Interceptions to blame for loss to West Virginia There were new head coaches on the sidelines Saturday at Byrd Stadium, but the result was familiar. West Virginia took advantage of three Danny O’Brien interceptions to capture its sixth straight victory over Maryland.
Before a sellout crowd of 53,627, the No. 18 Mountaineers moved out to a big lead behind rookie coach Dana Holgorsen’s Air Raid offense before withstanding a furious Terrapins rally that fell short when safety Eain Smith picked off O’Brien at the West Virginia 13-yard line with 1:13 left to preserve a 37-31 victory.
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It was a bitter defeat for Maryland first-year coach Randy Edsall, who cut short a postgame press conference after he lost to West Virginia for the seventh time in eight tries.
“I’m very disappointed,” Edsall said. “Too many errors out there. Had a chance to win the ballgame at the end but didn’t get it done.”
O’Brien’s worst mistake came at the end of the first quarter. His screen pass was picked off by safety Terence Garvin, who ran 37 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
“I wish I could have those back.” O’Brien said of the interceptions. “You can’t turn the ball over three times at the quarterback position and expect to beat a ranked team.”
Since O’Brien (34-for-52, 289 yards) moved into the lineup last season as a freshman, he has rarely been outplayed. But Saturday was the exception as Geno Smith (36-for-49, 388 yards) riddled the Maryland secondary, dealing to his shifty wideout trio: Tavon Austin (11 receptions, 122 yards), Stedman Bailey (eight receptions, 113 yards) and Ivan McCartney (eight receptions, 101 yards).
“It makes it tough for defenses and makes us extremely dangerous because there is no one person to focus on,” Bailey said. “All of us are capable of making the play.”
When Bailey blew open on a post pattern for a 34-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, West Virginia (3-0) had a 34-10 lead and appeared on its way to another decisive victory over Maryland. The previous four had been decided by double-digit margins.
But Maryland (1-1) started its comeback when Davin Meggett (19 carries, 113 yards) capped a quick-strike, five-play drive with a 20-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing possession, Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle made a brilliant sideline interception in West Virginia territory, setting up a 6-yard touchdown run by D.J. Adams (12 carries, 64 yards) as the Terps cut the lead to 34-23.
Another scoring run by Adams, capping a 64-yard drive, drew Maryland closer at 34-31. After the third field goal of the game by Tyler Bitancurt made it 37-31, Maryland had a chance to win. Adams converted on a fourth-and-1 carry. But on third-and-8, O’Brien forced a pass into coverage when it appeared he had room to run for a first down. Afterward, he called the play a “miscommunication.”
“This is the worst feeling in the world,” O’Brien said. “It’s not gonna happen again. Next week can’t come soon enough.”
Edsall said that the Terps didn’t miss suspended starting receivers Quintin McCree and Ronnie Tyler. He also indicated the shaky play of O’Brien is the least of his concerns.
“He is out there playing as hard as anyone, and I love the kid to death,” Edsall said. “I thought he tried to put a little bit too much on himself. He needs to go out there and just let it happen.”
