ORONO — On the surface, the University of Maine’s rushing stats from the fourth quarter of the Sept. 28 game at the University of Albany aren’t particularly impressive.
The Black Bears ran 11 times for 25 yards in that quarter, barely two yards per carry. But consider that a year ago, it’s unlikely Maine would have been able to even attempt 11 rushes in the fourth quarter of a close game, and you see the improvement.

“Just continuing to commit to it has helped our team control the game a lot more, especially the last two games,” said Coach Jordan Stevens, who saw his team earn back-to-back wins at Merrimack and Albany before last week’s bye to improve to 3-2, the first time since 2013 Maine entered October with at least three wins. “I still think we have a lot of room to grow in the run game. And I think we will.”

The Black Bears go into Saturday’s Coastal Athletic Association game at Delaware averaging close to 128 yards per game on the ground, an improvement of 48 yards per game from where they ended the 2023 season. With at least 112 yards on the ground in each game this season, the Black Bears’ running game is by no means perfect, but it’s a lot better. For a team looking for steady improvement after back-to-back 2-9 seasons, that’s a step in the right direction.

Last season, the Black Bears had some truly dreadful games on the ground. They gained just 31 yards against rival New Hampshire in a season-ending 44-25 loss. Maine ran for only 11 yards in a 42-31 loss at Richmond. The low point was a 34-28 loss at Campbell in which the Black Bears went backward on the ground, finishing with minus-7 yards.

In close games, the ground game can make a difference. At Albany, Maine held a huge advantage in time of possession, controlling the ball for 39 minutes and 10 seconds, keeping a strong Great Danes offense off the field.

The Blue Hens will be the toughest test yet for Maine’s retooled ground attack. Delaware is ranked ninth in the FCS in run defense, allowing just 94 yards per game on the ground.

“The first few weeks, we left some stuff out there. It could’ve been a lot better. Since then, I think we’ve gotten a lot better. That starts with the way we’ve been preparing,” said senior center Joe Horn.

A change to the way the Black Bears practice has made a big difference, Horn said. After the 51-22 loss to Monmouth on Sept. 14 – in which the team felt it started too slowly and fell behind 20-0 in the first quarter – Stevens and his staff moved the full team portion of practice to the start, rather than individual position work.

“We warm up and we go right to a team period. I think that’s helped us a lot, picking up the tempo from the start, as well as working with the scout team (defense). Those guys are giving us a great look. They’re giving their hearts,” Horn said.

This season’s starting offensive line includes the returning Horn at center, with newcomers Andrew Kocan, a transfer from Virginia Military Institute, at left tackle and John Olmstead, an all-Patriot League lineman at Lafayette last season at right tackle. Redshirt freshman Anthony Iliano is at left guard, with Leavitt grad Jack Boutaugh also seeing time, and sophomore Nicholas Cruji at right guard.

When he decided to transfer from VMI, Kocan was intrigued by the prospect of working with Dave Bucar, Maine’s offensive line coach.

“As soon as the portal opened, it just felt like (Bucar) really cared about me. Not only as a player but as a person. He wanted me to come in, he wanted me to contribute, and he holds me accountable every day. I go out there knowing I have to do my job. If I don’t, I know I’m going to hear about it, but that’s all love at the end of the day,” Kocan said. “He puts together a great plan, starting even on Sunday. Before the week even starts, we know what we’re going to run and how we’re going to run it.”

For the guys carrying the ball for the Black Bears – running backs Jaharie Martin (256 yards rushing), Tavion Banks (196 yards) and Brian Santana-Fis (104 yards) – the work done by the big boys up front has made all the difference. Each of the three averages right around four yards per carry.

“The credit goes all to those guys. They’ve been doing a good job with whatever the defense throws at them week to week. We’ve been getting a lot more movement as the season’s progressed. The communication from them and the overall physicality, getting on blocks and staying on blocks and finishing them, that’s the biggest thing I’ve seen,” Martin said.

For his part, Martin said fighting for extra yards is a key.

“A lot of it for me is second effort. I try to pride myself on not letting the first guy get me down. I’m doing whatever I’ve got to do to make guys miss and break tackles and fight for the extra yards,” he said.

The addition of quarterback Carter Peevy, a transfer from Mercer, has added a dimension the running game did not have previously. Peevy was touted as a dual-threat quarterback, who ran for 324 yards and 12 touchdowns last season while leading the Bears to the FCS playoffs. In Maine’s last two games, Peevy has been more comfortable, taking off when the chance arises. He had a 15-yard run in the 26-15 win at Merrimack and a 25-yard run in the 34-20 win at Albany. Both were Maine’s longest run of the game.

“I’ll go get it when I can. We’ve got a couple of plays where I run the ball,” Peevy said. “Our offensive line is really meshing together… (It’s good) seeing them play with passion, because we’ve got really good talent up front. Seeing them put it together and knock people around has been great.”

Stevens said the coaching staff expects to see Peevy utilize his running ability more in the second half of the season.

“We want him to. We want him to feel confident. It’s hey, you can use your legs. You can extend plays. He’s shown he can do that. Once he gets outside of the pocket, it’s just being smart with the football… Carter’s really grown a lot over the last couple of weeks,” Stevens said.