SAN FRANCISCO - Mike Riley always seems to come up with the right game-plan in bowl games.
In this case, it was pretty obvious. Friday night at AT&T Park, Riley improved his postseason record at Oregon State to 4-0, as the Beavers beat the Maryland Terrapins 21-14 in an ugly - and at times, unwatchable - Emerald Bowl.
SAN FRANCISCO - Final score here from AT&T Park: Oregon State beats Maryland 21-14.
I'll be back after post-game interviews to wrap this baby up.
SAN FRANCISCO - The Terps had their best drive since the first quarter, but it went for naught.
Kicker Obi Egekeze shanked a 32-yarder wayyyyyy wide left.
Like the rest of this game, it was ugly.
SAN FRANCISCO - Oregon State has its first lead of the game.
Mike Riley finally came to his senses and let Yvanson Bernard take him to paydirt - kinda.
SAN FRANCISCO - Is anyone still watching this game?
If you happened to flip channels or take a bathroom break or a run to the store, you haven't missed anything. And that's no joke.
SAN FRANCISCO - The Maryland fans have stuck out a little more now - no, not because they're being louder; they broke out the color-coded ponchos.
SAN FRANCISCO - It's only fitting that this game is tied at halftime because neither team deserves to be winning.
Neither Mike Riley nor Ralph Friedgen can be too happy about that second quarter, which featured a combined five turnovers and some horrible decision-making.
SAN FRANCISCO - A couple more minutes and a couple more turnovers.
SAN FRANCISCO - In a span of two minutes and two seconds, there were three turnovers.
Two fumbles by the Beavs, one interception by the Terps.
SAN FRANCISCO - The California kid is having himself one heck of a first quarter.
Maryland's quarterback Chris Turner has 154 passing yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter, the latest a 63-yarder to Darrius Heyward-Bey.
SAN FRANCISCO - Oregon State has just tied it at 7-7 and it has Maryland's Adrien Moten to thank for that one.
SAN FRANCISCO - Well that's quite a way to start a ballgame.
Maryland's opening drive went 80 yards on 11 plays and lasted 4:39. It was capped off by a 9-yard touchdown pass by Chris Turner to receiver Isaiah Williams.
SAN FRANCISCO - Welcome to tonight's live coverage of the Emerald Bowl, a game featuring Maryland (6-6, 3-5 ACC) and Oregon State (8-4, 6-3 Pac 10). We're about 15 minutes from kickoff here at AT&T Park, which isn't your typical (or for that matter, preferred) bowl game stadium. The San Francisco Giants play here, and other than tonight's bowl game, it is pretty much only used for baseball.
Something tells me Barry Bonds will not be making a guest appearance here tonight...
Continue reading "Maryland vs. Orgeon State - Pregame Notes" »
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - It was a tombstone game for the Maryland football team.
No, not one signifying the death of the Terrapins' season. Instead, the win over No. 8 Boston College means the Terps get to add another tombstone outside of their practice field, a tradition everytime Maryland beats a top-10 team.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Final score: Maryland 42, Boston College 35. Talk about a shocker.
The yellow-jacketed security guards were no match for the herd of students rushing the field to celebrate with the Terrapins.
Continue reading "Final score: Maryland 42, Boston College 35" »
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Boston College has scored, to cut its deficit to 14.
But you have to wonder, with just 7:26 remaining, is there enough time for the Eagles to score twice, while stopping Maryland.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland, with its 4-5 record, 1-4 conference record and season-long offensive slump, has exploded.
And that is an understatement.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Da'Rel Scott, Maryland's fastest player, just took a screen pass 57 yards on the first play of the Terps' latest drive.
The Terps now lead 34-21 and are completely outclassing Boston College, from offense to defense to coaching.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Jason Goode is having the best game of his life.
The senior tight end caught his second touchdown pass of the night, adding on to his career high of receptions (six and counting...).
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Boston College put together its best drive of the game, which culminated in a three-yard touchdown pass.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - OK, now we're officially on an upset alert, as Maryland has taken a 20-14 lead over No. 8 Boston College into halftime.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Who thinks ABC was among those crying after Florida State knocked off BC last weekend? I sure do.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Apparently both defenses didn't feel like showing up for the first hour of this game.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Eagles QB Matt Ryan inexplicably threw a pass right to Maryland defensive lineman Dre Moore deep inside Boston College territory.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland's defense held Boston College, but a roughing the punter penalty gave the Eagles a second chance.
And Heisman hopeful Matt Ryan took advantage - Ryan needed just five plays to get the Eagles on the board.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - No one saw this coming. Maryland just drove 76 yards in 2:10 to take a 7-0 lead on No. 8 Boston College
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Uh oh.
If there were ever a foreshadowing incident, it just happened during the pre-game introductions.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Greetings from Byrd Stadium, on the campus of the University of Maryland. We're about 60 minutes away from kickoff between the No. 8-ranked Boston College Eagles (8-1, 4-1 ACC) and Maryland Terrapins (4-5, 1-4).
It's too bad BC lost last week or else it'd likely be No. 1 with a victory here tonight, given Ohio State's loss today. All that would have done is add to the Boston-area's stranglehold on the professional sporting world as we know it.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - It's almost certain that when Greg Schiano took over this Rutgers program, he envisioned it one day being talked about amongst the likes of Texas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.
He may have even wanted it in the worst way...and on Saturday afternoon, that's exactly how he got it.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. You know that scene in Animal House where Bluto stands up and gives the impassioned speech about how it's not over until they decide it is (including the immortal question about whether it was "over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?").
I definitely have visions of it on a Saturday like this one.
West Virginia, dead.
Oklahoma, dead.
Texas, dead.
Rutgers...
OK, well, they're not dead, of course, but their hopes of an undefeated season are. The part of that that happened at Rutgers Stadium was a 34-24 win by Maryland over the No. 10 Scarlet Knights.
Continue reading "Cheer The Turtle: Maryland Takes Down Rutgers" »
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - It comes down to this.
Lattimore is stopped for no gain on fourth and a yard, and Rutgers takes over at its own 25 (thanks to unsportsmanlike conduct after the play), with 2:34 to score and win or tie.
Looks like we're in for quite a finish at Rutgers Stadium.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - 4:41 and three points stand between Rutgers and the likes of Oklahoma, West Virginia and - in all likelihood, Texas.
A one-yard Ray Rice touchdown run has the Scarlet Knights within 3 at 27-24.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Chris Turner has come up huge today for the Terrapins with Jordan Steffy down.
A huge completion to LaQuan Williams on third and 12 put Maryland on the Rutgers 2, and Keon Lattimore all but walked into the end zone from there.
Maryland 27, Rutgers 17.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Egekeze misses again, from 37 yards, and Rutgers will start from the 20.
If the Scarlet Knights can come back again in this fourth quarter and win this game, the kicking game will certainly be a major topic of conversation around College Park.
In the meantime, it's still Maryland 20, Rutgers 17.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Mike Teel threw his first interception of the day, and the Terrapins are driving once again.
Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights are without junior safety Glen Lee, who was injured on a third down play.
It's going to be a long afternoon, folks...as it has been around the country.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Maryland retakes the lead on a 37-yard field goal by Egekeze, as the junior seems to have shaken off his two missed kicks from the first half.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Obi Egekeze has gotten the monkey off his back.
While some might have expected Ralphi Friedgen to treat the red zone as four-down territory after Egekeze's two missed field goals in the first half - one of which, admittedly, was a 51-yarder - the junior from Augusta, Ga., connected on a 26-yard field goal to tie this game up at 17.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - And here I was thinking my halftime comments would be about Rutgers' hopes for a comeback.
Not that he knows I'm here, or knows I exist, but I'll bet Ralph Friedgen was thinking something similar.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - So apparently, it was a two minute drill after all...for the whole team.
After a three-and-out by the Rutgers defense, Teel and company come back out on the field and go 69 yards in three plays, run in a mere 23 seconds, and a Teel-to-Underwood touchdown pass has Rutgers up 17-14.
It's halftime in Piscataway, and we've got a halftime update coming up.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - How about a one-minute drill?
The Terrapins are still up, but the mood has definitely turned.
After the second missed field goal of the day by Obi Egekeze, Mike Teel directs the Rutgers offense in a beautiful execution of the two-minute drill, culminating in a 20-yard pass to Tim Brown for the touchdown.
Maryland 14, Rutgers 10.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Two fumbles in short succession have the Scarlet Knights in trouble.
The first one cost the Scarlet Knights seven points already, as on third and 8, Jordan Steffy finds Darrius Hayward-Bey for a 15-yard touchdown pass, and it's now 14-3 Maryland.
Then after, Mike Teel found Kenny Britt for a 24-yard pass to put the Scarlet Knights at midfield, Ray Rice fumbled on the next play and the Terrapins are driving again.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - If the unexpected winds up happening at Rutgers Stadium, this will have been one of the warning signs.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - We have a "Ball game" on our hands, ladies and gentlemen.
Senior Lance Ball runs 19 yards into the end zone, and Maryland is up 7-3 with 13:02 left in the first half.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - You can say this about Maryland thus far. They've come to New Jersey without a hint of fear.
However, no fear means no points, thus far.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Keon Lattimore has shown himself to be more than capable of holding his own next to Rice, with some big runs on Maryland's first drive, but so far, it's all for naught.
Continue reading "Sound And Fury, Signifying Nothing...For Now" »
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - A pass interference call put Rutgers in the red zone - although really, the whole stadiuum is a "Red Zone" - but a key run-stuffing of Rice on first down threw off the Scarlet Knights' scoring drive, and Rutgers winds up settling for a 29-yard Jeremy Ito field goal.
It's a 10-play drive for 68 yards, taking 4:03 off the clock. A solid start for the home team.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - So much for relying on Rice early.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Good afternoon from Rutgers Stadium, where the No. 10 Scarlet Knights are getting ready to kick off against Maryland. The Scarlet Knights are looking for a 4-0 start heading into next week's Big East opener against Cincinnati, while the Terrapins are looking to shake off last week's collapse against reigning ACC champion Wake Forest.
A few thoughts as we get ready to go here in Piscataway...
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- He was immortalized on YouTube, this high school phenom out of North Fort Myers High School in Florida.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- A year ago West Virginia stunned Maryland with 28 first-quarter points in a runaway victory. Apparently, nothing changed in a year.
On the first play of the game following a touchback, Maryland quarterback Jordan Steffy fumbled the snap and West Virginia's Johnny Dingle recovered at the Terp 20.
The game was four seconds old.
After stuffing Steve Slaton on the first play following the fumble, Maryland bit on a fake to fullback Owen Schmnitt.
Ooops.l
WVU's elusive quarterback Pat White tucked the ball and snaked his way around left end, cutting left and then right and went into the end zone untouched. That gave West Virginia a 7-0 lead.
The game was 45 seconds old.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- For inter-conference opponents who are as familiar with each other as are border rivals West Virginia and Maryland, this game came in with any number of different twists.
