Baltimore Sports Post

The Terps got a tough game from the bad luck NC State Wolfpack, but pulled out the win on the final drive winning 27-24.  The win helps the Terps keep pace with Florida State at 3-1 in the ACC Atlantic division.  The Terps were finally able to follow up and beat a team they should beat after beating a ranked team the week before.  Things don’t get much easier for the Terps as they will play the Virginia Tech Hokies (a team they’ve had trouble with in recent years) in a Thursday night primetime game November 6th.  The Terps have beaten three teams ranked in the top 25, but the Terps will get a taste of being the hunted since they are ranked #25 in this weeks poll for the first time since 2006.

The Terps took their show on the road in the ACC with high expectations for the season and were promptly routed by the Virginia Cavaliers 31-0 in Charlottesville, VA.  Worries before the game were that the Terps were going into the classic trap game against the rival Cavs, because the Terps were 4-1 coming off a stunning win against the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley and the Cavs were 1-3 coming off an equally stunning loss at Duke.  Give credit to the Cavs for coming to play against a regional and conference rival, exploiting the same issues that have dogged the Terps defense all season, and shutting down the Terps powerful offense which had been bailing them out.  The Terps have a week off to prepare for Wake Forest at home, and who knows which Terps team will show up for that pivotal game.   

A few weeks ago the Terps shocking loss to Middle Tennessee made competing in the ACC and going to another bowl seem like an impossible dream, but after wins against two of the tougher opponents on their schedule in Cal and Clemson they have drastically changed their chances for a positive outcome this season.  It’s hard to predict what the Terps final record would be at this point having only played one ACC game thus far, but thanks to the wins against Cal and Clemson the Terps now have a shot at finishing 8-4 and going to a nice bowl game if they can beat who they should beat the rest of the way (or better if they knock off someone else).  Hopefully the Terps shocking wins reinforce to the players and coaches what they need to do to win so that there is no need for another wake up call like the Middle Tennessee loss.  The good news is that it seems that the Terps are back on track because they took care of business against Eastern Michigan last week, but the Terps have another one of those “trap” type games coming up next week against conference rival Virginia on the road (who lost to Duke this week 31-3).  If the Terps can beat Virginia they would go into the showdown with Wake Forest with a 5-1 record and a favorable remaining schedule featuring four home games.

The Terps went on the road this week and shocked the Clemson Tigers 20-17.  The Terps were eager to prove that they had made the necessary changes since their last road game which ended in an embarrassing loss to Middle Tennessee, and also prove that their upset of Cal two weeks earlier was no fluke.  Things did not start off well for the the Terps as Clemson seemingly had the game well in hand going into halftime with a 17-6 lead.  Things turned around in the second half for the Terps when speedy wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey took a reverse 76 yards to setup the Terps first touchdown in the second half.  The Terps defense also stepped up in the second half by shutting down Clemson’s powerful offense by keeping them out of the endzone while the offense rallied. 

Victims of an upset on the road last week, the Terps rose the occasion this week at home by knocking off 23rd ranked Cal 35-27.  The final score was actually much closer than the game really was. The Terps were winning 35-13 late in the forth quarter and switched to a prevent defense to bleed the clock allowing Cal to move the ball.  Except for late in the 4th quarter, the Terps played inspired on defense shutting down the high powered Cal Bears who beat Washington State 66-3 the week before.  The Teprs offense also chipped in with a well balanced attack that converted scoring opportunities into touchdowns.  Chris Turner was 15/19 with 156 yards and 2 TD’s (0 INTs) which showed vast improvement from his rusty performance the week before against Middle Tennessee.  Da’Rel Scott and Davin Meggett each rushed for over 80 yards pacing the rushing attack that produced 3 TD’s.

The Terps traveled to Middle Tennessee expecting a win while tuning up to play Cal next week.  Things started off great for the Terps when Da’Rel Scott ran 63 yards for a score, but there was only one other Terps highlight the rest of the game when Darrius Heyward-Bey took a wide receiver screen 80 yards for a TD in the second half.  The first half ended with Middle Tennessee winning 10-7, and three points is as close as the Terps would get (it was 17-14 at one point in the second half) as Middle Tennessee bested the terps by double digits 24-14. The loss was demoralizing for the Terps who suffered their first loss to a Sun Belt Conference team.

Game Notes:

• QB Chris Turner had a terrible game completing less than half of his pass attempts and throwing three interceptions.  His lone touchdown pass was a 1 yard wide receiver screen that Darrius Heyward-Bey turned into an 80 yard touchdown.
• Dual threat QB Josh Portis played more this week and completed his first pass attempt as a Terp.  The offense was able to do some things with him in the game, but they need to show he can more than just run the ball before opposing defenses actually fear him.
• Da’Rel Scott had an impressive performance gaining over 10 yards per carry and over 100 yards overall, but he was only able to carry the ball 11 times because the Blue Raiders kept the Terps offense off the field and later in the game the Terps were primarily using the passing game to try to mount a comeback.

The Maryland Terrapins opened their season with a 14-7 win over Delaware.  They dominated the formerly division 1-AA (now FCS) powerhouse, but had two interceptions, three missed field goals and sloppy play in the passing game that produced only 126 yards.  The Terps running game was cranked up led by Da’Rel Scott gaining 197 yards rushing and freshman Davin Meggett contributing 50 yards and a touchdown.  Jordan Steffy was booed and taunted by the crowd during the game before leaving the game with a thumb injury giving way to Chris Turner in the 4th quarter.  Highly touted dual threat QB Josh Portis got in the game in some packages but primarily ran the ball.  See ESPN’s box score for more info about the game.

Amazing the way the Terps played last night. They looked like a different team on offense with a wide open style and not afraid to go for the throat. The defense continued to play it’s “bend but don’t break” style, but they managed to get pressure on Matt Ryan for most of the game which is something no other team has been able to do with consistency. The Fridge took many shots down the field and has to be given credit for opening up the offense down the field to soften the BC defense for the run and mid range conversions on 3rd down. The same injuries that have ravaged the offensive line and defensive front 7 appears to have given some more playing time to new playmakers at the skilled positions on offense. Jason Goode, Da’Rel Scott, Chris Turner, and Lee-Odai all make huge contributions to the Terps upset win against BC and all were on the field because of injuries. Just last week I thought that the Terps season was over, but now with games against Florida State and NC State left they have an outside shot at going to a bowl game. I wish the Terps could have started playing like this earlier in the season….

Although my focus has been on the big games this weeking in pro football, I still like to sit down and get in a full day of college football. Despite Penn State and Delaware winning important games and Navy finally beating Notre Dame after 43 years, the Terps loss to lowly North Carolina ruined my weekend. I know that Carolina is on the rise with new coach Butch Davis, but they weren’t supposed to be a threat until Davis was able to recruit new talent to Carolina. With the Terps remaining schedule, a bowl game is pretty much out of the question. Although they are currently a team playing many backups and walking wounded, falling this far (the basement of the Atlantic division at 1-4) was still not expected. I thought that Chris Turner was going to help turn the offense around, but it’s now apparent that he is not the answer either. For some reason this year just wasn’t meant to be for the Terps, and the surprise announcement of Josh Portis’ ineligibility just before the first game of the season should have been the first indication to me. The Terps need to start looking towards next year.