Posts Tagged 'Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Ends Maryland's ACC Championship Hopes
By blint80 1 Comment
Categories: College Football
Tags: ACC, College Football, Florida State Seminoles, Maryland terrapins
Heading into the final two games of the 2010 season, the Maryland Terrapins needed to beat Florida State and North Carolina State at home in order to claim their first ACC Atlantic Title and a trip to Charlotte. The Terps would face off against the Seminoles in a Blackout, supporting the Wounded Warrior Project. Florida State's starting Quarterback Christian Ponder had fluid drained from his elbow earlier in the week, but FSU would overcome all these obstacles to beat the Terps 30-16 on Saturday Night.
The game had two ties and five lead changes, but in the end Maryland's inability to capitalize in the redzone hurt their chances. Maryland had to settle for three field goals in the redzone instead of scoring touchdowns, a difference that can be enormous in close games like this one. With 30 seconds remaining, Maryland QB Danny O'Brien was intercepted with the Terps trailing 23-16 to seal the team's fate. The Terps were plagued by four turnovers, their highest total of the season.
With the loss, Maryland drops to 7-4 on the season, with one more game against the NC State Wolfpack to go. The Terps have already solidified a bowl berth, but will not play for the ACC Title. Maryland can increase their opportunity of a better bowl game with a win over NC State on Senior Day, and truly earn their first marquee win of the season. Although the Terps are 7-4, they have not defeated a ranked opponent and have only defeated one opponent (Navy) that currently holds a winning record. With a loss to NC State, Maryland may find themselves playing in a low-caliber bowl, which would not be satisfying for a team that has increased their win total by five games this year.
Terps Sweep Seminoles, Boost Resume
Categories: College Basketball
Tags: ACC, College Basketball, Florida State Seminoles, Maryland terrapins
Prior to tonight's game with the Florida State Seminoles, The Maryland Terrapins were inbetween a possible lead in the ACC conference race and a possible bubble spot for the NCAA Tournament. But with last night's 71-67 win in Talahassee, the Terps (15-6, 5-2 ACC) have solidified themselves as a serious NCAA Tournament contender.
After a slow start in the first half, The Terps shot 49% in the second half to propel themselves to victory. Greivis Vasquez led the Terps with 23 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. Landon Milbourne was also a key contributor, with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.
The Terps were able to withstand a hostile White Out at the Donald L. Tucker Center, becoming only the second team to win there this season. They also held off a career performance by FSU Guard Derwin Kitchen , scoring 29 points.
The defining moment of the game was with 14.5 seconds left. Down 66-64 and with the ball, Florida State's Michael Snaer drove into the lane and made a layup, but Dino Gregory made a smart play by drawing a charge. The Terps were able to maintain possession and make a few free throws to seal the deal.
This was a great win for the Terps' NCAA Tournament hopes. It now gives them two wins against the AP Top 50, both against Florida State. Since Maryland does not have any good non-conference win, they must get conference road wins like these to boost their case. It also gives the Terps a 5-2 record on the road, a very impressive statistic.
Next up is North Carolina on Sunday at 2 in snowy College Park. The Defending National Champs are looming, and Maryland always seems to have their number as of late. Hopefully things will turn out in the Terps favor.
Missed tackles, Missed Opportunities
The Maryland Terrapins had this game in the bag. They could have ruined Florida State's Senior Day and Mickey Andrews' last game as FSU Defensive Coordinator. It could have been the first time a Maryland team had won in Tallahassee. They quite possibly could have given Bobby Bowden a loss in his last home game as Head Coach of the Seminoles.
With the score 26-22 with around two minutes left, Maryland punted the ball away to Florida State's Greg Reid, who recieved the ball inside the ten yard line, broke three tackles and returned it 48 yards to the Maryland 44 yard line. Four plays later, Running Back Lonnie Pryor scored on a three yard touchdown run with 32 seconds to give Florida State the lead and the win, 29-26.
This is just a demoralizing and depressing loss. If I were to pick one game to describe this Maryland season, it would definitely be this game. It was the best I've seen the Terps play all year, probably since the Clemson game, but they didn't come through in the clutch when it mattered. The defense played so well, but choked at the end when it needed a big stop. After intercepting QB E.J. Manuel three times, they let him run wild for scrambles of 15 and 20 yards to set up the game winning TD.
Well, there's one game left on the schedule as Maryland tries to avoid a 10-loss season. They play Boston College next Saturday at home on Senior Day at 3:30. The game will be on ESPNU. If you're a fellow Maryland fan reading this, my heart goes out to you. This one stings the most out of all the other losses, and quite frankly I can't wait for this season to be over.
Tags: ACC, Clemson Tigers, College Football, Florida State Seminoles, Maryland terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, NC State Wolfpack, Virginia Tech Hokies
All roads lead to Tampa Bay
On Saturday, September 5th, most college football teams in the nation will take the field for the first time to kick off what should be an exciting season. To get everybody's juices flowing and pumped up for the season, All Metro Sports World will preview each major conference before kickoff weekend. I will give my projected final standings for each conference, give bold predictions, and name key games to watch in the 08-09 season. First, lets take a look at the ACC.
Projected Order of Finish:
ACC Championship: Virginia Tech over NC State
Tyrod Taylor will lead the Hokies to an ACC Title
Bold Predictions:
Florida State will not win the ACC Atlantic Divison
Every year magazines hype up the Seminoles and predict them to win the Atlantic, only to be dissapointed. But I'm not falling for that. The Noles have tough non-conference schedule games against Florida, BYU, and South Florida, and have to travel to Wake Forest, Clemson, and North Carolina. I'll take the sleeper in the division, North Carolina State. Quarterback Russel Wilson is truly an amazing player that I think can take the Wolfpack all the way, even if he is just a sophomore.
The loss of Darren Evans gives Virginia Tech no chance in the season opener against Alabama.
I would have picked the Hokies if not for the loss of their tailback Evans, who rushed for 1,265 yards and 11 TDs as a freshman last year. Alabama is too strong up front and will be able to put pressure on Tyrod Taylor. The Hokies may not be able to overcome the loss of Evans in this game, but in the long run they will be okay.
This will not be the year Miami returns to greatness.
I'll admit, Miami is loaded with talent and Quarterback Jacory Harris was very promising in the Emerald Bowl against California. But the schedule is intense, they open at Florida State, then hose Georgia Tech, visit Virginia Tech, then host Oklahoma to start the season. Where was Miami's AD when they made this schedule? This is absolutley brutal.
Key Games:
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech
October 17th will be a showdown in Atlanta, and could ultimately decide who wins the Coastal Division. This will be a mid-season game, so VT's always strong defense will only have eight days to prepare for GT's triple option offense.
NC State at Florida State
This October 31st battle could also ultimately decide who makes it to Tampa Bay for the ACC Championship. FSU's inconsistent defense that has issues up front and in the secondary could have problems with the dual-threat NC State Quarterback Russel Wilson. NC State will have to be able to get pressure on FSU Quarterback Christian Ponder and FSU's tough offensive line that returns all five starters and returns five of seven players on the defensive front to do so.
Clemson at Maryland
The ACC-home opener will be very important for Maryland. The Terps will likely be 3-1 heading into the contest, and with a win, they could gain momentum heading into the next three games, which are all winable (@Wake, UVA, @Duke). But if the Terps lose, they may have even have trouble making a bowl, because the first three games in Novemeber are @NC State, Virginia Tech, and @ Florida State in that order. A must-win for the Terps. Clemson's strong defensive front could give the young Terps O-Line trouble.
Maryland Quarterback Chris Turner will need to be more consistent for the Terps to compete in the ACC
Well, that's it. Check back tomorrow for an SEC preview.