ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine football team has spent much of this season trying to gain critical experience for its many young players — all while overcoming a spate of injuries.
Evidence of the Black Bears’ progress was clear Saturday afternoon.
Coach Jack Cosgrove’s team earned its most impressive victory of 2014 with a well-rounded performance that resulted in a 33-20 upset of eighth-ranked Richmond at Alfond Stadium.
“We have improved, we feel it. We’re getting better and there’s a sense of that within the team, so that’s really what our primary concern is right now,” Cosgrove said during Monday’s Colonial Athletic Association teleconference.
Spearheaded by its resilient defense, which made four interceptions, UMaine was able to excel in all facets of the game and send a message that it is beginning to hit its stride.
“We had a complete football game in a lot of ways, contributions from our offense, our defense and special teams,” Cosgrove said.
The Black Bears’ special teams also sparkled, forcing a fumble on a kickoff and blocking a punt for a touchdown. They also got two field goals from Sean Decloux.
“That’s a heck of a football team, one that has a ton of experience and talent,” Cosgrove said of Richmond. “For us to get that one, it’s a great teaching tool, I think, for our young men.”
UMaine’s 4-5 record, including a 3-3 CAA mark, has not been enough to thrust the defending league champion into the postseason discussion.
“Absolutely not,” Cosgrove said Monday when asked where the Bears had any playoff prospects. “Our body of work is not deserving of that. We’re getting better, we’re excited about that, [but] we’re a four-win football team with two games left.”
There are five CAA teams ahead of UMaine, which is tied with William & Mary and Stony Brook in conference play.
Cosgrove said the team’s focus is on beating CAA newcomer Elon on the road in North Carolina on Saturday.
The Bears clearly benefitted Saturday from having extra time to rest and prepare after their open date on Nov. 1. The roster has been stretched a bit, with many defensive players also participating on special teams.
UMaine has demonstrated the ability to maximize its practices by changing tactics.
“I was very pleased with how we prepared for the game,” Cosgrove said.
“A lot of teams don’t do this, but we’ve gone to a lot more good on good in practice,” he explained, referring to putting the first-team offense up against the No. 1 defense, and vice versa. “We’ve picked up the pace of practice with regard to how we’re servicing each other.”
UMaine offense taking shape
It has been a gradual process, but UMaine has begun to demonstrate much more offensive productivity in the last two games.
In the wins over Rhode Island and Richmond, the Bears are averaging 195 rushing yards per game and have completed 56 percent of their passes for 135 yards per contest.
The improvement can be traced in part to the growth of freshman quarterback Drew Belcher, who made his third start on Saturday. He ran the ball 21 times for 92 yards and threw for 119 yards (14-for-27).
“The rate of improvement in the three games that he’s played is very measurable,” Cosgrove said.
Belcher’s hard-nosed running approach has been instrumental in both wins, as has his efficiency throwing the ball.
“We didn’t get sacked, we didn’t have a negative play Saturday on offense,” Cosgrove said.
UMaine did not turn the ball over for the second straight game and Belcher effectively avoided sacks and forced throws.
“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing that [getting sacked], [by] either getting out of the pocket, throwing it away or trying to do something running the ball when the pocket broke down,” Belcher said. “That’s a credit to our O-line, just really good protection, and our wide receivers were able to run the hots [routes].”