UMaine anxious for playoff Bears face solid test at Appalachian State

BOONE, N.C. – A year ago, when the University of Maine football team made its first postseason appearance since 1989, there were plenty of unknowns.

With last year’s playoff experience still fresh in their minds and a second straight Atlantic 10 championship under their belts, the Black Bears are much more comfortable.

UMaine hopes to take advantage of its considerable experience today at 1 p.m. when it takes on perennial Southern Conference contender Appalachian State in an NCAA I-AA first-round game at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Coach Jack Cosgrove’s 10-2 Bears, ranked No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 and seventh in The Sports Network poll, face the 8-3 Mountaineers, ranked Nos. 10 and 5, respectively. It is the first meeting ever between the two programs.

Appalachian is hosting a first-round game for the fourth time in five seasons.

Today’s game is not being televised, but may be heard on WZON (620 AM) in Bangor or on the Internet at zoneradio.com

UMaine players believe they’ve got what it takes to be successful in the postseason, even on its opponent’s home field.

“Our guys don’t get nervous. They play with composure and they get after it,” said senior linebacker Stephen Cooper, a two-time A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. “We’re really confident and that’s the big thing.”

Cosgrove believes winning here will take a mindset and effort like the Bears used to knock off McNeese State last year in Lake Charles, La.

“There’s a little bit of that in the air right now as far as the confidence factor,” Cosgrove said. “We did that before. We can do it again.”

UMaine is 1-4 all-time in the postseason, but has won 10 of its last 13 games on the road, including the 2001 playoffs. The Bears have developed a winning approach to playing away from home.

“We take a businesslike approach to it,” said senior safety Dave Cusano, who missed last season’s second-round game against Northern Iowa because of a knee injury. “It’s a business trip, it’s not a vacation.”

On paper, today’s contest appears to be a battle of top-notch defenses. UMaine ranks seventh in the nation in total defense (253 ypg) and is 10th in scoring defense (14.3 ppg).

Led by Cooper, Cusano and a formidable front four headed up by ends Brendan Curry and Dennis Dottin-Carter, the Bears must keep Appalachian State from running the ball effectively.

“They like to run the ball and set up their pass game off play-action,” said UMaine defensive coordinator Rich Nagy. “We’ve got to come out up front and play the way we need to play.”

The Mountaineers possess a solid run-pass mix. The ground attack is paced by senior tailbacks Jerry Beard (757 yards, 7 TDs) and Jose White (401 yds.). Run success is a key, since ASU has won the last 32 games in which it had a 100-yard rusher.

Senior Joe Burchette is a dangerous passer, having thrown for 1,876 yards and 15 touchdowns this fall. His favorite targets include wideouts Andrew Layton (34 rec., 421 yds.), Davon Fowlkes (33-382) and Sterling Howard (31-341).

ASU is 3-3 in the postseason over the last three seasons, including a 40-27 victory over A-10 entry William & Mary in last year’s first round at Boone.

UMaine offensive coordinator Bobby Wilder said the Bears must come up with a good package to solve the Mountaineer defense. The first priority is establishing the run, but ASU has allowed 80 yards or less on the ground in each of its last three outings.

However, ASU also has a talented corps of defensive linemen, led by end Josh Jeffreies, the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year. Tackle John Mannino is another tough customer.

“This is the best front four we’ve played against since I’ve been here [at UMaine],” Wilder said.

The Bears hope to get their running game in high gear behind sophomore tailback Marcus Williams, who is averaging almost 100 yards per game. But UMaine won’t have the luxury of just trying to overpower the Mountaineers.

“We’ve got to keep them off-balance to have a chance to be successful offensively,” Wilder explained. “They’re very dominant on the line of scrimmage.”

One key will be varying the attack by throwing on run downs and running on passing downs to prevent ASU from getting comfortable. Sophomore quarterback Jon Meczywor will direct the UMaine offense, which is expected to run more high-percentage pass plays as Mountaineer cornerbacks Jonathan Lyles and Derrick Black are excellent coverage men.

If the two defenses do dominate, the Bears will have to protect the football, battle for field position and be patient by making smart decisions.

The excitement among the UMaine players was palpable here Friday afternoon.

“It’s great to be back in the playoffs,” said senior linebacker Rob Kierstead of South Portland. “This is where we wanted to be since last year. This is our first step. We’ve got to complete it, then move on to the next one.”