WMUC Sports Football Blog

Terrapins win first ACC contest

2009-10-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Maryland Terrapins sure love to make it interesting. In a game with multiple momentum shifts, missed field goals, and high-pressure moments, the Terrapins came away with their first Atlantic Coast Conference win against the Clemson Tigers, 24-21. Both teams made mistakes at critical junctions in the game and the game swung in the balance for the last five minutes.

“I was working my rosary pretty good,” head coach Ralph Friedgen said after the game.

For a team that had lost two consecutive games and was being left for dead, a win against Clemson seemed like a tall task.

Clemson got on the board first with a field goal by Richard Jackson following a muffed punt return by Anthony Wiseman. Five minutes later, the Tigers scored on a touchdown run by wide receiver Jacoby Ford to take a 10-0 lead. It looked as though the Terrapins would find themselves on the wrong side of a blowout for the second week in a row.

The Terrapins would fight back, however, with a 43-yard field goal by Nick Ferrara early in the second quarter. Jackson would kick a 51-yard field goal to make the score 13-3 to put the Tigers up 10.

The Maryland offense would come to life, however, and capped off a 76-yard drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Torrey Smith. Following a defensive stop, the Terrapins would get the ball back with 2:15 remaining in the half and drive 81 yards to take the lead 17-13 into the half.

In the third quarter, Tony Logan returned a short punt to the Clemson 1-yard line to give the Terrapins a chance to add to their lead. Three plays later, Davin Meggett took an option pitch from Turner and dodged a tackler to give the Terrapins a 24-13 lead with 4:27 left in the third quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Spiller broke multiple tackles and went 93 yards to swing the momentum back in Clemson’s favor. A two-point conversion brought the Tigers back within three points. The two teams would continue to trade possessions until late in the fourth quarter. With less than five minutes remaining, Friedgen decided to go for it on a forth and short from his own 30 yard line. He called for a QB sneak.

“James [Franklin] wanted to go for it. The kids wanted to go for it. I knew our defense was tired, and I went for it,” Friedgen said. “I wanted to think about it. I probably changed my mind three times.”

Chris Turner was stopped and lost yardage. Friedgen left his defense to face a good Clemson offense already in field goal range. It looked like the game would either be tied or the Terrapins would find themselves trailing with little time remaining.

His defense stepped up, however, and forced a three-and-out by the Tigers. Richard Jackson went out and kicked a long field goal to tie the game. There was one problem: Friedgen had called a timeout right before Clemson hiked the ball. Jackson was forced to try again, and missed.

The Terrapins had dodged a bullet and had a chance to ice the game with a couple first downs. On their first play, however, Meggett fumbled the ball and gave the ball right back to the Tigers. The defense, yet again, stopped the Tigers in their tracks and forced a field goal attempt. Surely Jackson, one of the best kickers in the ACC, would not miss twice from the same spot.

He did. Jackson missed the kick again, and gave the Terrapins another chance to end the game. The Maryland offense, however, was forced to punt after another three and out.

With the ball back and 1:30 left on the clock, the Clemson offense had a chance to march down the field and tie or win the game. After three plays, they were already in field goal range in Maryland territory. On third down, however, Terrapin linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield capped off a 10-tackle day by breaking free and sacking Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker. Hartsfield forced Parker to drop the ball, and, after a review, Maryland had the ball and their first ACC victory.

Still, the Terrapins have problems on both sides of the ball. They had costly fumbles, untimely penalties, and missed assignments.

“I know what’s wrong and I’m trying to fix it,” Friedgen said. “But it was better today.”

The running game also continued to struggle. The Terrapinsonly had 28 total yards on the ground last week vs. Rutgers. Turner was the Terrapins’ leading rusher at the half with 7 carries for 31 yards. Da’Rel Scott, who lead the Terrapins in rushing last season and came into the game with 297 yards on the ground, had no carries in the first half and sustained an injury on his first carry of the second half. Meggett ended up with 10 attempts for 29 yards and Gary Douglas had 7 carries for 24 yards.

Defensively, the Terrapins had their best game of the season. Clemson running back C.J. Spiller was held in check (18 attempts for 72 yards) despite his kickoff return and first-year defensive coordinator Don Brown was finally able to use the blitz effectively to stop the powerful Clemson offense, especially in crucial moments in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Brown saw his defense become closer as a unit and better at running his defense.

“We’re really getting comfortable now in terms of guys disguising. We’re running the pressures. Even though we only sacked [Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker] twice today, we chased him around all day long,” Brown said. He also felt his defense finally put together a solid, full game, which is something he preached all week long.

“The proof is in the pudding. We played 60 minutes today.”

-Tyler Radecki

Terps avoid upset, beat JMU in Overtime

2009-09-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

For a large portion of last night's game, it looked like JMU would be the third FCS team to beat an ACC team. The Dukes came out of the 2nd half, scored 21 unanswered points, and completely shut down the Maryland offense. At one point, the Maryland offense went three-and-out following a JMU touchdown, prompting boos from the Terrapin faithful.

But as the fourth quarter went on, the Terrapins bounced back, coming back from down a touchdown twice. Chris Turner led his team back with some clutch passing plays - one a 20-yard pass to Ronnie Tyler on fourth down and two - and the defense made crucial stops when they needed to. As the two teams headed to overtime, it looked like the Terps would be able to pull it out. A three-and-out and a missed field goal later, the Terrapins had their chance; they ran the ball to get inside the redzone, centered the ball, and brought in true freshman Nick Ferrara to kick the game winning field goal. The Terrapins had survived a big-time scare, winning the game 38-35. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win.

"Just another day in the office," an exhausted Ralph Friedgen said as he entered the post-game news conference.

Last night's game was a roller coaster ride for the Terrapins, but they managed to stay in the game and win it in overtime. Here's some other notable quotes from Friedgen:

On the momentum swings and the team's perseverance:
" I was very proud of the way our players hung in there and fought. I knew the game was, momentum was getting ready to swing. We turned the ball over, with the interception for the touchdown, and momentum really swung in their favor. And sometimes, that’s hard to turn around, especially with a young team. And our kids hung in there, and found a way to win, and that’s a positive. It kind of showed who they were. If you had won big, you might never know that. But now, they’ve been in a situation in which they had to fight and scrap for a win against a very good football team that was very well coached."

On improvements on both sides of the ball:
" There are a lot of things we have to get corrected. Defensively, I think we have to tackle better and we have to play our responsibilities better. We have to make more plays. We’re not making as many plays as I thought we would make after camp. Offensively, we need to limit the penalties. Those are the things I am going to get corrected this week."

On the status of the team, his concerns:
"I think I have concerns. I do think we will get better and I'd like to say it'll happen overnight. The penalties and fumbles have nothing to do with experience; we have to get smarter and better. One thing that is positive about these kids is that they will work. We can't get frustrated and listen to a lot of the negative talk. We have to stay together as a team, and trust the coaches. That's the only thing I know how to do."

On senior quarterback Chris Turner:
"I was pretty impressed with Chris all night. He threw the interception and got dinged up a little bit too. The play he scored on, I don't think I've seen him make a play like that since he's been here. That was tough and he stuck it in the end-zone. I thought he hung in there. Chris has always been at his best in the toughest times and I think he came through for us big time tonight."

Senior defensive tackle Travis Ivey:

On the defensive problems:
"All the gashes came from missed tackles, not from people not being in the right place."

On facing and preparing for a team using two quarterbacks:

"We know one guy likes to run, we know one guy likes to do both. We play the same way regardless."

On potential positives to take away from the game:

"There’s always reason for optimism, especially when you pull the game out. The one positive thing we can take out of this game is that we never gave up. If there’s one positive, it’s that we didn’t give up."

On the play of the younger players:

"We prepare everybody as a starter. That's the one thing Coach [says]. Whether you start or you don't start, that basically you've got to be ready at anytime. We've got Cameron Chism. We've got Richard Taylor. We've got a couple of guys that come in and I don't think there is going to be any type of let-up because these guys have been playing pretty good at practice, anyway. I look forward to seeing those guys go out there and play and see what they can do."

On the aggressiveness of the defense:

"I think we played too aggressive at times. We missed a few tackles because we were too aggressive. I think if we just go back to the drawing board and keep working on our fundamentals, we hopefully won’t miss those tackles that we missed."

Junior Linebacker Alex Wujciak:

On getting better as a team:

"We’re definitely going to gradually get better. I think we learned how to win tonight. Finish games out. Just like coach preached to us all week. We have a lot of young guys, and I think they all got a lot of experience tonight."

On JMU's performance:
"There are a lot of good players and they run a different offense than we're used to seeing, so it was definitely a challenge for us."

On the biggest challenge on defense:
"Probably when they run that spread when the quarterback kept it."

We Go to Overtime

2009-09-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

Tied at 35, James Madison and Maryland now head to overtime. It has been an extremely even game thus far, and overtime is a perfect way to end it.

Torrey Smith has been all over the field for the Terps, and he scored his second touchdown of the game early on in the 4th quarter to tie the game at 28. A few plays later, however, the Dukes took the lead again after a 70-yard touchdown run by quarterback Drew Dudzik. Adrian Cannon tied the game with a 27-yard touchdown catch, and the teams failed to score again.

The Terps will defend first.

An important note to remember is that the Dukes' kicking game is very questionable.

Update: The Terps hold the Dukes to a 3 and out and the field goal was missed wide-right, just like the missed extra point. Maryland now only needs a field goal to win the game.

As Fourth Quarter Begins, Terps in Dogfight

2009-09-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Coming into Saturday's home opener vs. James Madison, questions surrounded the Maryland Terrapins. The Terrapins, after a 52-13 blowout loss to California, faced questions about their ability to score as well as to stop any offense. The team claimed that next week would be different.

Well, one week later, the Terrapins find themselves facing those questions again. Down 28-21 entering the fourth quarter, the Terps have struggled to put up points, have struggled to stop JMU's spread offense, and have struggled to separate themselves from what should be an inferior opponent.

Don Brown's much-hyped aggressive defense has been absolutely shredded all night long by both James Madison quarterbacks. The spread offense, yet again, has dominated the Maryland defense. The Terp's offense has maintained some solid drives but has failed to generate anything substantial since the first quarter. Without a Torrey Smith kickoff return, they would be down even more than the 7 points they currently find themselves.

The offensive line is beginning to show signs of being rattled, Chris Turner has made some poor decisions (one of which leading to a touchdown), and Da'Rel Scott has not been a difference-maker.

With 15 minutes left in the game, head coach Ralph Friedgen must find a way to get his offense going. Down 7 and with their defense getting dominated by an FCS team, the Terrapins have to act quickly to avoid becoming the ACC's third loss to an FCS team.

-Tyler Radecki

The Fridge is Empty

2009-09-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

So while we talked about the Fridge losing a ton of weight last week, I want to reiterate how good he looks. Now I'm not into that sort of thing and I wouldn't want to see him in a bikini...he looks good. Check out the game on TV and you'll see what I mean.

The title of this post is also in reference to the ban of press room food. Now, not that any of you really care about me being well fed, but I'm a better broadcaster full. Since I've been broadcasting here food has always been free at football and basketball games. No longer however, as it costs $15 to feed yourselves, minus the occasional water of course.

The good news?

Thanks to a few connections, I am well fed and I'm absolutely ready to go so here are a few football related notes to those of you who check this out and actually want to know about the Terps.

-Bruce Campbell, arguably the Terps best offensive lineman is out today. The O-Line struggled mightily last week and it will be another problem today

-James Madison runs the spread offense aka the achilles heel of Maryland's defense. The Maryland defense struggles last week at Cal in zone coverage and the spread offense could give the team more trouble

-I like the new press box. Rather than being on the roof we are in our old cramped box on the 40 yard line. Not too shabby

-Chris Turner looked relatively good (okay I'm stretching here) against a great California defense last week. According to the logic, Turner should be able to pass all around th field today against the Dukes.

-That reminds me....Maryland is playing Duke(s). Crowd should be pumped, team should be pumped...Maryland should walk away with their first win of the year

I'll be back all game long giving you random thoughts from the press box. Tyler Radecki will be here shortly giving you more football insight. Rob Dawson with the call soon enough..enjoy everyone

PS: I hate Special K with a passion

A 180 Degree Turn in Berkeley, California

2009-09-06T12:23:00.001-07:00

After the debacle that was last night's season opening slaughtering at the hands of the Golden Bears, it goes without saying I was not in a good mood. My mod was only made worse by after returning to our hotel room and wanting to get some dinner, EVERY place was closed. It's a college town, yet the fine cuisines of dominoes and mcdonalds were closed, depriving me of terrible terrible food for my body.

After deciding to screw the food and just head out to the fine nightlife that Berekely has to offer, we reached "The Bear's Lair", where many of the Berkeley faithful watched the game and were celebrating their victory. Well, not only was the Lair out of all of their quality adult beverages, for the ones they had they charged us $5 a beer for. Really!? This is college and it was a small beer. I was livid.

Then all of a sudden, a light shone down and my mood changed in an instant. I realized at this very moment how much better being at a football school really is. At 12:15 AM, the Mighty Sound of California, yes the marching band, came to the street where the bar was on. They proceeded to march in place and play the fight song at this late hour outside the bar.

But it gets better. The band than came into the bar and stood all around the bar and just started playing music. The crowd loved it, being jacked up about their win, and the band was getting free drinks. It was an incredible sight. And then, out of nowhere, came Journey.

I'm not ashamed to admit it. I am a sucker for Journey's "Don't Stop Believing". I loved it in "The Sopranos", I loved it in "Rock of Ages", I loved it in "Glee"...I will forever love it. When the band played it last night, all my bad ire directed toward California dissapitated and I sung along like a faithful fan. After Journey, they played Madonna/Justin Timberlake's "4 Minutes" and even a little Boston for Hal.

Again...it just proved how cool it is to go to a football school. I can only imagine what it is like going to school in the South, or at USC or Michigan. The tailgating, the atmosphere, the band at the bar! None of this would take place at Maryland...no one would dare. It's a shame too. Dr. Debbie Yow and President Mote were here in attendance at the game tonight. After seeing how this same passion as I did, I don't know how they couldn't want to bring it to Maryland. But needless to say, I have a good feeling they won't.

It's a shame too. Everyone back in College Park deserves to experience what Hal and I did tonight...even after a loss.

...That Tonight's Gonna Be a Bad Bad Night

2009-09-05T20:56:00.001-07:00

Well this hasn't exactly gone as planned.

It's half time now and the Terrapins are just playing straight up bad football. We came into the game knowing it had to be won in the trenches and the Terps are losing that battle. Turner hasn't had too much time. While he has looked relatively good, he is eyeing only Adrian Cannon and Cal knows that.

Da'Rel Scott has been a nonfactor. Da'Rel Scott can NOT be a nonfactor. Turner doubles the amount of rushes that Scott has and the Terps face a 31-6 halftime deficit.

Cal has looked okay. While Best is certainly a good running back, his numbers are inflated on his 73 yard TD run. The Terrapins are containing him, but Kevin Riley is doing is exactly what Chris Turner is not doing...spreading the football. 7 Different receivers have caught balls for the Golden Bears.

If California just keeps playing solid football, this second half isn't even worth playing.

Well the band is good for Cal (Red Hot Chili Peppers night) and the student section is awesome. They all just held up posters and that supported Cal and blew up Testudo. Pretty cool...a shame the Terps fan section can't get that going.

UPDATE

Just as I was about to post this, Best and Vereen just ran over the Terps. They look like they came onto the field lying down.

This is just brutal...I miss Bobby G's.

Tailgating One Hour Before Game Time

2009-09-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

I am not a happy broadcaster.

So the walk to Memorial Stadium from our hotel room, was longer than the expected 10 blocks. It was literally about 45 minutes of hell. There was no straight roads or even down hill roads. It was 45 minutes of waling up every hill imaginable in Berkeley. To make matters worse while approaching Memorial Stadium, I was able to take a look at the Greek Life that California has to offer. I am impressed.

For those of you in the Greek Life at the University of Maryland, you know how awful it can be on a game day. Tailgating needs to be done in secret, drinking is illegal (even if you are 21), and getting enthusiatically drunk is a jailable offense. Not in California. Walking pass the equivalent of fraternity row Hal and I saw, outside alone, hundreds of students drinking freely. There were no cops bothering them, just students allowed to participate in college tradition. Tailgating before a football game.

From what we heard, nobody was hurt. Nobody was arrested. Nobody even passed out (well that's simply not true). It was just incredible to me how awesome it was being able to tailgate like a real college kid. Not having to worry about getting in trouble for drinking on your property...what a concept.

An hour before game time, these tailgates were still going strong. This is the first time I'm actually liking the social life in Berkeley.

A football game note: Nick Ferrara has seemingly won the kicking job for the Terps. Ferrara replaces Obi Egekeze who was solid, if unspectacular for the Terrapins. Ferrara beat out Mike Barbour for the job. If he's not solid tonight, it may not be his job for much longer.

If there is a game note to update you on in the next 45 minutes you'll have it here from me.

21.5 Reasons the the Spread is Too Much

2009-09-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

We are still at Bobby G's here and just listened to a 10 minute debate from two over 50 year old Cal fans over the spread. One tried to rationalize why it was so high, while the other sat and okay'ed him. This only started after the second one turned down the first's request for pot. I'm not making this up, I swear. They forgot they weren't in college anymore.

But after the turned down pot request, the 21.5 spread is an interesting point. On the surface it seems like a ton. Maryland isn't that bad right? The truth is...

They aren't.

Maryland should NOT be 21.5 underdogs by any means and here are 21.5 reasons why this is true:

1. Three year starter Chris Turner is a ranked team killer, 5-1 as a starter against ranked teams.

2. Chris Turner is from California. Playing in front of his family and friends could spark him

3. The Fridge has lost over 100 pounds, so can now coach better by running up and down the sidelines

4. Jahvid Best still hasn't stopped puking from last year

5. That same BEST player only had 25 yards rushing last year against this same Maryland team

6. Maryland has the better punter (it's arguable, but Travis Baltz is reaching Adam Podlesh levels)

7. Hal would bet on Maryland and not Cal. Hal is lucky

8. Maryland's defense knows it has to be aggressive, so could come out blitzing Kevin Riley and put him under a ton of pressure.

9. Riley can't throw for more than the 423 yards he threw for last year...right?

10. There is no Alaskan Amber in Berkeley

11. Alex Wujciak is primed for a breakout junior year. Kid is a leader and a star player

12. California runs a base 3-4 defense, so the young offensive line won't have to expect too many blitzes

13. Torrey Smith.

14. The offense is now used to the successor, James Franklin's, type of offense. Soon enough Franklin is the head coach, he's going to open up the offense today

15. From what we've been told, the Maryland tailgates supercede the California tailgates

16. From what we've seen, the Maryland bar scene certainly supercedes the California bar scene. Who would have EVER thought that?

17. Bruce Campbell protecting Turner's blindside. Campbell is very good

18. No Quarterback controversey to begin the year. First time the Terps have had that in several years. Turner is the unquestioned starter and leader (one of four team captains) of this team and he has practice and prepared all offseason for this. There's no debate finally, which is exactly what the team asked for after the Humanitarian Bowl last year

19. Gavin Floyd of the White Sox just lost his perfect game. That means there's still one team that CAN be perfect today

20. No one is talking about Da'Rel Scott today. Fans in College Park know how good Scott is, but the country does not. Everyone in California and up there in Bristol is talking about how Jahvid Best is going to dominate in this game and all season long. Look for Scott to use this as motivation and shine sometime tonight. He's a pre-season all ACC player for a reason.

21. Maryland has nothing to lose. They aren't expected to do anything today and that's when a team is most dangerous. A big game, with one team having absolutely nothing to lose

21.5. We didn't fly out all of this way to see the Terps get destroyed. They won't let us down

We just paid (well Hal did) and are leaving Bob's now. I've had it with the Michigan fight song, the cow bell, and the incredibly annoying cheering for no apparent reason. You are up 31-0 against Western Michigan and aren't within 1000 miles of Ann Arbor.

I'm also getting sick of the blue and gold. Uh oh, another bad sign for Cal Berkeley.

22. Cal Berekely have the same colors as the University of Michigan.

A Joy in Other's Misfortune

2009-09-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

You know when you just don't like someone and can't understand why? This is how I feel about Greg Paulus. You know that "star" Duke point guard, who became the not really that good backup bench point guard for the Blue Devilsm who likes to fall down when no one touches him? Yeah well he got some exemption from the NCAA and is now the quarterback for the Syracuse Orange. Due to his Duke roots, I still hate the man. I can't really explain why. He has less than zero impact on my life and if I ever met him, I probably would shout way too many curse words his way.This man has done nothing personal to make me hate him...but he just defines everything I hate.

Paulus started for the Syracuse Orange today in their opening game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He led his team to a fast start, at home, before the game went into overtime tied at 20. Well in his first ever college football overtime, Paulus threw an interception into the end zone. On the Gophers posession, they kicked a field goal to send Paulus home a loser.

Not only am I thrilled that he lost, but everytime he was sacked I sorta hoped he wouldn't get up. Call me cruel...but every Maryland fan SHOULD feel the same way.

MICHIGAN UPDATE:

I hate them. Almost on a Paulus level. This alumni association are like those fanstat go nuts at every meaningless play. They don't understand they are laying a terrible opponent at home, on opening day. A prestigious school like Michigan would never lose to a nobody on opening da....oh, right. Appalachian State.

Here's to hoping Western Michigan becomes Appalachian State just for the next three hours.

PESTO UPDATE:

It was very very good.

Are we in California or in Michigan?

2009-09-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

I understand the colors are the same, but there is a STRONG Michigan contingent here in Berkeley. Reporting live from Bobby G's, no less than ten Wolverine fans have walked in and I am not sure why. Hal and both keep thinking they are Cal fans without Cal shirts, so they are figuring the blue and the gold are the same so why not? But the more and more Michigan fans that walk in here are proving that this can not be a coincidence.

In fact I am pretty positive I've seen more Michigan fans walk by then Terp fans on game day.

And now it makes sense. Somewhat at least. The latest Wolverine fans to walk through the door carried in an Alumni Association University of Michigan Club of Greater San Francisco banner with them. Who knew Rich Rodriguez was so popular in San Francisco?

Wow this just happened. They have whipped out the Michigan cow bell. I kid you not..in Berkeley. A "Go Blue" chant along with cowbell. Christopher Walken was wrong. We don't need more cowbell...go back to Ann Arbor. I'm quickly getting angry at Michigan.

I may have just screamed Go Buckeyes...

Still waiting on that pesto..

...That Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night

2009-09-05T11:39:00.001-07:00

Sorry I had to, it was too tempting.

This is what we call game day here from Cal-Berkeley. Hal and I are sitting in our new favorite home away from home in Cal (Bobby G's), to watch college football, research, eat good pizza, and all and all prepare for tonight's game.

It took a little over two days, but on our 5 minute walk over here we heard our first "Maryland Sucks" of the weekend. A little surprising this took so long. The Golden Bear fans immdiately drove away without giving us a chance to respond. How rude of them!

I've begun to catch up to Hal on the research front and have seen some interesting statistics and game notes in The Daily Californian (no Kraut, it's not on the level of The Diamondback's sports section). In 2006, the #9 ranked Golden Bears went to Knoxville, Tennessee to take on the #23 Volunteers to open up the season. To put it politely, the Golden Bears got rocked losing 35-18. One year later, back in Berkeley and with revenge on its mind, the Golden Bears provided the shelacking, taking down the Volunteers 45-31.

Now why do I bring up a meaningless SEC vs. Pac-10 game? Well, as I'm sure all of you remember, California came into College Park last year on a high and heavy favorites to take down the Terps. But the clutch, Big Game Chris Turner showed up and Da'Rel Scott emerged and the beating that Maryland gave Cal made them puke...literally.

NFL'er Kevin Barnes gave Jahvid Best a moment to be on SportsCenter all season long, hitting him so hard yesterday's breakfast came out. Best, arguably the country's best running back, finished with just 25 yards rushing. Needless to say..he's out for revenge tonight as are the rest of the Golden Bears. Just like they did to Tennessee two seasons ago, California wants to even up the home and home series and start the season off on the right note.

Now this is not a must win game for either team. The Golden Bears #12 in the country, are out for revenge and to get the season off on a good note. The Terrapins are again unranked to start the year, but pose an interesting threat. The offensive ine is young, and thus unpredictable. But Chris Turner has been known to play his best when no one thinks the Terps have any chance. Can Chris pull another miracle out of his dynamite hair? (Again I had to).

No matter what, tonight's gonna be a good night. College Football is back and tonight the Terps look to make it 2 in a row against Cal.

Look for more updates throughout the day from Bobby G'. But for now, it

s time for some pesto pizza.

-Sussman

I Gotta Feeling....

2009-09-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

This is not a prediction blog. I am not in the business of making any sort of predictions. The title is in reference to the Black Eyed Peas song that's been in my head all day while walking through Fisherman's Wharf in in San Francisco. As Hal took pictures, I sang and searched for a scalper to buy tickets to Al Catraz from. These are the high points of the first full day of California trip 2009.

Now I'm not going to retro blog the day (that would be copyright infringment to Bill Simmons and most of you probably don't care), I am going to give all of you the high points from day 1.5 in Berkeley/San Francisco.

-You have to love comradship between Terp fans. While in College Park one fraternity may hate others, jocks may hate geeks, blondes may hate brunettes, but when abroad if you are a Terp...by God you are a Terp. Probably my favorite part of the day was passing many the Terrapin fans throughout San Francisco and just screaming "Go Terps" to the delight of the crowd. This would lead to a lengthy conversation on the Terps chances for tomorrow night's game and the incredible 21.5 spread. While Jahvid Best is good...is he really the Best in the country(see what I did there?) Everyone we spoke to had an opinion and it really was great being able to talk Terp football with students and alumni alike.

-From the informal poll we took....most fans are happy with Chris Turner as the returning QB, the Terps are young but are going to be better than the predicted second to last in the ACC Atlantic, Five Guys is better than In and Out Burger, and Alaskan Amber needs to be brought to College Park.

-Hal likes to be a tourist. While I personally despise it (as I mentioned on a constant basis in his ear), Hal enjoys taking multiple pictures, buying San Francisco gear and going on cable cars to get around. To answer your question...no he did not force me to go visit the Tanner household.

-Hal and I were pulled over on the street. While ready to be given a silly citation for J-Walking (we actually believed this was about to happen to us), we were given a ticket....a ticket from the fun police. We were told we were having too much fun, so much so we hadn't shaved that morning. After talking to this fun police officer, we were asked to donate money to starving children. Realizing the cause was just, we did in fact donate money. In reward, we were given a "Are you having fun sticker". Said sticker, was pasted on Hal's back the rest of the day unbeknownst to him. Yes, fun officer...I was having fun.

-Alaskan Amber is good.

-Walking the streets in Fisherman's Wharf we saw a crowd of people, including Terps cheerleaders surrounding a group of performers. Interested, Hal and I decided to take a look and saw a breakdancing show. After taking a half hour to set up, I kid you not, it was a 5 minute performance. Each of the four performers performed onced which led to the grand finale....a forward flip. Yes the grand finale to break dancing, was a street performing front flip. That was it. A waste of 35 minutes...no we didn't tip. Call us Jewish, I dare you.

That essentially sums up our day of sightseeing and eating. Tomorrow is a day centered around reading, research and football. I plan to blog before, during and after the game with actual football updates. Yes this is a football blog...but there's more to a road trip than just football. Hal and I are going to go pick up something to eat and enjoy the night since it's only 10:00 and baseball is over for the night.

I Gotta Feeling....

-Sussman