ORONO
The University of Maine’s NCAA football quarterfinal against Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga., again will be shown on Internet-only ESPN3, or by purchasing the game on the ESPN GamePlan pay-perview package.
The game will be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
ESPN3 and ESPN GamePlan aired Maine’s 34-12 second-round win over Appalachian State on Saturday.
Two of this weekend’s Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals will be shown on ESPN-TV in addition to ESPN3.
Friday night’s game between Northern Iowa and Montana will be shown on both as will Saturday’s noon game between Montana State and Sam Houston State.
However, the other quarterfinal between Lehigh and North Dakota State also will be shown just on ESPN3 and ESPN GamePlan.
According to a story in the Great Falls Tribune, several Montana-Montana State fans and politicians lobbied ESPN a week ago to get their games on ESPN-TV because many Montanans didn’t have access to ESPN3.
So ESPN made the playoff games available on ESPN GamePlan in addition to ESPN3.
Now Montanans won’t need ESPN3 or ESPN Game- Plan this weekend although both will be available.
It’s ESPN GamePlan
University of Maine athletic director Steve Abbott said The Marketplace in the Memorial Union will show the Maine game on Saturday as it did the Appalachian State game and the FCS selection show three weeks ago.
He said for those interested in purchasing the ESPN GamePlan, the cost is $25 per game.
ESPN GamePlan enables restaurants and bars that don’t have Time Warner Cable and Internet capability the opportunity to air the game.
Individuals who want to watch the game on their computers need to have a Time Warner Cable package that includes an ESPN station and an Internet service although it doesn’t have to be a Time Warner Cable Internet service. They can register for ESPN3 at no charge.
Abbott said if Maine wins, the university will look into the possibility of hosting the semifinal at Alfond Stadium in Orono “but it would be a long shot.”
Maine made an unsuccessful bid to host a first- or second-round game.
The Maine-Georgia Southern winner will take on the winner of the North Dakota State-Lehigh game in a semifinal.
Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pa., can hold 16,000 for football and North Dakota State’s Fargodome can put 19,000 in its seats.
Alfond Stadium holds 10,000.
The semifinals and championship game will be shown on ESPN television networks.
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