ORONO, Maine — Football games are won and lost in the trenches.
Teams that control the line of scrimmage usually win.
The University of Maine’s defensive unit has two linemen who were chosen to the Phil Steele organization’s All-Coastal Athletic Association preseason third team in senior tackle Izaiah Henderson and junior end Xavier Holmes.
They will anchor a unit that is looking to be significantly improved over a year ago when the Black Bears ranked near the bottom of the Football Championship Subdivision in six categories.
UMaine wound up 2-9 for the second consecutive season.
The Black Bears were 118th among 122 FCS teams in third-down conversion defense, allowing opponents to convert 49.6 percent of their third downs.
They were 116th in pass defense efficiency (158.49), tied for 109th in sacks per game (1.27), tied for 103rd in points per game allowed (32.73), 99th in yards allowed per game (416.3) and 93rd in rushing yards allowed (177).
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Holmes was the team’s third-leading tackler last season with 51. His two fumble recoveries and four quarterback hurries were tops on the team. He was second in tackles for lost yards with 7.5 and sacks with 2.5.
The 6-3, 275-pound Henderson, a transfer from Boston College, was fourth in tackles with 49 and led the team in tackles-for-loss (9.5) and sacks (4).
And he was hampered by a series of nagging injuries.
“He had some major things he was playing through and had a couple things he got fixed during the offseason,” said UMaine head coach Jordan Stevens.
Holmes and Henderson each forced a fumble.
Stevens said Holmes and Henderson will have huge roles this season.
“Xavier has really developed in the past three years,” Stevens said. “His physical growth has been impressive. You see that in the confidence he plays with on the field. I anticipate him taking that next step as a playmaker this year. He will be an impact player on the edge.”
Stevens said Henderson will help on the interior.
“Izaiah is an explosive defensive tackle who can be impactful inside. If you have a defensive tackle who can do those things, it always lends itself to playing good defense,” Stevens said.
He also said both of them are passionate and committed players.
Henderson and Holmes are looking forward to the season and helping the Black Bears climb the CAA standings.
“I know it’s going to be better than last year,” said Henderson, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. “We have a great team. We’re preparing real well.”
Henderson said the team’s strength has improved.
“We’ve focused on getting stronger. We have a big saying: Force equals mass times acceleration. You get that mass back and we’ve gotten faster, also,” said Henderson, who appeared in 25 games for the Football Bowl Subdivision Eagles and was involved in 24 tackles.
UMaine is in the Football Championship Subdivision which has 22 fewer scholarships than FBS schools and fewer resources.
Holmes said the Black Bear defense is going to be more experienced.
“I’m really confident about our defense,” said Holmes, a native of Clarksburg, MD. “We have a lot of young guys who got their feet in the water last year. I’m really excited to see them. We’ve got some transfers who have come along to the family. We know what we need to improve on and I’m very excited to see how we shape up this year.”
Henderson concurred.
“I trust my guys on the back end. They trust me up front to stop the run. We have to do our jobs and when we all do that, we will be able to stop anything,” Henderson said.
Despite the solid numbers he put up during a breakthrough season after he had appeared in only two games in his Black Bear career prior to last year, Holmes wasn’t pleased with his 2023 campaign.
“I’m never satisfied with my stats. I don’t care about individual stats. I care more about team success,” said Holmes who has taken on more of a vocal leadership role.
Henderson said even though he topped the team in sacks a year ago, “I can always get better as a pass rusher. You always have to work to get better. If you aren’t getting better, someone else is and you’re losing days.”
Henderson transferred to UMaine because he was impressed with the family atmosphere on the team and said he has become a lot closer to his teammates now that he has been here for two years and gotten to know them.
UMaine first-year defensive coordinator Umberto Di Meo feels Holmes and Henderson have the potential to be two of the best defensive linemen in the CAA, noting they both love to rush the passer and fend off blocks well.
“We know they will make plays. When it comes to them, everything starts up front and finishes up front. They are two guys we know we can count on,” Di Meo said.
UMaine will open the season by hosting Colgate in a non-conference game on Friday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.
