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Football to Play Florida State in 2009
April 24, 2008
ORONO, Maine - University of Maine athletic director Blake James announced on Thursday the school and Florida State have signed a contract to face each other on the gridiron during the 2009 season. The game will be played on Sept. 5, at Bobby Bowden Field in Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. The seating capacity for Doak Campbell Stadium is 82,300, which will mark the largest crowd to watch Maine play in program history. "This is an exciting opportunity for the Maine football program," James said. "Florida State is a program rich in tradition. Coach Jack Cosgrove and his staff have done an excellent job in the past getting the Black Bears ready to face Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools, and I feel strongly they will do the same in getting ready for this game. I hope that all of Black Bear Nation shares in the athletic department's excitement." Maine's showdown against the Seminoles in 2009 will mark the sixth-straight season the Black Bears will be facing a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent. The Black Bears are 1-5 all-time against FBS schools (formerly I-A), including a 9-7 win over SEC-foe Mississippi State in 2004. Florida State will mark the second ACC opponent Maine will face in its history, as the Black Bears also took on Boston College during the 2006 season. The six previous FBS schools Maine has faced, include: Hawai'i (1990), Rutgers (1991), Mississippi State (2004), Nebraska (2005), Boston College (2006) and Connecticut (2007). Maine will continue the trend in 2008 when it opens the season on Aug. 30 at Big Ten-foe Iowa.
"Facing Florida State will be an exciting challenge," Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove said. "The Maine football program has never backed down from a challenge and this will be no exception. We have a lot of games on our schedule between now and then to focus on, including Iowa, but we will prepare for Florida State when the time comes."
The Seminoles are led by head coach Bobby Bowden, who ranks first in college football history for the most wins by a major college coach. The Black Bears are currently going through their spring practice schedule and getting ready for the Fourth Annual Jeff Cole Memorial Spring Scrimmage, which will be held this Saturday at 10 a.m., at Alfond Stadium. Admission is FREE for all to attend the scrimmage and get an early glimpse at the 2008 edition of the Black Bear football team. For more information on Maine football, please visit the team's page at www.GoBlackBears.com(.) |
