Maine hasn't beaten Boston College since 1915, and it's never defeated the Eagles in Chestnut Hill. The Black Bears have just four wins over FBS programs in school history. And, two weeks ago, they suffered a 41-0 season-opening loss at New Mexico, which has been an FBS bottom dweller each of the past five years.

But BC doesn't have any reason to overlook Maine, according to head coach Jeff Hafley.

"We're not in position right now to take anybody lightly," Hafley said. "I don't know if if anybody thinks that, but our team can't take anybody lightly right now. We gotta go play every single game, and we gotta get better in multiple phases."

The Eagles are 0-2 and rank either at the bottom or near the bottom in pretty much every major offensive statistical category. They lost to Rutgers for the first time since 1991 and then suffered a 17-point road loss to Virginia Tech in primetime.

BC's offensive line has been its Achilles' heel.

Replacing all five starters up front, the Eagles are 82nd in PFF pass blocking grade (60.8) and 121st in PFF run blocking grade (47.5). They are tied for last in the ACC and 123rd nationally with nine sacks allowed. What's more, they rank 131st out of 131 FBS teams in rushing offense. BC is averaging 16.5 rushing yards per game. Every other ACC team is north of the century mark.

"It's a new O-Line, so they gotta get used to playing," wide receiver Zay Flowers said. They're inexperienced, so I feel like a couple games in, they'll be alright, they'll start learning. They'll start communicating better and having a feel for each other."

BC has an opportunity to get its run game going against a Maine team that is tied for 93rd in the FCS with 229 rushing yards allowed per game.

The Eagles could have more flexibility, personnel-wise, as Hafley said that he hopes redshirt junior tight end Spencer Witter will be further along this week. Witter missed the opener with injury and played just six snaps at Virginia Tech. Without him, or fellow tight end Joey Luchetti—who medically retired before the start of the season—BC has rolled out more 11-personnel looks (three wide receivers, one tight end, one running back) than it originally expected.

Having an extra tight end, like Witter, could help the Eagles in the trenches, Hafley explained this week.

Hafley has stressed the importance of finding a way to run the football, even if it means getting creative with blocking scheme. He wants to keep the sticks moving.

"I want the ball going forward," Hafley said. "I don't want to come back and see 3rd-and-12 and 3rd-and-15. First down, 2nd-and-7, 3rd-and-4.

"So we put ourselves in manageable situations."

BC was 2-of-15 on third down last week in Blacksburg, and the Eagles' average distance to go on third down was 10.9 yards. With as much pressure as BC has been facing, that's a recipe for disaster.

Luckily for BC, Maine has allowed its first two opponents to convert an average of 50% of their third downs. That said, Hafley—who coached at Albany from 2002-05—is familiar with the Black Bears' defensive tradition.

This year's team, Hafley said, plays a lot of quarters. While they don't do a lot schematically, "what they do, they do really well," according to Hafley.

On the other side of the ball, Maine offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Andrew Dresner exhausts the playbook, Hafley noted. Particularly in the run game, where the Black Bears even use QB Joe Fagnano's wheels.

"He's played a lot of football," Hafley said of Fagnano, who is now in his fourth season as Maine's starter. "He's got a good arm. He's tough. He took some shots in that game [against Colgate], especially at the end. Led them all the way down, and then they just came up short when they missed that long field goal. But I have a ton of respect for him."

BC will try make the veteran signal caller unsettled Saturday night. The Eagles have enjoyed more success in that department this year. They've piled up five sacks through two games, three of which have come from their linebacking corps. Then there's defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku, who is arguably having the best start to the season of any BC defender—he has 14 total tackles, four pressures, 2.5 TFLs, one sack and two forced fumbles so far.

There have been some standouts for the Eagles, like Ezeiruaku, in the first two games. But, collectively, BC hasn't done enough. Even on defense—when BC has really needed a stop in both games, that otherwise sound unit hasn't delivered, either.

"Almost to a man yesterday when I talked to them, it was, 'Coach, I need to do this better. Coach, I need to do that better,'" Hafley said Tuesday. "There's teams right now that are in rough situations as well. And there's a lot of pointing fingers.

"They're not like that."

Last year, BC opened its season with a 51-0 thrashing of Colgate. The Eagles have taken care of business, and some, against FCS opponents of late.

That's not on these players' minds, though. It can't be.

"We just have our head down, looking to get our first win," senior nickelback Josh DeBerry said. "Same mindset we had going into Rutgers, going into VTech. Same thing as ACC play. We looking at this as another opportunity to win."