. With the new offense, I have a lot better chance to get sacked less,” said Whitcomb.

Another factor is UMaine’s 62-12 walloping of Division-II Shaw last week. The Black Bears saw how downtrodden Shaw was against a bigger, stronger opponent, and know what they have to do to avoid that kind of letdown against the Eagles.

“We never want that to happen to us, and it’s not going to happen because we have too much pride,” DeVito said. “I’ve been telling the team every day to work harder than they ever have before because they’re going to be great.

“They’re more physical and faster than Nebraska, they’re probably better than Nebraska. We have to be ready to go.”

Among the top threats on the Eagles squad is tight end Tony Gonzalez and quarterback Matt Ryan, who’s already topped 1,000 yards passing this season. The defense is led by linebacker Brian Toal, who also serves as a short-yardage running back and leads the team in touchdowns.

Cosgrove likes to say that if a team has the courage to schedule a game, they have to have the courage to win it. The Black Bears have embraced that mantra, but are still realistic about their plan.

Asked what the ideal situation for his squad to be in Saturday, Whitcomb replied, “Hang around until the fourth quarter and then go for the jugular.”

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