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Football Announces 2006 Schedule
June 20, 2006 ORONO, Maine - The 2006 University of Maine football schedule was released on Tuesday and is highlighted by a pair of road non-conference games against national powers. In addition to the always competitive Atlantic 10 Conference schedule, the Black Bears will open the season on Sept. 9 at Youngstown State. Maine will close out the opening month of the season with a visit to Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Sept. 30, when it faces ACC-foe Boston College. In addition to those contests, the Black Bears will play host to five games at Alfond Stadium. Youngstown State, which won the Gateway Football Conference last season and finished the season ranked 18th in The Sports Network I-AA Top 25 Poll, is one of the traditional powers in the country having won four national championships. The Black Bears and Penguins will be meeting for the fifth time with the series even at 2-2. Both teams last met during the 1990 season with YSU pulling out a 38-17 victory. Boston College will be the fifth I-A opponent that Maine will face in its history. The Black Bears are 1-3 all-time against I-A foes, including a thrilling 9-7 victory at Mississippi State in 2004. Maine opened the 2005 campaign at Nebraska and hung tough with the Huskers in front of 78,000 fans before dropping a tough 25-7 decision. The Black Bears lead the all-time series with Eagles by a count of 3-2, and will be meeting for the first time since 1967. Boston College finished the the 2005 season with a 9-3 record and victory over Boise State in the MPC Computers Bowl. Maine will open its home schedule on Sept. 23, when the Black Bears play host to Shaw University at 2 p.m. at Alfond Stadium. It will be the first meeting between the two schools and the 88th different opponent Maine has faced in the program's history. The Black Bears have been tough to beat in home openers throughout their history as they have posted 35 shutouts overall, including the last two seasons. The Atlantic 10 schedule will feature four teams who finished the 2005 season either ranked or receiving votes for the final top-25 national poll. The conference schedule will kick off on Sept. 16, when Maine travels to Williamsburg, Va. to face South Division-foe William & Mary. Both schools have not met since 2003 when Maine won the contest via a forfeit. The Black Bears will return to conference action on Oct. 7, when they take on Towson at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Baltimore. The series is tied at 3-3 between the schools, but this year's game will mark the first time both have met as conference opponents. The conference home-opener for the Black Bears will take place a week later on Oct. 14, when they play host to Villanova. Maine leads the series by a count of 6-5, including winning the last three contests. The Black Bears will stay home the following week on Oct. 21, as they will take on Hofstra during the annual Homecoming Weekend. The Pride lead the series by a 9-5 margin. Maine returns to the road on Oct. 28, as it will face Rhode Island. The Black Bears have won five straight in the series, including a thrilling 27-24 overtime victory over the Rams on Senior Day last season. Maine's last trip to Kingston produced a convincing 42-28 win back in 2004. A home date with Northeastern follows on Nov. 4., while a road trip to Massachusetts takes place on Nov. 11. Maine has won two straight over the Huskies, while it will look to snap a four-game losing skid to the Minutemen. The Black Bears will close out the season on Nov. 18 with the annual battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket, as they play host to defending North Divison champion New Hampshire. The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 1 at one point last season, advanced to the quarterfinals of the I-AA playoffs before falling to eventual national runner-up Northern Iowa.
Maine returns 14 starters and 35 lettermen from the 2005 team which closed out last season in strong fashion by winning three of its final four games. Fans who are interested in purchasing season or single-game tickets can call 581-BEAR or toll-free at (800) 756-TEAM. Fans can also visit www.GoBlackBears.com for more information on football tickets and information on all of the University of Maine's varsity sports.
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