One of University of Maine coach Jack Cosgrove’s preseason themes was for a groundswell of excitement to build around his team, to the point where the Black Bears would regularly sell out their home games and Alfond Stadium would become a place opponents dreaded visiting.
Cosgrove couldn’t have asked for more support for Maine’s Sept. 2 season-opener against Albany, what with 7,610 fans in the stands. But his offense did little to get a rise out of the crowd. In fact, the loudest cheer on the stuffy night may have come when a brief rain shower broke out.
Many fans were in a less cheerful mood while filing out of the stadium after Maine’s 3-0 loss. Cosgrove knows the Black Bears didn’t just lose a game, but missed an opportunity.
“We had a great environment, a great crowd, all of the things that you want to have in and around a college football game, except for the performance by our football team,” he said.
More specifically the offense, which was stagnant all night, aside from a few carries by fullback Jared Turcotte (18 for 90 yards). Cosgrove benched starting quarterback Warren Smith after he completed just five of 13 passes for for 49 yards and an interception in the first half. Chris Treister started the second half, but didn’t have much more success (7-for-17, 63 yards).
“It was a real frustrating night, execution-wise, on the offensive side of the football,” Cosgrove said.
“We didn’t run block. We didn’t pass protect. We didn’t run the right route, (lack of) execution by the quarterbacks, dropped passes. There were six of those,” he added.
Maine hopes to get its offense on track at 1 p.m. Saturday when it travels to West Long Branch, N.J. to face Monmouth University, which lost by just one point to 22nd-ranked Colgate, 30-29, last Saturday.
Smith will once again start at quarterback after what Cosgrove said was an uncharacteristic performance against Albany.
“We’re going back to the top of the order again,” Cosgrove said. “We felt like (Warren) was rattled. We felt like he was feeling the rush and not getting his eyes downfield. It really was not what we expected from him and had seen from him.”
“It’s like that hockey goalie that lets in six (goals). You get him right back in there to get him a chance to get himself back on the field to perform,” Cosgrove said.
Turcotte is also expected to return after sitting out practice over the weekend with what Cosgrove said was a hip pointer. He suffered the injury when he was tackled near the Maine sideline late in the fourth quarter and missed the final five minutes of the game.
As much as he is looking for improvement from the offense this week, Cosgrove wouldn’t mind repeat performances from his defense and special teams. The defense limited Albany to 246 total yards. Junior defensive back Jerron McMillian led the way with 13 tackles (seven solo) and a forced fumble, while Donte Dennis collected eight tackles, including a sack and recovered a fumble.
Punter Jordan Waxman kept Albany’s offense pinned back, averaging 41.7 yards per kick with three touching down inside the 20.
Maine’s defense and special teams will be focused on stopping Monmouth running back Bobby Giles, who rushed 12 times for 66 yards and returned a kick 90 yards for a touchdown against Colgate.
Maine leads the all-time series with Monmouth, 2-0, including a 21-17 win in 2008.
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