The early-season assessment of the Maryland football team — before its string of near-miraculous victories, before it made a two-week appearance in the national rankings, before its division title hopes could be crystallized into a winner-take-all finale against Wake Forest — was simple and impossible to quibble with.
The Terrapins turned the ball over too much, and they couldn’t stop the run.
A lot changed in the final two months of the season as the Terps deftly disguised and overcame their deficiencies during a five-game winning streak. But that early diagnosis remained relevant, and there was little question Maryland could not contend with both of its twin troubles and remain in the ACC title chase.
People were interested in these podcasts
It was proven last night before a capacity crowd at Byrd Stadium, where Maryland stumbled in its shot to win the Atlantic Division after committing three turnovers and surrendering 296 rushing yards in a 38-24 loss to No. 20 Wake Forest.
“These are things that were happening earlier in the season,” wideout Isaiah Williams said. “We kind of got rid of them but like a skeleton in your closet, it always come back to haunt you and they kind of came back and haunted us tonight.”
Instead of earning a rematch with Georgia Tech in Saturday’s ACC title game, the Terps (8-4, 5-3 ACC) are nursing a two-game losing streak as they wait to learn their postseason destination, likely the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., or the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C.
Pardon the Terps if they need someone to point the appropriate way after they were left spinning by the Demon Deacons’ dizzying dose of misdirection. Kenneth Moore, a wideout converted to tailback in the middle of the season, rushed for 165 yards for Wake Forest (10-2, 6-2).
The Demon Deacons thrived against the Terps’ rushing defense, which entered the weekend ranked 97th nationally while ceding 163.7 yards. Wake Forest rolled up 76 yards alone on a fourth-quarter drive that ended when fullback Rich Belton drove in from less than a yard out on fourth-and-goal, a gutsy call by coach Jim Grobe that secured a 38-24 lead and a shot at the Deacons’ first ACC title since 1970.
“The offense moved the ball in the second half — we just didn’t stop them on defense,” coach Ralph Friedgen said. “They just ran through us like I don’t even want to say. We couldn’t stop them.”
There were also quarterback Sam Hollenbach’s three interceptions, which only led to one Wake Forest touchdown, but still heralded a return of the mistakes that doomed Maryland in each of its losses. The miscues also negated solid field position in each instance, including once in the red zone.
Those errors didn’t prevent Maryland from pulling within 31-24 early in the fourth quarter on Hollenbach’s 5-yard touchdown pass, nor did it stop tailback Keon Lattimore from grinding out 119 yards on a career-high 23 carries. In fact, the Terps were in their accustomed spot — in the midst of getting outgained for the 11th straight game (421 yards to 376) but very much in contention for a victory.
It was a situation the Terps seemed prepared for all season and particularly this week, when the importance of finishing — a practice, a game, a lifting session, anything — was mentioned several times.
Instead, it was Wake Forest who did the finishing when it forced Maryland to turn it over on downs with 3:57 remaining, ending the Terps’ hopes for a 10-win season, an ACC title, a BCS bowl berth and an unblemished season at Byrd.
“I really thought this would be special for the team,” said Friedgen, who conceded the Terps were “outplayed” less than 20 seconds into his postgame remarks.. “I really thought we had a heck of a shot at it. … We didn’t show up tonight. It wasn’t like we wanted to be there.”
There was no hint of Maryland’s offensive struggles of the last month in its first drive, a nine-play jaunt featuring three completions for first downs and strong work from Lattimore. The junior capped the possession with a 12-yard burst into the end zone, and a runaway seemed possible.
Instead, the Demon Deacons matched with a longer scoring drive and halted the Terps on their next two possessions. Given a short field, Wake Forest quickly took a 14-7 lead on Moore’s 19-yard touchdown run after quarterback Riley Skinner’s fine block on Josh Wilson, a fact Skinner apparently reminded Wilson of as Moore celebrated in the end zone.
Hollenbach, whose first two interceptions caused no harm on the scoreboard, wasn’t so fortunate when Alphonso Smith picked him off for the second time. On the next play, Willie Idlette ran a deep slant in and burned Wilson as he collected a 49-yard touchdown catch.
It was the first time Hollenbach threw three interceptions in a game this season, let alone a half, but the struggles didn’t seem to frazzle him. Instead, he promptly directed an eight-play drive, finding Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jason Goode for long completions before Lance Ball barreled over Patrick Ghee from a yard out to make it 21-14.
Maryland could never inch closer, could never actually stop the Demon Deacons enough to do so. Wake Forest scored in four of its final five possessions in which it wasn’t trying to run out the clock, much to the delight of a rowdy contingent of visiting fans who started chanting “Wake! Forest! Wake! Forest!” in the final two minutes.
It was that image — the Deacons celebrating as flashbulbs lit up in the seats closest to the end zone — that will remain with the Terps rather than a celebration of their own. The public address announcer boasted of Maryland’s impending bowl trip as players shuffled off the field, but it was little consolation to a team that expected much more from itself with so much at stake.
“This is big,” linebacker Wesley Jefferson said. “This hurt. This hurt everybody. Usually I’m in the locker room not as hurt because I know we have another game coming up and I know we have another chance. We don’t have any more chances. That was it. The season’s over. We just have a bowl game to win. This really hurt us. It’s just a blown opportunity.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.