ORONO — Some games are must wins. Gotta have it to set the tone, hit the reset button, or just infuse the team with old-fashioned confidence.

Saturday night’s home opener against Stonehill was one such game for the University of Maine football team. The Black Bears took the field with an 0-2 record, losers of a pair of close games on the road to start the season. Stonehill is a relative newcomer to the Football Championship Subdivision, having made the jump in competition just a few seasons ago.

Maine lost, 13-10.

Now the Black Bears face another a long road trip to Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Georgia Southern. After that, seven of the final eight are Coastal Athletic Association games, tough conference battles.

For most of the game, it seemed destined to end up in the catalog of greatest performances for the Black Bears defense. With Maine’s offense sputtering and looking for consistency, it was up to the defense to carry the load, which it did for nearly 60 minutes, keeping the Skyhawks out of the end zone.

Maine had 10 tackles for a loss and four sacks. The Black Bears had three pass breakups. Defensive lineman Chris Bacon, who led Maine with seven tackles, recovered a fumble.

One breakdown at the worst time made all that effort an afterthought.

With just under two minutes to play, Stonehill faced fourth-and-21 from Maine’s 34. Quarterback Jack O’Connell scrambled to his right, buying enough time for Brigham Dunphy to get behind the defense in the back right corner of the end zone. O’Connell’s throw was true, Dunphy’s hands were glue, and Stonehill had the lead.

“We had a four-man rush on, and obviously (Dunphy) got behind us. We weren’t anticipating, necessarily, a Hail Mary situation. There was still a lot of time on the clock,” said Maine head coach Jordan Stevens. “The big concern going into the game was (O’Connell’s) ability to keep plays alive.”

There were other miscues that proved costly for the Black Bears, but for a while it looked like Maine’s defensive stops would win out over the stumbles.

The Black Bears gifted Stonehill their first three points. First, a turnover gave the Skyhawks the ball at the Maine 44. Then, when Domenic Scalese’s 39-yard field goal try was wide right, Maine was called for roughing the kicker. Given the extra five yards and a second chance, Scalese drilled the kick for a 3-0 lead.

Early on Stonehill’s winning drive, Maine forced a short gain on third-and-6, only to have a roughing the passer penalty breathe life into the drive.

After three games, it’s obvious Maine’s passing game needs work. A lot of work. Quarterback Carter Peevy’s trusted targets from last season, Montigo Moss and Joe Gillette, are gone. He’s still trying to build something with Mo Irefin, the leading returning receiver, and Scott Woods, a transfer from Harvard.

Maine’s first four offensive drives played out like this: three and out, turnover (and three points for Stonehill), three and out, three and out.

Stonehill coach Eli Gardner thought his team won the physical battles, and he’s right. The Skyhawks sacked Peevy three times and hurried him three other times. On Maine’s final drive, facing fourth-and-6 at the Stonehill 43, Peevy was forced to scramble to his left. Under pressure, his pass fluttered incomplete.

The Black Bears finished with 95 passing yards, the second time in three games they’ve been held under 100.

“We were really doing a great job in our pass game all through training camp, but that’s something we have to do. You have to throw the ball to win,” Stevens said. “You can run the ball, and obviously that’s something we’ll have to have, but we have to find a way to get the ball down the field. It’s not just the release of the ball from the quarterback. We’ve got to protect him, too.”

It was Stonehill’s first-ever win over a Coastal Athletic Association opponent. For the Skyhawks, this game is a benchmark for the program. It can be a turning point.

Maine fans hope it’s not the same for the Black Bears.

Must-win games are must-win games for a reason. When you lose them, you look lost. Maine has nine games left. Each of them just got a little bigger.