University of Maine senior quarterback Derek Robertson’s 503 passing yards during Saturday’s 34-28 loss at Campbell University is believed to be a school record for a regulation game.
Mickey Fein threw for a school-record 522 yards in a 49-47 win over UConn in 1997 in a game that went to triple overtime.
Robertson completed 36 of 53 passes against Campbell and 11 different players caught at least one pass with seven hauling in at least three, led by Joe Gillette’s six catches for 135 yards and Montigo Moss’ six for 53 yards.
Robertson threw four touchdown passes, two to Jamie Lamson and two to Rohan Jones.
“I can’t say enough about Derek’s leadership, the heart and fight he plays with and his ability to make decisions on the field and to get the ball where it needs to go,” said UMaine head coach Jordan Stevens during Monday’s weekly Coastal Athletic Association coaches’ media conference call.
“We definitely have the skill and the personnel on the outside to fit with Derek, and Derek has done a great job and continues to progress throughout the year. We’re looking for him to have a really strong finish.”
Robertson is now sixth among quarterbacks at the 122 Football Championship Subdivision schools with 2,049 passing yards. He has thrown for 1,447 yards over his last four games in which he has completed 71.2 percent of his passes and thrown 14 TD passes with four interceptions, including one on the last drive against Campbell.
His 14 TD passes on the season — he didn’t throw one in his first four games and was intercepted five times — ties him for 13th in the FCS.
He is 15th in passing yards per game (256.13), 17th in completions per game (21.12) and 29th in completion percentage (64 percent).
Robertson’s recent play bodes well for the future after the first four games left people wondering if he was the right man for the job. But the Black Bears have to establish some kind of running game to make themselves less predictable on offense, and the entire team has to string 60 minutes of football together because that is what is required for this team to win.
Some teams can get away with 30 good minutes but the Black Bears don’t have that luxury.
Gillette, meanwhile, has caught 26 passes in his last four games for 492 yards and five touchdowns. The Lafayette University transfer and two-time cancer survivor will enter Saturday’s home game against Albany with a string of three straight games with at least 100 receiving yards. He had 96 in the previous game.
Gillette is now fifth in the 15-team conference in receiving yards per game (70.38) and ninth in receptions per game (4.38).
UMaine trailed 28-7 at halftime against Campbell and that, plus Robertson’s efficiency, led the Black Bears to throw on virtually every down in the second half.
UMaine finished with a meager 6 rushing yards and the Black Bears are now 120th in the country with its 75.38 rushing yards per game.
Stevens noted that they need to improve the running game but is confident they can do so.
The defense allowed touchdowns on four consecutive possessions in the first half, although two were set up by UMaine turnovers.
“The turnovers really hurt us,” said Stevens, who felt there would have been a better outcome without them.
He said his defense tackled poorly in the first half but did a much better job tackling and executing in the second half as it held Campbell to just six points.
“Now we need to have that [second-half performance] from the start of games,” Stevens said.
UMaine was without five injured defensive starters against Campbell, including linebacker Darius McKenzie, who was their leading tackler when he got hurt, and veteran safeties Robby Riobe and Shakur Smalls.
But Stevens said the team has adapted the “next guy up” mentality.
“The guys who are playing are guys who had roles earlier. But those roles have expanded now,” Stevens said. “We need them to continue to get better every week.”
The Black Bears will have their hands full against an Albany team that is 3-1 in the conference and needs to win to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Great Danes are 5-3 overall and two of the losses were to Football Bowl Subdivision teams Marshall and Hawaii.
Football Bowl Subdivision teams have 22 more scholarships and more resources than Football Championship Subdivision schools.
“They’re a very good football team that does a great job on both sides of the ball,” Stevens said.
Veteran quarterback Reese Poffenberger is second in the country in touchdown passes with 20, and the Albany defense is fourth in the country with 3.12 sacks per game. It is fifth in fewest rushing yards allowed (84.2), 16th in fewest points allowed (19.62) and 20th in yards allowed (320.6).
UMaine is now 2-6 overall this season and 1-4 in conference play.
