Terps Blink, and It's Gone

On the Verge of a Blowout, Maryland Allows 28 Straight Points and Loses in OT : Wake Forest 31, Maryland 24

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Sept. 22 -- When the Maryland football team entered this trying stretch of its schedule -- in which Saturday's matchup against Wake Forest simply represented the middle leg of a murderers' row of quality opponents -- there were several givens.

At the very least, Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen figured he would get an accurate read on his team, that its character would be tested. But more importantly, if the Terrapins harbored any ambitions of doing something special with their season, they needed to emerge from the gantlet with at least one victory.

The Terrapins were but one play away from having it. Instead, they left BB&T Field empty-handed Saturday, stunned after a 31-24 overtime loss to the Demon Deacons.

After Maryland led by three touchdowns midway through the third quarter, the defending ACC champions scored 21 straight to force overtime, leaving the Terrapins grasping for words to explain how their hopes evaporated so quickly and so convincingly.

"No one really wanted to say much because we knew that we let one get away from us," running back Keon Lattimore said of the mood in the locker room. "I'm devastated as a senior and a leader on this team."

Leading 24-3 in the third quarter, Maryland (2-2, 0-1 ACC) was driving for a score that would have blown open the game. Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey had just taken a reverse 54 yards to give the Terrapins first and goal from the 3-yard line.

"I was counting on points," Terrapins defensive lineman Dre Moore said. "We were all expecting a touchdown or a field goal at worst."

Instead, quarterback Jordan Steffy dropped back to throw and saw running back Lance Ball come open for a split second, but cornerback Alphonso Smith jumped the route, picked off the pass and tied an NCAA record by returning it 100 yards for a touchdown that cut Wake Forest's deficit to 24-10.

"It was a dumb decision," said Steffy, who completed 11 of 20 passes for 115 yards. "I should have never thrown to the flat."

Demon Deacons quarterback Riley Skinner made it 24-17 on a one-yard dive with 7 minutes 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but the Terrapins looked like they would hang on when Skinner threw his third interception with just over three minutes left.

But Maryland failed to pick up a first down that would have killed the clock and had to punt.

That left Wake Forest (2-2, 1-1) down seven points, out of timeouts, and on its 20-yard line with less than two minutes left. Skinner, whom Friedgen praised repeatedly for his poise during the past week, was perfect in leading the Demon Deacons to the game-tying score. He completed a 34-yard pass to Kenneth Moore to get the Deacons to the Maryland 23 and showed patience by smartly throwing a ball away on a critical third down.

On fourth and five from the Maryland 6-yard line, Skinner looped a perfectly thrown pass over the Terrapins' defense and into the waiting hands of tight end John Tereshinksi, who caught the tying score in the back of the end zone.

Wake Forest took the ball first in overtime and moved easily against a tired Terrapins defense. When running back Josh Adams crossed the goal line from seven yards out -- sending the crowd of 31,964 into euphoria -- a Demon Deacons victory was a forgone conclusion.

The game ended with an image that has been emblematic of the Terrapins' first four games this season. Facing fourth down and 18 on the Wake Forest 33, Steffy didn't even have a chance at a miracle. Wake Forest defensive end Jeremy Thompson, who was virtually untouched, crashed into Steffy, sending the football from his hands even before he could attempt a pass. Steffy was sacked six times.

"You're down, they're up and it's a game of emotions," Friedgen said. "I knew we were in trouble right as soon as they took that touchdown back."

Both teams were sloppy in the first half, combining for five turnovers. Lattimore and Steffy fumbled away possessions for Maryland, but Wake Forest paid a heavier price for its mistakes, as Maryland turned the miscues into a 17-3 halftime lead.

In the second half, Lattimore, who finished with 112 yards, scored from six yards out with 6:32 to play in the third quarter to make the score 24-3, which led some fans to make a premature exit they would later regret.

"It doesn't get easier. It gets tougher," said Friedgen, who must now prepare the Terrapins for a visit to No. 11 Rutgers next week. "We can't do anything about this game. It's over with. We can feel bad and I feel terrible, but we're not going to change the results. We've got to get back to work to change the next result."