Maine Black Bears
CAA
Maine has been one of the many surprise teams in the Colonial Athletic Association. Following a 5-6 season in 2009 and another disappointing 4-7 campaign in 2010, the Black Bears finally pulled everything together in 2011. A big reason for their success has been the result of creating turnovers. Turnovers were a big problem in 2010, but this is a Black Bears team that can pick off a ton of passes and has a knack for causing fumbles. They have also done a superb job of keeping their own turnovers down.
2011 Record: 8-3, 6-2
Last Playoff Appearance: 2008
Coach: Jack Cosgrove (105-111 at Maine, 105-111 overall)
Big Wins: 10/1 Delaware (31-17), 10/8 at James Madison (25-24)
Bad Losses: 11/5 Towson (30-40), 11/19 at New Hampshire (27-30)
Strengths:
Turnovers are nice and the importance of their great turnover margin cannot be understated, but Maine still needs to put points on the board. That starts with quarterback Warren Smith. Smith has developed into a prolific passer and Maine has turned into a pass first offense. Smith threw for 2,643 yards and 17 touchdowns during the regular season and was intercepted just seven times. Those numbers are all much better than his inconsistent 2010 campaign. Smith will spread the ball around to a bevy of receivers. Maurice McDonald is his favorite target and Arthur Williams is a big play receiver, but Justin Perillo and Derek Session are also capable of having big days. On the other side of the ball, Maine’s pass defense is their strength. Free safety Trevor Coston leads the team in pass breakups and interceptions and is one of those big playmakers on defense. Yet, Coston is also a sure tackler. Corners Darlos James and Kendall James are two fine defensive backs and no team will have much success throwing against Maine.
Weaknesses:
With the passing defense playing so well, the opposition often takes to the ground…and with some success. The front four will get a lot of pressure at the point of attack, but the Black Bears can give up big chunks of yardage on the ground. Generally that has not been a huge issue for Maine, as they usually get out to an early lead and eventually the opposition has little choice but to take their chances in the air. However, as the competition stiffens in the playoffs, more teams will be able to stick with their ground game and try and exploit the Black Bears defensive weakness. The ground game has not been particularly explosive on the offensive side of things either. Pushaun Brown is a good back who is having a solid season, but this is not a team that garners a lot of rushing yards. David Hood is a fine backup who is good in short yardage situations and Smith can do some damage with his legs, but if Brown is having an off day, the ground attack will be stuck. Again, that has not been a big problem for Maine as they have been very efficient and effective through the air, but if the offense cannot get the ground game going, the offense will be susceptible to a good defense.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Pushaun Brown, RB, 944 yards
Passing: Warren Smith, QB, 2,643 yards
Receiving: Maurice McDonald, WR, 591 yards
Tackles: Vinson Givans, LB, 85
Sacks: Michael Cole, DE, 10.0
Interceptions: Trevor Coston, S, 6
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 131.73 (79th in nation, 9th in conference)
Passing Offense: 240.27 (28, 4)
Total Offense: 372.00 (50, 4)
Scoring Offense: 29.45 (36, 4)
Rushing Defense: 158.27 (69, 8)
Pass Defense: 190.00 (29, 1)
Total Defense: 348.27 (45, 3)
Scoring Defense: 23.91 (44, 4)
Turnover Margin: .82 (20, 2)
Sacks: 2.73 (18, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 1.73 (44, 3)
