ORONO – Even most veteran players experience a few jitters during the first game of the season.

There were numerous queasy stomachs on the University of Maine sideline Saturday night, when at least 22 Black Bear players made their college football debuts.

It took a while, but the seasoned players and newcomers meshed well as UMaine erased a 10-0 first-half deficit on its way to a 34-10 victory over Colgate in front of 5,311 fans at Alfond Stadium.

“We hung in there,” said UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove. “… We were poised beyond our years in terms of not panicking.”

UMaine, which won its fourth straight home game, utilized at least 16 first-year players and six others who sat out as freshmen last season. There was ample nervousness to go around.

“I had butterflies [in the] first quarter, but once I got rid of them, it was all fun out there,” said senior cornerback Lennard Byrd, who returned a punt for a touchdown.

Junior quarterback Jake Eaton directed the Bears on a scoring drive late in the first half, providing a spark heading into halftime. Two big defensive plays, a special teams touchdown and a solid offensive effort enabled UMaine to pull away in the second half.

The Raiders took the upper hand early as Lane Schwarzburg’s 37-yard field goal with 1:32 remaining in the second quarter had pushed the Raiders’ lead to 10-0. The UMaine offense heated up while running its two-minute offense.

Eaton’s scrambling third-down pass to Paris Minor and two pass interference calls helped the Bears move down the field. On a 1st-and-goal from the 9 Eaton ran up the middle, cut toward the right side while eluding a defender, then dove into the end zone with 7.4 seconds left in the half.

“I felt like I was in quicksand going to the corner pylon,” Eaton said. “Once we got in two-minute [offense], I felt like I got in that rhythm, I got more comfortable… I think the team fed off it a little bit because we really needed a touch.”

Chris DeVinney of South Portland converted his first collegiate PAT try, making it 10-7 heading into the locker room.

“I really think the key play of the whole game is ‘Snake’s’ [Eaton] touchdown at the end of the first half, because that really picked them up, gave our guys a shot [of confidence] going into halftime,” Maine coach Jack Cosgrove said.

UMaine went ahead late in the third quarter with a seven-play, 64-yard scoring drive. A 26-yard screen pass from Eaton to tight end John Gelsomino set up a 6-yard TD run by Royston English. DeVinney’s kick made it 14-10.

Moments later, Byrd fielded Brendon Biddle’s high punt at the UM 45-yard line, burst up the middle, then cut back to the left and motored past two defenders on his way to a 55-yard score.

“The front 10 were working their tails off for me,” Byrd said. “… I saw the middle was wide-open and I took it up the gut.”

The Bears added a late touchdown when freshman tailback Marcus Williams broke away for a 30-yard run with 3:47 left.

The UMaine defense, which afforded the Raiders only 47 second-half yards, scored the game-breaker with 8:43 to play. Linebacker Stephen Cooper stripped the ball away from Colgate QB Rob Markert and the ball bounced into the hands of tackle Dan Joslyn.

The 6-2, 287-pounder returned it 26 yards for a touchdown as UMaine pushed the lead to 27-10.

“I saw Coop punch the ball out; I saw it bounce, so I picked it up and then it bounced out of my hands and I recovered that,” Joslyn said. “I thought it was only about 15 or 16 yards. I didn’t know it was that far [26 yards].”

The Bears didn’t have gaudy offensive numbers. Eaton completed nine of 18 passes for 121 yards with one interception and was sacked four times. Tight end Chad Hayes of Old Town had four catches for 45 yards.

Veteran tailback English and rookie Williams ran for 52 and 62 yards, respectively, as UMaine netted 144 yards on the ground.

The Bears kept the pressure on Colgate’s Markert (13-for-25, 195 yds.), sacking him seven times. He was 5-for-13 in the second half and the Raiders managed only 63 rushing yards all night.

Brendan Curry (6 tackles), Dennis Dottin-Carter, Malik Nichols and Cooper were in on the three forced fumbles for UMaine. Dottin-Carter and Damon Boinske each recovered a fumble.

“I think defensively they got better pressure on the quarterback,” said Colgate coach Dick Biddle. “I think the problem was our offensive line had problems in pass protection.”

BEARS 34, RAIDERS 10

Colgate (0-2) 0 10 0 0?10

Maine (1-0) 0 7 7 20?34

C ? Parker 6 pass from Markert (Schwarzberg kick)

C ? Schwarzberg 37 field goal

M ? Eaton 9 run (DeVinney kick)

M ? English 6 run (DeVinney kick)

M ? Byrd 55 punt return (kick failed)

M ? Joslyn 26 fumble return (DeVinney kick)

M ? Williams 30 run (DeVinney)

Colgate Maine

First downs 11 16

Rushing att.-yards 34-63 41-144

Passing comp.-att. 13-25 9-18

Passing yards 195 121

Total yards 258 265

Punts-avg. 6-33.7 5-37.2

Fumbles-lost 4-3 0-0

Intercepted by 1 0

Penalties-yards 8-86 8-82

Rushing

Colgate: Branch 10-37, Kobelski 4-36, Thomas 5-18, Ojeda 1-8, Markert 14-(-36); Maine: Williams 9-62, English 15-52, Eaton 11-12, Momah 3-11, Gelsomino 3-7

Passing

Colgate: Markert 13-25-0-195; Maine: Eaton 9-18-1-121

Receiving

Colgate: Ojeda 5-101, Parker 5-62, Lamb 2-28, Branch 1-4; Maine: Hayes 4-45, Minor 3-32, Gelsomino 1-26, S. Gomes 1-18

A?5,311