The fans of Umaine football have probably been disappointed in the first part of the season. But now, there are signals that Maine sports betting will pick up nicely because the Black Bears have identified some of their weak spots and made plans to fix them. One of the players who has been very open on this matter in recent conversations with the press is sophomore quarterback Joe Fagnano. Very young and very promising, Fagnano has just turned twenty. His first season as a quarterback at the University of Maine started in the fall of 2019. “Impressive” is the adjective that sports commentators used to define it. At that time, Fagnano substituted the injured Chris Ferguson. He completed 121 of 184 passes (65.8 percent) for 1,835 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaged 229.8 passing yards with only three interceptions.
This season started with a big flop, a 37-0 against Delaware on March 6th. That game, in which he completed 10 of 23 throws for 61 yards, was the worst for Fagnano as a Black Bear. He was well aware of that: “It falls on me to get the offense moving. I wasn’t myself. I didn’t play up to my level. I can play a lot better,” he admitted. The whole offense was weak – it produced only 112 total yards and six first downs – but the young quarterback took responsibility for his role. “We have to play like we know how. I have to get my keys right, recognize the defenses, and make better throws. I have to be on the same page with my receivers and running backs.”
UMaine head coach Nick Charlton did not give in to panic. He trusts Fagnano’s potential: “He’s a talented quarterback. We have to try to get him to move around. We can’t let him pick us apart.” A native of Williamsport, PA, Joe Fagnano is 1.91 m tall for a weight of 99 kg. He leads the team with 554 yards passing, eight touchdowns, and no picks. The problem for the Bears is that, as Fagnano himself puts it, “it takes us a little bit to get warmed up. The second halves have been a lot better. But we have to come out and play a full four quarters this week.” In the first games of this season, the Black Bears have been outscored 43-24 in the first half. Coach Charlton explains: “Our team error is very high early in the game. It is like 15 percent in the first half and four percent in the second half,” Charlton said.
The task is then to fix this slow start: “We have to have that mentality that we have to score points fast and right away,” in Fagnano’s words. The Bears are putting in the effort, and the results are visible. After taking that initial beating from Delaware, they bounced back against Albany 38-34 and Stony Brook 35-19. Last season they went 6-6 overall and 4-4 in the CAA, while so far in this season they are 2-1.
