Someday, Maine football coach Jack Cosgrove will have a heart-to-heart with his rugged freshman quarterback about discretion and valor.

But not yet. For now, he’s just happy to see Drew Belcher running free and easy – even while absorbing some punishing blows.

“He was much more aggressive in his thinking,” Cosgrove said Monday after Belcher’s second career start resulted in a 20-14 win at Rhode Island on Saturday.

“I thought he was really physical in his approach. He’s a big kid, so it was good to see that. He looked like he played with that combination this week of toughness but also like he was having fun. He didn’t have that look about him last week.”

Belcher, whose first start came in a 20-7 loss to Albany, completed 15 of 25 passes at Rhode Island for 151 yards and no interceptions. But he was particularly impressive as a runner, carrying 21 times for 84 yards, a total that included four sacks.

Six times, Belcher ran the football on third down. Each time, he converted. There was a 14-yard gain on third-and-13 that set up Maine’s second field goal and Belcher plowed for 5 critical yards on a third-and-5 on the drive that ended with the Black Bears’ winning touchdown.

“I came out this week and just told myself, ‘Just play, just have fun, it’s a fun game,’ ” Belcher said Saturday. “Some of (the time), the play broke down or I saw some grass on a pass play and just ran.”

Other runs were designed as Belcher continually probed the left side of Rhode Island’s defensive line. He never slid for his own protection, seeming to enjoy delivering a hit at the end of his jaunts. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he appeared no worse for wear afterward.

“You’ve just got to let a kid play his style of play. He tucks it and runs,” Cosgrove said. “We’ll probably have a conversation with him about that down the road, but right now having him relaxed and play the way he did Saturday is probably something that we don’t want to mess around with.”

Another Maine freshman had an even better day on the ground. Nigel Beckford was recognized as the Colonial Athletic Association rookie of the week after gaining 107 yards on 25 carries, with one touchdown. It was his best game of the season and came after junior tailback Isaiah Jones was injured on the opening kickoff.

“It puts you in a better rhythm when you’re out there running the ball consecutively and they can trust you doing that,” Beckford said Saturday.

VILLANOVA COACH Andy Talley isn’t spouting the typical “one week at a time” cliche this week. He’s up front about how important Saturday’s game at Richmond is in the battle for CAA supremacy.

The No. 4 Wildcats are 4-0 in league play with an explosive offense that is producing 42.3 points per game against conference opponents. Richmond rose to 13th in the national rankings after dispatching Elon 30-10 on Saturday. The Spiders, 3-1 in CAA play, shut out Rhode Island the week before behind a rapidly improving defense.

“I think this game is going to be a pivotal game for both of us,” Talley said. “I’m very concerned about the physicality of Richmond.”

Villanova will be without running back Gary Underwood for four weeks after he sprained his MCL. That will increase the challenge of running against a terrific Richmond defensive line. The Spiders limited Elon to 141 yards, including 17 on 26 rushing attempts.

“I think it should be a really good game,” Richmond Coach Danny Rocco said. “I’m glad we’re at home and hopefully my team can perform at a high level.”

Richmond visits Maine on Nov. 8.

ELON HAS YET to win in its debut as a CAA member, sitting at the bottom of the league standings with Rhode Island at 0-4. Its best shot at a road win may come Saturday, when the Phoenix visit Towson (1-3). Elon has one home game remaining, hosting Maine on Nov. 15.

“I think the difference with the CAA is the multiplicity of football programs that have had success,” said Elon Coach Rich Skrosky, pointing to Maine and Towson as examples of teams that made the playoffs a year ago but are struggling to reach the middle of the pack this year.

A bright spot for the Phoenix has been freshman defensive back Chris Blair, who was in on 14 tackles and also blocked a punt in the loss to Richmond.

Blair originally committed to Ball State, where Skrosky was the offensive coordinator the past three seasons. Blair redshirted there last fall and then followed the coach back to his native North Carolina to help Elon transition into the CAA.

“He’s really made a big impact on this team,” Skrosky said of Blair.

“He’s got a great passion about the game and that comes through in the way he plays. He’s just a great kid to have in our program and I think he’s one of the better younger players in our conference.”

 

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