ORONO – Devon Goree has always been one of the little guys.

Growing up in Camden, N.J., he had to make up for his small frame by being extra aggressive and intense.

Years later, those qualities have helped make the 5-foot-7, 185-pounder one of the defensive mainstays for the University of Maine football team.

Goree, a senior cornerback, hopes to help the Black Bears hold defending national champion Delaware in check when UMaine (2-1) opens the Atlantic 10 portion of its schedule Saturday at Newark, Del.

“If I played street ball, I always wanted to play with the bigger kids to prove that I could play,” Goree said. “Once they saw I could play, they always wanted to pick me up.”

Goree might seem a likely target for opposing offenses. However, opponents know he’s not a player who can be picked on. Despite giving away several inches to most of the receivers he defends, Goree proves himself a handful.

“He’s not a big kid, but he’s a very physical kid who will come up and put a hit on you,” said UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove.

Against Northern Colorado, Goree handcuffed 6-4, 235-pound All-America candidate Vincent Jackson to the tune of two catches for 15 yards.

“He’s an aggressive, hard-nosed, risk-taking young man,” Cosgrove said of Goree, who ranks third on the squad with 20 tackles, including a team-high 15 solos, and one sack.

“We really feel as though he’s one of the premier corners in the league and a guy that we have no fear of matching up against the great receivers in the league,” Cosgrove said. “Size doesn’t really ever enter into it.”

Goree, who had been recruited by the likes of Connecticut and Rutgers, arrived at UMaine lacking the speed of some of his counterparts. He has worked hard to develop his skills (he bench-presses 385 pounds) and has built on his football background to become an outstanding player.

One of Goree’s uncles is longtime Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Kevin Ross, who is now a coach with the Minnesota Vikings. His influence, and the guidance of coaches for Camden’s Centerville Simbas (youth football team), helped mold Goree into a tenacious defender.

“I use a lot of my techniques and my awareness,” Goree said. “If I go up against a guy with 4.3 speed [in the 40-yard dash], I’m going to get my hands on him because I’m strong enough.”

Goree is thrilled to be back in the lineup this season. He missed all of 2003 after undergoing surgery on both shoulders, but has returned to set the tone at cornerback.

Last year, the Bears were forced to alter their scheme a bit and play more conservatively when injuries to Goree and Jarrod Gomes forced two young corners into the mix. Cosgrove said having Goree back has enabled the defense to play its preferred style.

“He’s as good a technician as we have as far as getting up in a receiver’s face and playing the hands and jamming him and impeding his release off the ball,” Cosgrove said. “He personifies the defense.”

Goree, who is majoring in child development and family relations, credits his parents and a large, close-knit extended family with providing a loving and supportive home that have helped him succeed.

He explained his maternal grandmother, Lesie Williams, who raised several football players, is the glue that keeps the family together.

“There’ll be a lot of them there to support me,” Goree said. “There’s 40 or 50 of them coming [to the Delaware game].”