ORONO – If there is a moment in each football season when a team becomes a team, the University of Maine is hoping that intangible shift happened last Saturday.

The Black Bears were on the brink of a fourth loss before driving for a quick score to tie the game, blocking a field goal with 2.3 seconds left in regulation to preserve the tie, then beating rival New Hampshire on a field goal in overtime.

“Certainly there was a part of that game Saturday we asserted ourselves and showed character we hadn’t yet,” said Coach Jack Cosgrove. “Everyone was involved in that. You hope they see: ‘OK, so this is how it’s done. You reach down deeper.’“

That renewed confidence will carry Maine (2-3, 1-1 Colonial Athletic Association) into its most daunting test yet: today’s 1 p.m. game at Delaware.

The second-ranked Blue Hens (5-0, 2-0) have the top rushing offense in the league and can pick apart a secondary with the arm of quarterback Pat Devlin.

But Maine players say they’ve had a good week of preparation.

“You can feel the tempo is raised,” said quarterback Warren Smith. “Everyone is excited to get out there.

“Everyone came through in that win. It was full out. Now we’re looking to build.”

And it started with a feeling of trust in one another in last Saturday’s game.

“I don’t how to explain it, but we felt it,” said cornerback Dom Cusano. “We felt it throughout the whole game. Guys on offense were telling the defense, ‘We need one more three-and-out, then we got you.’

“Those things had been said before, but it just felt more meaningful. There was a lot of trust and faith.”

“It wasn’t the prettiest game, but we came together,” said Ryan McCrossan, a backup linebacker and special teams standout who is the only player selected as a team captain every week this season by his teammates. “We grew. And we got a conference win.”

The win had its flaws, from a season-high 13 penalties to two interceptions thrown by Smith to a fumble on the goal line for a touchback after a long drive.

The performance nearly fell into the pattern that began last season: strong starts to games followed by poor finishes.

Now, said slot receiver Derek Session, it is a matter of maintaining that intensity.

“It puts the picture out there of what we can do,” said Session. “You could see teamwide, everyone was tired of not finishing games. Even when we had one minute left, we scored. There was a belief that ‘we are going to block this field goal.’“

Maine last beat Delaware on the road in 2008. Five more conference wins followed and Maine made the playoffs.

“It’s a tough place, but a great place to play,” said Cosgrove. “They can hurt you with the run game and the pass game. Last year they really torched us (in the air).”

Maine’s offense has opened up in recent weeks, with playmakers emerging after a slow start.

“We’ve been down a lot of paths identifying our playmakers,” Cosgrove said. “Hopefully we’re ready to have that identity we’ve lacked. I’m excited to see the next step.

“I’ve really liked the way they’ve practiced this week. We had a really bad day on Wednesday: cold, rainy, nasty. I’ve never been that cold and miserable in the history of the program.

“They just kept going. There was a real focus.”

 

Staff Writer Jenn Menendez can be contacted at 791-6426 or at: jmenendez@pressherald.com

 

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