47 replies to this topic

[BSLMikeLowe]

The officials seem to be taking their misery over this weather out on MD. Two awful calls against the Terps in the 3rd, one that cost them 35 yards of field positions and another that gave MSU a mulligan on a missed FG.

 

The above notwithstanding, this is a signature Big Ten football game....late Nov, inclement weather, grind-it-out kind of day. And MD has shown they are not a Big Ten football team, despite what that logo on their uniform says. Week-in and week-out, they get mauled at the line of scrimmage, whether it's Ohio State, Michigan State, or lowly Rutgers. They don't have the players up front to compete in this conference, and until they do they will never compete in this conference.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Yup, it's all about winning in the trenches, agree with you completely Mike. 

 

I am not expecting  to ever get an elite, 5 star, out of the world QB, but with a competent QB (easily attainable) and good line play we can win games 

 

Until then it will be a debacle.

[BSLMikeLowe]

I stand by what I said about the lines, but man, if not for that bullshit call on the missed MSU FG this game is really interesting right now. As it is, Terps just aren't going to have enough time.

[BSLMikeLowe]

And there's the ballgame. Agree with the decision to try the FG there....kid just has to make that. Wind was at his back, so that's no excuse.

[BSLChrisStoner]

17-7 final. Competitive at-least.

[RShack]

I don't follow the Terps closely enough to know the answer... has anybody judged the team by how deep into each game they had a legit chance?   

 

For this game at least, it was pretty close to the end...

[BSLMikeLowe]

In this game the weather was probably somewhat of an equalizer. Despite dominating the line of scrimmage, MSU only led by 14 most of the game (though they did have a fumble at the MD 1-yard line that really wasn't weather-related). They have a solid passing attack that they barely utilized. It was pretty even for the 2nd Half, but playing even when you are down 2 TDs doesn't cut it.

 

The Michigan game last week was somewhat similar. Terrible first half, behind 28-0. Then they play well in the 3rd but it's too little too late.

 

OSU was mostly a disaster, despite a lot of Buckeye mistakes that should have helped MD keep it close.

 

Wisconsin wasn't as ugly as you might have thought, but never really felt like they had a chance.

 

PSU next week. With little to play for but pride, we'll see what that one holds.

 

All in all, they are competitive against top teams in small spurts, but nowhere near enough to make a difference.

[BSLZackKiesel]

They're competing better against the top tier of the conference than they did last season, which has been good to see. How much better they'd be competing with Piggy/Hill at QB, who knows. It's a slow process, but I like the attitude they're showing despite the adversity they've faced this season. You saw Edsall's teams give up a lot, and you're not seeing that this season.

 

With better talent on the lines next season, and (hopefully) a healthier QB situation, you'd hope to more fully compete in those types of games. The good news is that the schedule is a bit more forgiving next season, as the out-of-division opponents are Illinois, @Iowa, and Minnesota.