ORONO – When you’ve shared back-to-back Atlantic 10 football championships and made consecutive trips to the NCAA national quarterfinals, starting the season 2-2 isn’t where you want to be.

That’s the position the University of Maine football team finds itself in, coming off Saturday’s 24-16 loss to Massachusetts at Alfond Stadium.

The Black Bears, who are 1-1 in conference play, haven’t lost more than three games in each of the last two years, so coach Jack Cosgrove knows the early setbacks, even though they came against ranked opponents, have made UMaine’s road to the postseason even more difficult.

“Every conference game has an incredible amount of importance attached to it because it leads to all the good things that can happen to a football team,” said Cosgrove, who knows the parity in the Atlantic 10 means the Bears needn’t panic about their playoff chances.

“I don’t think anybody’s going undefeated,” he said. “I hope not, because we still have our eyes on a championship and are not going to get deterred from that. We have a challenge in front of us now because we’ve got a loss and you’re not going to allow too many of them if you want to be a champion.”

Getting back to winning form

UMaine begins preparations for Saturday’s league game at William & Mary (1-2, 0-1 A-10) ranked No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 and No. 24 in The Sports Network poll. The Bears have been ranked in the Top 25 for 28 straight weeks, the longest of any A-10 team.

In order to stay among the nation’s top Division I-AA programs, UMaine must re-establish the kind of discipline and execution on which it has built that reputation.

The Bears cut down on penalties (5 for 66 yards) against the Minutemen, but one holding call cost them a touchdown and another negated an interception.

“Turnovers and penalties, those are things that you’ve really got to harp on, because they ended up being factors [against UMass],” Cosgrove said.

UMaine committed three turnovers, including a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and an interception in the end zone.

“A couple of times we had great field position and great things going for us and then we’d screw ourselves by getting a penalty or a turnover,” said UMaine tailback Marcus Williams. “It was kind of like a broken record.”

Whitcomb seeks consistency

Freshman quarterback Ron Whitcomb continues to show flashes of brilliance for the Bears, but also has made some plays that can be attributed to his lack of collegiate experience.

Whitcomb, who is only three games into his UMaine career, completed 20 of 35 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns against UMass. However, he had one underthrown ball picked off in the end zone and made an off-balance throw for an interception on the Bears’ last-ditch drive.

Whitcomb is the fourth-rated passer in the Atlantic 10, having completed 61 of 112 passes (.545) with a league-best nine touchdowns. However, his six interceptions also are the most in the conference.

Cosgrove said he and the coaching staff will continue working with their young QB to help him refine his performance and decision-making.

“Ronnie’s one of those guys that doesn’t usually make the same mistake twice,” Cosgrove said. “He’s as passionate about the game of football as anybody I’ve been around. He’s going to correct these things and he’s going to be a better quarterback as a result of it.”

Dodge leaves Husson softball job

Husson College announced Monday that Randy Dodge has stepped down as the Braves’ softball coach.

Dodge, who held the position for six seasons and directed Husson to four postseason appearances, resigned to concentrate his efforts on his responsibilities as a resident director and assistant women’s basketball coach at the Bangor school.

Dodge, who graduated from Husson with a B.S. in sports management in 2001, is also working on a master’s degree.

“We are pleased that he is able to continue being involved in the athletic department with the women’s basketball program,” said Husson athletic director Gabby Price, who indicated the vacancy should be filled by December 1.