The Humanitarian Bowl

I could be that guy. I could be that guy who sits here and writes about how Maryland - an ACC school with a long, rich athletic history - was forced to play in the Humanitarian Bowl. In Boise. Against Nevada. And they gave us all we could handle, as we won by only seven.

That would be extremely disrespectful towards my school, though, and not how I honestly feel about the situation at all. 

To be frank, I was thrilled about the victory. I thought Maryland was going to go into Boise and absolutely get their brains beaten out. First of all, I never expected Maryland to come out and play the game with the passion and intensity they did. When your whole campus seemingly forgets about you, I imagine it would be easy to lose some of your focus. I feared that my thoughts were affirmed when I learned of the seven players suspended for the first part of the game. 

Then, Chris Turner stepped up, flashing his potential as a terrific quarterback once again (before becoming his inconsistent self in the second half again). Ronnie Tyler (FR), Torrey Smith (FR, pictured), and Adrian Cannon (SO) all stepped up, showing that the passing game can have life without Heyward-Bey and Oquendo next year. Morgan Green and Davin Meggett showed that the offense doesn't need to have Da'Rel Scott to have a big game to win.

Then Scott showed how much easier it is to win when he does have a big game. 

Defensively, they gave up 35 points, but what did you expect? They had a new defensive coordinator, and they were facing one of the top quarterbacks in the country (that's serious; I am of course talking about WAC player of the year Chris Kaepernick, who, even hobbled, managed 370 yards). The defense truly did a remarkable job in shutting down Nevada's rushing attack, holding the number two rushing team in the country to a mere 114 yards. 

I'm not saying the performances were sterling all around, but as a Maryland fan, you have to be happy to send the senior class out with a win. You also have to be happy with how many underclassmen really played well.

As we know quite well, though, it's the talent that Maryland lacked this year. Hopefully, next year, something clicks and the team can play up to its potential every game. If they can, they can certainly be in contention to win the ACC championship game. 

It all starts with a little momentum. That's hopefully what the Terps got with this win out in Idaho. God only knows, 8-5 sounds a lot better than 7-6. 

(Photo Credit: umterps.com)

Pick A Side

After the Maryland Terrapins lost 23-13 to the Virginia Tech Hokies on Thursday night, there was the usual varying reactions in Terpland. Some people shrugged it off, some started the same panic that followed the losses to Middle Tennessee St. and UVA. Now, of course, with me being fair and objective, I won't tell you how to think, so instead I'll lay out five points from the game and tell you why you could be optimistic or pessimistic about each one. Which one are you?

1. The Terps lost. 

The optimistic person can say: Out of the four remaining games, this was the one you thought you were most likely to lose. Winning in Blacksburg on a Thursday night is not something you do unless you play perfectly, and the Terps didn't play perfectly. They usually don't on the road. Anyway, nothing changes. All you need to do is win the Florida State game and one of the two other games you play this year.

The pessimistic person can say: Let's be real here. The Terps have played eight halves of football on the road this year. They've only looked good for one of those eight (the second half against Clemson). They've shown a complete inability to win on the road, so it's unlikely they will do so against Boston College. You may need that game, though, considering UNC is ranked and will be very difficult. 

2. Chris Turner lost his cool in the second half.

The pessimistic person can say: This is just further evidence that Turner is not the leader of this football team. He plays on pure adrenaline against the ranked teams, but when his team really needs him the most, he's just too frazzled to lead an adequate comeback. Did you see him the second half? He couldn't come within 5 yards of a receiver. The only reason it got interesting at all was because Heyward-Bey made a great play and we got lucky on special teams.

The optimistic person can say: We knew Turner wasn't a great leader coming into the season, or else he would have been granted the starting job. This is a very veteran team - just look the offensive line. The leadership role generally falls on the quarterback, but we don't need that. Turner hasn't been vocal all year - why would you expect him to be now? Plus, any quarterback who has never played that kind of game before would get riled. He's a junior, and this is his first major night game on the road in one of the hardest places to play in the nation. It's awesome he was as good as he was in the first half. 

3. Darren Evans ran for 253 yards against the Maryland defense.

The optimistic person can say: Evans had a great game. These things happen. It's bad that he ran for that much, but you really have to give the guy credit. He did have some huge holes, but he also had some miniscule ones that he just powered through. Either way, let's be real here and just say that our linebackers didn't tackle well. What this really was, though, was that Maryland wasn't sticking to what they do best - filling the gaps with their plethora of linebackers. If they had done that, Evans would have been competely contained. Cosh will realize that, and Maryland won't let the same mistake happen twice.

The pessimistic person can say: If we let VT run all over us like this, imagine what's going to happen when we play FSU. Stop saying "that's the game that matters" because if we put up the same rush defense against FSU, we'll lose by 30. Our tackling was terrible, and what's even worse is that we couldn't stop him in the second half, when our offense desperateley needed the ball. 

4. The Terps' character is in question. 

The pessimistic person can say: This team is a bunch of prima donnas and quitters. Whenever the going gets tough, they don't get going; they start thinking about going home. Did you see the offense at the end of the first half? Just chilling on the bench like there wasn't a thing wrong in the world. Friedgen no longer motivates this team. They play when they want to, and don't when they don't. It's pathetic.

The optimistic person can say: You're right, it should be questioned from before, because the Terps showed more character Thursday night than they have all year. They got blown out in the first half. Injuries were piling up. They could have quit, and this would have been another 58-7 type game. But did they? No. They outscored VT 10-6 in the second half. Look, they just didn't have enough to win the game, but they tried their hardest. Look at Heyward-Bey. He gets lit up on a failed 3rd down conversion and was down for a little while. When he was able to get up, did he look down on his trek to the sideline? No. He got up, and you could see the passion in his eyes as he was firing up his teammates. This team didn't quit against VT, the breaks just didn't go their way.

5. The Terps had -12 yards rushing.

The optimistic person can say: Well, I mean, you know ... Never mind, I got nothing here. That was terrible.

The pessimistic person can say: The blog won't allow me enough characters to talk about that. 

Homecoming for the Terps

In a little over an hour, the Maryland Terrapins will take the field against the N.C. State Wolfpack. At 2-5, N.C. State looks like a team that the Terps should handle just fine. The Wolfpack have lost to South Carolina (34-0), Clemson (27-9), USF (41-10), BC (38-31), and Florida State (26-17). Their only wins have come against William & Mary and ECU, who was exposed as a flash in the pan early on. They are not the pushovers of a couple of years ago, but they are also not as talented as the Terps - on paper.

But knowing this team, that does not come anywhere near a guarantee for victory. Each week seems to present a new team to Terps fans, and the fans' frustration is clear. Losses to Middle Tennessee State and the University of Virginia have prevented the team from a possible top 10 BCS ranking. After all, the Terrapins have beaten three top 25 teams.

Today is just another trap game for the Terps. Luckily, it is a home game. Byrd Stadium should be packed with fans ready to cheer the Terps to victory. Weather conditions are less than idle, but regardless, the stands will be loud for the Homecoming game.

There are three questions facing the Terrapins this week:

1) Which Chris Turner will show up? The epitome of the team's Jekyll and Hyde play, Turner has been mediocre in the two losses, a combined 33-62 with one touchdown and 4 interceptions. He has played so well, however, in the other 4 wins (Jordan Steffy played the majority of the Delaware game), that he is now the top-rated passer in the ACC. If Turner plays well (and is protected), the Terps usually win.

2) Will Da'Rel Scott break out of his funk? The sophomore running back struggled last week, fumbling 3 times (two of which were recovered by Wake Forest). He did, however, average 4.1 yards a carry and has been outstanding all season. The offensive line has to open holes for him and he has to prove he has recovered from his injury. If he struggles early on, expect a large dose of true freshman Davin Meggett.

3) How will the defense play? Last week, the ACC's leading passer was held to less than 200 yards passing and 50% completions. The Maryland defense was suffocating all game long and made plays on third down. If the Terps are going to win today, the defense has to step up and play like it did last week. They have pressure N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson and force turnovers. The offense should be able to take care of the rest.

Prediction: Maryland 28, N.C. State 13. The game will remain close until the 4th quarter, but Maryland will eventually pull through and take a crucial victory before heading Blacksburg in a big matchup against Virginia Tech.

(Photo credit: Washington Post)

Weekend Watch

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been on here for a little while. In any case, here's what I (and you, of course) should be watching for this weekend.

1. Whether the Rays can punch momentum in the face. They were up 7-0 in the 7th inning. The Red Sox couldn't get an out while they were in the field, and the Rays were pretty much doing whatever they wanted. Then came Big Papi, and we all know where that went from there. 

Of course, none of that will matter if the Rays take game 6, which will be tomorrow at 8:07 p.m. If it goes to 7, though, it will be a miracle if the Rays take it.

2. Whether Maryland can become consistent with their inconsistency. If everything goes according to plan with the season, they will beat number 21 Wake Forest. Things wont be easy, though, even if the "good" Maryland shows up. (We're going to assume they do because if the "bad" Maryland shows up, they will be beaten by 50.) Wake Forest boasts one of the top defenses in the country, and specializes in getting turnovers. If Chris Turner can throw one interception or less, however, Maryland will win. 

3. The NFL's contenders will continue to separate themselves from the pretenders.

Games to keep an eye on include:

MIN at CHI (for control of the NFC North); BAL at MIA (the winner will be back in the wild card chase, the loser won't); NO at CAR (for a leg-up in the NFC South); IND at GB (GB needs this because of the earlier NFC North game, IND needs to get rolling on a streak); CLE at WAS (we'll know a lot more about CLE after this week); DEN at NE (I've hated on them both, but the winner will impress me)

Next week, I will hit upon all these and more when I look back upon the weekend. Other things to look forward to include the power rankings, and the inaugural MVP/LVP for the NFL.

I won't be at Maryland Madness tonight due to a prior commitment; someone let me know how it is and how the team looks. Basketball preview will certainly come soon. Have a good weekend everyone.

And I hate to say "I told you so" about the Phillies while I was on air, but ... 

Maryland 20, Clemson 17

So many things to say I don't even know where to start. Listen to the show on Wednesday when we will cover this entire thing in much more depth, but some quick hitters from the game:

First and foremost, the MD defense deserves this game ball, and if I had to pick a player it would probably be Alex Wujciak. To hold the offense that ran all over them in the first half to 0 points in the second half is absolutely unreal. Phenomenal. 

I've already said it, but what a microcosm of our entire season. Hopefully, the rest of the season will be more like the second half.

Props to Chris Turner on the final drive. He had a rough game, but threw two perfect balls to complete third and longs and made sure Clemson did not get the ball back.

Were it not for the MTST debacle, MD would be 5-0 with two wins over top 25 teams. That would probably put us in the top 15. As it is, I would not be surprised if we sneaked into the top 25 this week. We got a few votes last week, and I'm very interested to see how many teams around the 20-25 range have two victories over top-25 teams already.

Once again, congratulations to the Terps.