The goal of reaching the playoffs is what drives players on college teams across the country.

The University of Maine football team has been no different, especially since sharing back-to-back Atlantic 10 championships and making consecutive trips to the NCAA national quarterfinals in 2001 and 2002.

With three games remaining this season, coach Jack Cosgrove’s 4-4 Black Bears likely will have to re-evaluate their goal of reaching the postseason.

“I don’t know that we can even have a discussion about that,” Cosgrove said after Saturday’s game, “but it’s certainly not a front-door opportunity any more for us.”

Saturday’s gut-wrenching 35-34 overtime loss at Massachusetts has all but eliminated UMaine from playoff contention. Despite a grueling early schedule, the Bears now have fallen out of The Sports Network’s Division I-AA Top 25 for the first time this season.

With a 2-3 Atlantic 10 record and no chance of winning the league title, UMaine would have to earn one of only eight at-large berths for the 16-team I-AA playoffs. At present, James Madison (7-1), Delaware (6-2), William & Mary (6-2), New Hampshire (6-2) and Villanova (6-3) are all ahead the Bears in the A-10 alone.

While those in the UMaine camp aren’t eager to talk about the reality of the team’s plight, all are aware of the situation.

“I feel bad for our team,” said Bears senior tailback Marcus Williams. “I feel bad for our seniors. I feel bad for everyone in our organization who put so much time and work into the season and now we’re 4-4 and I don’t want to get into what the possibilities are for the playoffs, but it doesn’t look good.”

All the Bears can do is go out and win their last three games, starting with Saturday’s home contest against Hofstra.

“It’s not going to affect how hard we play,” said senior wide receiver Christian Pereira, who conceded the Bears knew after the Oct. 16 loss to No. 17 James Madison that they would have to win their last five games to assure a postseason spot.

“We’re definitely going to go out there next week and we’re going to try to win the game,” Pereira added.

Williams hits century mark again

UMaine senior tailback Marcus Williams continued his assault on the school’s all-time rushing yardage record with a tremendous performance against Massachusetts in his hometown of Amherst, Mass.

The 5-foot-10, 225-pounder piled up 175 yards on 28 carries and scored four touchdowns in the overtime loss to the Minutemen. Williams also had a 65-yard TD run called back because of a holding penalty.

“I’m going to have success every game. Our offense is too talented,” said Williams, who ran behind a line that was without starting tackle Mark Lehner and guard Evign Dodge for most of Saturday’s game.

Williams eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the 17th time in his career, surpassing the Bears’ all-time mark of 16 100-yard efforts turned in by Carl Smith from 1988-91.

Williams goes into Saturday’s home game against Hofstra needing 106 yards to pass Lorenzo Bouier (3,828 yards) and become UMaine’s all-time leading rusher.

Already the only Black Bear player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in two different seasons, Williams needs 140 yards to make it three in a row.

Whitcomb whipping it around

One of the byproducts of Williams’ success running the ball in recent weeks has been the effectiveness of sophomore quarterback Ron Whitcomb.

In the last four games, Whitcomb has completed 72 of 114 passes (.640) for 731 yards and nine touchdowns with five interceptions.

For the season, he has completed 143 of 227 throws for 1,511 yards and 17 TDs. He has been intercepted 10 times.

Whitcomb has thrown at least one scoring pass in each of his 19 career games at UMaine.