Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen tossed Danny O’Brien the keys to the car on Saturday. The freshman quarterback roared out of the garage and drove the Terrapins to a coming-of-age victory, 38-31, over North Carolina State.
Attempting a season-high 47 passes, O’Brien completed 33 for 417 yards and four touchdowns, all to wideout Torrey Smith, leading the Terps to their first win over a ranked opponent in more than two years, and knocking the Wolfpack out of the ACC Championship game.
“He’s tough to deal with,” said O’Brien. “If it’s one-on-one with Torrey, it’s a mismatch every time.”
Florida State (9-3) now will represent the ACC Atlantic against Virginia Tech (10-2), Saturday in Charlotte. Thanks to the Terps, the Seminoles had two reasons to celebrate after their 31-7 destruction of rival Florida.
| Game notes |
| » Maryland junior Torrey Smith broke the school career record for all-purpose yards with a 15-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. The previous record holder was LaMont Jordan with 4,960 yards. |
| » Freshman quarterback Danny O’Brien‘s 417-yard performance was the first 400-yard passing game by a Maryland quarterback since Scott Milanovich in 1993. |
It was a cold, sparse, but enthusiastic crowd of 35,370 at Byrd Stadium that said goodbye to 16 seniors. The day, however, belonged to redshirt freshman O’Brien and junior Smith (14 receptions, 224 yards), who became the first player in Terrapin history to catch four touchdown passes in a game.
“He was hot early so I tried to get him the ball – a lot,” said O’Brien. “We just kept riding him.”
The duo led Maryland (8-4) back from an early 14-0 deficit and enhanced the Terps’ bowl credentials as they finish the regular season tied with State (8-4) for the third best record in the ACC a year after going 2-10.
“I told them this week that you’re not going to find many 8-4 teams in the country, especially where we came from,” said Friedgen. “We never seem, even when we’re doing well, to beat someone. Well, we beat somebody.”
With a singular touchdown pass in the third quarter, O’Brien demonstrated exactly why the Terps’ brain trust has been willing to turn their fortunes over to him.
Sprinting left, with defenders in pursuit, and running out of field, O’Brien fired a laser across his body to the back corner of the end zone, into the arms of a lunging Smith, for a 24-14 lead. The 10-yard pass demonstrated O’Brien’s strong arm and grace under pressure.
“The throw to me was just an unbelievable throw,” said Friedgen. “I’m there as a coach going, ‘Wow.’ I was like a fan. I was just kind of excited. I was just like, whoa, that’s big time right there.”
Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin was nearly as effusive.
“There’s not too many quarterbacks that can make that play,” said Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin. “It’s not easy to do as a right-handed quarterback. There was a window about that big he could fit it in. He put it in the spot where only Torrey could catch it, or it would have been incomplete.”
But O’Brien was just warming up. In the fourth quarter, he arched a 12-yard touchdown pass to Smith, who got one foot down in the end zone. The next time the Terps got the ball, Smith streaked straight downfield on first down and ran under an O’Brien rainbow for 71 yards and another touchdown, giving Maryland a 38-17 lead with 6 minutes, 26 seconds to play.
“I always tell him, ‘Look. Throw it as far as you can, and I’ll go out and get it,’” said Smith.
The Wolfpack made the Terps sweat as they scored two touchdowns in the final 2:39, thanks to a recovery of an onside kick. But after junior quarterback Russell Wilson (31 of 60, 311 yards) threw a touchdown pass to cut the lead to 38-31, Maryland senior Adrian Cannon recovered the ensuing on-side kick.
Then the Terps converted a first down, Adams barely getting the necessary yard on 4th and 1, to end the Wolfpack hopes.
“It sure looked like we stopped them,” said N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien. “We thought we had them stopped, but my opinion doesn’t count.”
N.C. State dominated the opening quarter, driving 70 and 66 yards with its first two possessions behind junior quarterback Russell Wilson, who delivered the Wolfpack a 14-0 lead with the first of his two touchdown passes and the first of his two touchdown runs.
Everything was going according to plan for State, which was pursuing its first ACC title game appearance and first conference title since 1979.
But the Terps arose in the second quarter, out-scoring the Wolfpack 17-0. O’Brien directed a 78-yard drive, completing six of seven passes in a nine-play drive, to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by D.J. Adams, which cut the deficit in half.
Then the Maryland defense got after Wilson and his receivers. After the Wolfpack executed precisely in their first two drives, the Terps’ defense changed the game.
“We got aggressive with the play calling and our guys collectively on the bench got after each other a little bit,” said Maryland defensive coordinator Don Brown. “We had a loaded package for Russell. Our whole theme was chase an athlete with athletes.”
Big plays turned the tide in the second quarter. Senior safety Antwine Perez (11 tackles) forced and recovered a fumble. Sophomore safety Eric Franklin intercepted a pass and returned it 26 yards to the 3-yard line to set up the tying touchdown.
Late in the half, junior cornerback Cameron Chism (9 tackles) blocked a second-period field goal try by the Wolfpack, setting up a 52-yard boot by senior Travis Baltz, which put the Terps up for good, 17-14, with 12 seconds left in the half.
“We came out a little flat. We’ve done that at times this year,” said Perez. “We never panic. We’re always in the game no matter what. We may bend, but we don’t break.”
In the second half, O’Brien and Smith made the game their personal highlight package. Their success came on a day when the Terps rushed for negative 9 yards on 20 attempts.
“For them to force us to be so one-dimensional, having to throw the ball, the [offensive] line did a great job, stepping up, giving us time to make the plays,” said O’Brien. “We did a great job for four quarters throwing the ball.”
Notes » Almost lost in his record-breaking receiving performance, was Smith’s becoming the Maryland career all-purpose yards leader with a 15-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. The previous record was set by LaMont Jordan with 4,960 yards … Smith’s 14 receptions tie him for the second most in a game in Maryland history. His 224 yards receiving is the third most behind Marcus Badgett (251 vs. Pitt in 1992) and Jermaine Lewis (250 vs. UNC in 1993) … The last Terp to throw for 400 yards in a game was Scott Milanovich (1993), who has the single-game school record with 498 vs. Virginia Tech … O’Brien has 21 touchdown passes this year. Milanovich is the only other Maryland quarterback with more in one season (26 in 1993).
