In the FCS Huddle: Maine masters the elements, continues CAA run

When the snow starts to fall and the wind starts to swirl, it's common knowledge you're supposed to tuck the ball down and run, run and run some more.

Apparently Maine didn't get the memo.

While they did run for 159 yards, the Black Bears did much of their damage through the air in a 41-25 win against Villanova, despite playing in one of the worst October snowstorms in recent memory.

"Just real happy we could come here and get a win, especially in those conditions," Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove said. "I don't think we're gonna not do things on offense. Our quarterback threw the ball very well today and continues to grow and make plays for us. I thought he was very, very accurate on offense and smart with his throws."

Earning his coach's praise and cobbling together numbers that would have been impressive on a sunny day, Warren Smith completed 17-of-22 attempts for 251 yards and a pair of long touchdowns -- a 33- and 80-yarder -- in 35-degree and 20-plus miles an hour wind conditions.

While the long touchdowns were impressive, Smith's other 15 completions were just as important. Engineering a well game-planned offense, Smith made simple throws, hitting his receivers on short routes to move the chains throughout the afternoon.

"We didn't know it was going to snow like this, but we emphasized in our team meetings that ball security is key," Smith said. "It's huge, ball security, especially in these conditions and you have to overemphasize everything you do. Two hands on the ball, especially since it gets slippery out there on an off your pads, so just overemphasizing that."

Not only did the Black Bears overemphasize ball control, but they also ran a game plan that was well suited for the weather.

Sending running plays up the middle on a day when it was difficult to cut and waiting to attempt long passes until the wind was at its back, Maine looked like the more organized team as Villanova struggled at times to even get the play call in.

Proper game planning has been one of the Black Bears' strengths this season, as they've rebounded from a 4-7 campaign last season to lead CAA Football after nine weeks. At 7-1 and 5-0 in the CAA, Maine has passed numerous tests -- albeit this was the first to come in 30-degree temperatures and ankle-high snow on the turf.

While the offense put up its season high for points, the Black Bears defense was also impressive, limiting Villanova to a 3-of-6 effort in the red zone and just 3-for-14 on third-down conversions.

Just as they have during the course of the season, safeties Trevor Costen and Jerron McMillan led the defense with 14 tackles, an interception and a key sack on a fourth down in the third quarter.

"They're more than pretty good, they're really good," Cosgrove said. "They're excellent football players, they very much represent everything that is right about Maine football. They come to play all the time and are great ambassadors for our program."

The performance was even more impressive with the weather, as defenders on both teams struggled at times to keep solid footing, sometimes slipping and allowing receivers to escape for a long completions.

With the snow-filled victory, Maine moves on to a monstrous game next week when they host fellow CAA surprise leader Towson, two teams that were picked before the season to finish 9th and 11th in the standings.

"It feels great, but this is what we wanted," Costen said. "This is really for us as a team, it's the reason we are up here during the summer and working just for this situation. So this is special for us.

"We don't really have special games like this, but times have changed and we're excited for it."