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When you lose your starting quarterback and runningback to injury, and your punter is running the ball, chances are you’re probably not going to win the football game, right?
On Saturday afternoon as the remnants of Tropical Storm Noel passed through the Northeast, the UMaine Black Bear football team defied the odds.
After losing quarterback Adam Farkes and runningback Jhamal Fluellen midway through the game, the Black Bears got key contributions from backups Michael Brusko and Jermaine Henderson. UMaine went on to defeat Towson 16-13 for their second straight win in front of 2,562 fans at Alfond Stadium.
“The most important thing was we got a great win today for our guys,” said head coach Jack Cosgrove, whose squad improves to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. “We were challenged in a lot of ways with our personnel and conditions, but we battled and have a right to feel good about our accomplishment.”
While UMaine suffered blows after losing their top two offensive players and cold rain and wind bombarded the field the entire second half, two bizarre plays from two players you would least expect changed the complexion of the game.
The Black Bears scored on a 5-yard run by backup runningback Henderson to take the lead 14-7 with less than four minutes to go in the game. Towson (3-6, 1-5 CAA) answered quickly.
Junior quarterback Sean Schaefer, who went 25-for-45 for 250 yards and a touchdown, orchestrated a five play, 53-yard drive that culminated with a 1-yard touchdown run by runningback Rasheed McClaude.
However, instead of trying to tie the game by kicking the extra point, the Tigers went for the win. Schaefer’s pass was intercepted by sophomore safety Troy Harris and returned 100 yards for two points.
“The ball just came. I tipped it and just started to run back,” Harris said, whose return gave the Black Bears a 16-13 lead. “I’m sure the guys behind me were blocking, and I knew I was going to get there.”
While Harris’ play saved the game, the biggest play of the game came from junior punter Kash Kiefer.
With the momentum on Towson’s side after they scored a touchdown to tie the game 7-7, UMaine was in a punt formation at their own 25 on 4th-and-13. After fielding a low snap, Kiefer took off running down the right side for a gain of 17 yards and a first down.
“I just took off with it and ran as fast as I could,” Kiefer said with a grin on his face. “I still took my punting steps, but tucked and ran trying to get the first down.”
Sophomore quarterback Michael Brusko, who came on in the second quarter for the injured Farkes, believed that play changed the momentum.
“That play was absolutely huge,” Brusko said. “There were a lot of big plays in the game, but that one really changed the momentum. We were struggling a little bit and they were doing a great job on defense.”
After Kiefer’s rush, the Black Bears marched down the field and Henderson capped off the 12-play, 72-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.
“It’s definitely hard being on the sideline,” said Henderson, who ran for 56 yards on 14 carries. “Once Fluellen goes down, the next guy has to come in and I just tried to come in and step up.”
Cosgrove expressed the same feeling about his team.
“Jermaine’s talented and we got a nice response from him today,” he said of the redshirt first-year who came in for the injured Fluellen in the third quarter. “There [are] no excuses. Win or lose, it’s the next guy.”
While Henderson’s play was great, Brusko’s play was equally impressive. After losing the starting quarterback job midway through the third game of the season, he has seen snaps at wide receiver and on special teams.
“That’s a hard thing for a kid to go through,” said Cosgrove of Brusko losing the starting quarterback job. “He probably handles it better than any kid can. He’s a charismatic young man and a leader. He’s everything you want.”
Leading UMaine on two second-half scoring drives, Brusko had more than 100 yards of total offense and recovered a late onside kick.
“It’s tough, and Adam has been doing a great job,” Brusko said, “but I continued to do my best to prepare, and I knew the time would come.”
Towson tried to drive late to tie the game, but sophomore defensive back Dominic Cusano picked off a Schaeffer pass with a little over a minute left to seal the win.
While the Black Bears played well enough to win and responded throughout the game in key situations, they were penalized 19 times on the day, including 11 false-start penalties.
“They were doing something with their defense that we hadn’t seen a lot,” said Brusko of the constantly shifting defensive line.
Fluellen led the UMaine offense with 82 yards rushing and a touchdown before leaving the game.
The Black Bears will look for their third straight win next Saturday as they play conference foe Rhode Island, who upset the University of Massachusetts 12-6 in overtime. Kickoff is set for noon.
