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Many refer to Penn State University as “Linebacker U,” due to its rich tradition at the position.
The University of Maine football team may be carving out a niche of their own as “Running Back U.”
When senior all-conference tailback Jhamal Fluellen went down with an injury earlier this year, in stepped redshirt freshmen Derek Session and Jared Turcotte. On Saturday afternoon, with Session out due to injury, two other freshmen stepped in.
True freshman Pushaun Brown rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown and redshirt freshman Roosevelt Boone added two touchdowns as UMaine amassed 375 yards on the ground in a 55-7 romp over Iona College at Alfond Stadium.
The Black Bears improved to 6-3 overall with their fourth straight victory and remain 3-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Saturday’s game was a non-conference contest, as Iona (3-6) is affiliated with the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
“Very, very pleasing win for us,” said UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove. “When I addressed the team in the locker room after the game, I emphasized that this was a great effort.”
UMaine was in control throughout the contest, scoring just 4:04 into the first quarter. After the Black Bears recovered an onside kick attempt, they ran the ball eight straight plays, culminating in a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown by junior Michael Brusko.
On their second offensive drive, Brown scored his first career touchdown on a three-yard run to make it 14-0.
“I’m more comfortable with the offense and everything,” said Brown, who had just 13 carries on the season before Saturday. “O-line was blocking great. I could run wherever I wanted pretty much on every play.”
“Flu [Fluellen] got the start to get us going, and we didn’t want to put Pu [Pushaun] in the game,” Cosgrove added. “He was much more confident in the game, and I think that was a sign on getting more and more work with us.”
The Black Bears scored three more touchdowns in the second quarter, with Fluellen accounting for one each through the air and on the ground. Turcotte, who finished with 79 yards on just eight carries, had the other score on a four-yard run.
Boone, who had just six carries on the season, got a lot of action in the second half, scoring on two runs of one-yard each. He finished the day with 56 yards on 13 attempts.
“Offensively, scoring 55 points is huge for confidence,” Brusko said.
The junior quarterback, filling in for the injured Adam Farkes, demonstrated his leadership abilities. He is 4-0 as the starter this season and is statistically the most efficient passer in the conference. He threw for 141 yards on 11-for-14 passing for two touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception this season.
In addition to Fluellen’s 34-yard touchdown reception, Brusko also hit junior wide receiver Landis Williams on a perfectly thrown ball in the third quarter for an 18-yard score.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Chris Treister got some experience under his belt as he saw his first collegiate action in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, the devastating “Black Hole” had an impressive performance once again. After shutting out Northeastern last weekend, the Black Bears allowed only one touchdown and limited the Gaels to just 130 yards of total offense. They also forced four turnovers – two interceptions and two fumbles – making it 14 takeaways during their current winning streak.
Senior defensive end Jovan Belcher had two sacks, and senior defensive back Lionel Nixon, Jr., registered a team-high nine tackles to lead the defense.
The Gaels were clearly overmatched in the game, but coach Fred Mariani was pleased with his team’s effort and welcomes these types of games. Iona is a non-scholarship Football Championship Series (FCS) school.
“My players love these kinds of games,” Mariani said. “It gives them an opportunity to play against some of the better 1AA (FCS) players in the country.”
With the win, UMaine remains in the playoff hunt with three games to go. Next weekend, the Black Bears face perennial contender, the University of Massachusetts, in an “elimination” game for playoff contention. Both teams are tied for second in the CAA North Division at 3-2, behind only the University of New Hampshire.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Brusko said of being in the playoff conversation. “It’s something I haven’t felt to this extent since I’ve been here.”
“There’s a lot of teams right now that are simply playing for pride,” he added. “They don’t have anything to look forward to after their 12th game.”
UMaine has not made the NCAA Playoffs since the 2002 season, when they were co-champions of the Atlantic 10 Conference (now the CAA).
“It’s exciting at this point going into November with opportunities in front of us,” Cosgrove said.
The Black Bears next home game is their final regular season contest on Nov. 22 against UNH in the “Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket.”
