FanHouse Maryland Football

Happy To Be Here?

Considering that the ACC is considered the be the weakest of the BCS conferences, I would say that any bowl game played outside of Kabul is a sweet reward for going 6-6 (3-5). And to think- they weren't even the last choice from the conference!

Granted, they were only one of four teams that managed to beat two Top-Ten teams this season, although the win against #10 Rutgers feels like it was from an era where women weren't allowed to vote and mass air travel was done via zeppelin. Let's also remember that they claim Villanova and Florida International as two other scalps. Then again, they were at least competitive in most of their losses and this could just be an evening out of karma for last season where they were often outplayed statistically but also often victorious.

Come Here Often?

This is the Terrapins' first trip to the Emerald Bowl, although they have been to bowls the previous three seasons and won them by a combined 95-17.

Granted, one could use the word "inconsistent" to accurately describe the play of both Maryland and NC State this season, but looking at Saturday's tilt between the two, NC State had three things going for them: momentum, homefield advantage and, most likely, a better working relationship between their QB and head coach. Seemingly healthy for the first time all season, the Terps made good on Ralph Friedgen's reputation with a frighteningly balanced offensive attack that shut things down rather early for the Wolfpack en route to a 37-0 decimation. Led by a Cerberus attack of Da'Rel Scott (Plymouth-Whitemarsh stand up!), Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore, MD racked up 249 yards on the ground compared to NC State's 10 and Chris Turner an almost mistake-free game, throwing for 206 yards on 19-24 passing.

For Maryland, this puts them back at 6-6, indicative of their up and down year. Fortunately for them, they've become the eighth bowl eligible team for the ACC, which has eight bowl tie-ins...meaning that they're the best bet to play in the Roady's Humanitarian bowl, provided there's no funny business with the selection process. They'll most likely get a crack at Boise State (though the Aloha Bowl might come calling for them) or Nevada.

ACC official Ron Cherry is the Shakespeare of our time, inventing jargon at his whim. I mean, giving someone the business is common enough but not as applied to officiating.

Enjoy a fourth quarter moment of levity from yesterday's Maryland - North Carolina State game.

Sometimes, you have to wonder how much you can really relate to the players you root for every Saturday (or, Thursday...or, Friday, if you're a WAC fan). Yeah, you may have chosen the same university to attend, but beyond that, there's not a whole lot else you may have in common.

This is particularly true in football where every single play results in some form of concussion. I mean, think what it takes for you to miss a day of work; I know a lot of people who take sick days because it's cloudy. Meanwhile, ballyhooed Maryland LB Erin Henderson is on some "Boy Named Sue" tip, toughing things out to a ridiculous extent possibly because he shares the first name of college football's premiere sideline eye candy, most likely because he wants to join brother E.J. in the NFL.

He's expected to play in the crucial matchup with NC State on Saturday, but dig his offseason schedule: on Monday, he's set for an MRI to determine whether he'll need arthroscopic knee surgery (ultimately determined by the Terps' bowl fate), and here's a sample of his weekly regimen:

On Mondays, Henderson spends nearly two hours with a chiropractor. On Tuesdays, he visits a deep-tissue massage therapist. On Wednesdays, he has another session with the chiropractor.

So yeah, next time you're thinking about booing your own squad, keep in mind that's what players are generally up to as opposed to setting their schedule around viewing "30 Rock." Then again, it didn't say what Henderson has scheduled on Thursdays...in that case, he should be watching "30 Rock." Sounds like he could use a laugh.

By the time Tom O'Brien left Boston College for North Carolina State, it seemed a lot like an amicable divorce. Boston College appreciated the job he had done for them, but it was time for both sides to move on to something else. BC fans were a little tired of solid 7-9 win regular seasons, a minor bowl, and a ranking in or near the top-25. There had to be something better.

Enter Jeff Jagodzinski and a more open offense. The Eagles reeled off 8 straight wins, had a Heisman candidate QB and a solid defense. This year, at least, things would be different.

Um, no. After the loss to Florida State, Boston College gets dropped by Maryland 42-35.

Maryland had lost three straight including a stunner to North Carolina and hadn't scored more than 17 points in that space. In only one game against 1-A opponents did Maryland exceed 30 points this season. Tonight they exploded on offense. Despite starting running back Keon Lattimore not playing, Lance Ball ran for over 100 yards and Chris Turner threw for over 300 yards.

Boston College hadn't allowed a team to score 30 points all season. Against the Terrapins, the BC defense continued to give up big plays.

The Eagles are now 8-2 with a game at Clemson next week. Essentially to decide who will be going to the ACC Championship game from the Atlantic division.

"They got the dropout keeping kids in the school"- Kanye West, "Champion"

Okay, that's not quite what happened here, but it's close enough. You might remember Josh Portis from performing rather impressively for Urban Meyer in his freshman year before he and his mother put up a stink to get him out of there before Tim Tebow could zoom past him on the depth chart. You also might remember him as a potential answer to an unsettled Maryland QB situation before encountering academic suspension for, as he puts it, "looking on somebody's paper."

Portis is understandably hoping that it's not the last you hear of him, and once again at his mother's urging, he's visiting at least three elementary schools in the College Park area to share his story. Granted, this appears to be 1/8th as fun as the assembly-type events I had in elementary school, but then again, I'm not even sure if kids get snow days anymore, so I guess you take what you can get. A lot of area schools are probably willing to stick to the collegians after a bunch of smart alecky kids asked Steve McNair what living during the Depression was like.

Most importantly, there's the implication that next year's QB derby for the Terps will be wide open once again. After starting out impressively, Chris Turner turned in a rather pedestrian performance against Virginia and won't be helped out by the injuries befalling his offensive line. I don't want to say I'm rooting against the guy, but if I have to watch another UMD game where the announcers try to relate to the "broseph" TV viewers by going on and on about his resemblance to Napoleon Dynamite, I might be begging for the sweet release of death soundtracked by Pam Ward.

Flashback to the week before the Maryland/UVA tilt of 2002. Stuck off the realness only a one-game winning streak against a team you haven't beaten in nearly a decade can provide, Ralph Friedgen was heard to remark, "we expect to beat teams like Duke and Virginia." As night fell on Charlottesville that Saturday, Friedgen and his Terrapins would end up wearing a 48-13 ass-whoopin' with pride.

So it's not unprecedented for Ralph Mouth to completely discount the possibility of Virginia managing to prove he's the most dubiously touted "offensive genius" in Maryland outside of Brian Billick. Take this Saturday's nailbiter that ended in a hotly contested 18-17 Virginia victory. Now, he could've praised "fourth-string tight end" (as an ESPN recap referred to him as, despite having a 6'0", 195 lb." frame) Mikell Simpson, who singlehandedly racked up more yards than the entire Maryland offense. Or, he could've admitted that his offensive line allowed Chris Long made millions on Saturday with a performance that will probably constitute 85% of his highlight reel when ESPN televises the 2008 draft. Or, he could've took his defense to task for allowing one of the country's least productive attacks to take go 90 yards in the waning minutes of a game played in their own backyard.

Instead, Friedgen took the high road like so many Maryland fans and blamed the loss on the referees.

"I'll probably get in trouble again, but I had a pretty good view of it," Friedgen said of the touchdown. "I don't have the side angle, but the ball came out on that goal line. I saw it come out. He didn't have possession. "I never see anybody overrule anything anymore," he said. "I'm looking at the replay on the JumboTron, the guy was out of bounds on the fourth-down play, too."

This time it was an 18-17 win over Maryland. Virginia completely dominated on the stat sheet with 200 more total yards than Maryland, but it took a touchdown with 16 seconds left in the game for Virginia to complete the comeback and get the win.

Sophomore QB Jameel Sewell has continued to improve in the season. Making plays to keep Virginia alive.

The story, though was little used tight end Mikell Simpson. He was forced into action when starting TE Tom Santi (and the leading receiver) went down in the game. All the sophomore did was pick up 152 receiving yards and have 119 rushing yards plus the two Virginia TDs. Simpson had more total yards than the entire Maryland team.

It's second straight 1-point win for Virginia. In their last 3 games -- all wins -- the points differential is a total of 4 points. This season, Virginia has 4 wins by 2-points or less. Add in the 5 point victory over Georgia Tech, and Virginia has 5 wins by a total of 11 points.

The result is that Virginia is 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC. The Cavs are ranked in the top-25 despite what I thought last week. It's just hard not to think that at some point soon, that the close game will go against them.

"Bye weeks. Bronco Nagurski didn't get no bye weeks! And now he's dead! Well, maybe they're a good thing."- Moe Szyslak

Bye weeks are always a little challenging; on the one hand, you have the ability to spend your Saturday doing something people you don't want to hang out with considering more worthwhile. On the other...freakin' man up! What else am I supposed to do before the sunset makes being drunk somewhat acceptable?

Of course, maybe you shouldn't be so selfish and start realizing that a game of tackle football will bust that ass and five in a row just multiplies that. So even though Maryland's got a good bit of momentum after going hard against the "what happened to that boy?" combo of Rutgers and Georgia Tech, they need a bye week worse than just about anyone in the ACC before they take on rival Virginia on the 20th.

Most notably, QB Jordan Steffy is still undergoing tests, but after watching Chris Turner play, I imagine that a lot of Maryland fans would be just as happy to see him disappear. Other notable injuries including guard Andrew Crummey, who won't be back before the postseason, and linebacker Erin Henderson (brother of current Viking LB E.J.). Of course, Ralph Friedgen ain't sweatin' it:

"I think we're in good shape except for the injuries," Friedgen said.

Eh, I've already made too many Fridge jokes as is. Maybe I should take a bye on that one as well.

Coming out of the locker rooms in the second half, an unnamed Miami assistant coach spoke to the ESPN2 sideline reporter off camera. He told him essentially to, "have batteries in the mic ready because they're going to make the greatest comeback ever." Have to admit to dismissing that statement as foolish bravado considering what happened in the first half. The joke was almost on me as Miami actually made a tremendous second half effort.

The Hurricanes scored 20 unanswered points on 3 TD passes in the third quarter to pull within 7, before QB Kyle Wright reverted back to Kyle Wright. He threw two more interceptions in the 4th quarter to kill -- I mean, kill -- Miami drives and hopes. UNC was only able to get a couple FGs out of them, but it put the game out of reach. Miami scored a rather meaningless TD with a little over a minute left in the game. UNC and Butch Davis won the game 33-27 for their first win over Miami since 2004.

Meanwhile Georgia Tech put itself in an early hole against Maryland.