Maine Black Bears
Overall Rank: #40
#7 Colonial
Maine Team Page
2010 Record: (4-7, 3-5)
2010 Postseason: none
Coach: Jack Cosgrove (97-108 at Maine, 97-108 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Pushaun Brown, RB, 613 yards
Passing: Warren Smith, QB, 1,861 yards
Receiving: Derek Session, WR, 580 yards
Tackles: Donte Dennis, LB, 108
Sacks: Doug Alston, DE, 3.5
Interceptions: Vinson Givans, LB, 2; Jerron McMillan, DB, 2
Maine’s disappointing 2010 campaign stemmed from their inability to make big plays on either side of the ball. When a game changing play was needed, it usually did not happen. That left the Black Bears on the losing end of some close, and winnable, contests. Veteran coach Jack Cosgrove cannot do much at this point to add playmakers, but he can put some promising players in a position to make more plays on both offense and defense.
Strengths:
The defense returns eight starters from a unit that was often put in a bad situation. They ranked eighth in the CAA in scoring defense, but that number is a little deceiving. Turnovers were a huge problem for the offense and the defense could do nothing to help that. The defense is full of experienced players. There are not any stand out performers up front, at least not yet, but Doug Alston, Raibonne Charles, Kris Enslen, Kevin Phanor and Michael Cole give the Black Bears plenty of experienced options. The linebackers are led by Donte Dennis, who topped the team with 108 tackles in 2010. Vinson Givans will once again join Dennis in the middle of the defense after ranking second on the squad with 87 tackles. Getting through those two will be increasingly difficult. The secondary has a couple holes to fill with the departure of Steven Barker and Dominic Cusano. However, safety Jerron McMillian is one of the best players in the conference and is the closest thing this team has to a defensive playmaker. He picked off two passes last season and also forced two fumbles. The opposing offense will try and avoid him, but he tends to be around the ball anyway.
Weaknesses:
Warren Smith and Chris Treister are both senior quarterbacks who have plenty of experience. Smith, a 6-1 Forked River, New Jersey product, took most of the snaps last season, but he threw more interceptions than touchdowns. He is an accurate passer, but needs to improve his decision making skills and become a leader on the field. With pass catching threats like Derek Session, Derek Buttles, Derrick Johnson and Justin Perillo, Smith should have a better season. Yet, the receiving corps was a little deeper last season and Smith failed to capitalize, often opting to use his legs instead of waiting slightly longer to make a good pass. Either way, Coach Cosgrove will want to establish the ground game first and worry about passing second. Pushaun Brown rushed for 613 yards and five touchdowns on 135 carries last season. The departure of fullback Jared Turcotte leaves a lot of pressure on Brown and he needs to help increase Maine’s ground attack from seventh best in the CAA to at least the upper half. That will give Smith the time he needs to emerge as a better passer who does not need to scramble as often.
The Bottom Line:
With four starters returning on the offensive line, there should be few excuses for Smith and Brown. Both now have plenty of experience and they will get a ton of help from the offensive line. Chris Howley is a fine lineman to build around and the rest of the unit was solid last season, only giving up 12 sacks on the year, and should only get better with another year under their belt. If the offense can stop turning the ball over, this team should be able to score more than 17.9 points per game this year. With playmakers like Dennis and McMillan emerging on the defense end, Maine could make a big jump up the CAA standings.
Projected Postseason: none
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 132.18 (74th in nation, 7th in conference)
Passing Offense: 189.82 (64, 5)
Total Offense: 322.00 (84, 6)
Scoring Offense: 17.91 (98, 7)
Rushing Defense: 127.09 (29, 5)
Pass Defense: 227.09 (87, 9)
Total Defense: 354.18 (60, 6)
Scoring Defense: 24.45 (56, 8)
Turnover Margin: -.64 (98, 8)
Sacks: 1.45 (79, 5)
Sacks Allowed: 1.09 (18, 1)
