Photo: The University of Maine


The Maine Black Bears will be a long, long way for Orono when the program kicks off its 2022 schedule at New Mexico on Saturday, but there will be a ton of eyes on them.

With a rich tradition and strong alumni fan base, there is quite a bit of excitement surrounding a new era as Jordan Stevens begins his tenure as head coach, replacing Nick Charlton who went to UConn to become Jim Mora’s offensive coordinator.

This is the 130th season for the program and right of the bat some history will be made. The matchup with FBS New Mexico is actually the furthest Maine has traveled (2,458 miles) for a game since 1990 when the Black Bears visited Hawaii (5,147 miles). Maine hasn’t won a road opener since beating Norfolk State in 2013, and an upset would make this just the fifth win over an FBS team in Maine history.

The CAA feels wide open this year with James Madison leaving the conference, and with quarterback Joe Fagnano and running back Freddie Brock returning on offense, the sky could be the limit for Stevens’ crew. All-CAA Tight end Shawn Bowman and All-CAA center Michael Gerace are also back, meaning the continuity should be there early, unlike some programs trying to find their identity throughout September.

The most glaring thing you see when looking at the Maine roster is the amount of starts this team has under its belt on both sides of the ball, which has got to make Stevens’ life easier right out of the gate. Defensively, this team will be led by linebacker Adrian Otero, who will be making his 29th career start on Saturday night. Jamel Wiley (26) and Josh Lenin (16) have seen plenty of football up front. Gerace will be making his 36th career start on O, Bowman will be making No. 25 and both Fagnano and senior offensive lineman Tyrie Francois will both be making their 15th start.

There are nine seniors or graduate players on the two-deep offensive depth chat and nine on the defensive side of the ball. On special teams, graduate Jacob Hennie (punt returner), senior John Gray (kick returner) and senior Brain Cooey (H) could all be playmakers. The Blackbears have a nice mix of young and old throughout the roster, but at the top on both sides of the ball, the elder statesmen should lead the way.

Maine averaged 25 points a game last year, good for fourth in the CAA. The 337.9 yards of offense per game were eighth and the 209.6 passing yards per game was good enough for fifth. A plus-six turnover margin from the defense ranked third in the league, but Maine was still just 11th in total defense in the CAA. With all the experience retuning and a bit of an unknown for some teams when preparing for a Stevens game plan, a more complimentary game for the Black Bears should be in store.

Things won’t be easy early as Maine visits New Mexico and BC two of the first three weeks of the season with the home opener vs. Colgate set for 9/10. The first CAA game comes 10/1 at home against Villanova.

This is arguably one of the most intriguing teams in the 130-year history of the program and should be entertaining all season long.