The University of Maine football team hopes to get its offense going after scoring just 10 points in each of its first two games.

The challenge couldn’t be stiffer, though. Next up for the Black Bears is a 1 p.m. game Saturday at Boston College, which just knocked off then No. 9-ranked USC.

Maine Coach Jack Cosgrove said his team didn’t watch the BC game as it bused home from a disappointing 13-10 loss at Bryant. He did catch the final minutes when he got back to his house and he was impressed.

Will he have his players watch the tape of that 37-31 BC victory?

“Why not?” Cosgrove said. “We have to. That’s in front of us.”

What’s hindering the Black Bears (1-1) are some lingering offensive issues. Cosgrove said freshmen offensive tackles Isaiah Brooks and Jamil Demby were overmatched by Bryant’s defensive ends.

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“We just got blown up up front and that really hurt us,” Cosgrove said, pointing to the 11 instances in which Maine ball carriers were tackled behind the line of scrimmage.

Quarterback Dan Collins, a sophomore making his second start, was inconsistent.

“He made some very, very good plays, some outstanding throws, but then in some critical moments the decision-making wasn’t what it has to be,” Cosgrove said.

Collins was 10 for 21 for 151 yards and one touchdown. He rushed 15 times for 27 yards.

Asked if a change at quarterback, to true freshman Drew Belcher, could happen, Cosgrove only said: “Anything’s possible.”

“We’ve all got to be patient with (the youth of the team on offense), especially coaches, because we all want to win so bad and want to achieve,” Cosgrove said.

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As for the challenge of facing Boston College:

“We’re going down there to win, we’re not going down there to show,” Cosgrove said.

THE COLONIAL Athletic Association has a marquee matchup to open league play when No. 17 Richmond hosts No. 7 New Hampshire on Saturday.

And it looks like both offenses are in midseason form. The Wildcats are coming off a 45-27 victory over Lehigh that wasn’t as close as that score would indicate. New Hampshire led 29-0 at the half. The Spiders, meanwhile, ran over Hampton 42-17.

“I think we got back to some physical play on both sides of the ball up front,” said New Hampshire Coach Sean McDonnell. “Sean Goldrich did a good job controlling the pace of play, did a really good job of finding different receivers.”

Goldrich, a junior quarterback, was named the CAA offensive player of the week after completing 27 of 40 passes for 422 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 64 yards.

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Eight receivers caught passes, led by Harold Spears, who had seven catches for 138 yards, and R.J. Harris, who had six receptions for 109 yards.

For a team that was beat by Toledo 54-20 in its opener, then had a bye week, it was a terrific showing.

Richmond is in a similar spot. The Spiders turned the ball over seven times in a 45-13 loss to Virginia in its opener, then righted itself against Hampton.

“They can do it a lot of different ways with a lot of different formations. That’s what impressed all of us up here,” McDonnell said of the Spiders’ offense.

Jacobi Green rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns for the Spiders, a promising outing after three offensive linemen went down with injuries in the loss to Virginia.

Green burst through that line for 50 yards and a touchdown on Richmond’s first play of the second half to help seal the win against Hampton.

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“I think it’s the only way for us to really win and be successful week in and week out is to have some balance,” Richmond Coach Danny Rocco said.

A MAINE NATIVE was part of New Hampshire’s offensive onslaught Saturday. Donald Goodrich, a redshirt freshman running back from Cheverus High, was pressed into service after senior Nico Steriti suffered an ankle injury. Goodrich had been primarily a special-teams player before that, but opened his coach’s eyes by gaining 9 yards on two carries, blocking well in passing situations, and even catching a 2-point conversion pass.

“(Goodrich is a) hard runner, does a great job of seeing the hole and hitting it,” McDonnell said. “As I told him on Sunday, if I didn’t trust him, he wouldn’t be in there in those situations.”

DELAWARE PULLED OFF the most dramatic victory by a CAA team Saturday when it scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes to stun Colgate 28-25. Quarterback Trent Hurley scored the winner on a 5-yard run with 41 seconds left.

“He’s a trusted player. We’re going to count on him. We need him to win and we’ve been pleased with what he’s done so far,” Delaware Coach Dave Brock said of Hurley.

 


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