ORONO, Maine — One of the problem areas in the University of Maine football team’s 0-3 start has been the big plays allowed by the defense.
In the 45-3 loss to Football Bowl Subdivision team Toledo and Saturday’s 31-20 loss to Colonial Athletic Association rival James Madison, the Black Bears have allowed five touchdowns of 52 yards or more.
After allowing touchdown passes of 85, 64 and 89 yards to Toledo, the Black Bears surrendered TD runs of 85 and 52 yards to James Madison.
Maine has allowed a total of 12 plays of 20 or more yards in its three games.
“That has probably been the most disappointing thing so far,” said UMaine head coach Joe Harasymiak. “We pride ourselves on our defense. We can’t allow this to happen.”
“We have to keep taking pride in what we’re doing and fix it,” he added. “But you also have to give the other team credit. James Madison’s offensive line is very talented and they were able to displace us a little bit.”
Harasymiak pointed out that UMaine faced two talented running backs in Khalid Abdullah, who rushed for a career-high 172 yards and two TDs, and Cardon Johnson (110 yds., 1 TD).
Abdullah was named the CAA’s Offensive Player of the Week.
JMU, the CAA’s top rushing team, churned out 293 yards on 47 carries (6.2 yards per attempt).
“Not only can they run and break tackles, their timing on the zone schemes was very, very good,” said Harasymiak. “They never made a mistake on their cuts. And they had the ability to run away from people after they broke tackles.”
The two long runs came after interceptions thrown by senior quarterback Dan Collins.
“Our defense played pretty well for the most part but you can’t give the opposing team more opportunities by turning the ball over,” Harasymiak said. “Dan has to make better decisions with the football so we can extend drives.”
Harasymiak is concerned that his team held leads going into the fourth quarter of their games against UConn and James Madison. UMaine squandered a 21-14 lead in the 24-21 loss to UConn and let a 20-17 advantage slip away against JMU.
“We have to be able to hold leads in the fourth quarter. If we keep putting ourselves in that position, it will happen,” he said.
Wright back in the mix
On a positive note, UMaine regained the services of All-CAA second-team wide receiver Micah Wright on Saturday. He had served a two-game suspension after being arrested for disorderly conduct at a party last May.
Wright recently pleaded guilty to illegal possession of alcohol and paid a $300 fine.
He made three catches for 84 yards, including a 40-yarder, against JMU.
“There were some situations in which we got him in one-on-ones and he made some plays. He probably didn’t make as many as he wanted to but it was a very, very positive first game for Micah,” said Harasymiak. “He was up against a quality secondary and he proved he can be a great player in this league.”
Wright said it felt great to be back on the field but quickly added, “this (losing) feeling surpasses the feeling of being out there by a lot. We didn’t get the win. We didn’t execute in the second half. That’s what matters.”
Wright was UMaine’s offensive player of the year last fall when he caught 61 passes for 818 yards, fourth-best in the CAA in both categories.
UMaine was without leading receiver Jaleel Reed (9 catches-180 yards, 1 TD) on Saturday, who was suspended for one game for a violation of team rules.