BOONE, N.C. – The University of Maine went into Saturday’s Division I-AA football playoff game with a healthy respect for Appalachian State’s defense, its down linemen in particular.

The Black Bear offense, still trying to develop a rhythm behind third-string quarterback Jon Meczywor, was determined to prove it could get the job done in spite of the challenges.

The pressure was on Saturday and UMaine’s dependable front five, along with tight end Danny Fusco and fullback John Gelsomino, came through with another outstanding performance to lead the Bears to a 14-13 victory.

Maine will travel to Statesboro, Ga., next Saturday for a quarterfinal game against Georgia Southern.

Behind tackles Matt Hammond and Mark Lehner, guards Pete Richardson of Millinocket and Mike Leconte of South Portland, and center Ben Lazarski, the Bears were able to control the line of scrimmage most of the afternoon.

“We feel like we can run the ball on anyone,” said Richardson, moments after UMaine had advanced to the second round for the second straight year. “The big thing about this week was, we wanted to prove ourselves.”

That meant taking on a defensive line that included senior end Jay Jeffries, a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the nation’s top defensive player. The Mountaineers had allowed 210 rushing yards combined in their previous three games.

“We heard talk this whole week about how good their defensive line was and our goal was to come out and smack them in the mouth and get some running on them,” Richardson said.

UMaine put up 206 yards on the ground behind the punishing running of sophomore tailback Marcus Williams, who netted 157 yards on 29 carries with another determined effort. It wasn’t anything too fancy, although the Bears did throw in some new formations for ASU to digest.

“That’s our style, running the ball and setting the tone and smacking teams in the mouth,” Williams said. “The offensive line did a fantastic job and John Gelsomino, Danny Fusco, those guys don’t get enough credit.”

Williams and the blocking crew didn’t want to expect too much from Meczywor, even though he is 2-0 since being thrust into a starting role because of injuries to Jake Eaton and Chris Legree.

“We didn’t ask him to win the game for us, throw for 300 yards,” Williams said. “We just wanted him to go out there, make his reads, make his throws when he needs to.”

Even Meczywor proved himself a capable runner, gaining 38 yards on 12 carries, including a gritty 23-yard keeper that set up the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“We had two special run plays in for them today that were out of passing formations with Jon running the ball, and he read the blocks like he was supposed to,” said UMaine offensive coordinator Bobby Wilder.

And the Bears ran the ball successfully when it counted most – with UMaine clinging to a one-point lead and time running out. UMaine appeared to wear down Appalachian State during the game.

“We knew we were better than them. The whole game we had been moving the ball,” Williams said. “We had to finish and stay consistent. We never lost confidence.”

BLACK BEARS 14, MOUNTAINEERS 13

Maine (11-2) 0 0 7 7 ? 14

Appalachian St. (8-4) 0 0 10 3 ? 13

A ? Burchette 1 run (Wright kick)

A ? Wright 19 field goal

M ? Waller 27 pass from Meczywor (Mellow kick)

A ? Wright 47 field goal

M ? Williams 41 run (Mellow kick)

Maine ASU

First downs 16 16

Rushing att.-yards 44-206 42-178

Passing comp.-att. 7-15 9-17

Passing yards 86 73

Total yards 292 251

Punts-avg. 6-45.2 4-45.0

Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-0

Intercepted by 1 0

Penalties-yards 7-67 3-15

Rushing

Maine: Williams 29-157, Meczywor 12-38, Momah 2-9, Gelsomino 1-2; ASU: Beard 18-119, Jackson 6-69, Thomas 4-13, Hoover 3-3, Burchette 10-(minus 9), Williams 1-(minus 17)

Passing

Maine: Meczywor 7-15-0-86; ASU: Burchette 9-17-1-73

Receiving

Maine: Pereira 3-38, Waller 1-27, McMahan 1-13, Fusco 1-4, Gelsomino 1-4; ASU: Fowlkes 3-19, Layton 2-3, Hoover 1-21, Little 1-14, White 1-11, Hayward 1-5

A?4,311