ORONO — No one in the University of Maine football locker room expected to be 2-4 halfway into the season, not after winning the Colonial Athletic Association championship last fall.

The underclassmen can at least dream of future glories. For the 12 seniors, the sting of losing is particularly bitter.

There will be no postseason this year. But five games remain to create some positive memories.

“We’ve just got to do the extra little things, watch more film, focus more. We really don’t have time to joke around anymore. We’ve just got to be more serious,” said senior cornerback Axel Ofori Jr.

“We all took (a 19-7 loss at Stony Brook on Saturday) as a humbling experience and realized we need to do something about this and the time is now.”

Now begins with a homecoming showdown Saturday against Albany. The Black Bears also will welcome CAA title hopefuls Richmond and New Hampshire to Alfond Stadium next month.

The mood around the team is subdued, made more so with the word Tuesday that starting quarterback Dan Collins will have season-ending surgery Thursday to repair a separated shoulder suffered at Stony Brook. Freshman Drew Belcher will make his first start against Albany.

There is a determination to not go down meekly.

“The younger guys are looking up to us seniors,” Ofori said. “If we take it as, ‘this is our last season, this is all we’ve got,’ they’re going to look at us like, ‘all right, we’ve got to do something about this, too. This is not only for the seniors, but this is for all of us.'”

Coach Jack Cosgrove has watched his team be outscored 78-17 in the second half this season. At Stony Brook, leading 7-3, Maine’s demise began with the second-half kickoff, which all-conference kicker Sean Decloux sailed out of bounds for a penalty.

Still, Cosgrove doesn’t feel like there’s a cloud hanging over this year’s team.

“You create your own clouds. I think we need to play with a sense of urgency and productivity,” he said.

He pointed to senior safety Patrick Pascal as an example of the urgency he’s seeking. Pascal had six tackles against Stony Brook in what Cosgrove called the best performance of his career.

“That tells you the involvement of those seniors. That tells you the fight that’s in them,” Cosgrove said.

Pascal said he hasn’t sensed any of his teammates growing despondent over being a league also-ran this year. He said he’s still enjoying the sport.

“Even though we’ve been losing and it hasn’t been the season that I wanted, I just look forward to the opportunity to play the game next week,” Pascal said.

“I love this game and I definitely love this team.”

Cosgrove said the 2012 team showed how vital it is to not give up on a lost season. Those Black Bears won three of their final four games to finish 5-6. That laid the groundwork for last year’s 10-3 campaign.

“How you finish your season kind of projects into your offseason. So that’s very important,” Cosgrove said.

There will be no offseason for the seniors. But they share their coach’s views about finishing strong.

“I want to win all five games,” Ofori said. “There’s still plenty of football left.”

 

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