CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Bogged down and bowled over.

The Maine football team couldn’t get any traction on offense in the second half Saturday, picking up just one first down while leaving its defense to absorb body blow after body blow in a 40-10 loss to Boston College before an announced crowd of 28,676 at Alumni Stadium.

The Black Bears, who forged a 10-10 tie early in the second quarter, were in submission in the second half, holding the ball for only 9:09 while the Eagles (3-1) rolled up 303 yards and 21 points.

“We got worn down as a football team,” Maine Coach Jack Cosgrove said. “They ran the football very well and effectively.”

For Maine (1-2), it was the third consecutive game scoring only 10 points. This time there was a wrinkle: Cosgrove alternated between sophomore Dan Collins and freshman Drew Belcher – getting his first playing time – at quarterback.

Collins made two big plays in the first half. After Maine linebacker Randy Samuels intercepted a Tyler Murphy pass at the Eagles’ 20, Collins found freshman wide receiver Micah Wright in the left flat and he ran past a defender for an 11-yard touchdown with 9:41 left in the first quarter.

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“It was a crazy feeling,” Wright said after his first collegiate touchdown. “I was happy I was able to do it against a good opponent like Boston College. They have a really good defense.”

Early in the second quarter, trailing 10-7, Collins dropped back to pass and saw tight end Jeremy Salmon standing by himself 35 yards downfield. Salmon had to wait for Collins’ pass to float into his hands, then took off for a 67-yard gain to the BC 12.

Nigel Beckford ran for 4 yards. Then Maine put Belcher back into the game to run a quarterback draw that was stuffed after a yard. Collins threw an incomplete pass and Sean Decloux came on to kick a 24-yard field goal that would mark the last positive play for the offense.

“They just told me be ready at any given moment,” Belcher said of his lone play on the scoring drive. “Coach said, ‘You’re in,’ and I just had to be prepared and run the play that was given.”

In the second half, none of the plays worked for either quarterback. Maine ran 15 plays for 17 yards while Boston College took control.

“They have a lot of tough guys that I’d like to have on my team,” said Eagles center Andy Gallik, a likely NFL draft pick.

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“We kept hammering away at them and when we got the game into the fourth quarter, we ran away with it.”

The Black Bears rotated defensive players liberally in an effort to keep them fresh. But forced to play for 38:50 against Boston College’s mammoth offensive line, it was to no avail.

“I feel like we came out strong at the beginning. I don’t know what started slowing us down,” Maine linebacker Cabrinni Goncalves said after tying for a team-high with nine tackles. “It didn’t have a lot to do with fatigue, maybe just a little role in it.”

It was the fifth consecutive loss against Boston College for Maine, which hasn’t won in the series since 1915. Two years ago the Eagles won here 34-3.

Cosgrove, noting the number of young players who saw action Saturday, put a positive spin on the grueling afternoon.

“We’re disappointed but we’re not beaten,” he said. “We’re going to be a better football team as a result of this.”


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