Deluge of turnovers dooms Terps in 20-9 loss to Cavaliers
By: Kevin Dunleavy
Examiner Staff Writer
October 17, 2009
Saturday at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium, the loudest boos of the afternoon were reserved for an unsuspecting referee early in the second half when he announced a “media timeout.”
With rain pelting College Park and the Maryland football team fumbling away chances to take control of a dreadful game against docile Virginia, fans were in no mood to wait.
TERPS NOTES
» Three Washington-area players, all sophomores, contributed for the Cavaliers’ defense. S Rodney McLeod (DeMatha) had five tackles and forced a fumble, LB Cam Johnson (Gonzaga) had five tackles, and NG Nick Jenkins (Good Counsel) plugged the middle.
» The Terps have committed 20 turnovers and forced seven. They entered the game ranked No. 117 (out of 120 teams) in turnover margin.
» Maryland back Gary Douglas suffered an AC joint (shoulder) injury and is likely to miss next week’s game at Duke.
» Maryland has lost the last three meetings with Virginia and has not scored a touchdown in the last 10 quarters against the Cavaliers.
» Mayland has played Virginia more times than any school. The Terps lead the series 41-31-2.
But wait they did – at least some them – and without satisfaction. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Virginia had an ugly 20-9 victory and most of the announced crowd of 44,864 was well on its way home.
While Maryland (2-5) rued a winnable game gone bad, opportunistic Virginia (3-3) celebrated its third straight victory under embattled coach Al Groh. Perhaps taking his place on the ACC hot seat is Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who is off to the worst start of his nine-year tenure.
“We missed an unbelievable opportunity as far as our division race is concerned,” said Friedgen. “We’re just giving games away. I don’t think the teams we are playing are better than us, but we keep shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Maryland was done in by four turnovers. The most damaging came late in the third period when Virginia defensive end Nate Collins got his hand on a pass from Maryland quarterback Chris Turner, gathered it in and ran 32 yards for the first touchdown of his career. The score gave Virginia a 13-9 lead.
“Maybe without that play, we wouldn’t be sitting here with a win right now,” said Virginia cornerback Chris Cook.
The Terps had their chances in the fourth quarter. But after making his first three field goal attempts, freshman Nick Ferrara missed tries from 37 and 44 yards out in the final 12 minutes.
“Those were hard field goals. They were into the wind,” said Friedgen. “When he kicked those balls they were pretty water-logged too.”
In a departure from this year’s script, Maryland moved the ball well on the ground behind sophomore Davin Meggett (11 carries, 52 yards) and freshman Gary Douglas (6 carries, 49 yards), but both had fumbles in the first half that stopped Maryland drives in Virginia territory.
“Offensively we did some things that were good,” said Friedgen. “But they were negated because of our turnovers. It’s the same story, over and over again.”
Maryland wasted a strong defensive effort. The Terps registered a season-high five sacks, had a goal-line stand, and limited Virginia to 201 total yards. Junior linebackers Alex Wujciak (14 tackles, 2 TFL) and Adrian Moten (two sacks, forced fumble) excelled.
“Offense turned the ball over, we couldn’t get the ball back. It’s just how the game went,” said Moten. “It’s not a good feeling losing to them. It’s a backyard rivalry.”
The Maryland defense couldn’t be faulted for Virginia’s final touchdown either, a 2-yard run by Rashawn Jackson (19 carries, 90 yards), which came with 1 minute, 42 seconds left, after the Maryland offense turned the ball over on downs at its own 2.
“We had a target for what the mission was today,” said Groh. “They took that aim on the target. They weren’t going to be distracted by anything. As a result, they did something they can be very proud of.”
Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell (12 of 23, 137 yards) connected three times with Vic Hall for 53 yards on the Cavaliers’ second possession. Virginia drove to the Maryland 1 but a penalty and consecutive sacks forced the Cavaliers to settle for a 32-yard field goal from Robert Randolph and a 3-0 lead.
After that, the Maryland defense dominated, limiting Virginia to a total of one first down on its next seven possessions. But the Maryland offense, sputtering with a subpar effort from Turner (16 of 38, 158 yards, 2 interceptions), couldn’t capitalize, settling for Ferrara’s three field goals in the middle periods to take a 9-3 lead.
When a Maryland defender failed to hold on to a poorly-thrown sideline pass by Sewell late in the third period, wideout Kris Burd made a 28-yard reception, setting up a 31-yard field goal by Randolph with 2:02 left.
Three plays later, Collins, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound senior, made the play that turned the game around.
“The defensive lineman was standing right there and it was tipped and went right into that guy’s arms,” said Turner. “Nine times out of ten that wouldn’t have happened, but it did today.”
Turner did his best to rally the Terps, leading them on drives inside the Virginia 20. On the first, Maryland couldn’t convert after getting a first-and-5 thanks to a Cavalier penalty, and Ferrara pushed a 37-yard attempt wide.
The second drive stopped when center Phil Costa had a bad snap in shotgun formation, resulting in a 9-yard loss, then Maryland receiver Kerry Boykins dropped a strike from Turner on 4th and 19, that would have given the Terps a first down. This time, Ferrara’s 44-yard try was short.
It could have been worse for the Terps. Heads-up recoveries by tackle Paul Pinegar, on a fumble by Douglas, and Torrey Smith, on a fumble by Boykins, prevented two more turnovers.
“I’m frustrated. I know the fans are and I know the players are, but the only solution I know is to keep working,” said Friedgen. “We have to stay together as a team and don’t point fingers.”
