2011 Prediction & Game Story
Week 13, Maryland at NC State
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Nov. 26 at NC State 56 … Maryland 41
CFN Analysis: All of a sudden, the season went from a big-time crash to a bowl game in the most spectacular of fashions. The Wolfpack needed the win, but all was lost down 41-14 before the epic comeback. This team didn’t show any quit this year. … Mike Glennon had a nice moment. Considering all the publicity over Russell Wilson, and the big shoes Glennon had to fill, the 306-yard, five-score comeback was special. … The offensive line had a nightmare of a time early but gave Glennon just enough time in the fourth quarter to work. C.J. Wilson’s pick six to close things out was the one bright spot for a defense that has to breathe a sigh of relief after getting gouged for three quarters.
Because the Maryland season wasn’t enough of a disaster, it had to lose in spectacular fashion. Just when it seemed like the team had something nice to build on in the offseason, instead it became the worst moment in a year of bad moments. … On the plus side, Demetrius Hartsfield was sensational with 18 tackles, and the line came up with good pressure and four sacks, but everything was overshadowed by the fourth quarter. … C.J. Brown should be able to build off this and showed enough over the last half of the year to possibly be a quarterback to work around. His mobility gives the attack an extra dimension, but the turnovers have to stop. The Terps gave it up five times with two picks from Brown.
(AP) RALEIGH, N.C. -- Mike Glennon threw for a career-high five touchdowns, ran for another score and led North Carolina State's rally from 27 points down in the second half to beat Maryland 56-41 on Saturday.
James Washington ran 1 yard for the go-ahead score with 7:08 left for the Wolfpack (7-5, 4-4 ACC).
They trailed 41-14 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter before reeling off five straight touchdown drives during the second-biggest comeback ever in an ACC game -- and a victory that might have been more shocking than last week's upset of then-No. 7 Clemson.
The Wolfpack scored 35 points in the fourth quarter as part of a rally surpassed in an ACC game only by Clemson's comeback from a 28-point deficit to beat Virginia 29-28 in 1992.
C.J. Brown rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another for Maryland (2-10, 1-7), which lost its last seven games under first-year coach Randy Edsall. Davin Meggett's 6-yard scoring run in the third quarter gave the Terrapins their biggest lead.
Glennon finished 36 of 55 for 306 yards with touchdown passes covering 4 and 11 yards to Tony Creecy, 7 yards to Jay Smith, 6 yards to Tobais Palmer and 7 yards to George Bryan for N.C. State, which needed to win seven games to become eligible because two of its victories came against FCS teams.
It took a remarkable rally to make that happen.
Glennon started the comeback with his touchdown pass to Palmer with just under 6 minutes left in the third. Then he threw a second scoring pass to Creecy on the first play of the fourth quarter, pulling N.C. State within 13.
Meggett fumbled on the Terrapins' next play, and four plays later, Glennon sneaked in from 1 yard out to make it 41-35 with 13:28 left.
And when Earl Wolff intercepted Brown's deep pass and brought it out to near midfield, Carter-Finley Stadium was rocking. Glennon's 20-yard pass to Creecy on third-and-9 set up Washington's go-ahead touchdown run.
Maryland went three-and-out and punted back to N.C. State with 5:21 left, and the Wolfpack ran about three minutes off the clock -- helped by a roughing-the-passer penalty on a third-and-6 that kept the drive going. Glennon's scoring pass to Bryan put N.C. State up by eight with 2:18 remaining.
C.J. Wilson then iced it with a 59-yard interception return for a score with 27 seconds to play.
Brown finished 12 of 23 for 166 yards with a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs and a 24-yard scoring pass to Kevin Dorsey for Maryland, a two-touchdown underdog that hadn't beaten an FBS team since the opener against shorthanded Miami.
Dexter McDougle returned a fumble 66 yards for a touchdown and A.J. Hendy took an interception 32 yards for another score for Maryland, which was trying to spoil things for N.C. State for the third time in five years. The Terps kept the Wolfpack out of the postseason in 2007 with a rout in the finale, and beat Russell Wilson's final N.C. State team in the last game of the 2010 regular season to deny it a spot in the ACC championship game.
Early on, it seemed all but certain that it would happen again -- especially after Maryland took two of those giveaways back for easy points.
McDougle started the scoring when James Washington caught a pass and simply dropped the ball for N.C. State's second fumble. The Maryland cornerback scooped it up and had an easy path down the sideline for the touchdown roughly 6 1/2 minutes in.
Hendy made it 28-7 with 8 minutes left in the half when he picked off Glennon's pass and breezed into the end zone.
Brown's second short touchdown run pushed the Terps' lead to 21-7 with just under 9 minutes left in the half, and his TD pass to Dorsey made it 34-14 with 33 seconds before the break. Meggett then made it 41-14 with his long scoring run barely 4 minutes into the third.
That sent some fans to the exits -- way too early.
Maryland (2-9) at NC State (6-5) Nov. 26, 12:30, ACC Network
Here’s The Deal … Has NC State suddenly turned the corner, or did it catch a clearly unmotivated Clemson team at an absolutely perfect time in the schedule? The Wolfpack obliterated the Tigers, the Atlantic Division champ and co-favorite to wear the ACC crown, a week ago in a game that wasn’t even competitive after halftime. The improbable 37-13 victory dramatically boosted the bowl prospects for the program, which still needs one more victory to qualify. Although State has six wins, only one of the two against FCS teams counts toward bowl-eligibility.
Maryland’s nightmare is almost over. Losers of seven straight games, the Terrapins are on the verge of their second 2-10 campaign in the last three years. In between, the school went 9-4 for deposed head coach Ralph Friedgen, causing some rumblings around College Park that the Fridge should not have been ousted in the first place. Successor Randy Edsall gets one more look at his players before starting a very long offseason.
Why Maryland Might Win: If the Terrapins are going to cap 2011 with a victory, it’ll have to be the C.J. Brown Show in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon. Yeah, he’ll get help on the ground from seasoned RB Davin Meggett, but the sophomore quarterback has sparkplug tendencies that this program desperately needs. While he’s still learning the ropes as a passer, he possesses the vision and quickness outside of the pocket to frustrate defenses with his feet. Despite splitting time before Danny O’Brien was injured, he’s rushed for more than 100 yards on three separate occasions, including a week ago against Wake Forest.
Why NC State Might Win: The Wolfpack offense has been up-and-down all year. This week, it’ll be up. The Maryland D is a complete mess, suffering from too many injuries and too much youth in the lineup. The Pack will look to capitalize with the passing of Mike Glennon, and the running of Tony Creecy and James Washington.
Not to be forgotten, the NC State defense has played exceptionally well over the past month, holding four of its last five opponents to no more than 14 points. It consistently creates turnovers and sacks, employing the likes of DT J.R. Sweezy, linebackers Audie Cole and Terrell Manning and CB David Amerson to disrupt the flow of the other team’s gameplan.
What To Watch Out For: Amerson has blossomed into one of the ACC’s biggest individual surprises of the fall. The second-year cornerback out of Greensboro has been a revelation for Tom O’Brien’s team, picking off 11 passes to tie a league record set by North Carolina’s Dre Bly in 1996. He’ll force Brown to completely avoid his side of the field, flashing the instincts of a fifth-year all-star, and the ball skills of a top wide receiver. Best of all for Wolfpack fans, Amerson has yet to even reach the halfway point of a career that’s just beginning to take off.
What Will Happen: Although NC State has hardly been consistent this season, it’s difficult to imagine this team bowing to Maryland when a bowl berth hangs in the balance. The Terps have neither the manpower nor the motivation to deliver a road upset at this stage of a fading campaign. The Wolfpack will have few problems containing a one-dimensional offense, while continuing to support its offense with takeaways and tackles in the backfield. Glennon will finish the regular season on a high note, zipping a couple of touchdown passes to help the Pack pull away for good after halftime.
CFN Prediction: NC State 31 … Maryland 13
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