Terps defense bends, but doesn’t break in victory
BALTIMORE, Md. – Navy’s vociferous Brigade of Midshipmen were behind them. Navy’s irrepressible triple-option offense was in front of them. The eyes of Maryland were upon them.
There were better places to be for the Maryland defense as they stood in their own end zone preparing for fourth-and-goal at their own 1-yard-line with 37 seconds left.
It was a defining moment, seemingly scripted for Navy Heisman Trophy candidate Ricky Dobbs.
But Maryland safety Kenny Tate seized it, stonewalling Dobbs half a yard short of the goal line, preserving a 17-14 victory that perhaps changed the course of a program. With the win, Maryland snapped the seven-game losing streak that nearly cost coach Ralph Friedgen his job at the end of 2009 season.
“Last year we probably wouldn’t have won this game,” said Friedgen. “We found a way to hang in there and persevere.”
Friedgen delivered the Crab Bowl Trophy, a significant housewarming gift for Maryland’s new athletic director Kevin Anderson.
“I just met Kevin as I walked in here,” said Friedgen. “I hope he’s appreciative.”
Anderson and the crowd of 69,348 witnessed a clutch performance by the Maryland defense, which surrendered 485 yards, but halted Navy possessions three times at the 1-yard-line and once at the 2.
On two occasions at the 1, the Terrapins forced Dobbs to fumble. At the close of the first half, they stopped him on a third-down scramble at the 2 as time expired.
“We knew what it was, it was Ricky time,” said senior linebacker Adrian Moten (12 tackles), who vaulted the line in spectacular fashion to force one of the fumbles. “We knew to get the ball out of his hands and make plays down there.”
Senior linebacker Alex Wujciak (18 tackles) and sophomore tackle Joe Vellano (10 tackles, 2 sacks) were mainstays in the middle of the Maryland defense, helping limit Dobbs to 63 yards on 29 carries.
In addition to his final stop on Dobbs, junior Tate had 11 tackles and forced two fumbles. Senior safety Antwine Perez and sophomore linebacker Ryan Donohue recovered Dobbs’ bobbles.
“We had several opportunities where we could have scored,” said Dobbs. “Those times in there were critical, game-changing moments.”
After a season in which its offensive line was exposed as young, green, and inept, Maryland showed that it has made huge strides. The line paved the way for 261 rushing yards. After averaging 3.0 yards per rush in 2009, Maryland averaged 7.7 Monday.
The beneficiaries were junior tailback Davin Meggett (8 carries, 105 yards, touchdown), who rushed for a career high, junior quarterback Jamarr Robinson (12 carries, 92 yards) and senior tailback Da’Rell Scott (10 carries, 58 yards, touchdown).
“Oh, God, the holes were wide. The offensive line was working hard,” said Meggett. “You could tell the difference.”
Maryland scored on its first two possessions to grab a 14-0 lead. The Terps were so efficient on the drives that they got to third down only once. Scott did most of the work on the first march, running for 36 of the 59 yards, including the last 5 for a 7-0 lead.
“They did a heck of a job,” said Scott of the offensive line. “They executed every play. They did what they had to do. We had to run and rely on them.”
On the first play of the Terps’ next possession, sophomores R.J. Dill (tackle) and Justin Lewis (guard) gave Meggett a huge hole on the right side of the line that the speedster turned into a career-long 67-yard jaunt, which set up his own 3-yard plunge for a 14-0 advantage.
“Da’Rell and Davin and Jamarr all ran the ball really hard,” said senior center Paul Pinegar. “They came out feet blazing and they hit a hole and they were gone.”
Navy retaliated with a 64-yard scoring drive, that nearly was halted when Tate jarred the ball loose from senior slot back Andre Byrd (9 carries, 54 yards) at the end of a 14-yard run. Byrd got a reprieve as the ball bounced out of bounds just as Maryland linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield (12 tackles) was making the recovery. On the next play, Byrd made amends with a 10-yard touchdown carry.
Navy had two more chances to score before the end of the first half, but Dobbs fumbled one away and made a bad decision on another, failing to throw the ball away on a third down play with the clock ticking down. Instead, he scrambled forward and was stopped at the 2-yard line. Navy rushed its field goal unit on the field, but time expired before the Midshipmen could execute the snap.
On the sideline, Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo had strong words for Dobbs.
“Just because you move the ball, that doesn’t mean anything if you can’t put the ball in the end zone,” said Niumatalolo. “We should have had 31 points. We left those out on the field.”
The second half started in kind. Navy drove 59 yards, but failed to score as Tate forced Dobbs to fumble as he dove for the goal line.
The next time Navy got the ball, it cashed in, however, as senior wideout Greg Jones ran 53 yards on a reverse to set up a 1-yard dive by Dobbs, who has scored a touchdown in all 14 of his Navy starts. The plunge tied the game, 14-14, late in the third period.
In the fourth, the Maryland defense finally solved Navy’s triple-option. Vellano made two big plays on third down, forcing a pair of Midshipmen punts, their only two of the game.
Midway though the quarter, a 22-yard burst by Meggett set up the decisive score, a 24-yard field goal by senior Travis Baltz, with 7 minutes, 50 seconds left. It was the first career field goal for Baltz, the Terps’ longtime punter, who was filling in for injured sophomore Nick Ferrara.
“It’s a whole different experience,” said Baltz. “I usually run out there after we score and kneel down to hold the ball, but it’s a different routine.”
Another different routine was the clutch play made by Tate in the final minute. In last year’s seven-game losing streak to end the season, four of the losses came by a touchdown or less.
“I told them that last year, we wouldn’t have finished. I told them that’s the difference between winning and losing,” said Friedgen. “When you’re in a game like this, it’s a game of wills. It’s a question of who is going to rise to the occasion.”
