“Defense…the Black Hole” is one of many phrases located on posters all over the Maine football office in the Memorial Gym. This Black Hole defense is one of the Black Bears’ calling cards, an element of their game that the team prides itself on. Fifth-year senior Trevor Bates is a veteran of the Black Hole, and will look to make an impact in his final season of eligibility.
Bates’ football career had humble beginnings, but led to an impressive career at all levels. Bates was an honor-roll student and a three-sport athlete at Westbrook High School, playing football, basketball and baseball. He was the captain of the football team and was part of the All-Conference team.
Despite his success in high school, Bates, like so many other Maine football players, was not heavily recruited. Eventually, his talents were noticed by the scouts and coaches at the University of Maine.
“I didn’t know I wanted to play college football until my junior year when coaches started talking to me,” Bates said. “I guess I stood out on film because I got recruited [to Maine]. A lot of players weren’t heavily recruited, but we have great talent on this team.”
Being a Maine native and playing for the Black Bears means a lot to Bates. It is a sense of pride for him and many other Maine players, and it gives him motivation to play hard every week.
“Coming in, [being from Maine] put a chip on my shoulder because I had something to prove. It added more fuel to the fire. I played with a chip and I deserve to be here, I want to be the best and I’m going to do whatever I can to be the best,” Bates said.
Bates came to Maine on a partial scholarship, and after redshirting his first year, he eventually earned a starting role and a full scholarship from Head Coach Jack Cosgrove.
“Trevor is one of our mainstays for the last few years on the defensive side of the ball,” Coach Cosgrove said on Bates. “He has had a huge impact on our football team itself. He epitomizes what you would call a student athlete.”
Bates is the pinnacle of the Maine defense, earning All-CAA distinctions in his last two seasons. His combination of speed and strength allowed him to have a successful 2014 season. Bates had 60 tackles, nine for losses, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles with a 33-yard return on one of them. He also has a team high three interceptions, which was good for 10th in the entire league. His seven pass deflections was also good for sixth in the CAA.
“He’s a playmaker for us,” Cosgrove said. “There are some guys who just have a way of making these significant plays. He has a way of impacting the game and the results of the game with his play.”
“I try to play fast, play hard,” Bates said of his role as a playmaker. “I don’t see it as pressure, I see it as the way I need to play.”
Aside from his athletic talents, Bates’ experience as a veteran has directly impacted the entire team. Bates says his role is to make sure everyone is on the same page on defense, and his lead by example attitude has allowed for the success of the defense.
“It’s making sure everyone is on the same page, everyone’s working hard because as a senior and experienced player, we set the standard. We try to do all the little things right. That’s what makes a defense great,” Bates said.
The coaching staff has taken notice to Bates’ strong leadership qualities, and depend on him to straighten out the defense if they cannot make a play. In practice, Bates is known to get in front of the defensive line and show his teammates how to do the job right. Coach Cosgrove has praised this attribute, saying that pictures are always better than words when teaching, and Bates always provides the team with the best picture of how to play.
Aside from the instructional part of his leadership role, Bates tries to bring the energy and intensity to the field when he plays.
“I bring the juice out there, getting people excited when I make plays, when they make plays. It make them excited to play together,” Bates said. “They see the intensity I bring to the game. When they see a leader on the team set the tone the know they have to play like that. It’s contagious, it’s energy.”
His contagious energy had the defense clicking during their season opener versus Boston College last weekend, where the Black Bears held the Eagles to just 10 points until the fourth quarter, when BC scored 14 points in a matter of a few plays.
Bates and the Maine coaches know that the defense played well, but they are not satisfied.
“A great defense doesn’t allow that to happen. It shows us that we still have work to do. You take away those two plays and we probably would have had one of the best games of my career versus an FBS school,” said Bates.
The Black Bears will have a week off before they travel down to New Orleans to face Tulane in another Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) game, the first time Maine has begun a season with two FBS games in the history of the program.
Coach Cosgrove noted that Maine will have to finish games strong if they want to succeed. Bates also mentioned that stopping the run will be crucial to the team’s defensive success.
“Stopping the run first and foremost [will be important]. Tulane passes the ball more than BC, so that gets me excited because I get to rush the passer more,” Bates said.
Despite the season opening loss, Bates and the team are excited to be playing another FBS team, a larger venue than they would be playing in at home or against any other team in the CAA.
“It’s the best way to start a season. To me, it put the game on a bigger stage. We get two FBS schools with 50,000-60,000 people at their games. That excitement that gets brought to the game is enjoyable to play in front of,” Bates said.
That excitement was there at the beginning of the season, and the Black Bears look to carry that energy all the way through November.
“I think we finished last year on a high note, especially defensively. Our expectation for this season is to win every single conference game. Do we think we can do it? Absolutely,” Bates said.
Maine will get their next chance to notch a win down at Yuleman Stadium versus Tulane University on Sept. 19.