UMass football team takes last ride to Maine
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AMHERST - The University of Massachusetts football team is trying to get back on track for a strong finish to its season, while Maine is trying to stay in the hunt for a Colonial Athletic Association title.
Both teams will have bigger things in mind at 12:30 p.m. Saturday when they end their rivalry that spans more than 100 years. But when the Minutemen make their last long bus ride to Orono, the CAA's northernmost outpost, it will be the final league game for UMass against any New England rival.
While Boston College and Connecticut will show up on the Minutemen's schedule in the future, those games won't have quite the same implications with UMass moving to the Mid-American Conference.
Maine coach Jack Cosgrove reminisced about the series that began when the teams played in the Yankee Conference.
"It's the end to a long rivalry that a lot or Maine football players have been a part of," Cosgrove said. "We're fortunate that it's up here. Because we haven't had a lot of success down there.
"I can remember them as a player in the 1970s," Cosgrove added. "Back then if we scored a point against them we threw a party. They always represented winning. The challenge for us to play them was always a great one. They're an opponent we have tremendous, tremendous respect for."
The Black Bears were picked ninth in the CAA preseason poll, but at 5-1 in league play, they are in a three-way tie for first place. If Maine wins Saturday and New Hampshire beats Towson, the Black Bears and Wildcats would play for the league's outright championship next week.
Minuteman coach Kevin Morris said he is impressed with Maine.
"In the CAA, it comes down to can you win the tight games," Morris said. "Maine has won the tight games this year."
Senior tailback Jonathan Hernandez said he is glad that UMass finishes its season with an opportunity for two big wins against the No. 13 Black Bears and No. 20 James Madison.
"We want to win these last two games. We want to be a good team. We don't want to be an average team," Hernandez said. "We want to come out and take these last two games game-by-game and we're focusing on Maine now. We like the competition. Maine and James Madison are good teams. They have good records this year. We're excited to play them."
Rivalry recap
Total games: 61
Record: UMass 45, Maine 15, one tie.
First meeting: 0-0, Sept. 25, 1909
Memorable participants
Marcel Shipp - The all-time leading rusher for the Minutemen liked playing the Black Bears. He had 270 yards against them in 1998 and 256 in 1999.
Todd Bankhead - Among many good days in his career, the quarterback from California had few better than his 1998 game against Maine. He threw for 353 yards and five touchdowns.
Tyler Holmes - A year ago, Holmes returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
Snapshot games
Nov. 11, 2006: UMass 10, Maine 9 - UMass clinched the Atlantic 10 championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament when Maine missed an extra point with 1:44 to play.
Nov. 8, 2008: Maine 21, UMass 20 - A missed extra-point by the Minutemen kept the Black Bears in the hunt for a playoff berth while knocking UMass out of consideration.
Final game breakdown
Time & location: 12:30 p.m., Alfond Stadium, Orono, Maine
Records: Maine 7-2 (5-1 CAA); UMass 5-4 (3-3 vs. CAA)
Last year: UMass 39, Maine 24
Last week: Maine lost to Towson 40-30; UMass lost to Villanova 35-17
TV: None
Radio: WKPX-FM (100.9)
Internet broadcast: Links can be found at umassathletics.com
When UMass has the ball: The Minutemen will try to hold onto it better than they did last week when they had six turnovers.
Morris said sophomore quarterback Kellen Pagel is expected back in the lineup after missing last week's game. Hernandez enters the game needing 46 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the season. Senior wide receiver Julian Talley, who has put up big numbers lately, has a few milestones within reach. Currently No. 6 on the UMass career receiving yards list at 1,926, he needs 32 yards to catch former teammate Victor Cruz for fifth place, 74 yards to reach 2,000 for his career, and 96 yards to catch No. 4 Brandon London.
The Black Bears have the league's No. 4 scoring defense, allowing just 23.6 points per game, and the No. 1 passing defense allowing 183.3 yards per game in the air. Their 13 interceptions are tied for the league lead which has helped them to a plus-6 turnover margin. Trevor Coston shares the league lead with Darren Thellen of UMass with five interceptions.
When Maine has the ball: Senior quarterback Warren Smith has taken his play to a higher level in his final collegiate season. He has thrown for 251 yards per game which is second in the CAA, His 16 touchdown passes are tied for the league lead and his six interceptions are by far the fewest per attempt (one for ever 50.6 passes) in the league.
Senior tailback Pushaun Brown is fourth in the CAA in rushing at 90.4 yards per game, but he's questionable for the game with an injury, as is leading receiver Maurice McDonald, who averages 6.44 catches and 65.7 yards per game.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.
