Sports

Football: Smith, Bears look to fly high against Blue Hens

UMaine ready for CAA clash

Posted on Oct. 01, 2009, at 12:52 a.m.

If there is one thing that may aid the University of Maine football team this weekend, it might be the lack of offensive game film their opponent has to prepare with.

A switch at quarterback and a change of philosophy on offense to an aggressive, heavy passing attack is a drastic difference from the conservative, dominant rushing attack that has been an identity for UMaine for several years.

The Black Bears hope to continue airing it out on and move to 2-0 in Colonial Athletic Association play when they host the University of Delaware in a key conference matchup Saturday night at 6 p.m.

After starting the season off 2-0 despite offensive struggles, the Black Bears began to rotate quarterbacks, subbing in senior starter Michael Brusko and sophomore Warren Smith. Following a loss to the University of Albany in the third game of the season, UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove made a permanent change at quarterback, naming Smith the starter and moving Brusko to a slot receiver.

In Smith’s first start as a Black Bear on Saturday at Syracuse, he turned heads along with the whole UMaine offense. The strong-armed Smith threw for two touchdowns in the first half to speedster Landis Williams. UMaine was ahead 17-13 at the half against their Big East opponent.

“We did perform very well in the first half of the game and we came out with a very aggressive approach,” Cosgrove said in Monday’s CAA conference call.

In the second half, penalties and turnovers hampered the Black Bears and Syracuse wore down UMaine outscoring them 28-7 to win the contest 41-24.

“In the second half it got away from us with their superior talent,” Cosgrove said. “Credit to them as their playmakers came out and made plays.”

Despite the loss, UMaine (2-2, 1-0 CAA) hung with the Orange for 35 minutes and shredded their pass defense. Smith ended up with 305 yards through the air and three touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions, however.

“He’s got a lot to learn at the position,” Cosgrove said of Smith. “He thinks he can throw it 80 yards or through a brick wall and force some things, but we’re working with him.”

Another FBS transfer

Coming out of high school in Exton, Pennsylvania, Pat Devlin was recruited by nearly every major college football program in the country. After all he was rated the fifth-best pro-style quarterback in the class of 2006 by Rivals.com, an independent recruiting website. Names on that list included Matthew Stafford at the top, the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, and Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at the University of Oklahoma. Bradford checked in at No. 12 on the list, so it was no surprise when the highly-talented Devlin chose legendary coach Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions to go play for.

After losing the battle for the starting job last season, Devlin decided to transfer to a Football Championship Series school so that he would not have to sit out a year under NCAA rules. Naturally, he chose Delaware — the same place Joe Flacco, now the star quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, decided to transfer in 2006.

Devlin has made his mark early as a Blue Hen, scoring 10 touchdowns in the first four games of the year (6 passing, 4 rushing). An anemic offense last season due to sporadic quarterback play, the junior transfer hopes to have a similar impact as Flacco. Flacco led the Blue Hens to the national championship game in 2007 and became a first round pick in the NFL the following spring.

Desperate for a win

In 2008, UMaine played the Blue Hens on the road in early October following a tough stretch of games that saw them fall to 2-3. The Black Bears grinded out a tough 27-10 victory on the road and both teams went in opposite directions from there. UMaine reeled off six straight wins and made the FCS playoffs, while the defending national runner-up plummeted to a 4-8 record and disappointing season.

This season both teams are in similar situations, both standing 2-2. Delaware lost a tough game at home to No. 1 Richmond, the defending national champions. A blocked field goal at the end of the game led to a 16 -15 loss. Last Saturday, they lost at No. 5 William and Mary 30-20.

The Blue Hens, under eighth-year coach K.C. Keeler, are led offensively by Devlin who has made an instant impact since he stepped on campus. His 10 total touchdowns have sparked an offense, especially through the air where he has thrown for 923 yards already.

“They’re throwing the ball more than they usually do because they are normally more of a run-based team,” Cosgrove said.

The Delaware defense has played well so far this year, giving up just under 16 points per game this season. They are led by standout safety Charles Graves (2 interceptions), named to the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award.

“Delaware’s defense has always been impressive to me,” Cosgrove said. “I think it’s a great strength to their operation and program.”

The skinny

Both teams desperately need a win to have any shot at a postseason berth. With Delaware’s improved passing game, it could prove problems for the young UMaine secondary although they are good at forcing turnovers. If the Black Bears can continue to develop that aerial attack that helped them so much in last week’s loss, it would go a long way in determining the winner. This is basically an even matchup, so with the home field, UMaine is in a better position.

Prediction: UMaine 24, Delaware 21

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 1st, 2009, 12:52 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.