ORONO, Maine — Depth is needed at every position on a football team and that is particularly true at the running back position.
With standout redshirt freshman running back Ramon Jefferson (suspension) and junior Joe Fitzpatrick (injury) sitting out Saturday’s 15th annual Jeff Cole Memorial Blue-White game at Alfond Stadium, that meant inexperienced running backs would get the opportunity to show their stuff.
Sophomores Elijah Brooks and Brandon Washington and freshmen Adrian Velez and Zac Bouhalloufa combined for 103 yards on 26 carries as the White team beat the Blue team 21-14 in front of approximately 200 fans on an overcast afternoon.
It was the first time in more than a decade that UMaine played a Blue-White game as opposed to a controlled scrimmage with a defense vs. offense format.
Velez and Brooks played sparingly last fall, while Washington is a converted tight end and Bouhalloufa didn’t get any snaps.
Velez, a 5-foot-9, 180-pounder from Manhattan, New York, carried the ball eight times for 30 yards and caught three passes for 15 more yards.
“I have to work on my speed, my vision and ball security … everything,” Velez said. “I’m going to focus on learning the offense and becoming more valuable to the team.”
The 6-foot, 215-pound Bouhalloufa, a native of Plymouth, Massachusetts, gained 42 yards on seven carries.
“For a bunch of young guys, we couldn’t have asked for more. We’re grateful,” said Bouhalloufa. “It’s definitely a position where you get (injured) so when somebody goes down, you have to have the next-man-up mentality.”
Brooks, a 5-9, 207-pounder from Fall River, Massachusetts, picked up 23 yards on seven carries.
“I have been waiting for this opportunity for three years,” said Brooks. “It went pretty well. The offensive linemen opened up a lot of good holes and we did our jobs.”
Washington, a 5-8, 220-pounder from Atlanta, had four carries for eight yards as he continues to adjust to the new position.
“The transition has gone better than I thought it would,” said Washington. “I’ve been hard on myself to push myself to get better and to be precise.”
He said he and the other three backs took it as an opportunity to show their coaches and teammates that they can trust them.
Starting quarterback Chris Ferguson liked what he saw from the backs.
“Those guys were running hard,” said Ferguson. “I’m excited those guys are getting a lot of work right now.”
“The more reps they get, the better they get,” said UMaine head coach Nick Charlton. “These types of live situations are important for them.”
The one rushing touchdown in the game came from 6-2, 330-pound Liam Dobson — a second-team All-CAA offensive guard. He barreled in from the 2.
“He’s super athletic,” said Charlton. “He can dunk a basketball. He can do anything.”
There was also another trick play as wide receiver Jaquan Blair tossed an 11-yard TD pass to tight end Daniel Rymer.
Ferguson (9-for-15 passing, 93 yds.) threw an 8-yard TD pass to wide receiver Devin Young and redshirt freshman Jayvaun Shears (4 receptions, 18 yds.) made a nice leaping catch for a 3-yard TD reception from Ferguson.
“Jay’s going to play this year,” said an impressed Ferguson. “He’s been improving, he’s been working hard.”
Redshirt freshman tight end Shawn Bowman was also noticeable as he used his 6-5 frame to snare three balls for 25 yards.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Walsh was 5-for-9 for 31 yards and true freshman Grant Hartley from Auburn was 2-for-4 for 66 yards, including the game-winning TD toss. Hartley threw a 55-yard TD strike to wide-open freshman Clark Barnes.
The quarterbacks, safeties, center Chris Mulvey and the kickers/punters played for both teams.
Defensive standouts included cornerback Katley Joseph and safety Erick Robertson, who each made two interceptions, along with ends Jamehl Wiley and Kayon Whitaker.
Freshman walk-on John Williams kicked the extra points authoritatively and had some good kickoffs. Starting kicker Kenny Doak was out with an injury.
“I thought it was great,” said Charlton. “The team took it seriously and they were very competitive. That’s how our kids are. I was really happy with that.”
“Coach Charlton making it a Blue-White game was awesome,” said Ferguson. “I got hooked up with different guys like (Shears). The energy was there. It brought us together. That was the biggest thing today.”
The game is named in memory of former UMaine assistant coach Jeff Cole, who died of cancer in 2004.