Black Bears on the defensive UMaine’s big plays, takeaways offset opponents’ huge gains

ORONO – Defense has been the cornerstone of success for the University of Maine football team so far in the 21st century.

This season has been no different, although the results have not been as impressive. Seven games into the 2004 season, a look at the statistics reveals the 4-3 Black Bears’ propensity for giving up lots of yardage, especially through the air.

Opponents have passed for an average of 255 yards per contest, placing UMaine’s defense 11th against the pass in the 12-team Atlantic 10 Conference. Despite allowing opponents to put up some big numbers, the 19th-ranked Bears have found ways to keep that from turning into gaudy numbers on the scoreboard.

UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove admits his team was somewhat forgiving, again, in Saturday’s 35-26 win over Northeastern.

“They threw the ball,” Cosgrove said. “We say we wanted them to throw the ball because we’re going to shut down the run. Well, we didn’t shut down the run, either. They had a running back that got 116 yards. But the bottom line is, we got the win.”

The players try not to allow an opponent’s success moving the ball to demoralize them. Part of it is the realization, especially against A-10 opponents, that those teams have talented scholarship athletes just like UMaine.

“We just know we play the next play,” summed up senior cornerback Devon Goree. “Playing in the secondary, you’ve got to let stuff go [emotionally]. Coach [defensive coordinator Rich] Nagy stresses that, come back and make the next play.”

The Bears have made some big plays inside their own 25-yard line (a.k.a. the red zone) to help the team win games. They rank second in the league in red-zone defense, having held opponents scoreless seven times in 27 opportunities.

UMaine goes into Saturday’s game at Massachusetts ranked 10th in A-10 total defense, giving up 384 yards per game, and has allowed 27.0 points per game. Last season, the Bears surrendered only 19.8 points per contest and 194 ypg passing.

“They chip away, chip away, but if we keep playing hard, good things are going to happen,” said sophomore safety Daren Stone, who made a career-high 15 tackles Saturday. “You just have to keep your head up and play hard.”

Another factor for UMaine has been its ability to create turnovers. The Bears are 10th in the nation with a 1.14 turnover ratio, having created 19 turnovers while committing 11.

“If you look at games we’ve won and statistics during the year, we always seem to be able to win the turnover battle and create opportunities for ourselves that way,” Cosgrove said.

A punt for the ages

Mike Mellow has spent the last three seasons handling punting, place-kicking and kickoff chores for the UMaine football team. On Saturday, the senior from Stonington, Conn., earned a spot in the Bears’ record book.

Mellow now holds the distinction for the longest punt in program history. With 6:26 left in the third quarter, he boomed a high kick that bounced and then took a slow AstroTurf roll to the 1-yard line, where it was downed by teammate Manauris Arias.

Mellow’s 76-yarder surpassed the 75-yard punt boomed by Manche Wheeler, on natural grass, against New Hampshire back in 1960.

Mellow is on pace to set UMaine’s single-season punting record of 41.0 yards per kick set by Todd Jagoutz in 200. Mellow has punted 40 times for a 43.9-yard average, best among Atlantic 10 kickers and fourth in all of Division I-AA.

Bears feature ‘Flash’ Gordon

Arel Gordon is the fastest man on the UMaine football team, having been clocked in the vicinity of 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash. With each passing week, the team is benefiting more from his speed and open-field running savvy.

The sophomore from Rochester, N.Y., showed off those skills against Northeastern. Gordon returned four kickoffs for 146 yards (36.5 yards per return), including a sparkling 72-yard scamper in the fourth quarter after the Huskies had trimmed the Bears’ lead to 35-20.

“People just did what we pretty much did all week (in practice) and made their blocks,” Gordon said. “I read a couple seams and a couple holes and was able to get loose on the long one. It was a designed middle return and I just used footspeed to get around the remaining defenders to the sideline.”

Gordon, who also is a threat for UMaine catching the ball and running reverses as a wide receiver, now leads the A-10 with a 28.6-yard average on 17 kickoff returns.