Maine Black Bears: JMUSB CAA Football Preview #2
Just the Facts: The Black Bears are coached by Jack Cosgrove. He played QB for the school and is heading into his 17th season as head coach. His team is coming off of a 5-6 campaign in 2009. They actually did quite well against their CAA North divisional opponents, racking up a 4-1 record. Unfortunately, they still had to play schools from the South which resulted in 3 more losses (including one to the Dukes) and a .500 conference record. The Black Bears have had some success in the past, making the playoffs 3 times since 2000 and finishing with a winning record 5 times in that same span. In short, Maine has a pretty decent football program…for a hockey school.
FCS Nugget to Drop at Your Next Tailgate : Maine has produced more current NFL players than any other FCS school in the country. It’s true. Technically. A total of 7 former Black Bears were on active NFL rosters in 2009. Of course this includes Lofa Tatupu, who played at Maine for one year before transferring to USC. Still, that’s pretty impressive. And absolutely shocking.
The Real Skinny: Maine’s Morse Field at Harold Alfond Sports Stadium might only hold 10,000 fans, but it is in Orono, Maine. Ever been there? No, right? Well, neither have I but I assure you it can be cold and nasty. The Black Bears might not have the most intimidating crowds (2009 avg attendance 4,630) but it can be one of the worst places to play late in the season. The weather can be brutal and the lights in the stadium suck. Any team that finds itself playing in Orono after mid-October, needs to prepare for a very tough game. For instance, let’s say a school traditionally closed the season with it’s final game at Towson every other year. Then for some reason that same school was instead playing at Maine on November 20, 2010 that probably wouldn’t be a great thing. And yes, I am talking about JMU here. Towson for Orono straight up was a bad trade for the Dukes.
What They Lose: Maine is losing 3 starters on each side of the ball. This season’s receiving corps will have to make do without last season’s All CAA first team WR Landis Williams and standout WR Mike Brusko, who also saw action at QB. The duo combined for 123 catches, 12 TDs, and over 1,200 yards. The loss of All CAA offensive lineman Tyler Eastman will also be felt. Defensively, the Black Bears will struggle to replace All CAA third teamer Jordan Stevens, who had 10 sacks.
What They Bring Back: The Black Bears have a pair of returning QB’s who both saw considerable action last year. Chris Treister and Warren Smith were both starters at different points last year. Treister closed the season with 7 TDs in the final two games. Whoever gets the call as QB 1 will rely heavily on WR Tyrell Jones. The Junior from Good Counsel High School in Olney, MD (terrible school btw) has 79 catches and 10 TDs as a Black Bear. On Defense Maine will look to a pair of 2009 All CAA third team selections, LB Donte Dennis and DB Steven Barker, to lead the squad. The team is also anxious for the return of ultra talented LB Mark Masterson. He received a medical redshirt after injuries kept him out of all but 2 games last season.
2010 Prediction: 5-6, 4-4 CAA: Like I explained above, Maine has had a pretty decent football program for the past decade or so. Never great, but usually competitive. I see no reason why this team will deviate from that norm. Coach Cosgrove showed a willingness to air it out late last season, throwing it a ridiculous 232 times in the last 5 weeks. Of course, passing was a necessity with the feeble rushing attack at his disposal. The rushing attack doesn’t look to be much better this year and as JMU fans learned last season, sometimes having 2 QB’s isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If the passing game clicks though, this team could surprise some folks.
