CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Some observations compiled during the Terps’ 31-0 loss at Virginia
-Ralph Friedgen said last week the Terps couldn’t play worse than they did in the first half against Clemson. The Terps proved him wrong Saturday. This game was an abject embarrassment.
-The offense was terrible, and it all began with an offensive line that continued to struggle. Quarterback Chris Turner was often rushed, but even when he did have time, he rarely had anyone to throw to.
-Da’Rel Scott looked tentative running the ball for the second consecutive game. The punishment he took probably didn’t help his recovering shoulder injury, either.
-Darrius Heyward-Bey did not have a catch.
-The defense sucked too. Cavaliers quarterback Marc Verica had way too much time to throw on his 51-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Ogletree in the first quarter to open the scoring. The Terps got no pressure on the quarterback, and defensive backs Jeff Allen and Anthony Wiseman both got beat terribly, anyway. No pressure and no coverage on the same play rarely works out.
-Verica is not fast enough that he should have been able to get around the corner for his 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that made it 14-0.
-Terp safety Terrell Skinner looked absolutely clueless on the Cavs’ third touchdown right before halftime.
-The Cavaliers didn’t respect the Terps’ defense enough to kick a field goal on 4th and 1 from the 9-yardline when they were already up 24-0 in the third quarter. And why should they have? The fact that Cedric Peerman scored on the play only made it even more embarrassing. That play tells you everything you need to know about the Terps’ defensive performance.
-I’m pretty sure Obi Egekeze’s attempt at an onside kick to start the second half went backwards. Ridiculous. This was Egekeze’s only appearance the entire game, by the way.
-This game was absolutely horrendous. It’s going to be a long two weeks until Wake Forest.
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I agree with everything. All I can add is the question that every Maryland student has on their mind every weekend. How am I supposed to support Maryland when I don’t know which football team is gonna show up? The Top-25 machine or the biggest embarrassment in the ACC?
thank God it was on ESPNU which i don’t have.
Shew, first off Kev, relax a bit, bud. I agree that this is how MD football (and even MD basketball at times) has been for the majority of Ralph’s tenure here at College Park. However, to say that every student is concerned about which team is going to show up each week is a bit hyperbolic. I am actually quite embarrassed by the fact that the student body, as a whole, is not as supportive as I think they should be. The students do not care about this team. The students have yet to rally around this team or vice versa the team rally around the students. There is a big gap between this team and these students and the only way we have a shot to win down the stretch in any capacity is if the students start believing in this team and show it through each and every move made by this team.
First off, you have to give some credit to UVA. This was a team that had gotten beat 31-3 one week prior by DUKE, the laughingstock of the ACC. Defensively, UVA played out of their minds, not allowing Heyward-Bey, possibly the best reciever in the ACC, to record ONE catch the whole.
With that said, Maryland simply did not show up to play at all. After UVA started out strong, the Terps couldn’t respond at all with a big play, and eventually, the errors pilled upon on another in this comedy of a loss.
So, who is to blame? I believe it is the coaching staff as a whole. Defensive coordinator Chris Cosh could see UVA’s offensive gameplan from the early going was to throw short passes. By making an adjustment early on, they game could have been much closer. And on the offensive side of the ball, not allowing Heyward-Bey to have a single catch is pathetic, especially for an offensive “genius” like Friedgen. Looking back on what Friedgen said in his midweek press conference, he was not taking this UVA team lightly, saying “”The score against Duke was not indicative of how their defense played. I see them improving.” Yet, come gameday, he could not make the adjustments necessary to avoid an embarrassing loss which may be a factor in deciding if he will be around next season.
“I hope our kids remember how they felt,”