STATESBORO, Ga. – The end of Saturday’s NCAA Division I-AA playoff game at Georgia Southern also brought to an end the impressive careers of some memorable University of Maine senior football players.

Losing was difficult for all involved, but most of the seniors had to face the realization they had played their final football game.

All-America linebacker Stephen Cooper took pause, sitting alone on the bench for a minute after the final seconds had ticked off the clock at Paulson Stadium. He also was gracious enough to sign an autograph for a man as he walked off the field.

With a professional career likely in the offing, Cooper reflected on what it meant to play at UMaine.

“It’s been fun for the last four years playing here,” Cooper said. “The first two years it was rocky, but the last two have been great seasons and we did what we had to do to get to the playoffs, win A-10 championships, and not too many guys can say that.”

Senior quarterback Jake Eaton was forced to stand on the sidelines and watch the last three weeks as a knee injury prevented him from playing.

He hung out after most of his teammates had retired to the locker room to watch UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove do a final TV interview. Eaton was conspicuous by his absence as the Bears waited to board their buses.

Senior defensive end Brendan Curry looked back with fondness on the five years he has spent at UMaine.

“‘These last two years have been dream seasons,” Curry said. “The friends you’ve made, the good times you’ve had in the locker room, stuff like that you’ll take with you for the rest of your life.”

Senior safety Dave Cusano is proud to have followed in the footsteps of last year’s seniors, who helped pave the way to back-to-back NCAA quarterfinal appearances.

“They were the ones that put the stamp on the whole program, so it starts there,” Cusano said. “We [seniors] just try to follow after their footsteps and hopefully the seniors next year will do the same after ours and get past the point we got to this year.”

Only seven of this year’s 77 players were seniors.

Senior fullback John Gelsomino was obviously distraught to have it end as he shared hugs with his parents outside the locker room. It was the same for senior linebacker Rob Kierstead of South Portland and senior defensive lineman Amos Hall.

One win away from home

One of the most difficult realizations Saturday for the UMaine football team involved what might have been.

The Bears were wondering about what might have happened had the controversial incomplete pass call gone in their favor. And they could only imagine what it might have been like to host an NCAA semifinal game this weekend.

UMaine administrators were informed prior to Saturday’s game that if the Bears and Western Kentucky had both won, UMaine would have been awarded a home playoff game in the next round.

Western Kentucky knocked off Western Illinois on the road, but UMaine came up short at Georgia Southern. The game would have been televised live on ESPN2 and would have been an exciting opportunity for the entire eastern Maine sports community.

Maybe next year.

Testing, testing

Each season, the NCAA conducts drug testing at all of the nation’s 123 Division I-AA football schools. That includes random visits to postseason game sites.

Several players from UMaine and Georgia Southern alike had their postgame routines altered significantly Saturday when they were pulled from the locker room for drug testing.

NCAA-appointed officials collected urine samples from the selected players, some of whom were detained for up to an hour. The process was conducted on the second floor of a building adjacent to Paulson Stadium.

The testing was being done even as the postgame press conference was held simultaneously in the same room. A set of dividers provided some semblance of privacy for the players being screened.

The NCAA drug testing program involves urine collection on specific occasions and laboratory analyses for a list of performance-enhancing and potentially harmful substances. All athletes competing in NCAA events must sign consent forms allowing them to be tested.

Shorthanded at strong safety

UMaine went into Saturday’s game with only two proven players filling the strong safety spots.

Sophomore Matt DiBiase of South Portland sat out the contest with a strained tendon in his left biceps and pectoral muscles. His absence left sophomore standout Brandon McGowan and freshman Joan Quezada as the only players with experience at the position.

Adding to the uncertainty was the fact McGowan had missed the previous game with a strained left knee. He played against Georgia Southern wearing a brace on the knee, but was spelled only briefly by freshman Maurice Garlic.

Lively crowd

Georgia Southern fans wasted no time getting into the spirit of the ballgame Saturday.

The fans did a couple of different chants, screaming “Who’s house?”… “Our house,” and “Georgia,” … “Southern” back and forth between the grandstands on either side of the stadium.

The group made a lot of noise and demonstrated plenty of enthusiasm, especially when compared to the more sedate fans at UMaine.