ORONO – Ben Sirmans got the ball and knew immediately something was wrong. It was fourth-and-goal on the Rhode Island 1-yard line, Maine trailed 10-3 in the third quarter, and Sirmans, running left on a reverse from the right wing, saw the blocking disintegrate in front of him. The hole that was supposed to be there wasn’t.

“The play wasn’t there, so everything just became instinctive,” Sirmans said, recalling the moment.

His instinct told the 5-foot-9, 204-pound junior to cut back against the grain. His instinct also told him to lower his left shoulder. His instinct, as usual, was right. Sirmans bounced off one Rhode Island tackler, hopped sideways to retain his balance, and pogoed off his left leg into the end zone for the touchdown.

The play typified Sirmans’ success Saturday. He blasted through the URI defense for a career-high 109 yards on a career-high 20 carries, scoring two TDs to help power the Bears to a 24-17 win, their first of the season. But in a larger sense, the play typified Sirmans’ life in general and his career at Maine in particular, both of which have seen him get the job done despite things never seeming to go easily for him.

Consider:

A “borderline” student at Montclair Immaculate Conception High, Sirmans grew up in a tough neighborhood in East Orange, N.J. His widowed mother, Ophelia, worked as a beautician to support four children. He was an All-State football and track star, but his grades, coupled with his scoring the NCAA minimum 700 on his SAT, scared off every school except Maine, which decided to take a chance on him.

“If Maine hadn’t offered me a scholarship, I don’t think there’s any way I would have gone to college,” said Sirmans, an education major who is more than holding his own academically.

Football at Maine didn’t go quite the way Sirmans expected, either. He was recruited by former Maine coach Tim Murphy to play fullback, but was pressed into service as a tailback, replacing an injured Carl Smith in the seventh game of his freshman season at Connecticut.

Sirmans’ first run from scrimmage went for a touchdown. It was enough to give the young back a taste of success and raise his hopes for glory, but when Smith returned to the lineup two weeks later, Sirmans was relegated to blocking back, which has been his role for the most part ever since.

“It doesn’t bother me,” said Sirmans, who rushed for 418 yards and scored eight TDs in between throwing blocks on last year’s 9-3 playoff team. “I’ve always done whatever it takes to help the team win. It goes back to my high school coach (John Finnegan), who taught me no matter how tough a situation is, you have to play the cards you’re dealt.”

Adapting to life in rural Maine after a city upbringing wasn’t easy for Sirmans, either. He considered transferring after his freshman year.

“I wasn’t used to the atmosphere and I wanted to be closer to home and be around more black people,” Sirmans said. “It wasn’t anything against white people, it was just what I was used to. The reason I stayed was when coach Murphy left, coach (Tom) Lichtenberg talked to me about growing up. He said sometimes when things get tough, you’ve got to be tough and deal with them.”

Sirmans stayed and got tough, especially on the football field.

“The thing that makes Ben such a good back is his body lean,” said UM running backs coach Bob Wilder. “He’s got a hard body, and he’s short, but it’s his lean that makes him hard to tackle. He’s always lower than the guy trying to tackle him. He’s also got great balance. He’s always moving forward.”

After witnessing Sirmans’ performance against his Rams, URI coach Bob Griffin paid tribute to his tenacity.

“He moves the chains,” Griffin said. “When you need the tough yards, he gets them. That touchdown was a good run, but I remember a few times on third-and-3 when he got the yards. He keeps the chains moving.”

Sirmans’ career performance Saturday opened the eyes of Maine head coach Kirk Ferentz, who realizes his fullback can do more than block.

“We’re just happy to have a guy like Ben, who’s not only a great blocker, but a great running threat,” Ferentz said.

Whether Sirmans’ success Saturday translates into more carries will depend on opposing defenses. Sirmans shrugs at the notion.

“I wanted to get 1,000 yards back at the beginning of the season, but after the first game I could see that wasn’t going to happen. I feel now I’ve just got to do whatever it takes to help us win,” he said.

And is he happy he stayed at Maine?

“Definitely,” Sirmans said.