BANGOR – The freshman season for Husson College football wasn’t a rousing success as the Braves struggled through an 0-7 campaign, but it was anything but a failure.

Not only is the program still alive a year later, it is much improved … Not to mention more experienced, focused, talented and motivated.

“Last year was kind of a trial-and-error experience and we were just kind of feeling our way around to find that light switch on the wall, but this year, we’ve got the experience and we know what we have to do,” said linebacker James Tribou, a Hampden native.

Tribou is one of 73 Mainers, but one of only two seniors, on the 87-player roster. That makes him one of the more motivated players on a roster already full of motivated players.

“I definitely don’t want to leave this program 0-16 or whatever,” Tribou said.

Husson opens its “sophomore” season on the road Saturday against Salve Regina College in Newport, R.I., at noon.

There are several factors in play that make it a good bet Tribou and fellow senior Jason Jack, a fullback from South Paris, won’t have to suffer through another winless season. Husson welcomes back 36 returning players, eight of whom bring significant game experience back to the defensive unit, and the offense features a bigger offensive line and more punch.

“We can do so many different things with this offense and I think we’ll be more wide-open with weapons at every position. Practice is really exciting,” said Colby Horne, a junior split end from Belfast whose speed should come in handy in Husson’s pro-set system.

At the offensive controls will be sophomore quarterback David Chase of Sabattus.

At age 21, Horne is typical of the squad, which is loaded with freshmen and sophomores, but is deceptively older than it appears as several players are older undergraduate players.

“I’m just about the only senior, but some of the sophomores seem like seniors,” said Jack.

Perhaps that best explains why the returning players redoubled their efforts in the offseason to build up their strength and endurance.

“The maturity and professionalism on this team impresses me most. They’ve been a lot more focused,” said head coach Jonathan “Gabby” Price. “I can’t say enough about the attitude of these guys and the shape they’re in.

“We’re really about three weeks ahead of where we were this time last year, and that’s a huge advantage.”

They’re also a smarter group of players.

“Last year, we were young and we were run down a lot. You really don’t understand how long 15-minute quarters are until you play them,” said sophomore Tom Lasko of Lincoln. “And we’ve learned a lot. Like you get away with more in college football. Last year a lot of guys were complaining about holding, where this year we’ll just keep playing.”

“We know what to expect this year, whereas last year we all just kind of fell off the bus,” said sophomore cornerback J.P. Folckemer of Gardiner.

Sophomore David Brown anchors Husson’s bigger offensive line (averaging 289 pounds per person) at center, joining sophomore left tackle Louis Avent, right tackle A.J. Buzzell, left guard Jason Cross, and right guard Kurt Tabor.

“We thought our front was good last year, but we think we’re bigger up front now and quicker all the way around,” Price said. “And I think we’re more diverse offensively too.”

And versatile. Several players, like former Mattanawcook Academy standout Lasko, are back, but at different positions.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound defensive end played linebacker last year, but with a deeper linebacking corps, Lasko was moved to shore up the interior line in the 4-4 base formation.

“We know what it takes to compete at this level. We were all used to winning all the time and I think we got frustrated with the losses last year,” Tribou said. “Now we know what kind of effort we have to put in and what it takes to win … And we’re ready to play.”