‘It’s one for history’ Bears upset Mississippi State in nonleague gridiron battle

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – When the University of Maine announced in January that its football team would play at Mississippi State this season, it would have been easy to take a somewhat pessimistic view of the move.

On the surface, the Black Bears would receive a whopping $350,000 for the chance to play in an intimidating Southeastern Conference atmosphere – Davis Wade Stadium, in front of more than 40,000 rabid Bulldog fans – all for the right to serve as MSU’s “patsy.”

Only somebody forgot to tell coach Jack Cosgrove and the UMaine team that they weren’t actually supposed to win the game.

UMaine, ranked 15th in I-AA, walked onto the field Saturday night a decided underdog. When they strode off the plush Bermuda grass, the Black Bears had posted the most resounding victory in 113 seasons of UMaine football dating to 1892.

“It’s one for history,” said UMaine athletic director Patrick Nero, who was instrumental in getting the Bears on MSU’s schedule.

“They can never take this away from the guys and Jack and the university,” he added. “We beat an SEC team.”

How does this win rank in the annals of UMaine football?

For some, including offensive coordinator and former Black Bears quarterback Bobby Wilder, the answer is simple.

“This is by far the biggest win this program’s ever had,” said Wilder, a member of the coaching staff for Atlantic 10 championship and NCAA national quarterfinal victories in 2002 and 2003.

Cosgrove, not wanting to diminish the accomplishments of previous teams, was more cautious in his evaluation.

“I don’t ever say that one’s better than another but this one’s special,” Cosgrove said.

“It’s a great win for us. It’s a great reward for a lot of hard work by a lot of great, young guys,” he added.

After gathering in the visitors locker room for a boisterous but quick victory celebration, UMaine players and coaches filed out, cell phones in hand, to tell their loved ones about the upset.

“I’ve got to call my wife. She won’t believe me,” said offensive line coach John Strollo.

The win was UMaine’s first over a I-A program. The Bears hadn’t played a I-A team since a 1991 loss at Rutgers.

It is common practice for big-time I-A teams, such as the Bulldogs from the highly regarded SEC, to schedule one Division I-AA team per season.

In theory, it’s a symbiotic relationship. For the I-A teams, loaded with its 85 scholarships, sparkling facilities, talented players and storied traditions, the game is supposed to mean a victory for the home team.

For the I-AA teams, limited to 63 scholarship equivalencies and competing with fewer top-level athletes, the game provides a taste of the big time and secures a lucrative payday.

In preparing for Mississippi State, UMaine wasn’t content to accept defeat as part of the equation.

“Maine isn’t supposed to win in the Southeastern Conference, but we didn’t think coming in here that we couldn’t win,” Wilder said. “Our players certainly didn’t think we couldn’t win.”

Senior Christian Pereira explained how the Bears approached the game.

“Most of the time, people have the preconceived notion that the I-A teams will always be better than the I-AA team,” he said. “We knew that they’ve got to put their helmet on just like we’ve got to put our helmet on. The field is a hundred yards long and 50 yards wide, so we just came down here and played football.”

As it turns out, the timing was perfect for UMaine to take on the challenge.

With limitations on state funds and the pressure of having to fund-raise large sums of money to keep the UMaine athletic department in the black, the guaranteed money offered for playing a I-A game was, and likely will continue to be, nearly impossible to refuse.

While other A-10 schools have annually incorporated a I-A game on their schedules, Cosgrove had been reluctant to make the move until recently.

Financial benefits aside, Cosgrove had feared that the potential psychological demoralization and physical demands of playing a I-A program might have serious negative ramifications for his team.

Nero said it was the players’ enthusiasm for adding a I-A game to the schedule that helped sell the idea.

“These kids wanted to play this game – and [Cosgrove’s] really happy he did,” Nero said.

However, the continued emergence of UMaine as a league power and national contender helped expedite the transition to playing such a game. The Bears have taken on top-level I-AA teams such as McNeese State and Montana as part of their nonleague schedule to help expose themselves to a higher level of play.

Having endured the tremendous noise and intimidating surroundings at places such as those helped UMaine remain focused on the game Saturday night in Mississippi.

“[The game] was put on our schedule because, the fact of the matter is, we’ve had some success that allowed us to think about doing this,” Cosgrove said. “When you have success, then that gives you the courage to schedule and when you have courage to schedule, you’ve got to have courage to win.”

UMaine demonstrated that courage Saturday night, proving that the willingness to take a big risk can sometimes pay huge dividends.