BOSTON — With 4:35 left in the first quarter Saturday, the University of Maine reopened its quarterback competition.
That’s when true freshman Drew Belcher trotted onto the Alumni Stadium field in place of redshirt sophomore Dan Collins.
As debuts go, it was utterly forgettable. Belcher threw two incomplete passes, fellow freshman Nigel Beckford ran for no gain and the Black Bears punted – something they did eight times – after just 1:06 of possession.
Belcher took 15 snaps in all in Maine’s 40-10 loss to Boston College. He completed 2 of 5 passes for 10 yards and was his team’s leading rusher with another 10 yards on seven carries.
“I felt fine. Obviously there were a couple plays I’d like to have back,” Belcher said. “I think the biggest thing for me was just getting in there and getting some experience.”
Maine Coach Jack Cosgrove said the plan was to get Belcher into the game. The timing of his insertion was curious. Collins had tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Micah Wright on the previous possession and the Black Bears led 7-3.
“There was no special unique timing to anything that we were doing. We’re not that smart. We were just trying to play our two quarterbacks,” Cosgrove said when asked if he felt switching quarterbacks stalled Maine’s momentum.
As for their performances – Collins completed 8 of 13 passes for 113 yards on his 25 snaps – Cosgrove pointed to the lack of turnovers and said: “I’m not displeased with what I saw out there at all.”
Will the job-sharing continue?
“We’ll talk about that,” Cosgrove said. “We don’t give secrets out.”
Maine’s touchdown was its first against Boston College since 1915. The previous four meetings were won by the Eagles by a combined 154-3. … Tailback Nigel Jones missed the game for the Black Bears after suffering a concussion late in last Saturday’s game at Bryant. Cosgrove said he didn’t have a prognosis on when Jones would return. … Maine officials couldn’t confirm it but many websites are listing a Black Bears game at Connecticut on Sept. 3, 2016. The team is still searching for an FBS opponent for next season. … Former Boston College quarterback Quinton Porter, a Portland native, was introduced to the crowd after the first quarter and received a warm ovation. The 31-year-old who has played in the NFL and Canadian League is a free agent.
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