ORONO – The kicking game is a critical component of every football team.

An outstanding place-kicker can be a valuable offensive weapon, while a consistent punter can be used to dig a team out of poor field position.

Coach Jack Cosgrove and the University of Maine football team are hanging their kicking hopes on two newcomers as they continues preseason workouts this week.

Freshman Mike Mellow of Stonington, Conn., and South Portland freshman Chris DeVinney are competing for both jobs as the Black Bears prepare for their Sept. 8 opener in Orono against Colgate.

Last year, UMaine had plenty of experience in senior Todd Jagoutz, who averaged 41.0 yards per punt, converted 38 of 40 PAT kicks and made nine of 11 field-goal tries on his way to first-team All-Atlantic 10 recognition as a punter and the third-team nod as a place-kicker.

Jagoutz finished as the leading scorer in UMaine history with 219 points on 35 field goals and 114 extra points.

Mellow and DeVinney arrived at UMaine on different paths.

Mellow, a 6-foot-2, 205-pounder, is a veteran of kicking camps whom the Bears went after in their recruiting. He has emerged as the No. 1 punter, with backup quarterback Jon Meczywor also vying for the job.

“We targeted [Mellow] and did everything we could to get him to come here as a punter and as a kicker,” said Cosgrove, who likes Mellow’s well-rounded athletics background.

“He was a quarterback, a basketball player. He’s a good athlete,” he added.

DeVinney was a standout wide receiver and did some kicking at perennial Class A power South Portland. He didn’t do a lot of kicking for the Red Riots, but former coach John Wolfgram recommended him to Cosgrove as a future kicker.

“He’s a lot better than we thought he was going to be,” Cosgrove said. “He’s going to be better once he gets in the weight room.”

DeVinney kicked only one field goal during his high school career, but is competing with Mellow for the place-kicking and kickoffs jobs.

Cosgrove is impressed with the way the two youngsters have risen to the considerable challenge of having to step in immediately.

“They’ve been introduced to a different level of speed and commitment and the type of rush they see,” Cosgrove said. “These guys are getting a fast education in Division I football and they’ve gotten better.”

Maine’s Porter BC’s backup QB

Boston College coach Tom O’Brien has named freshman quarterback Quinton Porter of Portland as the backup to starter Brian St. Pierre.

Porter, 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, beat out freshman Ray Henderson of Cresskill, N.J., and redshirt freshman Eric Boatwright of Brockton, Mass., for the job.

“When we evaluated everything and graded everything, and looked at percentage of throwing and critical errors, leadership – everything we could evaluate a quarterback position on – we thought that Quinton Porter would be the better quarterback for us right now,” head coach Tom O’Brien said.

O’Brien also said freshman Tim Bulman, a former Boston College High School standout, will be a backup defensive tackle, while defensive tackle Phil Mettling, cornerback Peter Shean and right guard Chris Snee made the two-deep roster as redshirt freshmen.

BC opens its season Saturday against West Virginia, which will debut new head coach Rich Rodriguez.

Former Bears cut by NFL teams

Former UMaine football stars Dwayne Wilmot and Phil McGeoghan were waived Monday by their respective NFL teams.

Wilmot was let go by the Indianapolis Colts, while McGeoghan got cut by the New York Jets. Both had signed free-agent deals earlier this summer.

Former Bears standout receiver Drew O’Connor also failed to make the Cleveland Browns roster and was waived last week.

McGeoghan, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, was an All-Atlantic 10 third-team wideout last fall after catching 51 passes for 778 yards and three touchdowns. He finished his career ranked fourth in UMaine career receiving yards with 2,343 and fifth in receptions with 161.

Wilmot (5-10, 200) led the Bears last season with 67 catches good for 955 yards and eight TDs. He wound up fourth all-time at UMaine in receptions (169) and was seventh in receiving yards (1,981).