COLLEGE PARK - -Heading into its third game, Maryland's football team is trying to remain upbeat while facing the sobering truth that it is too young, injured and untested to presume victory over opponents from non-power conferences it once regarded lightly.
Just a few weeks ago, Terrapins players privately expressed hope that they could win 10 games and play in a New Year's Day bowl game. Today, the Terps (1-1), who have lost three starters to injuries, have had their bravado tempered by the reality that the team remains a work in progress.
They know all too well how the gap has narrowed between Atlantic Coast Conference teams and schools such as today's opponent, Middle Tennessee State. Until last season, Maryland was undefeated (4-0) against the Blue Raiders and other teams from the Sun Belt Conference, which does not have an automatic berth to the Bowl Championship Series. Middle Tennessee beat Maryland, 24-14, in Week 2 last season.
"I don't think you can ignore the fact that the gap is closing," said fifth-year quarterback Chris Turner, who before the season had called the Terps "easily a 10-win team."
"There's upsets every week right now," Turner said. "They [the Blue Raiders] probably think they're better than us right now. That's probably the reality."
Last week, Maryland trailed in the fourth quarter to James Madison, which is in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). The Terps rallied to win, 38-35, in overtime.
Maryland and other schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision can award 85 football scholarships, while FCS schools are allotted 63.
But the FCS schools, unlike those in the FBS, are permitted to award partial scholarships. Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said some FCS schools have successfully combined academic grants with athletic scholarships so that many athletes receive a full ride, or close to it. "They can kind of double their scholarships up," he said.
FCS schools upset ACC teams in Week 1. Virginia lost to William and Mary, 26-14, and Duke was beaten by Richmond, 24-16.
Friedgen rarely reads the newspapers during the season but said he took notice when Central Michigan upset Michigan State, 29-27, on Saturday. Central Michigan is not an FCS school but was a heavy underdog on the Spartans' home field.
