The University of Maine’s football team will try to revive its stagnant offense on Saturday when the Football Championship Subdivision Black Bears travel to take on Football Bowl Subdivision team Boston College at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
UMaine is 4-26 vs. opponents from the FBS, which has significantly more resources than FCS programs, including a current streak of eight straight losses.
UMaine is 1-2, and its offense has produced only one touchdown and three field goals in its last 29 possessions. UMaine’s 12.7 points per game is 107th among 116 FCS schools, its 78.3 rushing yards per game is 104th and its 259.3 yards per contest is 103rd.
BC is 1-1 after following a 34-15 loss to Cincinnati with a 28-21 win over Rutgers.
The Atlantic Coast Conference Eagles are coming off a 2-10 season, 1-7 in ACC play.
Kickoff is at 2 p.m.
UMaine is coming off a listless offensive showing in a home-opening 23-14 upset loss to winless Merrimack after being thrashed by FBS school Appalachian State (NC), 55-3. UMaine had opened its season with a 21-18 Coastal Athletic Association victory at Towson (MD).
But Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien said on the Eagles website that they aren’t taking the Black Bears lightly.
“They do a great job,” said O’Brien. “They’re well-coached. Defensively, they’re very good. They’re stout. They have good players.”
Eagles senior tight end Zeke Moore called UMaine a “good team from what I’ve watched.
“They have some really good players. FCS has a bunch of talented players that might just get overlooked and they’re going to come in here with a great attitude,” said Moore.
UMaine head coach Jordan Stevens called it a “FBS game we really do welcome. Proximity-wise, it makes a lot of sense. It’s in our backyard.”
First-year starter Buehler has completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 527 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions. Nick Laughlin has a team-high 10 catches for 117 yards and Evan Wallace has nine for 93 yards. Rashawn Marshall is the leading rusher with 138 on 38 carries, and the defense is led by linebacker Sam Oppenheimer, whose 22 solo tackles are tops in FCS.
He has been involved in 32 overall tackles including 10 assisted tackles, and that is tied for 10th.
Linebacker Noah Carpenter and safety Jeremiah McGill have 24 and 21 tackles, respectively.
UMaine’s eight sacks is 14th most in the FCS and it has forced six turnovers, which is 17th.
Boston College has been paced by first-year starting quarterback Mason McKenzie, a transfer from Division II Saginaw Valley State. He is BC’s leading rusher with 172 yards on 33 carries and he has completed 36 of 64 passes for 475 yards with two TDs and three interceptions,
Javarius Green has nine catches for 95 yards.
Anthony Palano’s 22 tackles and two interceptions spark the defense. K.P. Price and Marcus Upton have 14 and 13 tackles, respectively.
Elsewhere in Maine
The state’s six other colleges with football programs will also be in action on Saturday.
Bangor’s Husson University Eagles, 0-2, will travel to take on 1-1 Worcester Polytechnic Institute in one of three noon contests with the others seeing 0-1 Maine Maritime Academy of Castine heading to 1-1 Vermont State University at Castleton and 0-2 University of New England entertaining 1-1 Hampden-Sydney.
MMA will be looking to snap its 33-game losing streak.
WPI edged Husson 15-13 a year ago in Bangor.
New England Small College Athletic Conference schools Bates, Bowdoin and Colby open their seasons with 1 p.m. kickoffs Saturday, and all three are on the road.
The Lewiston-based Bates Bobcats, 2-7 overall and in NESCAC a year ago, will visit Amherst, Bowdoin of Brunswick will trek to Williams and Waterville-based Colby will go to Trinity.
Bowdoin was also 2-7 in 2025, but Colby, under former 23-year UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove, was 6-3 which represents the best record for the Mules since the 2005 team went 7-1.
Cosgrove is the winningest coach in UMaine football history with 129.
Amherst and Willilams were 5-4 a year ago, and Trinity went 7-2 to share the conference title with Connecticut neighbor Wesleyan.
Bates beat Amherst 26-23 in double overtime in 2025, Williams topped Bowdoin 35-17 and Colby beat Trinity 13-6.