Maryland GameDay Thread
12:09 PM: Maryland’s uniforms look so saintly. It’s an amazing contrast to Darius Walker’s head.
12:10 PM: The amount of pressure the Terrapins are bringing in on Geno Smith and Co. is interesting. Mostly because when we inevitably get burnt deep, it’s going to really hurt not having extra men back.
12:11 PM: Stefon Diggs, please don’t steal laptops or skip class, we’d like to keep you around forever. Seriously though, I love the way this guy plays. I’m not saying he’s Devin Hester, but he’s more elusive than those holographic Pokemon cards back in the day.
12:17 PM: I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty sure Perry Hills is going to ensure that Furstenburg doesn’t get drafted….
12:19 PM: Needless to say, Brandon Ross doesn’t look as good as Wes Brown. But I can agree that you don’t lose your job due to injury. Except in this case…
12:22 PM: I don’t know what the NCAA record is for turnovers by a quarterback, but I’m pretty sure it’s related to Vinny Testaverde. And if it isn’t, by the end of this year it’ll be related to Perry Hills. Gotta feel for the guy after he gets popped and fumbles the ball away for a 50+ yard touchdown. For the other team
12:24 PM: Randy Edsall tends to make questionable decisions. Among them? Playing Brandon Ross, who hasn’t gotten a single gameday carry this season, more than any other running back. I mean I get that Brandon Ross is good, and he probably is, but ease him into the game. Don’t throw him to the wolves right away
12:30 PM: Announcers discuss the game film they watched on Perry Hills. Guy next to me at the bar, decked out in Maryland gear, simply says, “He didn’t watch no tape.”
12:34 PM: Geno Smith is very slow. He is a great pocket passer, but he scrambles like Phillip Rivers.
12:40 PM: Hey! Maryland is running a traditional offense! The band is on the field! The band is on the field! Shocker we run from the I-formation and manage to pick up a first down. Ross has eight carries already in the first quarter, and showed off some spin moves
12:42 PM: Pretty sure Stefon Diggs just dove from the ten yard line into the end zone on that pass from Perry Hills. That Hills-to-Diggs connection may be the future, but it looked pretty great in the present, too.
12:45 PM: Is it me or does the sky look like it’s about to explode at the game? Nothing better for a turnover-prone quarterback than terrible weather. On a lighter note, if they call the game due to lightning and we’re tied…can we just call it a tie? I’ll take that
12:46 PM: Kenny Tate makes his first tackle back on Tavon Austin for a loss! The big man is back! This defense looks fantastic right now, and Geno is clearly rattled by not being on the field that often. And the announcer steals my thoughts on the matter
12:48 PM: Stefon Diggs fumbles the punt, but the Terps recover. Zero percent chance that Diggs is worried about his job security even after that.
12:50 PM: Given how little responsibility Perry Hills has in this offense, can we officially start calling it the Fischer-Price Model? I like the ring to it, and it can become a staple for Mike Locksley in the future.
12:53 PM: Okay, I know it’s cliche and I’ll just keep on saying it anyway, but Perry Hills has some serious moxie. He hangs tough in the pocket despite getting popped a LOT. That conversion on third down to Furstenburg was huge. Geno Smith is getting cold, and that’s not a bad thing at all given how slow he is
12:56 PM: Physics tells us that with these wind gusts, Perry Hills passes may not have enough power to leave his hands.
12:56 PM: West Virginia fans are clearly flustered by the Fischer-Price offense that does nothing but kill clock. FP FTW!
1:00 PM: Pete Volk, the founding father of this website, tweets this gem: “Maryland is 3/5 on third downs today. Coming into this game they were 14/40.”
1:01 PM: Perry Hills gets time and looks off his first receiver for a touchdown to Marcus Leak. I have to say he looks very good this game, and I am thoroughly impressed with Mike Locksley’s decision to scrap that crap offense we ran last week for the Fischer-Price model.
1:04 PM: It’s safe to say the White-Out jerseys were created from the heaven’s, hence why they are bringing the rain in hopes of throwing Geno Smith off his game.
1:08 PM: Giving Geno Smith time is like dropping a nuclear warhead off a pickup truck. Something bad is bound to happen…
1:11 PM: Are West Virginia’s jerseys normally that color? Or is that residue from the coal mines?
1:12 PM: And we gave Geno Smith a big hit and he is clearly hobbling. I don’t root for injury, but I’m okay if he takes a few snaps off.
1:13 PM: Make no mistake about it, even though Geno Smith has no sacks, he is getting absolutely mauled by the Terrapins defense.
1:15: AJ Francis handing Geno Smith his first sack! The second Franchize that the Terrapins have had in their sporting history! The other being Frank Costello, a former All-World high jumper.
1:20 PM: Perry Hills looks a little hurt after throwing off his back foot on a very interceptable pass and getting hit. He has to be careful on those type of throws. His arm simply isn’t good enough to do that. The offense stalls after a three and out, hopefully that wasn’t a reality check.
1:25 PM: AJ Francis is everywhere, not getting hoodwinked by the pinch play by West Virginia. His stop on Bowie led to a quick three-and-out by West Virginia. Nothing slow about these Terps today!
1:26 PM: Brandon Ross gets his fumble of the day out, and in the process gains three yards for the Terps! Ground and pound!
1:30 PM: Maryland’s offense needs to head to the gas station at halftime, because they’re all stalled out. Demetrius Hartsfield, however, has that Iron Man energy that never runs out.
1:31 PM: Tavon Austin is extremely obnoxious with his celebrations. Just saying. He is, however, Steve Smith reincarnate
1:34 PM: For Pete Volk’s Sake can this be halftime already!? This is the longest half of football ever. Maryland needs to regroup and hold West Virginia to a field goal here.
1:36 PM: West Virginia with an incredibly stupid challenge that, to no one’s surprise, fails. Doesn’t really matter, though, when the Terrapins leave Tavon Austin wide open on a botched coverage. Sounds like World War II in the stadium with those air raid sirens…
1:38 PM: I hate seeing Hills slow to get up after that big sack to him. He is a tough character and was completely blindsided by Travis Bell. I’m really hoping that kid is okay, because he might have a concussion.
SECOND HALF
2:10 PM: This game should be tied up. Even after taking a break for halftime, that first half fumble is really going to come back to haunt us.
2:12 PM: No matter what happens in this game, this Maryland defense is going to be fantastic all year. They will be able to keep the Terrapins in games almost every game.
2:15 PM: Did Wes Brown show up late for practice or something? Why has he gotten so little burn this game? Come on, Randy. Brandon Ross is good, but he is rusty. Unleash UPS Brown!
2:21 PM: Geno Smith limping is always a good thing. Demetrius Hartsfield with the sack. I absolutely love that guy’s heart. He goes all out on every single play, and I think it’s going to serve him well at the next level. The Skins should take a good look at that guy.
2:23 PM: High top fade sighting for Pankey on West Virginia!
2:25 PM: Brandon Ross runs incredibly hard I must say. Once he learns to take a bit more time to dissect the defense, he is going to be potent.
2:27 PM: I love that Perry Hills is getting Furstenburg involved in the game, considering he is one of the top tight ends in the NCAA. Very under-utilized weapon.
2:28 PM: The Terrapins ability to convert third downs is just great this game. Brandon Ross simply isn’t giving up on runs early and as a result the Terps stay on the field.
2:31: Perry Hills has to be upset about that offensive line missing some of these blitz packages West Virginia is telegraphing. Randy needs to do some chewing out after this drive.
2:33: Marcus Leak just dropped a pass that would have made a huge difference just a few yards shy of the first down. Heard the footsteps, safe to say.
2:38 PM: Maryland has got to keep that pressure on Geno Smith, otherwise he’s just going to chew them apart. Or they can make fantastic open field tackling by Dexter the Killa McDougal!
2:40 PM: Ten point game heading into the fourth quarter. Maryland has absolutely got to score on this next drive, or this game is going to go south pretty quickly. Time is just ticking off
2:42 PM: Justus Pickett with a 21 yard run; guy next to me in Terps gear spits onion rings all over the bar in celebration. I love Maryland. Spits more onion rings on the bar as Perry Hills loses ten yards getting sacked. I hate Maryland.
2:47 PM: Marcus Leak makes up for his dropped pass with a fantastic catch for the first down. Then proceeds to fumble. Why, oh, why do the Terrapins persist with these butter fingers?!
2:48 PM: Tavon Austin is getting covered pretty well, but there is just nothing you can do when Geno Smith places the ball so well. First down for the Mountaineers. Those clouds are looking mighty ominous right now.
Another thing on Austin. He is getting covered as well as one can ask a defender to cover him, but when you’re that quick it’s nearly impossible to stop him. The Tavon Austin show has begun, as he now as 11 catches on the day.
2:51 PM: The announcers ask “Is Tavon Austin NFL material?” Guy beside me: “These announcers aren’t NFL material, that’s why they’re on FX.” Well said by a true Terps fans. Tavon obviously heard them, because he just marched into the end zone off a fantastic strike by Geno Smith. 11 catches, 174 yards, three touchdowns. That guy is unstoppable. He takes one play off then pummels the defense once again. Kill me now…
2:57 PM: If you weren’t already upset that Tavon Austin is abusing Maryland, please take time to note that Tavon Austin is from Maryland. Baltimore, to be exact. And he should have gone to UMD.
3:00 PM: Stefon Diggs aka instant offense just scores his second touchdown of the game with a 56-yard play that probably should have been about five yards. This kid is just as good as Tavon Austin, just a little bit younger. Announcers go right ahead and use the term “elusive” liberally. I prefer the term “machine.”
3:04 PM: Testudo Times tweet: “Missed field goal, two fumbles. Take those execution errors out, and Maryland’s winning. Youth’s frustrating but there’s promise.” Yep.
3:05 PM: Tavon Austin is now the All-Time West Virginia leader in receptions with his 13th? catch. Glad we could help!
3:06 PM: Dexter McDougle is a fantastic player on defense. He has had the unenviable task of covering Tavon Austin all game, and while Austin has a bunch of yards and touchdowns, McDougle has played his ass off. There are no moral victories and I don’t believe in losers being winners, but hats off to Dexter.
3:08 PM: Okay I lied on that last thought. There are moral victories. The Terrapins are playing so well this game that, in all honesty, this team has a good chance to win 5 games. The main thing is just cutting down on these turnovers. Each game the Terps get a lot better about managing the clock, executing better, and learning from their errors. By midseason these guys are going to be playing against some tough teams, but they will hang in with everyone. This youth movement is going to be interesting in the future. Diggs, Leak, Ross, Brown, and Hills is fun to think about a year from now.
3:13 PM: Of course, for the time being, the Terrapins blow a first down by lining up an illegal formation. Then Hills proceeds to intentionally ground the ball rather than take a sack. Oh, to be young!
Fourth down, big down. This will essentially decide the game for the Terrapins. Now, I’m writing this before the play has even happened and we just took a timeout. So here’s my prediction: Perry Hills overthrows a deep ball by 10 yards, intercepted, and the game is basically over…
3:17 PM: Mike linebacker picks the ball off on an overthrown ball that Hills decided not to check down to a receiver. Called that one! Serious mental error by the kid who has had an otherwise decent game. Hills just makes some insanely boneheaded decisions on the field. Takes a lot of unnecessary sacks and doesn’t read and react well at all.
3:23: Announcers call Maryland “the Oregon of the East with Under Armor sponsoring them.” Ignore the fact that Oregon wins and yeah, why not? Recruiting pitch: delivered! Assuming any recruits realize the game is on FX…
3:24: That’s a ball game, folks. Good run by the Terps, just didn’t have enough to close it out. I’m sure the Terrapins have a lot to build on. Character game, can’t complain. This one hurts but at the same time, things are starting to look up. Catch the post-game wrap up! Later folks!