Rick Snider: Terps emerge from early-season slumber

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Maryland’s growing pains have finally ended. The Terrapins have blossomed into a bowl team.

Slowly and steadily, Maryland has become more than a group built on beating small schools and bad opponents, evidenced Saturday with triumph over visiting Florida State. The Seminoles and fellow expected Atlantic Coast Conference frontrunners Miami and Virginia Tech are vulnerable. Maryland is tied for the Atlantic Division lead with pending dates against co-leaders Boston College and Clemson.

This from a team that a month ago was one play away from losing to winless Florida International.

“We’re a lot better team than a few weeks ago,” linebacker Wesley Jefferson said. “We just had to get that killer instinct back.”

After consecutive 5-6 seasons, the 6-2 Terps can now dream of a New Year’s bowl game. The Gator, Champs and Meineke Car Care scouts were at Byrd on Saturday. Plenty more will follow to Clemson this weekend when the Terps try to win their fourth straight.

While coach Ralph Friedgen modestly talks of being bowl “eligible” — meaning someone has to want them — the Terps will go anywhere for the extra game. Play it on the moon, in Mongolia or even Charlotte (its most likely bowl invitation).

If you’re not in a BCS bowl, it doesn’t matter which bowl is chosen. Just getting to one greatly aids recruiting and Maryland has finally done it after reaching three straight in 2001-03.

No more talk of booting the coach. Friedgen has maximized his players’ potential.

“It’s not always pretty,” he said, “but you’re going to get everything they have. People have been down on them. I have not.”

It has been a remarkable three weeks. The Terps looked finished — and maybe Friedgen, too — when trailing Virginia, 20-0, at halftime. Instead, they survived 28-26 on a goal line stand. Then Maryland overcame its own late foolishness to beat N.C. State. One more play was needed against Florida State when sophomore defensive end Jeremy Navaare made his second big play of the night, blocking a potential game-tying field goal in the waning seconds of regulation.

“I was working my rosary pretty hard,” Friedgen said.

Friedgen looked like a reprieved inmate afterwards, flashing a smile that said the program was indeed back. He recalled 2001 when the players’ goal was six wins. They won 10.

Maryland isn’t settling for six now despite facing four more bowl contenders. The Terps might not be favored to win any of their remaining games. But the conference sleeper is awake.

Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at rsnider@dcexaminer.com.

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