Growing pains.
Whenever a team tries to establish a winning culture after a period of losing, there are going to be rocky patches along the way while progress is being made.
The team will find itself more competitive than in the past and, in some cases, even be in line to earn an unlikely win over a favored opponent.
But it winds up losing a close game.
That was the case for the University of Maine’s football team in its 24-14 loss to No. 15 Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island, last Saturday.
Close games usually hinge on four or five plays and that’s exactly what happened.
In the second quarter, UMaine was holding a 7-0 lead and driving the ball impressively.
The Black Bears had a golden opportunity to expand the lead.
They had third-and-one at the URI-29 yard line and not only did they fail to pick up the first down on third down, they also failed on fourth down as both running plays were stopped for no gain.
Had they converted and scored a touchdown to take a 14-0 lead, it also would have built confidence and it would have greatly enhanced their chance to win the game.
It has never made any sense to me to line the ball carrier up four to seven yards behind the line of scrimmage when he needs just one yard for the first down.
That was the case at URI.
What happened to the quarterback sneak?
Even slow-footed former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady picked up several first downs with the quarterback sneak.
And now the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles have popularized a short yardage play known as the Tush Push or Brotherly Shove.
It is a quarterback sneak with an important wrinkle: the Eagles line up a couple of beefy players behind QB Jalen Hurts and they push him forward on his quarterback sneak.
It worked 90 percent of the time last year and 93.5 percent of the time in 2022.
Following UMaine’s unsuccessful conversion, URI marched down the field and tied the score.
The Rams eventually went ahead but UMaine tied it 14-14 four seconds into the fourth quarter.
The momentum had swung over to UMaine.
But on the ensuing URI drive, the Black Bears couldn’t take advantage because URI converted a third-and-five with a seven-yard pass and eventually scored to take a 21-14 lead.
Now it was up to UMaine to respond but a costly sack was instrumental in a three-and-out as UMaine head coach Jordan Stevens decided to punt the ball away on a fourth-and-one at its own 34 yard-line. He didn’t want to risk URI having a short field if UMaine didn’t convert and, remember, in the first half they couldn’t convert from one yard with two plays.
It appeared as though the UMaine defense was going to get a stop and keep the deficit at seven when URI was facing a third-and-14 at the UMaine-41.
But an 18-yard completion extended the drive and led to a clinching field goal.
UMaine then moved 39 yards to the URI-37 but a sack on a fourth-and-four closed the curtain on a potential rally.
The bottom line was a nationally-ranked team with a 19-10 record over its last 29 games made plays when it had to against a team that was 8-21 in its previous 29 games.
“We didn’t make enough plays. It’s hard to beat a Top 15 team on the road and a team that is leading the conference if you don’t make those plays,” said Stevens.
So despite outgaining URI 336-321 and having an edge in possession of nine minutes and 10 seconds, the Black Bears came up empty and had their Football Championship Subdivision playoff chances reduced to very slim, at best.
However, it should be pointed out that URI beat UMaine 34-17 in Orono last season and outgained the Black Bears 440-271.
UMaine went 8-for-17 on third down but Stevens pointed out that having to convert on third down 17 times is too many.
And the average yardage they were facing on third down was nine yards which validated his assertion that the team has to do a better job on first and second down.
The Black Bears will now take on legendary Football Bowl Subdivision team Oklahoma on Saturday at the 80,126-seat Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahomas. Game time is 2:30.
Both teams are 4-4 and the Sooners have lost three in a row and been outscored 95-26 in those three losses.
Oklahoma has won seven Football Bowl Subdivision championships but none since 2000.
The UMaine football program will receive a $635,000 guarantee and Stevens and his players are looking forward to playing in such a special environment.
“It’s a huge opportunity for our players. I’m excited for them,” said Stevens.
Following that game, the Black Bears will finish with Coastal Athletic Association games against Bryant, Elon and New Hampshire with the Bryant and UNH games being played in Orono.
UMaine, 2-9 overall in each of the last two seasons and a combined 3-13 in conference play, is trending in the right direction. The Black Bears are 2-3 in conference play.
A strong finish would continue to build that winning culture and give the Black Bears some swagger and belief which would translate into wins in games like last Saturday’s at URI.
