COLLEGE PARK — After Maryland’s November 29 loss to Illinois in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon expressed concern about freshman guard Nick Faust (City College).

“He’s lost his confidence” Turgeon said. “Nick needs to get his swagger back.”

After a three point, three turnover, zero assist performance days later in the Terrapins’ 78-71 BB&T Classic win over Notre Dame, concerns lingered about the team’s prize recruit out of Baltimore. A wing in high school, Faust was struggling mightily with a switch to point guard before the start of the season.

The concerns were significant enough that Turgeon felt the need to meet with Faust Tuesday, one day before the Terps would meet Mt. St. Mary’s at Comcast Center.

“I talked to him and told him his offense can’t affect the rest of his game” Turgeon said Wednesday night. “He has to rebound and make guys around him better.”

The result of the conversation? A 13 point, six rebound, five assist performance (and two key blocks down the stretch) as Maryland (5-3) hung on for a 77-74 win over Mt. St. Mary’s (1-7).

Like Kanye West in his hit song (with Jay-Z) “Otis”, I guess it’s safe to say Faust has his “swagger back.”

“Truth.”

Faust helped hold Maryland together after blowing what was once a 16 point lead against the Mountaineers. As The Mount felt more and more confident in the second half, the Terrapins clearly needed contributions from players other than guard Terrell Stoglin. Stoglin was fantastic again, scoring 23 points and making shot after shot late, but Faust offered help. He canned a three from the corner with 6:41 to play after MSM had taken a 63-61 advantage, then came up with two blocks in the final four minutes of the game. His block of Julian Norfleet with 20 seconds to play came at a time when the Terps were clinging to a one point lead.

It was by far Faust’s best performance since the team’s 78-71 win over Colorado November 18th in the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

“He went to the rim and got to the foul line” Turgeon added. “He made a three because of his confidence. He still took some bad shots but hopefully he grows out of that. I thought he played with great effort. He didn’t give up on the last play (his block), and a lot of kids would have. That lay up would have given them a one point lead. I was pleased with him tonight.”

“It definitely was a confidence booster for me” Faust said after the victory. “I wasn’t starting off so well this year. (I’m) just starting to play basketball, let things come to me.”

Turgeon said his meeting with Faust was about changing the way he played the game.

“Kids get so caught up in scoring and their shot. They see their numbers and what people are saying and it affects him. We tried to simplify the game for him. Defend, rebound, get the foul line and get shots for Terrell (Stoglin) and (G/F) Sean (Mosley). He did that tonight, he had five assists. We told him if he is going to score get to the rim. His first two free throws bounced in rather than out, that is huge for him.”

Faust said the meeting lead to him playing his most “relaxed” game of his young career.

“He told me to stop pressuring about scoring because he knows I’m a scorer. Just let the offense come to me, try to get my teammates open, kind of let things come to me through defense. I tried to do a great job on defense and rebounding. That’s one of the keys.”

The possible return of G Pe’Shon Howard should help take pressure off of Faust in the backcourt, but in the meantime he’ll have to continue to shoulder a heavy load. Wednesday night was the fifth game where the freshman played 30 or more minutes (37) already. Stoglin has handled the bulk of the scoring for the Terrapins, but they must continue to get help on both ends from other guards.

Faust will ultimately look to develop as a more consistent scorer, but his all-around ability to contribute can be very key for a team that won’t be described as “deep” for some time.

Maryland should have played better (especially defensively) than they did in their close win over an ‘Eers team that had scored more than 63  points just once this season. They shouldn’t have been forced to hang on for dear life against a team that had just dismissed senior guard Lamar Trice earlier in the day.

Maryland should have been better in a number of ways. But Faust WAS better, even in a nailbiter of a win.

In a season where progress might not always be evident, it was a positive step.

-G

You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. Oklahoma State looked REALLY good Saturday night. It’s a shame it didn’t really matter at all.

I tried explaining to everyone it wouldn’t matter if the Cowboys blew out Oklahoma Saturday night in Stillwater. Every time someone asked a question like “what if the Pokes win by a score of 50-0?” I responded with a simple “it won’t matter.”

I was right. Louisiana State will face Alabama again in the BCS Championship Game and OSU will get to watch after playing Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl.

It’s a shame, as Oklahoma State certainly looked like a team capable of making things interesting in New Orleans on Saturday night. The shame is that their Bedlam rivalry win was marred by 13 fans being injured when they rushed the Boone Pickens Stadium field. It’s also a shame the Big 12 Champs aren’t Bayou bound because we’d all like to see more of Mike Gundy dancing…

2. With that in mind, does anyone think LSU is losing in the BCS title game?

It’s not that I don’t think highly of Oklahoma State (or Alabama), it’s just that the Tigers have been pretty dominant. See Badger, Honey.

It appears as though Tyrann Mathieu’s punt return TD shouldn’t have counted, and he actually had another return later in the game that didn’t result in a TD that was more impressive. But this was still a lot of fun to watch him run all over the Georgia Dome field in the SEC Championship Game.

It’s awfully early, but I’ll go ahead and call a Tigers win over the Crimson Tide in the title game. Just going out on a limb without having to at all. All balls, that Glenn Clark. At least that’s what my 4th grade teacher always said.

3. Tim Tebow is in first place. Since he won’t say it, I will. “Suck it, haters.”

I picked the Denver Broncos to beat the Minnesota Vikings on “The Friday Football Frenzy” this week; but I gave myself an out. “If Von Miller doesn’t play the Broncos lose” I said.

What I didn’t know is that the great Tim Tebow had the “throw a 41 yard touchdown to Demaryius Thomas while running out of bounds” in his repertoire…

Tim Tebow is better than you. And thanks to an Oakland Raiders loss we’ll get back to later in the game, he’s in first place in the AFC West.

Some Tim Tebow haters won’t give it up, including Merrill Hoge. He told the New York Post that Tim Tebow hasn’t proven anything because he hasn’t won a Super Bowl. Yep. That’s solid analysis. Well done sir.

Since we’re here, here’s this humorous picture of Matt Willis and Willis McGahee.

And also, this is apparently a photo of a fetus (or unborn child if you will) Tebowing. If you don’t want to look at it, don’t. I have no idea what I’m looking at myself.

4. Through one week, everyone who said “TJ Yates will be fine because he has Arian Foster” is right.

Of course, I was not in that camp so I feel like a bit of a silly goose.

The Atlanta Falcons had a great chance to make a move in the NFC Wild Card race, but they couldn’t contain Arian Foster in a loss to the Houston Texans.

I don’t have any (legitimate) highlights of the Texans’ win, but I DO have a video of Tommy Lasorda dropping a TON of F-Bombs in an old interview. Does that interest you???

5. I believe the pythagorean theorem somehow helped deliver West Virginia to the Orange Bowl. Clemson got there the old fashioned way.

The Mountaineers barely held on to beat South Florida Thursday night in Tampa Bay, claiming part of the Big East title-apparently the part that gets you to Miami.

Clemson on the other hand finished a season sweep of Virginia Tech (we’ll get back to them) in the ACC Championship Game. They totally earned their spot in the BCS. It’s a neat change of pace.

The Tigers and ‘Eers will get together in an Orange Bowl showdown that absolutely no one will be interested in. Except maybe this girl…

But I don’t really think of her as much of a sports expert when you think about it.

Oh-and apparently the appropriate way to celebrate a Clemson ACC title is to “fromble.” I had a lot of beers when I was in college. I didn’t know a damn thing about this…

6. Perhaps Chris Johnson really was worth a ton of money after all?

CJ2K has gone over 100 yards three times in his last four games, a feat he accomplished just once in in his first eight games.

That would be better if you were confused while playing along at home.

It was 153 yards and two TD’s Sunday as the Tennessee Titans topped the Buffalo Bills, a team I SWEAR had been good at some point during their existence…

Things get a BIT more difficult for the Titans next week, as they battle the Saints in Nashville. They find themselves still alive in the AFC South race but also still in the AFC Wild Card mix. AND they’re in the mix for the Cotton Bowl. Or something like that.

7. I don’t think much of the New York Jets, but I enjoy watching anyone beat the Washington Redskins.

The Jets scored 3 TD’s in the final five minutes of Sunday’s game at FedEx Field and got big plays from Aaron Maybin to avoid the upset.

A few things to giggle about here.

One-If the Skins manage to win two of their last four games this season, Mike Shanahan will manage to tie the great Jim Zorn’s record through the first two seasons! Big stuff!

Two-Washington’s Fred Davis and Trent Williams are suspended for the next four games for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. I don’t think the substance has been officially announced, but I think I have a guess…

(Continued on Page 2)

LANDOVER, Md. — The University of Maryland Terrapins went through the motions lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 45-21 Saturday night at FedEx Field.

The good news (for me) is that I won’t be attending another Maryland football game this season.

That’s where the good news ends.

This isn’t the final game on the schedule for the Terps (2-8, 1-5) this season, but I’ll guess it will be the final time I offer more than a handful of words to discuss them. I’ll imagine most of you can understand.

I remember back in August I had a thought that the team’s visit to North Carolina State November 26 could have ACC Championship implications. I remember thinking that with the Baltimore Ravens set to host the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night I would have my weekend free and perhaps a trip to Raleigh would be in order.

As you’d assume, I have no travel plans for my Turkey Day weekend.

I’ve paid my dues. I’ve showed up for every game the Terps have played this season in the state of Maryland. The first game (Miami) was fun. The second half of the second game (West Virginia) was fun too. There was no more fun to be had this season.

I don’t write this in hopes to illicit sympathy from anyone. I write it because I know I’m not the only one who has suffered through the misery of Randy Edsall’s first season in College Park.

There’s no way of polishing this. No lipstick here can make this not look like a pig. Randy Edsall’s first season in College Park has been an unparalleled mess.

That would probably be an appropriate way to describe Maryland’s effort against the Irish (7-3) Saturday night as well.

“We’ve got to tackle better, get off on third down, (we’ve) got to make third downs, we can’t drop the ball” Edsall said after the loss, but even that probably couldn’t fully describe the effort.

After inheriting a team that finished with nine wins (including a Military Bowl triumph) a season ago, Edsall’s Terrapins (with aide of significant injury) have been unthinkably impossible to watch in 2011. Not only has the team struggled to win games, they’ve failed to maintain relevance. Not even the return to the buzzworthy Under Armour “PRIDE” uniforms could generate interest Saturday night, as the 70,251 fans who packed the home of the NFL’s Washington Redskins Saturday night overwhelmingly backed the home team.

The home team wasn’t Maryland. The team from South Bend, Indiana played that role Saturday night.

It isn’t so far-fetched to have thought Maryland would struggle after their transition from former coach Ralph Friedgen to Edsall. Many first year coaches are forced to establish roots before they can find future success. There was hope Maryland wouldn’t experience those types of growing pains as they returned the ACC Rookie of the Year (QB Danny O’Brien) and many of the players who experienced a victorious postseason one year earlier.

The best the Terrapins can hope for at this point would be a 4-8 finish (3-5 ACC), but a 2-10 (1-7 ACC) finish appears more likely with trips to Wake Forest and NC State left on the season.

Making things worse for a team that has been awful is the unwatchable nature of the games they’ve played in the past month. Instead of growing as a team during the course of the season, this team appears to have taken significant steps in the opposite direction.

You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. With the entire country winning, Andrew Luck looked like a Heisman Trophy winner and future #1 pick Saturday night in Los Angeles.

It’s a shame the USC Trojans gave the ball away just outside the endzone in overtime number three against Stanford. Not only because I picked the Cardinal to lose last Thursday when I played John Allen (of Charm City Devils fame) in “Everybody Beats Glenn”, but also because it was a hell of a game.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx7vpD_D4g0[/youtube]

I’ll go ahead and move Luck ahead of Boise State QB Kellen Moore on my Heisman Watch list. Yeah, I guess I’m a sellout. But it’s hard not to like what you see with this kid. Alabama RB Trent Richardson is third on my list; which now ends at three because one of those guys will be your winner.

Going back to Saturday night, Andrew Luck also did this…

2. Marvin Lewis is (very deservingly) the winningest coach in Cincinnati Bengals history.

I get more and more concerned about the Ravens’ pending matchups with the Bengals every time I watch them…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0an-M9us5Y[/youtube]

They did all of that without Cedric Benson and they were playing the Seahawks IN Seattle.

By the way, did you know Adam “Pacman” Jones was still in the NFL? Me neither.

3. I’ll assume Frank Gore is particularly happy to no longer be thought of as “the best player on a bad team.”

Also part of the San Francisco 49ers’ win over the Cleveland Browns? Joe Staley playing the role of “Offensive Lineman” in “Offensive Lineman makes catch, runs with football”….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDTJcYX4hQA[/youtube]

Just beautiful. By the way, I guess the Niners have to be number two in my new NFL power rankings, right? How’s that possible?

4. Penn State controls their own destiny to reach the Big Ten Championship Game, but their schedule leads you to believe Ohio State is still very much in the mix.

Joe Paterno passed Eddie Robinson as the all-time winningest coach in Division I history as Penn State beat Illinois. It was the only time the word “pass” was used in Happy Valley Saturday. I don’t care for much of anything about the Nittany Lions, but I respect their students for packing in behind the goalposts to try to make the Illini’s tying field goal try harder…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-4XhbiILGI[/youtube]

Things get VERY difficult for PSU now, as they host Nebraska in State College next week before finishing conference play with trips to Columbus and Madison. Speaking of which…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwuXzK5Mehs[/youtube]

Wisconsin fans were once again hoping a penalty flag could save them, but Braxton Miller did NOT cross the line of scrimmage before throwing the game winner to Devin Smith. Russell Wilson’s Heisman hopes are totally up in smoke, and the Badgers are now a long shot (at best) for the Rose Bowl, while the Buckeyes are still very much in the picture.

5. Nebraska is firmly back in the race for the Other spot in the Big Ten title game, and Michigan is by no means out of the picture.

Michigan State had no magic left after an incredible two weeks-or more realistically had no answer for some dude named Rex Burkhead, who reportedly plays for the Cornhuskers…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiYLzEwG16Y[/youtube]

Elsewhere in the world of bizarre football names, the Wolverines stomped Purdue thanks to a running back whose name is (seriously) Fitzgerald Toussaint. Shouldn’t he be playing for Dartmouth?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXTWG9xmjgs[/youtube]

Not part of the Big Ten title picture? Iowa. They lost to Minnesota. Yes. That Minnesota.

6. Stephen Tulloch may have shut down the internet after sacking Tim Tebow in the Detroit Lions’ win over the Denver Broncos.

We’ll start with the highlights…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc7Zp6FdEVU[/youtube]

And now for those that missed it in the video…

I like Tim Tebow. I also like this. It is what it is.

7. I guess we can assume the Philadelphia Eagles are just fine at this point.

The Eagles DESTROYED the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Sadly the highlight of the game was a Laurent Robinson catch that didn’t count at all…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FwDZz-a6r8[/youtube]

The SNF broadcast was obsessed with Philly O-Line coach Howard Mudd. I actually have no issue with that. Howard Mudd is awesome. Otherwise they’d have been obsessed with Rob Ryan, and I’m about done with that.

Also of note, Jason Kelce snapped the ball off his own ass at one point…

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — It was a fun couple of weeks for the University of Maryland football team, wasn’t it?

At one point, everyone in the country was talking about them. They had spiffy new uniforms thanks to the full support of one of the world’s biggest apparel companies in Under Armour.

Coming off a season where they won nine games (including the Military Bowl), they introduced a fun to watch new offense under new Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton. It helped them claim an impressive Labor Day victory over the University of Miami in a game seen by much of the country on ESPN.

Even in a Week 3 defeat at the hands of the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Terrapins mounted an impressive 2nd half comeback that made fans believe they were capable of playing alongside the best teams in the country.

They did it all under new head coach Randy Edsall, just a year removed from leading UConn to a Big East title and Fiesta Bowl appearance. Edsall had done and said the right at every turn since his arrival in College Park, allowing him to receive immediate popularity from the Maryland faithful. Edsall kept the momentum of the new uniforms going by taking to Twitter to announce the teams’ weekly duds. A mostly apathetic fan base was invigorated, with Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium sold out for the first two games of the season.

It was certainly fun while it lasted.

Maryland’s exciting start took a painful turn Saturday, as they were crushed 38-7 by Temple University in front of a less than enthusiastic announced crowd of 39,102. An “announced” crowd of 39,102 if you missed it the first time.

After looking like a “team on the rise”, a “budding national power” or a “program at a turning point” for the first three weeks of the season (which included an early bye following their Monday night win over the Hurricanes), the Terps’ display Saturday could only be fairly described as piss poor.

The team was outgained 425 to 240 by their MAC opponent, including a 285 to 45 advantage for Temple on the ground. The Terps could not have purchased an answer for Temple RB Bernard Pierce, who gauged the Terps for 149 yards and 5 TD’s on 32 carries.  Maryland managed just 14 first downs on the day compared to Temple’s 21. The Owls held the ball for 41:01 while Maryland managed just 18:59 of possession.

Sometimes a game is closer than a final score might indicate. In no ways was Saturday’s thumping any closer for Maryland than the final score indicated. The Terps indeed suffered a good old-fashioned ass kicking at the hands of a Temple program which clearly IS on the rise under the guidance of new head coach Steve Addazio

Just in case I hadn’t yet done a fair job of describing Maryland’s ineptitude in defeat, here are some individual numbers. QB Danny O’Brien completed just 17 of 33 passes for 153 yards and an interception. The Terps’ leading rusher was backup quarterback CJ Brown, who managed 29 yards on the ground after making a late game blowout cameo (he also guided the team’s only scoring drive).

The Terps were equally awful on both offense and defense.

“There’s nowhere to point the finger” OL Andrew Gonnella said after the game. “It’s a team failure and we just have to come back fierce.”

The outcome alone wasn’t the worst part about the game though.

The worst part about Saturday’s game was that for all of the progress it appeared the program had made early in the season, the scene Saturday reeked of familiarity.

Plenty of empty seats? Check. No national interest? Check. Little local or regional interest? Check. Uninspired effort against what was believed to be an inferior opponent? Check. Disastrous result to leave a team 1-2 despite having not played a road game yet on the season? Check.

Yes, Saturday’s game had the stench of Maryland football all over it.

At every turn during Maryland Football’s “rebranding” period, I have stated that nothing they are doing will matter if it isn’t paired with winning.

Without allowing too much publicity to Charlie Sheen, Saturday’s debacle was about as far from “winning” as a team can be.

Edsall went into full coach-speak mode again after the defeat, saying things like “we’ll get better and we’ll move forward”, “nobody said it was gonna be easy”, “we’re not gonna use any excuses” and “it’s their duty and their obligation to go out there and play as hard as they can for 60 minutes.”

But it will take much more than coach-speak to truly change the culture of a program that has simply failed to find relevance for the better part of its history.

The coaching staff and the uniforms are different, but nothing has truly changed yet in College Park.

Edsall was right in describing Saturday’s loss as “embarrassing.” It was absolutely was.

And for a program hoping to make strides and truly find themselves “on the rise”, the embarrassment proved Maryland football still has an incredible amount of work to be done.

-G

Honorable Mention: High School Football-Milford Mill @ Perry Hall (Friday 7pm), Glen Burnie @ Broadneck (Friday 6:30pm), Coolidge (DC) @ Calvert Hall (Saturday 1pm); Rugby World Cup: Team USA vs. Australia (Friday 4:15am from Wellington, New Zealand live on Universal Sports); Lingerie Football League: Baltimore Charm @ Cleveland Crush (Friday 10pm from Cleveland live on MTV2); Canadian Football League: Montreal Alouettes @ Edmonton Eskimos (Friday 9pm from Edmonton live on NFL Network), BC Lions @ Saskatchewan Roughriders (Saturday 4pm from Saskatchewan live on NFL Network)

10. John Prine (Friday 6:30pm Pier Six Pavilion); Fleet Foxes/The Walkmen (Friday 6pm Merriweather Post Pavilion), Jason Mraz (Saturday 6pm Merriweather Post Pavilion), Wilco (Sunday 5:30pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); Brad Paisley/Blake Shelton (Saturday 4pm Jiffy Lube Live); Anberlin (Saturday 7pm Recher Theatre); Stryper (Tuesday 7:30pm Baltimore Soundstage); Pepper (Tuesday 7pm 9:30 Club), The Head and The Heart (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club), Foster The People (Monday 6pm & 9:30pm 9:30 Club); Blondie (Tuesday 7pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Darius Rucker (Thursday 7:30pm Frederick Fairgrounds-Great Frederick Fair); Moby (Thursday 8pm France-Merrick Performing Arts Center/Hippodrome); Living Classrooms “Maritime Magic” feat. The Bridge (Friday 7pm Frederick Douglass-Isaac Maritime Park)

I really dig Anberlin actually. They did a cool cover of New Order’s “True Faith”, but I think I enjoyed “Feel Good Drag” even more…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4sqFmSqrSc&ob=av2e[/youtube]

If it’s particularly feminine that I enjoy The Head and the Heart, I’m particularly feminine. Yeah, I just said that.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjoA4nYBD5U&ob=av2n[/youtube]

Darius Rucker effing RULES. It’s still a LITTLE odd hearing him put together country versions of Hootie & The Blowfish tunes though…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tZELxKSXtw[/youtube]

It bothers me greatly that The Bridge is breaking up. Ugh. I can’t wait to see them Friday night AND help support Living Classrooms…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQP7u0fn6oA[/youtube]

9. Baltimore Book Festival (Friday-Sunday Mt. Vernon Place); Maryland Renaissance Festival (Saturday & Sunday RennFest Fairgrounds Crownsville); Second City: Charmed & Dangerous (Tuesday-Sunday Center Stage); “Bridesmaids” and “Modern Family” Season 2 available on DVD/Blu-Ray (Tuesday); Season Premieres: “The Office” (Thursday 9pm NBC), “Parks and Recreation” (Thursday 8:30pm NBC), “Modern Family” (Wednesday 9pm ABC), “Saturday Night Live”-Alec Baldwin hosts (Saturday 11:30pm NBC), “Family Guy” (Sunday 9pm FOX), “American Dad” (Sunday 9:30pm FOX), “Cleveland Show” (Sunday 8:30pm FOX), “The Simpsons” (Sunday 8pm FOX)

These are television programs that I enjoy. If you enjoy chuckling, I feel as though you would do.

If you were listening to Monday’s edition of “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net, you would have heard me chatting with “Moneyball” star Chris Pratt. He plays Andy Dwyer the show Parks and Recreation. I find him to be humorous…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yknG2cRW_c[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMvfXue_Mwo&feature=related[/youtube]

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — When watching a University of Maryland football team attempt to rally from a fairly large deficit, it is rare to have someone ask the question “what’s the greatest comeback in Terps history?”

It’s of course rare because the answer is fairly common knowledge. On November 10, 1984 the Terrapins trailed the University of Miami 31-0 at halftime before then head coach Bobby Ross pulled starting quarterback Stan Gelbaugh in favor of Frank Reich. Reich went on to throw for three touchdowns (and run for another) as the Terps stunned the Hurricanes 42-40.

It’s a fairly well known story.

The Terps had an opportunity to write another amazing comeback chapter in their football history book Saturday after falling behind 34-10 in the second half to the 18th ranked West Virginia Mountaineers at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. Behind quarterback Danny O’Brien, the Terps trimmed the deficit all the way down to three points midway through the fourth quarter (34-31), and got the ball back with 4:36 to play trailing just 37-31.

Needing a touchdown (and of course an extra point) to likely punctuate an incredibly rally, the Terps methodically drove the ball down the WVU 35 yard line with under two minutes to play. Facing 3rd and 8, O’Brien (a redshirt sophomore) was on the cusp of offering a defining moment still early in his career.

Unfortunately for Maryland fans, that moment didn’t come.

O’Brien’s throw found the arms of Mountaineers safety Eain Smith, allowing West Virginia (3-0) to escape College Park with their sixth straight victory of the season. O’Brien (34/52 289 yards, TD, 3INT) and the Terps (1-1, 1-0 ACC) were instead forced to look back on a missed opportunity.

“You can’t turn the ball over three times at the quarterback position and expect to beat a ranked team” O’Brien said after the loss. “That’s really what it comes down to. I felt like the line did great, we ran the ball well, but you just can’t turn the ball over.”

O’Brien’s late interception was particularly tough to swallow because he appeared to have an open running late in front of him. Even if stopped short of a first down, the Terrapins would have had an opportunity to pick up another short 4th down conversion on the drive and continue their path to the end zone.

It wasn’t the first time in the young 2011 season that O’Brien was intercepted on a play where he likely should have decided to run the ball.

In the first quarter of the Terps’ 32-24 win over Miami Week 1, O’Brien dropped back to throw in a “second and goal” situation from the Canes’ one yard line. Instead of taking the open running lane into the endzone, O’Brien forced a throw that was intercepted by Vaughn Telemaque. Instead of taking a 14-0 lead and being able to build on it moving forward, the game remained a one possession differential and ultimately stayed close throughout.

After the loss Saturday, Head Coach Randy Edsall said he’d like to see O’Brien make more decisions to take off with the ball.

“I want to win the ballgame, and I think Danny wants to win the ballgame too” Edsall said. “I think as he sees that, he’s gotta understand that. People are going to drop off in coverage and there’s going to be times for him to be able to run the ball. If he does that, that’s going to open up some more things intermediate (and) long range in terms of the passing game. It’s just something he’ll have to see on film for himself. When he does, he’s gotta understand that. When the quarterback can run, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense.”

O’Brien acknowledged that it was easy to point out the mistake in hindsight, but knew he needed to make a different decision moving forward.

“This offense gives me some opportunities to do that, just because we’re spread out more” O’Brien said. “I feel like I’m never going to make the same mistake twice. It’s kinda easy after the fact to see what you should have done. The game’s just played so fast and I make a lot of split second reactions all the time. That’s just one where looking back, if I get the exact same look I’ll run it.”

It would be irresponsible to place all blame for Saturday’s defeat on the shoulders of the team’s outstanding quarterback. While O’Brien also threw two costly first half interceptions, his guidance was vital in directing the Terrapins out of their mighty hole.

Responsibility for the defeat certainly is shared by the defense, particularly the secondary. The Terrapins allowed three West Virginia receivers (Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Ivan McCartney) to all go over the 100 yard receiving mark and gave up a total of 388 passing yards from ‘Eers QB Geno Smith on the day.

LB Kenny Tate took some of that blame after the defeat. “We didn’t tackle as (well) as we could have” said the Terrapins senior. “Everybody missed tackles.”

Also deserving of blame was Edsall and his coaching staff. The group made a number of decisions (including attempts to convert 4th down scenarios late in the 2nd quarter and early in the 3rd quarter) that came back to haunt the team when the game was no longer in blowout territory. With more points on the board, O’Brien might not have felt the need to try to force a throw in late.

Despite all of that, team had the opportunity to win the game until O’Brien’s final interception.

O’Brien has already done a number of great things as quarterback, taking a team to the postseason and claiming a Military Bowl title in only his freshman campaign. If he stays healthy and continues progressing the way he has, he’ll do plenty more great things before leaving College Park. Some of those things are likely to come in the upcoming weeks and months of the 2011 season, even if the “dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate” talk over the last two weeks was a bit premature.

On Saturday, Maryland didn’t need a Heisman Trophy winning performance.

They just needed something a little more “Reich.”

-G

NOTES: Maryland returns to action Saturday, September 24 against Temple (2-1). Kickoff is set for 12:30pm (ACC Network-WNUV 54 in Baltimore) at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. Temple suffered a 14-10 setback to Penn State Saturday in Philadelphia…..Edsall declined comment on reports that Pittsburgh and Syracuse have applied to join the ACC in his postgame press conference……Edsall ended his press conference by making the defiant statement “I guarantee you everyday you’re gonna get the best effort out of this program. ‘Cause that’s what we should be doing and that’s what the people who support this program deserve, and that’s what we’ll get done.” He then abruptly walked off……Hear from Edsall, O’Brien and Tate in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net now

Honorable Mention: Auto Racing-NASCAR Geico 400 (Sunday 2pm from Joliet, IL live on ESPN), IndyCar Series Indy Japan 300 (Saturday 11:30pm from Motegi, Tochigi live on VERSUS); High School Football: Towson @ Perry Hall (Friday 7pm), Glen Burnie @ Northeast (Friday 6:30pm), Hereford @ Franklin (Friday 7pm); Tennis: Davis Cup-France @ Spain (Friday 6am Saturday 9am Sunday 6am from Cordoba, Spain live on Tennis Channel); NHL: Washington Capitals Rookie Camp (Tuesday & Wednesday 10:30am Kettler Capitals IcePlex)

10. Chris Brown/Kelly Rowland/T-Pain (Saturday 7pm Verizon Center); KEM (Saturday 6:30pm Pier Six Pavilion); Lupe Fiasco/Wale (Friday 5:30pm Merriweather Post Pavilion), HFStival feat. Avett Brothers, Flogging Molly, Gin Blossoms (Saturday 10am Merriweather Post Pavilion); Mr. Greengenes (Friday 6pm Power Plant Live); 10 Years (Friday 7:30pm Rams Head Live), Legwarmers (Saturday 7pm Rams Head Live); Mobb Deep (Sunday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Virginia Coalition (Friday 8pm 8×10 Club); Rhett Miller (Saturday 1pm Rams Head On Stage); Mary J. Blige (Thursday 7pm Fillmore Silver Spring), Bruce In The USA Bruce Springsteen Tribute (Friday 7pm Fillmore Silver Spring), John Legend (Saturday 7pm Fillmore Silver Spring), BlackStar (Sunday 7pm Fillmore Silver Spring)

I like Lupe Fiasco. I LOVE Wale. I love him even more for rapping about Terrapins QB Danny O’Brien…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsNrinr4SDM&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

The thing they’re doing at Merriweather CERTAINLY isn’t an HFStival (even the HFS people know that), but it would have been a semi-decent event if they had charged 15 bucks for tickets. The Avett Brothers are quite good…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t43VgJ4U9_Q[/youtube]

And don’t you DARE say a negative word about the Gin Blossoms, who mean more to me than some family members…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah5gAkna3jI&ob=av2e[/youtube]

I hate singing the praises of a DC rapper (Wale) and then following it up by praising an act from Northern Virginia (Virginia Coalition), but VACO is freaking awesome…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orrs6LeIbWQ[/youtube]

9. Maryland Wine Festival (Saturday & Sunday Carroll County Wine Museum); Monster-Mania Con (Friday-Sunday Hunt Valley Marriott); Second City: Charmed & Dangerous (Thursday-Sunday Center Stage); Maryland Renaissance Festival (Saturday & Sunday RennFest Fairgrounds Crownsville); “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Season 7 premieres (Thursday 10pm FX)

To be honest, the first couple of these things aren’t for me. The only wine I know I enjoy is Boordy Jazzberry, but I’m not sure they’d even have that out at the Wine Festival.

I’ve enjoyed a scary movie or two in my day, but the Monster thing…no thanks.

You already know I enjoy RennFest. If you don’t, you simply haven’t been paying attention to me swigging beer from goblets or throwing axes. I’m all in.

I saw Second City the last time they invaded Charm City. They were outstanding. I recommend going to see them.

But of all of these things, I’m ABSOLUTELY most excited about the new season of Always Sunny. WILD CARD!!!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYtjpIwamos[/youtube]

Some of you (the diehards) will remember my extremely popular 15-7-0 blogs from a few years back.

Well….they’re back!

Sorta.

As I explained Monday afternoon on “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net, 15-7-0 will now be interactive, both in blog form and in radio form.

You hear Drew Forrester and Luke Jones share “Scores And Comment” every Monday on “The Morning Reaction” to recap the weekend’s football action. This will be a lot like that. The format for 15-7-0 will be as such…

I will make 15 positive observations from the weekend in football (NFL & College Football), seven NOT so positive observations and one moment from outside of football that made me go “oh no.”

It’s like the old 15-7-0 in that I have to do a lot of work. It’s not like the old 15-7-0 in that I have no freaking idea how it’s going to come over on the radio.

The 15-7-0 won’t reflect on the Baltimore Ravens. We’ll save that for Tuesdays when Ryan Chell and I introduce our new “5 Plays That Determined the Game” segment.

Here are 15 positive observations from the weekend in football…

1-I couldn’t have had a better time at the Towson football game Saturday night

I made a late week decision to attend Towson/Villanova Saturday night at Unitas Stadium with my girlfriend (“Lucky”). Thank God I did.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts5ve0peTE0&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

It was cool seeing the Tigers stun the Wildcats. It was cooler seeing Towson students rush the field after the game. Rob Ambrose and Mike Waddell are doing their damndest to create a football atmosphere over there. I’m all in.

2-The only bummer about being at Towson Saturday night was that I missed the magic at Stevenson

I’m very excited for what the Mustangs are doing out in Owings Mills. I wish I could have been there Saturday night for the grand opening of Mustang Stadium.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3-9YGURdOE[/youtube]

Clearly it was more significant because the Stangs were able to get their first victory in school history thanks to a double overtime thriller over Christopher Newport. It’s awesome what they’re doing out there, I’m happy for SU/Villa Julie students/grads/fans everywhere.

3-Much like Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher isn’t “too old”

A pick, a fumble recovery and a touchdown for the Chicago Bears in their blowout win over the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InznVn2GNDQ[/youtube]

I don’t feel so good anymore about picking the Falcons to win the Super Bowl. Yep, I’m freaking out after one week. It’s what we do in this country. I also think Bruce Gradkowski will be MVP. 

4-Cam Newton was the most impressive losing quarterback not named Drew Brees this weekend

You can’t sneeze at 422 yards passing. The Carolina Panthers are going to struggle to win games all season, but they’ll steal a few if Newton plays like this…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITZJnI3LqnU[/youtube]

Insert your own “he made less money Sunday than he did at Auburn” joke now. I’m above all of that personally.

5-Alabama’s win over Penn State further proof of just how much better SEC is than everyone else

Penn State isn’t a bad team. They’ll make noise in the Big Ten this season. There was a ton of emotion in Happy Valley Saturday afternoon, as students held a blackout to try to support the Nittany Lions.

It wasn’t enough. AJ McCarron was too good. Trent Richardson was too good. The Crimson Tide were too good. The SEC is just too damn good.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSVW9krMm5s[/youtube]

6-For a second straight week, I’m so damn grateful for Friday Night college football games

A week after the TCU-Baylor thriller, we were treated to another thriller, this one in Tempe. Arizona State stopped Missouri in overtime, and it was a lot of fun for me to watch after “Lucky” and I got home after a night out.

I would really appreciate having a game like this to watch every week.

The only question is, why were there ASU fans in blackface at the game??? (Thanks, The Big Lead!) 

7-He wasn’t “lights out”, but Michael Vick IS an exceptional quarterback

14-32 for 187 yards and 2 TD’s (plus 10 rushes for 98 yards) doesn’t truly qualify as “lights out” (which is how Vick labeled his performance after the game), but he was exceptional.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYk_xvzJz40[/youtube]

All of us who picked the Rams to win the NFC West are freaking out a bit today, seeing as how everyone who plays for St. Louis had an icepack on them after the game.

Following the excitement of 69,348 gathering to watch Maryland defeat Navy in Baltimore last Labor Day, the University of Maryland has agreed to play two more games at M&T Bank Stadium in the coming years.

The Terps will welcome rival West Virginia to the Charm City on Sept. 21, 2013 and ACC foe Virginia Tech in 2014. The date for the contest against the Hokies will not be announced until the Atlantic Coast Conference releases its schedule in the early portion of 2014.

The announcement is encouraging for the many Maryland supporters clamoring for the Terps’ need to have a stronger presence in Baltimore.

“We’ve been successful in our recent games in Baltimore in every aspect,” said Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson to the university website. “The feedback from our players and fans has been overwhelmingly positive. Since our arrivals, [head coach] Randy Edsall and I have traveled throughout Maryland. In those travels, it’s become clear that since our University represents the entire state, we must have a strong presence everywhere, particularly in Baltimore.”

Maryland renewed its rivalry with the Mountaineers last season and will host West Virginia at Byrd Stadium this Sept. 17 before traveling to Morgantown in 2012.

Growing up in nearby Glen Rock, Pa., Edsall was a Baltimore sports fan who rooted for the Orioles and Colts in addition to Maryland, the school he called his “dream job” upon being hired earlier this year to succeed longtime coach Ralph Friedgen.

“This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes and the entire state of Maryland,” Edsall said to the school’s website. “We get a chance to increase our fan base, as well as reach out to our alums and followers in the Baltimore area. Playing in M&T Bank Stadium also helps in our recruiting efforts since Baltimore is one of our prime areas. In addition, our current players are always excited to play in an NFL stadium.”

Maryland opens its 2011 season in a nationally-televised matchup on Monday, Sept. 5 against the University of Miami at Byrd Stadium.