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Coming into their bye week, the UMaine Black Bear football knew they had to start from scratch, refocus and regroup in an effort to salvage the rest of their season. Two weeks after losing a lopsided affair at home to conference rival UMass, the Black Bears look to snap a three-game losing streak this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. as they make a visit to Hempstead, New York to take on 12th-ranked and fellow Colonial Athletic Association member Hofstra.
Having lost to a BCS (1-A) opponent, UConn, and an FCS (1-AA) national runner-up, UMass, already this season, common knowledge would make one believe that the schedule would get easier for UMaine (1-3, 0-2 CAA). That is not the case, however, for the Black Bears when they face the Pride (4-0, 1-0), marking the third time this season they will face an undefeated opponent.
“Hofstra’s a 4-0 football team playing with great confidence and finding ways to win football games,” head coach Jack Cosgrove said in Monday’s CAA teleconference.
While the opponent is formidable once again, UMaine needs to find ways to get some consistency on offense to be able to stay in the game against Hofstra, which comes off a 33-28 victory over rival Stony Brook this past weekend.
Averaging a league-low 11.2 points per game and 71.2 passing yards per game, red shirt freshman Adam Farkes, who made his first collegiate start two weeks ago against UMass, will look to get the Black Bears offense moving and over the 100-yard mark through the air for the first time this season.
“It was good to get that first start under my belt,” Farkes said, who threw his first career touchdown pass and UMaine’s first touchdown pass this season against UMass. “We need to improve as a football team and get better in every aspect of the game.”
While UMaine has had a stagnant pass offense so far this season, Hofstra has had no problems producing points and racking up yards. Having scored 28 or more points in all four games, the Pride have averaged 412.2 yards of total offense per game with 276 per game coming through the air. They are led by senior wide receiver Charles Sullivan, who last week tied current New Orleans Saints wideout and Hofstra alum Marques Colston with 186 career catches.
Even with the 1-3 start and not so impressive statistics, the Black Bears do remain optimistic and the coaching staff has been preaching hard work, focus and patience, especially in the bye week.
“We really used last week almost in a preseason mentality [as] we went back to the basics [and] fundamentals, trying to improve our football team,” Cosgrove said, whose Black Bears defeated Hofstra 21-10 at home last season. “We had what I thought were three excellent practices [where] we went out there and competed hard, practiced hard, demanded it out of the players and they responded very well and we grew as a team as a result.”
While the Black Bears may have had their best week of practices in what could turn out to be a turning point for the season, they were marred by off-field issues. Assistant coach Mike Winslow resigned this past week after having been arrested for operating under the influence and senior fullback Anthony Cotrone, a key cog in the running game, was suspended for the upcoming game after being summonsed for assault.
In a week where the Black Bears refocused and grew together as a team, the controversy surrounding both Winslow and Cotrone has not deterred the focus of the team.
“I do not have enough information to make any kind of accurate statement,” Farkes said when asked about the situation. “All I can say is that we are focused on Hofstra and this team is going to have a great week of practice and do what we need to do in order to go into the game ready for a great opportunity against a great opponent.”
If the focus, hard work and consistency all comes together this weekend for UMaine they may find themselves in a position for their second straight win over the Pride and more importantly, just get a win.
“Hopefully we see great signs of improvement in everything we do,” Cosgrove said going into the game, which will be aired on ESPNU. “If we do that, we’ll hopefully be in a situation to win the football game late.”
Bangor Daily News