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Seminoles face fairy-tale Terps
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| Florida State’s Neefy Moffett (59) sacks Boston College quarterback Chris Crane (10), forcing a fumble in the Eagles’ 27-17 win on Nov. 15. JASON MATTHEW WALKER/Lake City Reporter |
FSU needs win on the road to stay in hunt for ACC championship.
By DAVID GINSBURG
Associated Press
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The story of Maryland’s football
season is so incredibly unimaginable, any attempt to chronicle the wacky up-and-down journey should begin with the words, “Once upon a time ...”
It began with a narrow win over Delaware in which starting quarterback Jordan Steffy was lost with a fractured thumb. Then came a loss to Middle Tennessee State — followed by a victory over then-unbeaten California.
Wins over two more ranked teams, Clemson and Wake Forest, were sandwiched around a 31-0 defeat at Virginia. The Terrapins own a best-in-the-nation four victories over Top 25 opponents, yet are 3-3 against unranked teams. They have won five games by eight points or fewer, the last two by a combined five points.
And now, after all that, No. 22 Maryland is in position to add a memorable final chapter to an improbable saga.
The Terrapins can complete an unbeaten season at home and conceivably earn a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game with a victory at sold out Byrd Stadium tonight.
“You ever read those fairy-tale stories with a perfect ending? That’s what it would be. A perfect ending,” linebacker Moise Fokou said. “Last game at Byrd as a senior, going out on top with a W.”
Fokou and 29 other seniors will attempt to defeat a Florida State team that will seek to write its own ending to Maryland’s strange season.
The Seminoles need outside help to get to the title game, and that’s OK with coach Bobby Bowden.
“I’m not harping on that,” he said. “Every time we get into a situation where we control our own destiny, we have gotten beat every time. So we will tell them to play the best they can and have a lot of pride.”
Florida State hasn’t won at Byrd Stadium since 2002, but those losses in 2004 and 2006 are its lone defeats in a lopsided series that stands 16-2 in favor of FSU.
season is so incredibly unimaginable, any attempt to chronicle the wacky up-and-down journey should begin with the words, “Once upon a time ...”
It began with a narrow win over Delaware in which starting quarterback Jordan Steffy was lost with a fractured thumb. Then came a loss to Middle Tennessee State — followed by a victory over then-unbeaten California.
Wins over two more ranked teams, Clemson and Wake Forest, were sandwiched around a 31-0 defeat at Virginia. The Terrapins own a best-in-the-nation four victories over Top 25 opponents, yet are 3-3 against unranked teams. They have won five games by eight points or fewer, the last two by a combined five points.
And now, after all that, No. 22 Maryland is in position to add a memorable final chapter to an improbable saga.
The Terrapins can complete an unbeaten season at home and conceivably earn a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game with a victory at sold out Byrd Stadium tonight.
“You ever read those fairy-tale stories with a perfect ending? That’s what it would be. A perfect ending,” linebacker Moise Fokou said. “Last game at Byrd as a senior, going out on top with a W.”
Fokou and 29 other seniors will attempt to defeat a Florida State team that will seek to write its own ending to Maryland’s strange season.
The Seminoles need outside help to get to the title game, and that’s OK with coach Bobby Bowden.
“I’m not harping on that,” he said. “Every time we get into a situation where we control our own destiny, we have gotten beat every time. So we will tell them to play the best they can and have a lot of pride.”
Florida State hasn’t won at Byrd Stadium since 2002, but those losses in 2004 and 2006 are its lone defeats in a lopsided series that stands 16-2 in favor of FSU.
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