Joe Harasymiak has emphasized the importance of special-teams play ever since he took over as the University of Maine football coach.
Micah Wright’s 67-yard punt return turned out to be the game-winning touchdown in the Black Bears’ 35-28 victory over William & Mary on Saturday, their fifth in a row.
In previous games, Wright returned punts for 53 and 20 yards to set up touchdowns in previous games, while DeAndre Scott and Earnest Edwards have run back kicks for 44 and 83 yards to set up scores.
“We have to continue to make plays on the special teams going down the stretch,” said Harasymiak, who added that he was pleased with UMaine’s kickoff coverage at William & Mary.
“Coming into the season, Coach Charlton and I talked about how important it was going to be to have a return game,” said Harasymiak, referring to special teams coach Nick Charlton. “Whenever you have a dynamic returner, it makes the guys want to block for him a little more. If they can give him a couple of extra seconds to evaluate the guys coming up the field, he can make them miss.”
Wright leads the CAA in punt return average at 15.2 yards per return, over seven yards more than New Hampshire’s Casey DeAndrade (7.8). Scott is second among 12 teams in kickoff returns, averaging 26.86 on 14 returns.
UMaine (5-3 overall, 4-1 CAA) is second in the conference in punt return average (12.1 ypr) and kickoff return average (23.5 ypr).
Safety Scott, who has missed the last three games with a foot injury, is returning to practice this week. Harasymiak said a decision about the status of the Arizona State transfer for Saturday’s crucial game with Villanova will be made later in the week.
Running back Nigel Beckford (broken leg) and wide receiver Jaleel Reed (thumb) will continue to be sidelined, although Harasymiak said Beckford is “moving around and we’ll see if he could return somewhere down the line.”
Harasymiak is hoping to have Reed back for the regular-season finale against New Hampshire on Nov. 19.
Harasymiak felt his team’s 28-point, first-half performance at William & Mary was the “best half we’ve had offensively all season.”
Maine led 28-7 at one point.
The offense didn’t produce any points in the second half, although it did march down to the W&M 2-yard line in the fourth quarter but failed on a fourth-and-1 play.
“When you get up like that, it’s hard to keep your foot down,” said Harasymiak. “We’ve got to do better at that. We have to continue to play well. It’s all about your mindset.”
The Black Bear offense will face a daunting challenge against a nationally ranked Villanova team (6-2, 4-1 CAA). Like UMaine, the Wildcats are one of six teams in the running for the conference title.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is at noon.