The most discouraging part of the Terrapins football team’s 63-0 loss at then-No. 8 Florida State on Saturday was how quickly things snowballed.
The Terps offensive line was horrid, their secondary couldn’t cover anybody and quarterback C.J. Brown was concussed on what could have been an illegal hit. Each of those issues compounded the previous one, and the Terps never made the key play to halt their downward spiral.
Early in the game, the Terps looked like they could hang with the Seminoles, as they forced punts on three of Florida State’s first four possessions. Once the Seminoles got into a rhythm and found the end zone on their fifth drive, though, things catapulted out of control. Florida State would score touchdowns on its next seven possessions in remarkably easy fashion.
So now that the Terps’ inability to respond to struggles has ruined the most significant game in coach Randy Edsall’s tenure, the Terps face a new challenge moving forward: not letting that same problem derail a still-promising season.
With four wins secured, including an impressive 37-0 victory over West Virginia, the Terps are already knocking on the door of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010. They have the talent, cohesion and maturity to win the two more contests needed, and an 8-4 or 9-3 record is still a distinct possibility, given the remaining schedule.
That would mark major progress for the program, and it’s attainable. The Terps will have to make the necessary adjustments to the game plan depending on Brown’s injury, but first they’ll have to ensure the loss in Tallahassee, Fla., doesn’t linger beyond the weekend.
“You got to have a short memory,” Edsall said. “And 24 hours later, you’ve got to move on, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
That’s easier said than done after a 63-point loss. The facts speak for themselves: The Terps suffered their worst loss since a 70-7 defeat against Penn State in 1993, tied a school record by giving up five touchdown passes and didn’t run a single play in Seminoles territory in the second half.
Yikes.
The result emphatically proved the Terps aren’t in the Seminoles’ class — and we knew that already — but they aren’t really 63 points worse than Florida State. They just let a much better team get rolling and couldn’t stop the ensuing avalanche.
The Terps showed in their first four games that they’ve improved from last season and that Edsall’s framework for the program isn’t completely bogus, as many thought it was after the coach posted a 6-18 record over his first two seasons.
Aside from Clemson, nobody in the ACC is of the same caliber as Florida State. So the season isn’t spoiled quite yet.
“We got games that we got to win,” inside linebacker Cole Farrand said. “We’re trying to get to a bowl this year. We can still accomplish all we want to accomplish, and I think we’ll do that.”
A bowl game is a realistic goal and one that the players should take pride in, considering how the past two seasons unfolded.
Of course, there’s the possibility that the Terps will let Saturday’s loss become a microcosm of the season. Maybe they’ll let the setback affect them and they’ll fail to regroup.
That’s what happened against Florida State as quarterback Jameis Winston began throwing touchdowns and the Terps had no answer. When Brown was knocked out of the game with his concussion, the Terps really crumpled.
“We just didn’t respond like we needed to,” defensive tackle Darius Kilgo said. “We needed to bounce back quickly and move on.”
Still, Edsall believes the humbling loss won’t define the Terps. He thinks they have the strength to respond, starting with Saturday’s home bout with Virginia.
“I know the guys in the locker room,” Edsall said. “I know who they are, and I know the resolve that we have. We’ll be back next week.”
If Edsall’s right, if his team does have the mental makeup to bounce back, then the Terps are still in position for a successful season.
Quarterback C.J. Brown was 6-of-14 passing for 82 yards before leaving with a concussion in the Terps’ 63-0 loss to Florida State on Oct. 5, 2013.