CLEMSON, S.C. — A sputtering offense, a disputed pass interference call late in the fourth quarter and another loss has left the Maryland football team one step closer to being home for the holidays.
The Terrapins lost their third straight game yesterday after a controversial penalty with less than a minute to play enabled Clemson to escape with a 10-7 victory before 78,000 at Memorial Stadium.
With three straight ranked opponents ahead, the Terps (3-4, 1-3 ACC) are a long shot to earn their fourth bowl invitation and clinched their worst season since coach Ralph Friedgen’s arrival in 2001. Things don’t get any easier next week when No.5 Florida State, which is 14-0 against the Terps, visits Byrd Stadium.
“We’re going to start accepting that things haven’t gone as planned, and that’s something I haven’t had to do since coming here,” center Kyle Schmitt said. “This one hurts the most. We had it. We should have beaten this team. We just can’t get that big one. That’s how the offense has been this year. We just didn’t finish drives.”
The Terps had three three-and-outs and made just one first down in the fourth quarter as they tried to hold onto a 7-3 lead and run out the clock.
Terps cornerback Gerrick McPhearson was called for pass interference with 28 seconds remaining when he and Clemson receiver Kelvin Grant fought for a fade pass in the left corner of the end zone. The call easily could have gone the other way as TV replays clearly showed Grant grabbing McPhearson’s right arm. Instead, Clemson (3-4, 1-3) scored one play later when running back Reggie Merriweather bulled in from the 2.
“I was in position,” McPhearson said. “I would have picked the ball off if he hadn’t interfered with me. I was going for the pick, and he grabbed me.”
Said Grant: “I was going for the ball, he was going for the ball. You know, luckily, I got the call.”
It was a frustrating afternoon of near misses for the Terps. McPhearson’s apparent fumble recovery on Clemson’s 22 was reversed after officials claimed he was out of bounds. McPhearson also was called for an earlier pass interference against Grant that kept a fourth-quarter drive alive.
Friedgen declined to comment specifically on the four penalties called by field judge Ronnie Stewart because ACC regulations restrict coaches from criticizing officials. However, the coach clearly was upset about losing a game in which his team never trailed until the final minute.
“I’m tired of losing, especially when we have this game [won],” he said. “All we have to do is make two first downs [after we got possession with 4:30 remaining] and the game is over and we don’t get it done. We just didn’t come up with the plays when we needed them. We improved some. It wasn’t enough.”
Maryland continued its scoring woes despite an improved effort by quarterback Joel Statham. The Terps have scored 17 points over the last three games and yesterday wasted another standout effort by linebacker D’Qwell Jackson (17 tackles) and the defense. Special teams blocked a punt and contained Justin Miller, one of the nation’s top returners. Clemson gained just 36 yards rushing, its fewest ever in a victory.
Statham completed 14 of 31 for 111 yards with two interceptions, including a last-second desperation pass. However, he ran the option well, gaining 43 yards on 11 carries. It was the receivers who let down the offense as they repeatedly dropped balls. The second-quarter loss of Derrick Fenner with a sprained ankle after he made four catches didn’t help matters. The Terps’ running backs struggled too, averaging just 2.2 yards a carry.
“I thought Joel played with rhythm,” Friedgen said. “He played with confidence. He was in control of himself. On third downs when he ran with the ball, he ran competitively and didn’t fall down. He knew where the chains were and competed.”
Statham seems to have ended a midseason quarterback controversy after being benched for freshman Jordan Steffy in the previous two games. Showing the confidence he often displays in midweek practices, Statham completed several short passes against close coverage.
“I’m starting to see everything a little better,” Statham said. “I felt like I was doing everything right for the most part. It’s going to be tough coming back from this one.”
Linebacker David Holloway’s first-quarter blocked punt led to Maryland’s only score. Holloway raced in untouched from the outside after seeing Clemson shift inside. He said the shift provided “a free shot” at the block and gave the Terps possession at the Tigers’ 12. Running back Josh Allen ran in from the 1 and gave Maryland a 7-0 lead.
The Terps missed a chance to cap nearly an eight-minute, second-quarter drive when kicker Nick Novak missed a 38-yard field goal attempt wide left. Friedgen said he considered going for it on fourth-and-1.
“I was very tempted to go for it,” he said. “The [assistant] coaches talked me out of it. To me, it was sending a message, but I really thought we’d make that field goal. If we make that field goal we’re in overtime and still playing.”
Instead, Clemson followed with an 18-play, 73-yard drive that ate 7:21 of the clock and was capped by a 21-yard field goal to cut Maryland’s lead to 7-3 with nine seconds remaining in the first half.
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