ORONO — The moment wasn’t too big for Gianni Rossitto, even though it was the first moment of his college football career.

It came with 1:16 left in the first half of Maine’s 35-14 Homecoming win over Elon. It was second down and 7 from the Phoenix 24. Black Bears quarterback Carter Peevy dropped back, looking for an open receiver. Down the middle of the field, he saw No. 89, Rossitto, with a step on his defender.

Rossitto caught Peevy’s pass in stride in the back of the end zone, getting his feet in bounds before his momentum carried him past the goal post. Video review confirmed that Rossitto had his first touchdown.

Rossitto’s touchdown gave Maine a 14-7 lead. For a senior who prior to this season had played in just four games, it was the definition making the most of an opportunity.

“Gianni Rossitto, he’s a guy everyone in the program has recognized for his hard work,” Maine coach Jordan Stevens said.

In the third quarter, Rossitto caught another pass, this one for 15 yards. After the game, he left quickly with family who made the trip up to Orono from New York’s Long Island. You can’t fault a guy for wanting to celebrate the biggest moment of his college football career with the people closest to him. Besides, plenty of other Black Bears were eager to speak on his behalf.

“I cannot say enough good things about Gianni Rossitto,” said Peevy. “He works so hard at what he does. He’s a big part of the culture of our team.”

On Rossitto’s touchdown, Peevy saw him get behind the high safeties and didn’t hesitate to throw.

“He ran a good route and made a great catch,” Peevy said.

If Rossitto’s touchdown catch was the only personal milestone the Black Bears hit Saturday afternoon, it would’ve been cool. Earlier in the second quarter, though, sophomore tight end Jake Kucera also grabbed his first touchdown catch, a 14-yard pass from Peevy that tied the game at 7-7 with 6:50 left in the half.

Like Rossitto, Kucera earned the playing time, Stevens said, and with that playing time comes confidence.

“That’s exciting for our coaches, seeing guys come in as a freshman and keep working, and when they get the opportunity, they’re ready for it,” Stevens said.

It’s all part of Maine’s next-man-up mentality. It’s a mindset the Black Bears have to embrace, and one that’s helped turn around a season that was teetering after an 0-4 start. Maine is now 4-4 overall, 3-1 in Coastal Athletic Association play, and very much in the race for the conference title with four games left in the regular season.

Redshirt freshman running back Rashawn Marshall exemplifies that as much as anybody. With back Nick Laughlin out for the season following a knee injury suffered two weeks ago at Merrimack, and with starting back Sincere Baines banged up, Marshall has taken the opportunity presented him and grabbed it more tightly than the football he’s asked to carry.

Marshall led Maine with 143 yards rushing on 15 carries Saturday. He scored on a 61-yard run with 8:20 to play, just a minute and a half after Elon had cut the Black Bears’ lead to 28-14. In Elon’s eyes, it was 61 yards of momentum killer.

Marshall ran for 148 yards on 19 carries in the 20-13 win at Merrimack.

“It’s really been exciting to go out there with my team and do my part. It just feels good to be a part of something bigger than myself and help with the wins,” Marshall said.

After a 45-17 loss at Georgia Southern on Sept. 20 dropped Maine to 0-4, Stevens said the team did a hard reset, and he reminded his players to keep things in perspective. Two losses were to FBS opponents, Liberty and Georgia Southern. The other two, to William & Mary and Stonehill, were by a combined four points.

Still, a loss is a loss no matter the score, and as the Black Bears enter the final month of the regular season, they’ve given themselves no margin for error when it comes to a possible Football Championship Subdivision playoff bid. If players like Rossitto, Kucera and Marshall continue to make the most of opportunities, the Black Bears have the chance to turn what looked like a lost season in September into something memorable.