ORONO – University of Maine coaches, players, athletic administrators, boosters and the grounds crew were all grinning Saturday despite the rain.

However, some of the fans were disenchanted despite Maine’s 45-8 thrashing over Boston University at a revamped Alumni Field.

A total of 1,935 fans filed through Alumni’s gates to fill the new visitors bleachers and temporary stands on the home side. But the scaled-down, sleeker-looking facility – which looks more like a high school field – wasn’t appealing to some of the Bears biggest fans.

Brian McKay is a Dover-Foxcroft native and a 1980 Maine graduate who now lives in Augusta. He says he sees at least three home games a year. He lived in Ohio for four years in the late ’80s, but when he and his family returned to Maine he couldn’t wait to see a Maine football game.

“As soon as I got back I couldn’t wait for the season,” McKay said. “I just love seeing them play. I don’t care how good they are or if they win.”

McKay said he’s happy to come to Alumni Field whether there’s 6,000 or 600 fans. But Saturday, McKay was disappointed at the new look of the stadium with the more modern, less-grand metal bleachers.

“I miss the intimacy, the old fashioness of the wooden bleachers. These are too far back,” McKay said of the visitors bleachers. “Before they went right up behind the players. I would walk up and down hooting `Yeeeaaaahhooo.’ ”

Chris Lessner of Hudson said he doesn’t care for the new look of the stadium – at all. Lessner said he has come to every home game for the last six years.

“It doesn’t look like a football stadium,” said Lessner, a 1994 Central High graduate. “It looks like a high school stadium. These are the kind of bleachers they have at high school games. It would be better if they had them go all the way around. But they wouldn’t get enough people to fill them up.”

However, one big Maine fan looked around at the stadium Saturday and broke into a grin that even the blanketing rain couldn’t wash away.

Baseball booster Larry Mahaney sat on the vistors side with the baseball field he funded behind him and was just happy the Bears didn’t have to play on Mahaney Diamond. The Bears where originally scheduled to play there during the construction of the new bleachers.

“I’m just so glad they didn’t play on the baseball field. It’s wonderful they can play at home. Maybe the score is indicative they’re happy, too,” Mahaney said in the third quarter when Maine was up 31-0.

But Mahaney pointed out that the bleachers on the home side were temporary. He said they will be replaced before next season. Others hoped that’s true.

“The visitors side is good,” former Maine football coach Walt Abbott said. “This is all you need here.”

And the home side, where the former large wooden grandstand was replaced by metal bleachers half the size?

“It’s a stopgap,” Abbott said. “It’s good for one season.”