SB Nation DC - Notre Dame Vs. Maryland: Terps Lose To Irish, 45-21, Fall To 2-8 On Season

Maryland Vs. Notre Dame: Ugly Season For Terrapins Could Give Way To Brighter Future

2011-11-14T14:29:18Z

LANDOVER, Md. - The Maryland Terrapins lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 45-21, over the weekend in what was just the latest in a string of embarrassing losses this season. The Terps are now just 2-8 in Randy Edsall's first year as the head coach, and for some reason, it feels much worse than the 2-10 campaign of a couple years ago.

There were some good signs in the game on Saturday, like D.J. Adams finally getting back into the lineup and showing why he should have been playing all along. But the real story of the game is that the Terps just couldn't stop the Irish when they ran the ball, and because of that, they never really had a chance in this one. It was a deconstruction, from start to finish.

At this point it's hard to feel good about the Terps. They only have two wins this year, one against a terribly depleted Miami team in the first game of the season and the second against an FCS school in Towson. They've lost to every full-strength FBS school they've played this year. It's been a dark season.

But that does not mean that the cupboard is completely bare. The Terps have been hit hard by the injury bug this year, which means they have had to play a lot of really young players that weren't ready for the spotlight. But those young players, particularly true freshman Alex Twine and A.J. Hendy, have shown signs of developing into really good players down the road.

Twine is a true freshman form Gaithersburg's Quince Orchard High School that has been thrust into the starting lineup for much of the year because of the injuries the team has experienced at linebacker. At one point this year the Terps were starting three freshman at linebacker. When Darin Drakeford and Demetrius Hartsfield returned from injury, Twine stayed in the starting lineup even though he had the least experience of the three. He has gotten some notoriety from the press this year because he is just 17 years old. After some growing pains initially, Twine is finally starting to get comfortable in his role.

"I had no idea I was going to get this much playing time. I had no idea if I was going to play at all or if I was going to redshirt," he said Saturday. "Now that I'm starting, it's like a blessing. I'm just enjoying the moment and getting better every week. It's to the point now where I can't use young as an excuse. I feel like I've had enough game experience that I can't have any more excuses. It has to be on me."

The other true freshman that was starting against Notre Dame was A.J. Hendy, who was a combo cornerback/safety when he got to College Park from Bowie High School last year. He has the size to play safety and the athleticism to play corner, but the coaching staff decided to put him at safety full-time. Like Twine, his transition to major college athletics hasn't been completely smooth, but he has shown signs of being a very good player once he gains enough experience to be comfortable.

There are more young players that have impressed all over the field as well. Marcus Leak and Adrian Coxson are two wide receivers to watch. Andre Monroe and Keith Bowers have been a force along the defensive line. Justus Pickett has caught the eyes of the coaching staff at running back.

This season is not going well, that much is certain. But there are some pieces already in place that could lead to a much brighter football future. Twine and Hendy are just the two most recognizable faces, but there is some young talent here. The hope is that it leads to some wins in the future.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit SB Nation's Maryland blog Testudo Times and SB Nation's Notre Dame blog One Foot Down. Here’s the complete Week 11 college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

Maryland Vs. Notre Dame: Reaction To Big Loss From Randy Edsall, Players

2011-11-13T05:34:21Z

LANDOVER, MD: Not a lot of things went right for the Maryland Terrapins tonight. They were outplayed when the Irish had the ball, when they had the ball and when one team was punting to the other. This was a complete deconstruction, from start to finish, by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish tonight. And to make matters worse, the Terps lost Danny O'Brien for the rest of the year after breaking a bone in his non-throwing arm. It could not have gone much worse. But don't take my word for it, here are some selected quotes from Randy Edsall and some of the players following the loss.

Randy Edsall:

Coach Edsall has been tight-lipped with the media since he took over at Maryland, but tonight set a new standard. His entire post-game press conference lasted a generous 3:52, and he didn't take very many answers beyond the minium amount of response. No matter the question, no matter the angle, Randy Edsall didn't have a lot to say about it; and I don't blame him.

Demetrius Hartsfield:

On this Nationally televised game Vs. the Miami game

Very frustrating. It's another loss. And to lose the way we did, it's like we just gave up. We didn't fight like we wanted to. We didn't play the same like we did against Miami. It's definitely disappointing.

On how Notre Dame was so effective running the ball

They were just spreading us out and running the ball. Getting the least amount of people in the box and running the ball. That's all they were doing. We just weren't tackling good.

Joe Velano:

On missed tackles

I'm to blame too. I missed a couple of them early in the game, third down plays, they're huge. I'm to blame too. Just overall, stuff like that. No doubt I thought they were good up front. I thought they had real great running backs. Those running backs were good. I got caught a couple times going of after them.

On staying focused on the game

That was tough. We were coming off the sideline, everyone is trying to focus. D-Line, we were all in there. It's tough, when you're getting going, you kind of have the blinders on, D-Line, I thought we battled in there, me and and AJ, I thought we were battling.

Danny O'Brien Injury Update: Maryland QB Out For Year

2011-11-13T04:26:15Z

According to this tweet, Danny O'Brien has been lost for the year. Head coach Randy Edsall said that he broke a bone in his upper arm but would hold out on an official prognosis until more tests had been completed. O'Brien was injured in Saturday night's game against Notre Dame. He was forced to leave the game and did not return.

O'Brien was named the starter for the game, but after being largely ineffective through the opening weeks of the season Edsall named C.J. Brown his starter. Since then, both quarterbacks have had their low and high points, and a Brown injury opened the door back up for O'Brien.

O'Brien was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2010 after passing for 22 TD's and leading Maryland to a 9-4 finish and a bowl win over the East Carolina Pirates in the Military Bowl. Against Notre Dame he was 14-of-22 for 132 yards with a touchdown and an interception before the injury.

For the latest on this injury and Maryland football, keep your browser set on SB Nation DC.

Notre Dame Vs. Maryland Final Score: Terps Nightmare Season Continues, Lose To Irish 45-21 And Lose Danny O'Brien

2011-11-13T04:14:34Z

The Maryland Terrapins were routed at home by the Notre Dame Fighing Irish 45-21 Saturday night, dropping the Terrapins to 2-8 (1-5) and improving the Irish to 7-3.

The Irish scored early and often, dominating all four quarters in all aspects of the game. On offense, Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees had a banner game, completing 30-of-37 passes and throwing for 296 yards and two TD's. On the ground Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood tallied over 200 yards and three TD's.

For the Terrapins Danny O'Brien, who was named the starter before this game, had one of his better games, throwing for a TD and an interception. However, he was injured and had to leave the game. There is no update on his status as of yet. C.J. Brown was good in relief, but most of what the Terrapins did wrong was on the defensive end. They were also unable to get the running game going.

For more on this game and Maryland football, stay here on SB Nation DC.

Danny O'Brien Injury Update: Maryland Quarterback Taken Out With Arm Injury

2011-11-13T02:53:32Z

It just keeps getting worse for Maryland. Just when the Terps sort of started to put together a decent drive, Danny O'Brien threw a horrendous pass that was intercepted by Lo Woods for a 57-yard touchdown and a 38-7 Notre Dame lead. On the very next drive, O'Brien was sacked and injured his left arm. He has been removed from the game, and C.J. Brown has replaced him.

O'Brien was trying to escape the pressure when a Notre Dame player jumped on him. He landed awkwardly on his left elbow and stayed on the ground. He was immediately taken to the locker room, and his return to the game is still in doubt.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit SB Nation's Maryland blog Testudo Times and SB Nation's Notre Dame blog One Foot Down. Here’s the complete Week 11 college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

Maryland Vs. Notre Dame Score Update: Cierre Wood Touchdown Gives Irish 31-7 Lead

2011-11-13T02:39:49Z

It's officially a blowout at FedEx Field. Notre Dame took the ball to begin the third quarter and immediately marched down the field against Maryland, capping off the drive with a three-yard touchdown by Cierre Wood. The score gave Notre Dame a 31-7 lead and capped a 12-play, 73-yard drive.

Maryland's third down woes hurt them on the drive. The Terps could have stopped Notre Dame on third down, but failed and eventually allowed Notre Dame to get deep into the red zone. Missed tackling also hurt and allowed Notre Dame to get inside the 10-yard line. Eventually, Wood easily trotted into the end zone for the touchdown.

Notre Dame Vs. Maryland Score Update: Danny O'Brien TD Puts Terps On Scoreboard, Down 24-7 At Half

2011-11-13T02:10:00Z

After Tommy Rees threw a 19-yard TD to Michael Floyd midway through the second quarter, the visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish sported a 17-0 lead over the Maryland Terrapins. Danny O'Brien answered with a touchdown of his own three minutes later, marching the Terrapins 61 yards down field in nine plays and throwing a 13-yard touchdown to Quintin McCree. However, the Irish extended their lead right before half on Jonas Gray's second one-yard touchdown of the game and now lead 24-7 at halftime.

Notre Dame opened up the game with Gray's first touchdown on their first drive to go up 7-0. They added to the margin late in the first to 10-0 after a 52-yard David Ruffer field goal.

O'Brien has looked more like his old self tonight, but it is going to require a lot more from the Terps to come back in this one, primarily stopping Tommy Rees and Jonas Gray. The Fighting Irish have not trailed in this game.

Maryland Vs. Notre Dame Score Update: Quintin McCree Touchdown Gets Terps On Board

2011-11-13T01:50:29Z

The Maryland Terrapins are on the board against Notre Dame, putting together their first impressive drive of the game. The Terps marched down the field with a series of short and intermediate passes, finally capping it off with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Danny O'Brien to Quintin McCree to cut the Fighting Irish's lead to 17-7.

It was the first example of a sustained drive for O'Brien and the Terps. Trailing 17-7, O'Brien finally was able to get into a rhythm, completing a number of short passes. It was the vision offensive coordinator Gary Crowton had when he took over the team. The touchdown came on one of Crowton's patented bubble screens, as McCree bounced it outside and ran to the corner of the end zone for the score.