Maryland looks to snap skid at Boston College
The last time Maryland won on the road was nearly 25 months ago. One of A.J. Francis’ most vivid memories is the abuse he received from an elderly Clemson fan.
“There was a lady, 90-some-year-old lady, looked nice,” the redshirt sophomore tackle said. “And the whole time she was just, ‘Hey Francis, why aren’t you playing, Francis? Why aren’t you playing? Yeah, you probably gotta lose some weight, huh, Francis?'”
Francis admits he was out of shape at the time — more than 50 pounds above his current 288. But his brief interlude with the heckler illustrates how college football teams are received on the road.
“I like the feeling of going down there, hearing them talk to you on the sideline, then coming off the field after making a play and looking them right in their eye,” Francis said. “Then again, me personally, on a team I was playing on, we haven’t won a road game here.”
With their road losing streak at 10 games, no one needs to remind the Terps how desperately they need a win Saturday at Boston College (2-4).
The road curse has been particularly perplexing for the Terps. Saturday’s 31-7 loss at Clemson, in which Maryland committed more turnovers (3-0) and were penalized more yards (93-30), came in a season in which the Terps have been stellar in both categories.
“I’ve been down a tough road with these guys, and I see us getting better and being able to do some things,” Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. “When we nullify that by the penalties, that’s frustrating. That’s the way it is.”
Maryland (4-2) has been more mistake-prone on the road. But perhaps the best indicator of their futility away from Byrd Stadium has been their inability to run. When playing in their home state, the Terps have averaged 194 yards rushing. When playing on the road, they’ve averaged 17 yards on the ground. In both road losses, the Terps have abandoned the run early.
“You’ve got to be patient and stay with it,” Friedgen said. “We don’t want to turn it into a one-dimensional game. That doesn’t help our young offensive line.”
Being one-dimensional against Clemson took its tool on redshirt freshman quarterback Danny O’Brien. After two turnoverless games, he threw three interceptions and was sacked three times in the loss.
Maryland doesn’t need to win any of its remaining three road games to get to a bowl. But without at least one win in a hostile stadium, it would be hard to proclaim this season a success.
“If we want to get where we want to be this year, we’re definitely gonna have to win on the road,” O’Brien said.
