By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

ORONO – Jack Cosgrove admits he still can’t quite believe it.

When his University of Maine football team kicks off the season this week, it will do so in the football hotbed of Nebraska.

“That one still makes me do a double-take,” said Cosgrove, of Saturday’s 7 p.m. game. “I’ve been around this program a long time. It wasn’t too long ago that we were able to play eight games a year and three were against Bates, Bowdoin and Colby. It’s exciting, but it’s also kind of mind-boggling.”

The Maine coach says he hasn’t mentioned the season-opener with the Cornhuskers too often during his team’s preseason preparations. He’s wanted his club to focus on developing its own identity during camp, but that hasn’t meant his Black Bears haven’t been thinking about the Cornhuskers.

“Nebraska is a huge stage,” said offensive lineman Ben Lazarski. “We’ve all grown up watching Nebraska and knowing about Nebraska. Anytime you get a big challenge in front of us, it’s going to help motivate guys. It pushes you a little harder to work a little more. I think it’s a great motivation for us.”

The Black Bears were picked by various preseason polls to finish third or fourth in the North Division of the Atlantic-10 Conference. That comes after a disappointing year in which Maine had high hopes but went 5-6 overall, 3-5 in the conference, and missed the playoffs.

Maine also faces three other playoff teams from last year, including James Madison, the defending I-AA national champion.

“Any impact we have on Nebraska and how we play that game is going to set the tone for the rest of the season,” said wide receiver Arel Gordon. “It set the tone for our whole preseason because of how we lifted and trained knowing that our first game was at Nebraska.”

The Black Bears won’t have the experience it had a year ago, but Cosgrove is still excited about the potential this club has.

“We were far more experienced last year, but we didn’t have some of the intangibles on our team that we had when we were successful in 2001 and 2002,” said Cosgrove, whose club was picked to win the Atlantic-10 North Division last year. “I think we fell short in that regard last year. Our ability on the field wasn’t matched by our off the field qualities.”

This year he raves about the leadership he’s gotten from upperclassmen. The team has to replace 11 starters and 65 percent of the team is underclassmen.

“We’re really busy right now trying to establish our identity,” said Cosgrove. “When you know who you are, you can start to figure what you can become.”

Though 11 starters return overall from last year, there are a number of players stepping into larger roles. Tailback Montel Owens is one of them.

“I’m really excited about what he’s shown us in the preseason,” said Cosgrove, who is looking to replace Marcus Williams, Maine’s career rushing leader. “He’s worthy of the opportunity that he’s going to get. He’s been a real good backup, and now it’s his show.”

He’ll have to run behind a revamped offensive line that is showing potential. Newcomers there include former Livermore Falls standout Shawn Demaray, who is slated to start, and Jake Folz, a former Oxford Hills standout expected to see backup duty.

“I’m pleased with what I’m seeing up front,” said Cosgrove. “That took our biggest hit. A lot of people have to step up, guys that have been in backup spots. I’m encouraged by the ability and competitiveness and toughness.”

Quarterback’s Ron Whitcomb and Chris Legree and receivers Kevin McMahan, Gordon and Ryan Waller give UMaine a potent passing attack.

“I think it looks great right now,” said Lazarski, a preseason all-conference pick along with Gordon and linebacker Jermaine Walker. “We have explosive players at all the skill positions. We have an offensive line that can get the job done. All we need to do is give Ron the time to throw and give Chris the time to throw and let the receivers catch the ball. We should be able to put some points on the board.”

One weakness for the Black Bears last year was on defense. Despite an early victory over Mississippi State, 9-7, Maine struggled to stop the opponents. The Black Bears gave up 403.7 yards per game last year, including 243.7 passing yards.

“Our defense played some great football but we fell off a little bit,” said Cosgrove. “We certainly didn’t play the kind of UMaine defense that we’ve been playing.

Cosgrove says the young defensive line couldn’t produce the kind of pressure up front that UMaine needed.

“We just didn’t get that done last year,” he said. “We put a lot of pressure on our secondary to hold coverage. We feel we’re going to be much better up front because of the developmental period the guys went through last year.”

UMaine wasn’t even picked in the Sports Network NCAA Division I-AA Top 25, but Cosgrove says he puts no stock in polls, whether his club has been up or down.

“We’re better off being picked low because we seem to play better during those years than we did when we were picked at the top,” said Cosgrove.