The University of Maine will have to deal with oppressive heat when the college football season opens tonight.
The Black Bears are among the first Division I teams in the nation to kick off their 2010 schedule when the University at Albany visits Orono.
Husson University follows suit Friday, with Hurricane Earl threatening to hit the Maine coast, with a home contest against Division III power Otterbein of Columbus, Ohio.
Albany Great Danes (0-0) at Maine Black Bears (0-0), 7 p.m., Morse Field at Alfond Stadium, Orono: UMaine unveils the 2010 team after working behind the scenes for the last nine months.
“The first one is such a special game for the team,” said 18th-year UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove. “It’s the first one up, first time they’ll play together with a new senior class, a new first-year class and everybody moving up in their responsibilities and their expectations.”
Having experienced hot weather during training camp, the Bears are familiar with the importance of preparing to handle the heat.
“It’s extremely hot up here. You can’t find one room or a building that’s not as hot as the other one,” senior cornerback Dominic Cusano said Thursday. “What we’re trying to do is stay hydrated.”
The Bears are motivated by last year’s contest at Albany, where the hosts overcame five turnovers and scored 13 fourth-quarter points to beat UMaine 20-16 last season.
“Our objective is to dominate,” said sixth-year cornerback Steven Barker. “That game last year wasn’t really good.
“We’re going to try to give it to them and keep it on the gas; we’re not pumping the breaks,” he added.
Cosgrove tipped his proverbial cap to an Albany program which, despite offering only 34 scholarship equivalencies compared to UMaine’s 63, has been a formidable opponent for higher-level Football Championship Subdivision teams. The Great Danes finished second in the Northeast Conference in 2009 and were picked to repeat that feat this fall.
“They’ve done some very impressive things without the resources that we have or other teams in our league or similar leagues have,” he said of Albany, which is directed by 38th-year head coach Bob Ford.
The Great Danes were 7-4 last season and have won seven or more games in four straight seasons in the NEC.
The Bears are focused on re-establishing a potent run game to complement a passing attack that led the Colonial Athletic Association in 2009. That starts up front with a line led by center Garret Williamson and right guard Chris Howley.
UMaine welcomes back junior fullback Jared Turcotte of Lewiston, who’ll team up with tailbacks Derek Session and Pushaun Brown.
Junior quarterback Warren Smith teams with wide receivers Tyrell Jones and Des Randall, and tight end Derek Buttles, in the passing game.
Albany counters with a defense led by All-NEC tackle Trevor Anderson, corner Ross Bertrand and end Eddie Delaney.
The Great Danes have added incentive as the champion from the NEC will, for the first time, earn an automatic berth to the expanded, 20-team NCAA playoffs.
The Bears’ defense features a deep corps of linebackers, led by junior Donte Dennis and senior Mark Masterson, along with a veteran secondary featuring Barker and Cusano. Albany has four returning offensive linemen, headed by senior center Andy Sparano, but has new faces at quarterback, tailback, fullback and wideout.
Sophomore tailback/wide receiver Andrew Smith, who also takes snaps at QB, is a key along with quarterback Dan Di Lella. Place-kicker Herb Glass has 18 career field goals.
“They lost a lot of players, similar to the hit we took in ’08,” said Cosgrove.
“I expect from all the things we have seen and heard that he’s [Smith] a real important part of their offense and they want to give him the ball.”
Otterbein Cardinals (0-0) at Husson Eagles (0-0), Friday, 7 p.m., Winkin Complex, Bangor: Coach Niles Nelson’s Eagles open the season with a clash against the Cardinals, who are ranked No. 20 and No. 24, respectively, in two national Division III polls.
Otterbein, which was 8-2 last season after earning an NCAA playoff berth in 2008, competes in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Cardinals are 17-4 over the last two seasons and play in the same league as 2008 national champ and ’09 runner-up Mount Union.
Husson, coming off a 4-5 campaign, is playing its second season in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference. The Eagles have only six seniors and are working with some youth and inexperience in their interior lines.
Husson’s offensive mainstays include QB Jack Hersom of Sidney, tailback Justin Lindie of Winslow and wide receiver Roderic Johnson.
On defense, the Eagles are counting on the likes of end Chris Dalecki and safety Kyle Vanidestine of Bangor.
Otterbein’s standouts include All-OAC running back Colton Coy, a 1,000-yard rusher, along with QB Austin Schlosser, defensive end Chaz Horsley and safety Justin Hochstetler.