NC State
Maryland
Maryland Ends Pack's ACC Title Game Hopes
11/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 27, 2010
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The road to Charlotte won't include a stop in Raleigh this season.
In a game that decided the Atlantic Division's representative in next week's ACC championship game in Charlotte, Maryland scored a 38-31 victory over the Wolfpack, thanks to four touchdown passes from redshirt-freshman Danny O'Brien to wide receiver Torrey Smith, ending the Wolfpack's hopes of playing for its first conference championship since 1979.
"Tough day today for us," said NC State coach Tom O'Brien. "We competed hard and played hard. We just couldn't make a play when we needed it. We just couldn't get over the hump." With the Wolfpack's loss, Florida State will face Coastal Division winner Virginia Tech in next week's title game at Bank of America Stadium.
NC State (8-4 overall, 5-3 ACC) scored on its first two possessions of the game and survived a first-half fumble without giving up any points. But Maryland scored 24 unanswered points in the second and third quarters, taking advantage of a second-bounce interception and the passing of O'Brien, a native of Kernersville, to build an insurmountable lead.
The Terps (8-4, 5-3) scored 10 points in the final 2:25 of the first half to take a 17-14 into intermission, then O'Brien second hit Smith on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 4:59 remaining in the third period to give their team a 24-14 lead.
The Wolfpack finally broke Maryland's scoring run on a 31-yard field goal by Josh Czajkowski with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter, but O'Brien hit Smith again on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 11:46 remaining in the game and the Wolfpack was unable to get back in the end zone until after the outcome was decided.
NC State junior quarterback Russell Wilson fought to get his team back in the game, taking the Wolfpack the length of the field midway through the fourth quarter, but threw incomplete passes on third and fourth downs from the Maryland 8-line to turn the ball over on downs.
Wilson had a record-setting day as well, completing 31 of his career-high 60 passing attempts for 311 yards and two touchdowns. But he had one pass picked off and was sacked four times.
"It's really disappointing for us," Wilson said. "We worked all year to get to this point and it didn't happen." Following the fourth-down failure, O'Brien and Smith connected on a game-sealing 71-yard touchdown pass with 6:26 remaining on the clock. Smith had career highs of 14 catches for 224 yards, and became the first receiver in Maryland history to catch four touchdown receptions in a single game.
O'Brien finished the game by completing 33 of his 47 passes for 417 yards, the first time a Maryland quarterback topped the 400-yard mark since Scott Milanovich had 416 against Wake Forest in 1993.
"We didn't contain him," Tom O'Brien said. "We didn't keep him in the pocket enough to get him on the ground. That was our day today. "We had chances and the guys who normally make plays for us weren't able to make them. It's a tough way to end what was a heckuva season that had the potential to keep going." Wilson eventually scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, with 2:39 remaining, but the game had been essentially decided at that point. Following the touchdown, the Wolfpack recovered the onsides kick and quickly scored again, with Wilson throwing a three-yard touchdown pass to James Washington with 1:16 to play, to close the gap to the final margin of 38-31.
"We just didn't play a complete four quarters," senior linebacker Nate Irving said. "We got complacent and didn't stop them."
"We just didn't execute after we got the lead," junior defensive lineman J.R. Sweezy added. "Maybe we got a little overconfident. I'm not really sure. We didn't keep playing and that got us in the end. That's a big mental error. "If you want to be a good football team, you can't let mental errors get you like that." Despite the loss, the Wolfpack still finished with its most regular-season wins since 2002, when it established a school record for wins with an 11-3 record.
The chilly and windy afternoon started well for the Pack, beginning with a fortunate bounce in the first quarter a streaking Darrell Davis down field. The wide receiver gained 34 yards before having the ball stripped out of his hands. But teammate Jarvis Williams fell on the ball at the Maryland 29-yard line.
Three plays later, Wilson was trapped behind the line of scrimmage as he rolled to the right. He eventually reversed course, got behind his blockers and nearly scored a touchdown. His 15-yard run gave the Wolfpack a first-and goal at the 3. Two plays later he scored his 16th career rushing touchdown on a 1-yard run, with 8:20 remaining in the first quarter.
The Terps drove down to the NC State 34, but were unable to convert a fourth-and-5 against the Wolfpack's defense.
Wilson completely picked the Terrapin secondary apart on the Pack's second drive, completing five of his six passes on the seven-play drive.
The only incompletion on the entire drive was a sideline pass to Davis, who had been pushed out of bounds and caught the ball after he re-entered the field. That play was overturned on review, leaving the Wolfpack with a third and 13. But Wilson found an open Spencer for first-down yardage.
The two hooked up again shortly thereafter on a 13-yard touchdown with 1:40 remaining in the opening period.
Maryland put its first points on the board on the first play of the second quarter, when D.J. Adams capped a nine-play, 78-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run.
Midway through the second quarter, Maryland cornerback Cameron Chism knocked Wolfpack freshman running back Mustafa Greene out of the game on a short swing pass. He was flagged for a personal foul on the hit, advancing the ball to the 39-yard line. Greene suffered a strained neck on the play and did not return to the game.
On the next play, Maryland's Antwine Perez knocked the ball out of NC State receiver T.J. Graham's hands and recovered the ball on the Pack's 37. But the Terps were unable to convert two short-field possessions into points, failing to get a first down after the fumble and missing a 37-yard field goal attempt by placekicker Travis Baltz that would closed the gap to four points.
On the next play, however, a pass to Graham bounced off a slew of hands and into the arms of Maryland's Eric Franklin, who returned the interception to the NC State 3-yard line. After losing yardage on the first two plays, O'Brien hit a diving Smith in the back of the end zone for a game-tying touchdown with 2:25 remaining in the half.
Wilson had one more opportunity to lead the Pack offense, keeping the ensuing drive alive with a couple of important scrambles. Add in a Maryland pass interference penalty, and the Wolfpack was to the Maryland 21-yard line.
But Wilson missed on his next three passes, forcing the Pack to turn to senior placekicker Josh Czajkowski for a 38-yard field goal into the stiff wind. The kick was blocked by Maryland's Chism, caught by teammate Isaiah Ross and returned across midfield.
The Terps advanced to the 35-yard line, but O'Brien could not complete another pass against a heavy rush. Baltz came on to attempt another field goal with the wind at his back, a career-long 52-yarder that gave the Terps a 17-14 advantage with 12 seconds remaining in the half.
The Wolfpack will now wait until next Sunday to learn where it will play its second postseason bowl game in the last three years.
• Tim Peeler, tim_peeler@ncsu.edu
