ORONO – The University of Maine football team is understandably excited about kicking off the 2002 season Saturday evening in Portland against Central Connecticut.

The Black Bears remember vividly the successes of 2001, including a 9-3 record, a share of the Atlantic 10 championship, and an NCAA postseason win at McNeese State.

The challenge facing coach Jack Cosgrove’s team is to go further. One important intangible may make it easier.

“The biggest word I can say is confidence,” said junior wide receiver Paris Minor. “We know that we can go out there and play with any team.

“Just crossing the emotional barrier of knowing that we can get to the NCAA playoffs, that was incredible,” he added.

UMaine is ranked 13th in one national preseason poll and 15th in another. But in their quest to boldly go where no UMaine team has gone before, the Bears haven’t made any major changes in their approach.

“We want to be the same humble, hardworking football team we were in 2001 and have that little air of confidence that we CAN do this; we can beat any football team in our conference,” said associate head coach and offensive coordinator Bobby Wilder.

The most difficult mentality to achieve is the ability to focus on now and not get caught up in what might lie ahead.

Cosgrove and his staff preach, “play the next play.” It goes beyond the “game-by-game” philosophy, reducing every practice, every game, into a mindset that stresses the moment.

“We’d like to make sure that our guys know that if you make a great play, that’s great, but you’ve got to play the next play,” Cosgrove said. “If we have a bad play, we have an opportunity to bounce back.

“That’s what play the next play means, keeping our guys focused on the importance of execution on a play-to-play basis,” he added.

That mentality was instrumental in the Bears’ success a year ago and they aren’t about to start taking anything for granted in the testy Atlantic 10.

“These are blue-collar kids and we still feel we’ve got something to prove,” said senior captain Jake Eaton. “We had some unfinished business last year. We weren’t satisfied with losing in the second round of the playoffs.”

The Defense

Senior linebacker Stephen Cooper, the Atlantic 10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the nation’s top Division I-AA defensive player, headlines a veteran unit that features eight returning starters. The Bears ranked second in the league in rushing defense (130 yards per game) and were fourth in total defense (335 ypg) and scoring defense (22.4 ppg) a year ago.

“One thing we’re trying to improve is our pass defense,” said defensive coordinator Rich Nagy. “That’s the one area we know we can make considerable gains from last year.”

The secondary features a corps of veterans led by senior free safety Dave Cusano, an All-A-10 third-team pick in 2001. He is flanked by cornerbacks Devon Goree, a returning starter, and part-time player Jarrod Gomes, both juniors.

Gomes has been slowed by a preseason shoulder injury, with freshman Clinton Brown and second-year backup Ron Waller are waiting in the wings.

Cooper returns for his fourth season as a starter. He is joined by senior Rob Kierstead of South Portland, who has ample big-game experience.

“We lost some good players (including transfer Lofa Tatupu), but we’ve got some younger guys to fill in,” Kierstead said. “I think they’re ready for the challenge.”

They are complemented by two first-year sophomore starters at strong safety in Matt DiBiase of South Portland and Brandon McGowan, both of whom played some last season.

UMaine has size, strength and depth up front. Senior captain an all-league third-teamer Brendan Curry, sophomore Marcus Walton and junior Brian Mann return at end, where they are joined by converted junior tackle Dennis Dottin-Carter. He was moved because of the experience and depth at the tackle spots provided by sophomores Dan Joslyn, Mark Stetson and Pat Pa’u and senior Amos Hall.

While proven depth is an issue at the linebacker and cornerback spots, UMaine isn’t afraid to use its personnel.

“You’re going to see a lot of faces,” Nagy said. “With the demands we put on those guys from a speed standpoint, we have to keep fresh bodies on the field at all times.”

The Offense

The Bears’ offensive philosophy is simple: Control the ball and the clock, score points and you control the game.

The prime example of the Bears’ philosophy could be seen in last season’s win at New Hampshire, when UMaine put together an 11-play, 92-yard touchdown drive that consumed 11 minutes.

“Our theme offensively is, ‘Pound the Rock,'” said Wilder, whose unit rushed for 172 yards per game last season. “That’s not just running the ball, that’s playing a physical brand of ball-control offense.”

The offense is directed by Eaton, a three-year starter at quarterback who ranked among the league’s top five last fall in passing efficiency, total offense and passing yardage. He threw touchdown passes in 11 of 12 games and had 23 in all.

“We’re blessed to have a very good quarterback, a guy who has shown he knows how to win football games,” Cosgrove said.

Eight starters are back, but the challenge is replacing three key components at tailback, tight end and tackle. UMaine is deep at tailback, where sophomores Marcus Williams, James Henry and Onyi Momah are expected to compete for playing time. Williams played in 10 games in 2001, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Henry was slowed by a shoulder injury.

“We’re excited about all three of them and coach Wilder and the offensive staff are going to give those guys an opportunity to be contributors and make plays,” Cosgrove said.

Senior John Gelsomino returns at fullback, where he’ll be spelled by Mike Zyskowski.

UMaine has a strong nucleus up front with returning starters in tackle Matt Hammond, guards Pete Richardson of Millinocket and Mike Leconte of South Portland, center Ben Lazarski, and backup guard Josh Watson. Mark Lehner fills the void at left tackle.

Depth will be provided by a handful of untested players.

The tight end job vacated by All-American Chad Hayes belongs to soph Danny Fusco, who has been slowed of late by a strained knee. Josh Radulski likely will get plenty of reps.

UMaine’s blossoming wide receiver corps is led by junior all-league, third-teamer Stefan Gomes and classmate Paris Minor. Ivi Nwosu and Christian Pereira also have a year under their belts.

A new wrinkle for UMaine is the use of an H-back, a combination blocker/receiver out of the backfield. Kurt Bulwith, Radulski and Dzigbodi Ababio will see time there.

Special Teams

The kicking game should be improved as sophs Chris DeVinney and Mike Mellow return. Mellow handles the punting and kickoffs, but he may challenge South Portland’s DeVinney for place-kicking duties.

Cosgrove is hoping to extend the Bears’ field-goal range.

The loss of Lennard Byrd left a big void on UMaine’s return teams. Stefan Gomes and Goree will return punts, while Jarrod Gomes and Pereira are among the kick returners.

Maine Black Bears 2002 Schedule

August

31 ? Central Connecticut, at Portland, 6 p.m.

September

7 ? William & Mary*, 6 p.m.

14 ? at Villanova*, 6 p.m.

21 ? at Howard, noon

28 ? Rhode Island*, 1 p.m.

October

5 ? at James Madison*, noon

12 ? at Massachusetts*, 1 p.m.

19 ? at Florida International, 3:30 p.m.

26 ? Hofstra*, noon

November

2 ? Open

9 ? Delaware*, noon

16 ? at Richmond*, 1 p.m.

23 ? New Hampshire*, noon

*-Atlantic 10 Conference game