Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
DAVID GINSBURG
Associated Press
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Coming off two straight losing seasons, the Maryland football team had no reason to believe it could win a close game against a quality opponent.
That was 2 1/2 months ago. Now the Terrapins feel like they can't lose.
After winning four straight by a total of 12 points, Maryland was locked in another tight game Saturday against Miami. With the outcome hanging in the balance, coach Ralph Friedgen gathered his players to stress the significance of the situation.
"Here's a team, that when we started the year, had a confidence problem," Friedgen said. "So I'm out there at the end of the game telling them, 'Here's one of those moments.' And they go, 'Coach, don't worry about it. We got this covered.'
"Now they're getting cocky," Friedgen said with a grin. "But they got it done. That's kind of a nice thing to see. You have success, and then you become confident."
Maryland (8-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) is having a season that is very similar to that of 2001, when Friedgen took control of the program at his alma mater and guided the Terrapins to the ACC title.
Five weeks ago, the Terps owned a lackluster 3-2 record before rallying from a 20-0 deficit to beat Virginia. Then came a harrowing 26-20 win over North Carolina State, a 27-24 squeaker against Florida State and a 13-12 victory at Clemson. That was topped by Saturday's 14-13 decision over the Hurricanes, a win that came gift-wrapped with a tidy bow.
Miami dominated the statistics, outgaining Maryland 320-258, holding the ball for nearly 15 more minutes and going 13-for-21 on third-down conversions. But the Hurricanes had a wide receiver drop a sure touchdown pass, watched a deflected pass turn into an interception, then lost their last chance to win when their punt returner lost a fumble with 74 seconds left.
"I don't know what to tell you. I'm living a good life," Friedgen said, laughing. "I don't know how else to explain it. It's miraculous. It really is. The ball is bouncing our way right now. There was a period when it wasn't bouncing our way."
Two more weeks of lucky bounces, and Maryland will be headed to the ACC championship game. If they win at Boston College next week and at home against Wake Forest on Nov. 25, the Terps will be the conference's Atlantic Division champs.
"We're just hanging in there," running back Lance Ball said. "Good teams get good breaks, and that's what we're getting right now."
The Terrapins do, however, deserve some credit for their resiliency. When they fell behind 28-0 against West Virginia they never quit playing hard, and they haven't let up when holding the lead, either.
"We've worked all season on giving up," senior linebacker David Holloway said. "You saw it against West Virginia, you saw it against Virginia. It's in our nature. The older guys taught me when I was new, and now I'm teaching our young guys."
A scoreless third quarter was marred by a neck injury to Maryland guard Donnie Woods, who was taken from the field on a stretcher and airlifted to a hospital. He was discharged from a Baltimore hospital on Sunday.