Maine Maritime starts road back to normalcy Mariner football team takes on Buccaneers today

There’s a vastly reduced sports schedule this weekend in the aftermath of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks.

However, there are a handful of college football games that will go on as scheduled, including one involving Maine Maritime Academy of Castine.

Maine Maritime (0-1) at Massachusetts Maritime (0-1), Buzzards Bay, Mass., 1 p.m.

The Mariners hope to help achieve a smooth sports segue back to a semblance of normalcy by taking on the Buccaneers.

“I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do, but we’re playing,” said Maine Maritime athletic director Bill Mottola, who also is the commissioner of the New England Football Conference.

“We’re just moving on here,” Mottola said. “The sadness [about the terrorist attacks] doesn’t go away and the anger doesn’t go away, but we’re playing and the conference is playing.”

Maine Maritime committed seven turnovers in suffering a season-opening 55-24 loss to Curry last weekend in the debut of head coach Chris McKenney. The Mariners hope to take care of the football better against the Buccaneers.

Maine Maritime is led by versatile quarterback Patrick Bard of Winslow, who accounted for 184 yards passing and 84 yards rushing last week, and fullback Don Thibodeau of Shawmut, who netted 142 yards on the ground.

The Bucs are coming off a 29-12 loss at MIT during which they surrendered 436 yards, 269 via the run. Mass. Maritime also has a new head coach in Joe Domingos.