Maryland hasn't blown out anyone this year. Every win has been hard fought and close until the end. Except for the West Virginia loss, the losses were close too. It didn't matter if the wins were on the road against strong ACC teams -- Clemson -- or at home against a drained team -- Miami -- the games were close until the end. In fact, the two games I just mentioned were both one point games. So does this style of play help or hurt Maryland?Ralph Friedgen mentioned that in these close situations, his players have confidence. Actually, he called them "cocky." Confidence is always a plus. I don't expect this team who has played in so many pressure situations to be easily rattled on the road in a big game. This team is different than the team that was wowed by the big lights of a Thursday night game against WVU. They will not be affected by the situation tomorrow. In that sense, the team has matured greatly over the season.
On the other hand, the Terps keep putting themselves in these pressure situations. When the Terps were bad, their MO was that they would get a lead and blow it late in the game. They're still blowing leads, just not enough to lose the game. At this final stretch of the season, the Terps cannot do that any more. Their luck is going to wear out. The team has used so much of it that it can't last forever. They lead Miami 14-0 but won 14-13. They lead FSU 27-14 but won 27-24 (on a blocked kick.) Soon or later, one of these teams is going to come back enough to rout the Terps. This is a huge game for both BC and Maryland, so if Maryland gives the momentum to BC, they'll run with it.
In order to win this game, the pieces of the offense that we've seen in bits and pieces needs to come together. We've seen the Terps win with only runs and screens. We've seen the Terps win with short passes only. And last week, we saw the Terps win on two long pass plays. Put it all together, and you've got an offense that any team is going to have a tough time with. The Terps need to let their defense rest a bit because they've been asked to hold some really close games lately. If the Terps can get the run going, which some teams have been able to do against BC at times, then they can slow the game down and rest the defense. If BC comes with the defense that held FSU to less than 50 yards rushing then it's going to be a long day for the Terps.
If Maryland is going to win this, which they definitely can, I want to see them do it more convincingly than they have in awhile. It's possible. They have the pieces and they have the confidence. BC, like Maryland, is undefeated at home this year, but so was Clemson before the Terps rolled into Death Valley. It's going to be a close game between two teams with identical overall records and right next each other in the rankings. The Terps will have a nice shot at the ACC title game if they can take this game tomorrow, which makes this game just another important one for Maryland.
