Prior to this week's FCS Semifinal game, Maine defensive captain Jeff DeVaughn told HERO Sports he was proud to be a part of the 'Black Hole'. It is a term used to describe Maine's defense, and DeVaughn said it originated decades before his time … and it will continue to be used for the decades to come.
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"That's what we pride ourselves on," DeVaughn, a Philadelphia-area native, told HERO Sports. "It's been the Black Hole for awhile."
So we checked with Maine Sports Information Director Tyson McHatten, who in turn checked with long-time Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove, who retired from the Black Bears' head coaching position in 2015. McHatten relayed back that indeed, DeVaughn was correct that it went back decades — more than two to be precise. The 'Black Hole' defense moniker came about when former defensive coordinator Neil McGrath, who began at Maine in 1995, said of his defense: "Once you go in, you may never come out".
There must be something to this nickname, folks, because the statistics don't lie. The Black Bears — or should we say Black And Blue Bears — are No. 1 in the FCS in rushing defense allowing a paltry 68.7 yards per game. That is this defense's setup move. Then, once they've pinned you back — as they did last week against Weber State RB Josh Davis (12 yards on 11 carries), who won the Jerry Rice FCS Freshman of the Year Award this week — then they tear your backfield to shreds.
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Maine has recorded 111 tackles for loss this year, tied with SWAC champion Alcorn State for the No. 1 ranking in behind-the-line-of-scrimmage meals. The Black Bears also have feasted in the sack department with 47, behind only Alcorn State. Maine is No. 9 in total defense (293.5 yards per game) and No. 6 in allowing third-down conversions (27.9% of the time). They're also tied for No. 2 for forcing turnovers (30 – 17 INTs, 13 fumble recoveries).
Junior DB Manny Patterson leads the nation in passes broken up (22) and sophomore LB Deshawn Stevens leads the Black Bears in tackles (112) and is strong with the negative yardage plays too (16.5 TFLs, 9 sacks). Senior LB Sterling Sheffiled has 17.5 TFLs and 9.5 sacks, while junior LB Taji Lowe has 14 TFLs of his own. D-linemen Kayon Whitaker, Alejandro Oregon, Charles Mitchell and Jamehl Wiley man the front, and Katley Joseph and Darrius Hart join DeVaughn and Patterson in the secondary.
Enough of the statistics. Just watching this group get after Weber State last week was enough to realize that this collection of New England guys, plus Philadelphia area guys and the NYC and New Jersey types and Washington, D.C. personalities — they're mean. No, they're nasty, violent … and don't bring your politically correct complaints about the descriptions being used.
They don't care.
"It's the biggest thing we want to do, is stop their run and then have them try to throw the ball on us — and that gives us more time for the D-line to eat," DeVaughn said. "That's the biggest thing, really. I know we're a bruising defense. For generation after generation, we've been making plays and we know if we do our jobs we'll win the game. We just don't try to give up any easy plays, just 11 guys going to the ball trying to be the bruisers."
The Black Bears are confident in what makes this team the best one the school has had in the FCS era. They also know that the teams that have reached this point are formidable. Eastern Washington knows how to win too, and both schools are cold weather schools, so there will be no advantage either way to one of them. In fact, the weather looks relatively balmy for a team from Maine and a team from Washington state — calling for 37 degrees and light winds.
So there will be no excuses — two strong teams doing battle in the FCS Semifinals. After four attempts in school history, the Black Bears are in the semifinals hoping to make it to Frisco, Texas. And defense has been a massive reason why. These guys pass so many other FBS and FCS schools on their way up to Orono, Maine after they've been home for a visit. It increases that proverbial 'chip' on the collective shoulder to head as far north as you can go to play college football — passing the schools that shunned you.
No wonder they're so nasty.
"The think we try to talk about is we want to be a defense nobody wants to play," defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman told HERO Sports this week. "We want up tempo and violent. Maybe that's not a word we're supposed to use, but that's what we try to do. We want to set the tempo early.
"We try to keep things pretty simple. No questions, no doubts."
Indeed.
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"No one respects you. No one does. And we're going to do the same thing that we've done all year and go and take it…"
Maine at Eastern Washington
Saturday, Dec. 15 | 2:00 p.m. ET
FCS Semifinals | ESPN2#BlackBearNation | #BearWitness | #FCSPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/brW62SRAjp— Maine Football (@BlackBearsFB) December 12, 2018
