Only a week after surrendering 51 points and 423 yards in a loss to Hofstra, the University of Maine defense set the tone in Saturday’s 13-3 Atlantic 10 football victory over James Madison.

The Black Bears bounced back from the Hofstra loss by holding the Dukes to only 127 total yards. The performance was the stingiest in a Division I game since the Bears beat Richmond 17-3 on Oct. 1, 1988.

“That was a real good effort by our defense,” said UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove.

“I thought it was pretty easy [bouncing back from the Hofstra loss],” said senior cornerback Lennard Byrd. “We knew we played a good game and that we just had a few things to clean up.”

While it’s still early, UMaine leads the Atlantic 10 in total defense, having given up an average of only 269.3 yards per game. The Bears rank third against the rush (95.0 ypg) and fourth against the pass (174.3 ypg) among the 11 league teams.

“I think Maine is a very good defensive football team,” said JMU coach Mickey Matthews.

Junior linebacker Stephen Cooper has been a monster in the middle of the defense. The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder made 11 tackles, 10 of them unassisted, against JMU and is eighth among A-10 tacklers averaging 9.7 per contest.

Sophomore corner Jarrod Gomes ranks second on the squad with 5.7 tackles per game, while defensive ends Brendan Curry and Marcus Walton have been instrumental in UMaine’s outstanding pass rush.

Curry, a junior, ranks third in the conference in sacks with 1.5 per game, while Walton, a sophomore, is fourth at 1.2 per outing. Curry also leads the league with three forced fumbles and has made six tackles for a loss.

Walton leads the A-10 with nine tackles for a loss (3.0 per game).

The Bears have limited opponents to a league-low 42 first downs and are second in the league with 13 sacks for 101 yards.

While UMaine is the most-penalized team in the A-10 at 80.3 yards per game, the Bears’ opponents have been penalized for 76 ypg, also tops in the league.

The Bears also received a boost Saturday from freshman Lofa Tatupu, who was in on six tackles while making his first start at inside linebacker.

Tatupu, the son of former New England Patriots All-Pro Mosi Tatupu, played in place of junior Rob Kierstead of South Portland, who missed the game with an ankle injury. Despite having played mostly a backup role, Tatupu ranks fifth on the squad with 11 tackles, including three for a loss.