ORONO — The gap in talent between the Maine and Villanova offenses was evident throughout Villanova’s 41-20 victory Saturday.
It was obvious at quarterback, where John Robertson of Villanova is proving to be as good as anyone in the country.
But it was just as pronounced on the line. The Wildcats started two seniors, a junior and two sophomores, and Robertson, a junior, called that a young unit.
Contrast it with Maine’s two freshmen and three juniors, and it may have spelled the difference in the game.
“It’s hard when you’re grooming a young quarterback with a young offensive line,” Villanova Coach Andy Talley said of Maine. “(Dan Collins) doesn’t have the time to make the throws that he wants to make sometimes. He has to hurry some things up because the pass rush is coming.
“The matchup was good for us.”
Villanova outgained Maine 481 yards to 276. Its defense stifled the Black Bears for an entire half while the offense scored 20 consecutive points.
Robertson, after throwing for four touchdowns, said of his line: “They play with an edge. They play really hard. They’re a rough bunch of guys. I’d probably bring them with me if I had to do some work outside of football.”
MAINE WAS WITHOUT junior tailback Nigel Jones, who was out with what was described as an “upper body injury” that occurred in Tuesday’s practice. He also missed the loss at Boston College with a concussion before returning to play last week at Towson. There’s a possibility this injury could cost him the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, freshman Nigel Beckford and junior Isaiah Jones found few holes against Villanova, carrying 11 times for 40 yards. That included a 22-yard burst by Beckford, who later had a fumble he was able to recover.
Cornerback Axel Ofori Jr. appeared to injure his shoulder while tackling Robertson in the third quarter. He watched the rest of the game in sweatpants but no update was available on his status.
THE BLACK BEARS did come up with Robertson’s first interception of the season, after 16 touchdowns and 123 passes without one. Freshman Najee Goode dived to snare a second-and-12 attempt at the Villanova 41 in the fourth quarter. Maine quickly went three-and-out behind freshman quarterback Drew Belcher, who saw action on only two series.
“I was a little upset,” Robertson said. “You’ve got to get it out of the way sometime, so luckily we were up a decent amount.”
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