BLACKSBURG, Va. - It's no secret that it has a been difficult season this year for Maryland's football team and for fourth-year coach Ralph Friedgen. The Terps have struggled with inexperience, struggled with injuries and struggled with their self-confidence.
But even with all that in mind, even with the coach begging for patience from his fans for much of the season, it was still hard to imagine things ever getting as ugly as they did last night at Lane Stadium.
No. 15 Virginia Tech didn't just beat Maryland, 55-6, ending the Terps' bowl hopes. In many ways the Hokies demoralized the Terps, pushing them around and bullying them for three quarters before finally calling off the dogs.
The 49-point margin of defeat was the worst loss of Friedgen's head coaching career, and the worst loss for Maryland since falling, 59-7, to Florida State in 2000.
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer found out early yesterday morning that his mother, Herma, died in her sleep at age 86, but at his mother's request, Beamer decided to stay with his team.
That proved to be all the motivation the Hokies needed to dispatch the Terps (4-6, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), who will finish the season with a losing record for the first time since 2000, regardless of what happens next week against Wake Forest.
Maryland also experienced an embarrassing moment off the field when Friedgen cursed on live television during a halftime interview with an ESPN reporter. The network apologized for Friedgen's language as the Terps went into the locker room trailing 41-3.
Things couldn't have gone any worse for Maryland in the first quarter, as the Terps fell behind 14-0 just four minutes into the game. On Maryland's first possession, quarterback Joel Statham threw three passes: The first two were nearly intercepted, and the third one went right into the arms of Hokies defensive back James Griffin, who returned the ball to the 29-yard line.
Virginia Tech (8-2, 5-1) gave Mike Imoh the ball five straight times, starting with a 21-yard run and ending with a 1-yard leap over pile into the end zone on fourth down that gave the Hokies a 7-0 lead.
Just 54 seconds later, it was 14-0. Statham completed a short pass to Derrick Fenner, but as the wide receiver tried to make a move, he was stripped by linebacker James Anderson at the 17. Linebacker Mikal Baaqee recovered the ball, and Imoh scored on a 6-yard run three plays later.
Maryland got on the scoreboard near the end of the first quarter with a 42-yard field goal by Nick Novak, but Virginia Tech simply would not take its foot off the gas pedal.
Tight end Jeff King got behind Maryland's defense - thanks to some confusion between linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and David Holloway - and Bryan Randall hit him for a 35-yard touchdown to make it 21-3.
Statham's nightmarish first half continued the next drive when he was intercepted by Xavier Adibi, and running back Justin Hamilton made it 28-3 just 19 seconds later.
Randall tossed a 15-yard touchdown to tight end Jared Mazzetta to put the Hokies up 38-3 minutes later, and Brandon Pace added a field goal with six seconds left in the half to make it 41-3.
Terps' worst defeats
Last night's loss ties for Maryland's eighth worst:
Year...Result...Margin
1913 Navy 76, Md. 0 76
1899 St. John's 62, Md. 0 62
1908 G. Wash. 57, Md. 0 57
1917 Penn St. 57, Md. 0 57
1938 Syracuse 53, Md. 0 53
2000 Fla. St. 59, Md. 7 52
1940 Penn 51, Md. 0 51
1941 Penn 55, Md. 6 49
2004 Va. Tech 55, Md. 6 49
1969 Penn St. 48, Md. 0 48
1992 Penn St. 69, Md. 21 48
