Coming off a bye, the University of Maryland beat the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 19-14 at College Park. With the victory, the Terrapins move to 3-2 on the year overall, 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and get a win vs. an Atlantic divisional foe.

The Terps will travel to Virginia next week, to face the Cavaliers.

The Good:

1) Maryland answered Wake’s opening drive, with points of their own. Craddock capped the Terps first series with a 49 yard FG, making it a 7-3 game. Ross started the drive with a 7 yard run. On 1st and 10 from the Wake 47, Hills and Diggs connected for a 16 yard gain.

2) After getting burned badly on Wake’s first series, the Maryland defense forced a 3 and out on the Deacons 2nd possession.

3) Following Wake’s initial punt, Diggs had a good punt return.

4) McDougle made a nice play on Wake’s first play of their 3rd drive (which started from the Maryland 42.) On 2nd down, Cole Farrand got into the backfield, and caused a 1 yard loss. On 3rd and 11, the Terps brought pressure, forcing Price to move, and Jeremiah Johnson provided good coverage down the field. The strong defensive series prevented the Deacons from doing anything with their superb field position.

5) The Terps got their first break of the game, when Wake put the ball on the ground on Maryland’s 2nd punt. Diggs had a nice carry on first down, before the drive stalled. Craddock saved the drive, connecting from 52 yards out, with Renfro making a good hold.  Craddock’s 2nd FG made it a 7-6 game with just under 3 minutes left in the 1st.

6) Wake’s 4th drive started at the end of the 1st Quarter, and extended into the 2nd. Hartsfield had a nice play on 1st and 10 from Deacons 36 on the 1st play of the 2nd. On 3rd and 5, Tate did a good job of jumping the route and forcing another punt.

7) The Demon Deacons 2nd drive of the 2nd Quarter reached the Maryland goal-line. On 4th and Goal, the Terrapins came up with good penetration up-front and the stop. McDougle came diving in.

8) Wake’s 2nd drive of the 2nd Quarter started from the Maryland 40. Connecting on a 21 yard pass on 1st down, the Deacons had a 1st and 10 from the Maryland 19. Drakeford came up with a sack on Price, backing the Deacons back 6 yards. On 2nd down, Drakeford again chased Price, forcing a pass out of bounds. On 3rd and Long, Price was not able to gain any additional yards; forcing a FG attempt from 42 yards out, which was missed.

9) Maryland’s 3rd drive of the 2nd Quarter began with 4:46 on the clock, and from their own 25. On 3rd and 10, Diggs had a 23 yard reception, moving the Terps out to around midfield. Facing 3rd and 8, Pickett picked up another 19 yards on an inside screen. Dorsey was wide open on the following play, scoring from 33 yards out. Hills used a pump fake, and Dorsey used a hitch and go. With the extra-point, the Terrapins took the 13-7 lead with 2:19 left in the 1st half.

10) AJ Francis got his hands up on 3rd and 1 as the 1st half was ending. Caught by an offensive lineman, this forced a 4th down, and moved Wake Forest back a couple of yards. Had the pass been converted, Wake maybe have been in position to score more points. With the play; the Terps forced a long FG attempt which was missed.

11) After Maryland started the 2nd half with a fumble of their own, Tate recovered a Wake Forest fumble getting the ball back for the Terps.

12) Brown looked good on Maryland’s 2nd series of the 3rd Quarter, picking up back-to-back 8 yard gains.

13) In the 3rd, Furstenburg gained a 1st down on 3rd and 5 from the MD 30, with a 10 yard catch over the middle. Hills did a good job of allowing the blitz to come.

14) Wake’s 3rd drive of the 3rd Quarter resulted in a 3 and out. Maryland had forced another punt on a previous series, but that drive continued after Diggs’ fumble.

15) Wake’s 1st drive of the 4th Quarter, also resulted in a 3 and out.

16) Maryland had great field position to start the 4th Quarter. After being sacked on 1st down, the Terps were bailed out by a generous pass interference penalty on Wake. Pickett then picked up 11 yards on the ground, with a carry to the left. Hills made something out of nothing on a bad snap on 3rd and long. Getting a few yards, which set up a 47 yard FG attempt.

17) Alex Twine had a great play, wrapping up Harris in the Wake backfield for a 2 yard loss in the 4th. On 3rd and 12, the Terps were able to once again get the Wake Forest offensive off the field.

18) On 2nd and 18 on their own 34 yard line with about 8 minutes left in the 4th. Diggs exploded down the field with a 63 yard reception. He made several Deacons miss, giving Maryland a 1st and Goal from the Wake 3 yard line. On 3rd and Goal, Pickett found the end-zone. With Craddock’s missed XP, the Terps led 19-14.

19) Holding the 19-14 lead, Maryland kicked off to Wake with 5:37 left in the 4th Quarter. The defense again stood-up, and quickly forced Wake’s 8th punt of the game.

20) Kenny Tate had a sack for a 10 yard Wake loss on a Demon Deacons 3rd down with 2:30+ left in the 4th. With Wake going for it on 4th down, Hartsfield got another Maryland sack.

The Bad:

1) On Maryland’s 1st series, the Terps had a 1st and 10 from the Wake 31. Ross ran up the middle for no yards, and Hills had two incomplete passes; forcing Maryland to settle for a long FG attempt.

2) The Terps 2nd possession started from their own 40 yard line. Ross lost 7 yards on 1st down, and 2 plays later Maryland was forced to punt. A false start on 4th and 18 moved Maryland back another 5 yards. Horrible punt coverage allowed Wake to pick up 31 yards, and start their 3rd series from the Maryland 42.

3) Maryland’s 3rd series of the game, began with 5:21 left in the 1st Quarter. Starting from their own 27, Ross gained nothing on 1st down, and after Brown gained 6 yards on a swing pass on 2nd down; Hills missed an open RB on 3rd and 4 for a would be 1st down.

4) While the Terps were able to get a FG after Wake’s muffed punt return in the 1st, it felt like settling. After Diggs gained 7 yards on 1st down on a carry, Hills had a poor attempt on 2nd down. The Terps seemingly had 3rd and 3 picked up with a pass from Hills to Dorsey over the middle, but an illegal formation backed the Terps up to a 3rd and 8.  A false start on Andrew Zeller moved Maryland back another 5 yards, and make the FG attempt that much harder.

5) Wake faced 3rd and 6 from their own 29 on the last play of the 1st Quarter. A 7 yard scramble from Price allowed the Deacons to extend their drive.

6) A block in the back on a Wake punt, had Maryland starting their first drive of the 2nd Quarter from their own 9 yard line. Ross recovered, but he fumbled untouched on 1st down. On 2nd down, Brown rushed for a 1 yard loss. On 3rd and and long, the 5 yard pass to Furstenburg underneath was not enough to move the chains. Following the Renfro punt, Wake started their 2nd drive of the 2nd Quarter from the Maryland 39.

7) On Wake’s 2nd drive of the 2nd Quarter, Maryland’s defense allowed Harris to pick up 13 yards on 3rd and 3. While the Terps would eventually come up with a 4th and Goal stop, the lack of a stop on that 3rd and 3 allowed that WF drive to continue.

8) Facing 3rd and 9 from their own 2 yard line, Hills attempted to go down the field and was picked off. This ended Maryland’s 2nd drive of the 2nd Quarter, and gave Wake possession from the Terps 40 with 5:49 left in the 1st half.

9) Up 13-7, Maryland kicked off to Wake with 2:19 left in the 1st half. Starting from their 18, Harris gained 15 yards on the ground on their first two plays. After an injury delay, Wake connected on 1st and 10 from their 33 for another 18 yards. Maryland’s defense forced a punt, which should have given the Terrapins the ball back with under a minute left. However, a face-masking penalty on Maryland gave Wake a 1st down new life. A 5 yard penalty on Vellano also helped the Demon Deacons. Wake was unable to put points on the board, but that was almost in-spite of Maryland’s efforts on the series.

10) Maryland’s 2nd series of the 2nd half, and the Terps see a 1st and 10 from the Wake 46. After picking up 4 yards on 1st down, Maryland moved backwards. Hills was sacked on 3rd and 6, and a 5 yard penalty had the Terps punting on 4th and 21 from the Maryland 43. Earlier on that series, a roughing the passer penalty on Wake eased the pain on a drop from Diggs.

11) The Terps had a 1st and 10 from their own 40, with 1:27 left in the 3rd Quarter. Brown had been gaining yards, but Reid came in and gained little on back-to-back carries. On 3rd and long, Pickett was able to gain just 4 on his reception to start the 4th. With 4th and 2 from around mid-field, MD again had to punt.

12) Maryland started their first drive of the 4th Quarter in great field position at the Wake 48. On 1st down, Hills was sacked by Zach Thompson for an 8 yard loss. Later on that series Madaras was called for a penalty, moving the Terps into a 3rd and 14. The Terps would come away with nothing on that drive, and continue to trail Wake 14-13.

13) Hills was sacked for a 3rd time, causing 2nd and 18 on Maryland’s 2nd series of the 4th.

14) Maryland was unable to pick up 3rd and 6 with 4 minutes left in the game.

The Ugly:

1) Wake Forest started the game with a 1st and 10 from their own 25. Facing 3rd and 8, the Demon Deacons connected on a 73 yard pass and catch, taking a a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the game.

2) Maryland began the 2nd half, putting the ball on the ground. Hills was stripped, and Wake Forest recovered. This gave the Deacons a 1st down from the Maryland 30.

3) Following a dropped pass on the previous offensive possession, Diggs gave the ball back to Wake Forest on an attempted Punt Return in the 3rd. This allowed the Deacons to take over from the Maryland 24, with 9:27 left in the Quarter. Wake Forest would find the end zone on the subsequent drive, going ahead 14-13 on the extra-point.

4) Craddock missed an extra-point, following Pickett’s 4th Quarter TD run. Would have liked to have seen the Terps go for 2 there, but missing the kick is inexcusable.

Notes:
Wake Forest was 4 of 17 on 3rd down.
Maryland was 5 of 17 on 3rd down.
Maryland had just 47 yards rushing.
Maryland had 5 fumbles, though only 2 were lost.
Brown had 9 carries, for only 23 yards.
Diggs had 5 receptions for 105 yards. Pickett had 4 grabs. Furstenburg had 2.
Hills was 14 of 25 for 196 yards, 1 TD, and 1 pick.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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