Photo by Seth Poplaski

Back in June during Tom Brady’s Hall of Fame induction at Gillette Stadium, Randy Moss got an impromptu standing ovation that was one for the highlights of the night.

It’s probably safe to assume that somewhere in the 40-ish thousand people that were in attendance that night, a few were from Maine and probably followers of Maine football. I mean, it’s Maine,  I feel like if you’re from Maine you’re also a Black Bears fan.

Four, five months later, those same people could be witnessing the resurgence of the program thanks in large part to Randy’s son Montigo.

Moss and the Black Bears have had a huge season when it comes to the process of getting back into playoff conversations. A win over Bryant this past Saturday got Jordan Stevens’ team to 5-5 on the year (3-3 CAA) with two games remaining. The Black Bears won’t be postseason-bound this year, but the turnaround is officially complete.

Maine is to be taken seriously again.

A big reason for that has been the play of Moss. After his seven-catch, 122-yard, two touchdown performance against the Bulldogs, the senior now has 51 catches for 583 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Moss is eighth in the CAA in  touchdowns and has the fourth-most catches.

It’s the little details and the off-the-field stuff that Stevens is happiest about, though. Moss has developed into a leader and has gone about his business the right way for everyone to follow.

“‘Tigo loves football. That’s evident when you see him play,” said Stevens. “He looks natural playing receiver and just really comfortable in his own skin out there. He’s picked up his game blocking, playing special teams, running down on kickoff. Being out there on maybe a punt return, on punt team as well.

“His leadership has improved immensely. He’s in the best shape he’s been in. I’ve mentioned it throughout the year, but just seeing his transformation and his stamina, to be able to play the entire game. I think that’s where his game has really picked up. He’s been such a positive force for us every day at practice that the young guys in our program, but even his peers the same age, they all look to him for energy and he certainly provides that.”

Thanks in large part to Moss and his ability to trust in Stevens’ process and lead the way, now Maine could not only win six or seven games this season, but begin thinking about being a legitimate CAA threat in 2025.

“Having a process about us, a standard of how we play and believing in that. Having a standard in how we practice and seeing that pay off on Saturdays with wins is certainly helpful and much-needed this year,” Stevens added. “It’s a credit to our players and our coaches for being 100% aligned and working really hard every day to be prepared.

“We’re so much of an operation that’s one week at a time, but it’s certainly recognizable that are players and coaches have trusted that process.”