The University of Maine football team’s running backs room has gotten less crowded for the time being.
Leading rusher Sincere Baines carried the ball twice in the first quarter of Saturday’s 20-13 victory at Merrimack College before exiting due to a tender ankle, according to UMaine head coach Jordan Stevens.
And Nick Laughlin sustained a knee injury on a one-yard touchdown run with 5:15 remaining in the first period and didn’t return. He carried the ball three times for 44 yards on the eight-play, 71-yard touchdown drive.
Stevens said he doesn’t have a timeline for the return of either Laughlin or Baines. He was hoping to find out something about Baines early this week and about Laughlin mid-week or later in the week.
Baines has rushed for 501 yards on 77 carries and is second in the Coastal Athletic Association in yards per carry (6.5) and fifth in rushing yards and rushing yards per game (71.57). Baines has also caught 11 passes for 45 yards.
Laughlin, who is from Cape Elizabeth and is in his first season as a running back after being moved over from wide receiver, is 21st in the CAA with his 32.8 rushing yards per game and he has averaged 5.3 yards per carry. He is also tied with Baines for third on the team in receptions with 11 for 202 yards.
Sophomore Rashawn Marshall and senior transfer Sivert Klefsaas impressively filled the void after the injuries on Saturday. Marshall ran for 146 yards on 19 carries for an average of 7.7 yards per carry and he also had three catches for 22 yards. Klefsaas had five carries for 35 yards, all in the fourth quarter including a 26-yard dash late in the period that helped UMaine protect its seven-point lead.
Marshall had four carries for 35 yards on UMaine’s game-winning drive early in the fourth quarter.
The Black Bears, 3-4 and winners of three straight, will be off this coming weekend before hosting Elon University for their Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m.
“Rashawn stepped in and ran for nearly 150 yards and had 168 all-purpose yards. It was real good to see him come in and compete,” Stevens said. “Sivert came in and gave us a real spark with that 26-yard run.”
Marshall is 10th in the conference in rushing yards (369) and 11th in yards per game (52.71). He has had seven receptions for 47 yards.
“I really like the make-up of our running backs room. This will be a much-needed bye week for that room,” Stevens said.
UMaine leads the 14-team CAA in rushing yards per carry at 4.93 and is third in rushing yards (1194) and fifth in yards per game at 170.6.
Klefsaas transferred in from NCAA Division III school the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Minnesota where he was chosen the Offensive Player of the Year in the National Christian College Athletic Association and the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.
The 6-foot, 215-pound Klefsaas carried the ball 201 times for 1,334 yards and 14 touchdowns at the University of Northwestern last season. He also caught 12 passes for 142 yards and two TDs.
He had his first two carries for five yards for UMaine in the 45-17 loss to Football Bowl Subdivision team Georgia Southern on Sept. 20.