The decision to give the football to backup quarterback Warren Smith was easy. Taking the ball from Mike Brusko was the hard part.

"Football stinks," said Coach Jack Cosgrove, repeating a phrase used by Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz, his University of Maine predecessor. "It's the ultimate team sport, which means when it comes to winning, you can't think of the individual."

Brusko led Maine into the playoffs last year. He led the team in its come-from-behind win against St. Cloud State. In Saturday's conference opener at Northeastern, he started, quickly became part of a two-quarterback platoon, and was just as quickly overlooked after Smith threw a 47-yard touchdown to Landis Williams in the 17-7 victory.

The plan is to play the two-headed quarterback this weekend against Albany. Brusko will take his blue-collar, run-through-a-wall attitude onto the field until gunslinger Smith with his tight spirals and strong arm relieves him.

In theory it can work. Maine won't change its offense but each quarterback presents problems for the defense, which is always good. Brusko may be a rushing quarterback, but his short passing game always has been efficient. He threw 67 completions in 104 attempts last year and was ranked fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Smith can move Maine downfield quickly with his deep passing, but he's also an effective runner. Play-calling would be less predictable.

In practice, happy endings in these scenarios are rare. Maine tried a platoon 15 years ago with Emilio Colon and Joe Marsilio, and it wasn't a success. Each had holes in their game the other couldn't overcome.

"Usually it sorts itself out on the field," said Cosgrove. "One or the other will keep the (first-down) chains moving more and it becomes evident (who assumes the job full time).

Watching Smith in practice, Cosgrove understood he couldn't keep his transfer from Iona College out of games. On the field he grasped Maine's offense quickly. In the locker room he worked to become a teammate. Cosgrove, a former quarterback himself, saw it.

"I understand the devastation and the euphoria of the position. I called (Brusko, Smith and Chris Triester, the third quarterback) individually into my office. For Mike it was, 'Wow, I just got something taken away.' It's hard. I respect Mike so much for what he's given to this team. He's the unquestioned leader."

But Smith, if he doesn't trip over his inexperience, gives Maine more ways to move the football. The bottom line is winning. The trick is keeping your integrity intact.

Bill Belichick gets credit for making the cold, impersonal decisions that keep the Patriots on top. Goodbye, Richard Seymour. Fans were surprised he choked up over Tedy Bruschi's retirement. It's more difficult for Cosgrove to turn his back on his compassionate side. Last week he did.

Brusko did everything he could to make himself into a starting and winning quarterback. Loyal, likable and tough. Worked hard, picked himself up when he got knocked down. Maine won eight of its last 10 games with Brusko at quarterback, going back to last season.

Some 20 years ago, quarterback Bob Wilder came out of Madison to win football games for Maine. Then Mike Buck appeared on campus from Long Island City, N.Y. After winning two games to start the 1987 season Coach Tim Murphy called Wilder into his office to tell him Buck was getting his chance to be Maine's quarterback.

"It wasn't that I was benching Bobby," Murphy told the Boston Globe, "but I was trying to get Mike into the game."

Buck became the standard by which every other Maine quarterback has been measured. Wilder, now the head coach at Old Dominion, had to accept his new role as senior teammate who would lead from the sideline. Cosgrove was an assistant coach under Murphy, now Harvard's head coach.

Monday, Cosgrove called Smith into his office and asked him what was the best thing...