ORONO – Jake Eaton has a demanding job as the quarterback at the University of Maine.

Not only does he need to know the offense inside and out, he must have an in-depth knowledge each week of the opposing defense and how to attack it.

Eaton is forced to make split-second decisions, execute under pressure and maintain a positive attitude among his teammates in the huddle, even if things aren’t going particularly well.

If that wasn’t enough, he must answer to two former Black Bear quarterbacks – head coach Jack Cosgrove and offensive coordinator Bobby Wilder.

Even with all that responsibility and pressure, Eaton excels as the leader of the UMaine offense. This week, he leads the 9-2 Bears into Saturday’s NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinal against 10-2 Northern Iowa at the UNI Dome at 2:30 p.m..

Eaton, a junior from Rutland, Vt., likes the way this team is handling its unprecedented success.

“Besides people around here, nobody expects us to win, so I don’t think we’re really feeling the pressure yet. That’s good for us,” Eaton said as the Bears prepared to play the Panthers.

Cosgrove sensed Eaton was special from the day he walked onto the Orono campus.

“Everybody is given different gifts which they get to work with. Jake’s seem to be centered around this game and this position [QB],” Cosgrove said.

Eaton arrived at UMaine with outstanding football credentials. He graduated Rutland High as Vermont’s all-time leading passer with 5,655 yards (and 59 touchdowns), leading his team to two state championships in three title game appearances.

He eventually chose UMaine over New Hampshire and a handful of other Atlantic 10 schools, citing not football but the people he dealt with during the process.

“It came down to the people,” Eaton said. “I had a good feeling about the guys that were here, the guys they were recruiting. I struck a good relationship with coach Coz and especially with coach Wilder.”

Eaton’s working relationship with his coaches has been instrumental in his success and that of the team. He is willing to put in whatever time is necessary to prepare and learn.

“I think the No. 1 quality he has that makes him a great quarterback is his attention to detail,” Wilder said of his protege. “Playing quarterback encompasses knowing everything that’s going on. Jake takes that to a higher level. He takes it personally if he doesn’t know what everybody’s doing.”

During a recent practice, Eaton spoke with receivers coach Jeff Cole about the timing of tight end Chad Hayes’ motion on a run play on which Eaton’s responsibility is to hand the ball off.

“He wanted to know how to help the run play be better by the timing of Chad’s motion. That’s such a minute detail, but he wants to be perfect on it,” Wilder marveled.

It’s that kind of preparation that has enabled Eaton to emerge as one of the best quarterbacks in the Atlantic 10 and in the country.

“He’s as good a team football player as I’ve ever been around in my 14 years of coaching,” Wilder said. “He’s someone who cares more about the results of the team than he cares about his personal stats.”

The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder possesses an effective combination of speed, agility, elusiveness and throwing accuracy that make him a double threat for the Bears. Eaton prides himself on making good decisions rather than forcing passes that result in interceptions.

“He’s such a good runner and his ability to create for us in run-pass situations, whether it’s play-action pass on the corner or scrambling out of the pocket, is a huge bonus,” Cosgrove said.

Despite working with four wide receivers who came into this season with a combined six career receptions, Eaton has provided ample passing punch. He has completed 162 of 281 throws (.577) for 2,198 yards with 19 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.

“I’m so happy with the development of those guys,” Eaton said of wideouts Stefan Gomes, Paris Minor and Ivi Nwosu. “They’ve all made big plays.”

Eaton also credited his offensive line for its exceptional play.

This season, Eaton joined Mike Buck and Mickey Fein as only the third UMaine quarterback to pass for more than 2,000 yards in two seasons. Even so, Eaton hasn’t been satisfied.

His sophomore season was difficult to follow after he threw for 2,265 yards while setting a school record with a .659 completion percentage, which led the league and ranked third in the nation.

“I haven’t honestly been as efficient as I’ve wanted to be this year, but we’re winning games and that’s the most important thing to me right now,” Eaton said.

Eaton was thrown into the mix in 1999 as a true freshman when Brian Scott suffered a knee injury. He started five games, establishing himself as the QB for the future.

“The whole season was a blur,” Eaton admitted. “I was just out there almost pretending I knew what I was doing,” he chuckled.

However, the close relationship he developed with Wilder during the early days has flourished to the point the two think alike.

“We’re both real intense, real competitive and we both strive to win,” said Eaton, who has developed a feel for what Wilder is looking for on the field. Each week, whether during preparation or even during the game, the two discuss how they’d like to proceed.

“I think he has the utmost confidence in me and I have the utmost confidence in him,” Eaton said.

Wilder trusts Eaton implicitly and proves it every week during the season.

“He’ll critique my game plan, analyze it and come back and tell me some mistakes I’ve got on it or a play for a certain situation,” Wilder said. “The game plan’s not official until he looks at it.”

Eaton can’t wait for Saturday’s game at Northern Iowa.

“We’ve got a good, cohesive unit right now,” he said. “We’re just maturing and learning how to win.”