ORONO – The drudgery of preseason football camp continues this week for the University of Maine football team.

The Black Bears, after the Atlantic 10 reworked its schedule to accommodate new conference member Hofstra, find themselves with a bye this weekend while the majority of Division I football teams are suiting up for their first regular-season game.

“It’s strange,” Cosgrove said. “You just go with it. This is our schedule. It hasn’t really changed how we’ve practiced or how we’ve done things.”

UMaine officially moves into the game-preparation mode next week for its Sept. 8 opener against Colgate, which kicks off the season Saturday against Villanova.

“[The players are] going to see other games going on this weekend, but we’re going to have them focusing on what we have to get done here,” Cosgrove said.

In the meantime, the Bears are focused on improving.

“I think we’re making real good progress,” Cosgrove said. “I like the attitude, the effort. We’re definitely getting better.”

Of course, the usual number of minor injuries have forced the Bears to make adjustments in their workouts and let some of the less experienced players get some valuable repetitions at some spots.

Personnel management is a key issue, especially during the latter stages of double sessions, when injuries and fatigue can come more easily.

“We try to have them go full-bore and manage them in an educated way based on past history, past experiences, in camp,” Cosgrove said. “If you’ve got a position where you’re a couple guys down and somebody’s taking all the reps, all of a sudden his ability to get hurt increases by the number of times he’s doing things. I think we’ve been very smart.”

Szwejkowski medical casualty

Junior offensive lineman Justin Szwejkowski will not return to the field for UMaine because of chronic injuries.

Szwejkowski, a 6-5, 285-pounder from East Meadow, N.Y., has applied for a medical waiver after being told by doctors that he cannot continue playing. He has been plagued by knee injuries and suffers from a back condition that will not allow him to compete.

Szwejkowski played in several games last season after missing the entire 1999 campaign with a knee injury. He appeared in one game as a freshman in 1998.

He’ll contribute to the program by handling some videotaping duties.