Fumble

What went right Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson had a team-high 12 tackles (seven solo), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception. What went wrong Maryland's offense was exposed in overtime, starting on the Wake Forest 25-yard line and finishing on the 47. Defining moment Late in the third quarter, Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith intercepted Jordan Steffy's pass in the end zone and ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. What it means Against probably their first competition of the same caliber, the Terps didn't match up, and the offense was the reason.

Tony Banks had just lost his second fumble of the day. A last-second chance at a comeback was history, the Jacksonville Jaguars were about to extend their record over the Ravens to 8-0, and the fans who weren't rushing to leave PSINet Stadium released their frustration by showering the Ravens' quarterback with boos.Banks was unmoved by the fans' show of emotion after he had turned in the kind of feast-or-famine performance that left his coach shaking his head."I've been booed enough in my career to not let that bother me," Banks said.

Turn out the lights, the party's over for the Ravens. They're now officially doomed to another losing season.It was almost symbolic that several banks of lights at the Ravens' new Camden Yards stadium went out with 13: 35 left in the fourth quarter. The Ravens were already losing 35-14 to the Minnesota Vikings and were heading for their third straight losing season since moving to Baltimore.The lights slowly came back on as the Vikings wrapped up a strange, 38-28 victory. Whether or not they were overconfident, the Vikings (13-1)

Rookie cornerback Duane Starks spent most of the preseason trying to fit into the Ravens' defensive schemes after holding out for the first two weeks of training camp. Doubts lingered over his lack of experience and size at a position where the team needed immediate help.In yesterday's 20-13 season-opening loss to Pittsburgh, Starks used his NFL debut to show flashes of what is to come. His coverage, tackling and intelligent play in the team's nickel packages helped the Ravens force two turnovers that nearly changed the direction of the game.

DefensePlayer of the YearLoui Georgalas, Calvert Hall, senior, lineman: This 6-3, 225-pound two-way tackle runs a 4.8-second 40, bench presses 300 pounds and combines quickness, strength and aggression that make keeping him out of the backfield tough. He stays busy, with 41 tackles, 13 1/2 sacks, seven blocked passes, 11 hurries, six fumbles caused, four fumble recoveries and a blocked punt. "Most teams have to make an adjustment, double-teaming him because of his quickness," said coach Lou Eckerl, whose No. 2-ranked Cardinals (8-3, 2-2 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association)

Chalk it up to first-game jitters.After sidestepping numerous fumbles, penalties and mental mistakes to remain in the game, No. 4 Loyola made one mistake too many in its season opener. Hitting Dons quarterback Brant Hall from the blind side, Gonzaga defensive lineman Mike Finnerty forced the ball loose, returning it 58 yards with 8 1/2 minutes left in the game to seal a 19-10 victory for the visiting Eagles yesterday.The Dons (0-1) turned the ball over three times, committed six first-half penalties and fumbled four times.

SAN DIEGO -- Kevin Gilbride knows how to exploit the Ravens' secondary.The San Diego Chargers coach was Jacksonville's offensive coordinator last year when the Jaguars stormed from behind in the fourth quarter to win both games against the Ravens.Gilbride, who had an assist from a former Ravens assistant, Mike Sheppard, who is now the Chargers' offensive coordinator, was up to his old tricks yesterday as he won the offense-defense chess match.He put together schemes that left the porous Ravens secondary looking bewildered, as Tony Martin ran free on what appeared to be busted coverages by the cornerbacks for three touchdown catches.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- What kind of a game was it for the patched-up Ravens defense?Even one of their best plays -- a goal-line fumble caused by Tyrus McCloud's big hit on Adrian Murrell -- turned into nine points for the New York Jets last night.The Jets promptly tackled Jay Graham in the end zone for a safety -- the second the Ravens have been guilty of in two games -- and then cashed in for a touchdown after the ensuing kickoff to take a 26-14 halftime lead en route to a 39-29 victory.

It should have been remembered as one of the best games of his career. But all anyone remembers is what happened at the end.Earnest Byner gained 187 total yards and scored two touchdowns in the 1988 AFC championship game.Yet, The Fumble still haunts him."That's still one of the things I'm trying to free myself totally from," Byner said. "I'm sure I never will be totally free."The Cleveland Browns, trailing 38-31, were driving to tie the score when the Denver Broncos recovered Byner's fumble on their 3-yard line with 1: 12 left.

Worst blunder: Jets running back Richie Anderson losing the ball at the Patriots' 5 at the end of the first half with the Jets going for the tying touchdown. Although a helmet caused the fumble, Anderson, running right, should have had the ball in his right hand, not the left.Best cadence: Broncos quarterback John Elway, a master at drawing a defense offside with his hard count, got the Rams to jump in the second quarter, then zipped a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dwayne Carswell for the go-ahead score in a 35-14 rout.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The prognosis appears promising for Jared Gaither. The starting left offensive tackle returned to Baltimore with his Ravens teammates after suffering what appeared to be a head or neck injury in the second quarter of the team's 27-21 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. X-rays at Massachusetts General Hospital on Gaither's neck and shoulder were negative. He collided headfirst with quarterback Joe Flacco's back while trying to block on a passing attempt. A magnetic resonance imagining is expected today on the 6-foot-9, 340-pound Gaither, who was too big to fit into the MRI machine at the Boston hospital.

The most impressive thing about yesterday's 27-9 victory over the Dolphins was the five forced turnovers. The Ravens intercepted Chad Pennington four times and recovered a fumble against a team that turned the ball over just 13 times during the regular season. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

DEKALB, Ill. - Ricky Dobbs fumbled on his first snap from scrimmage and didn't throw a pass for nearly 23 minutes last night. But there wasn't a thing wrong with his legs. Making his first start for Navy, the sophomore quarterback rushed for 124 yards on 25 carries and scored a touchdown as the Midshipmen blanked Northern Illinois, 16-0, for their first shutout in five years. Navy (7-4) scored on its first two possessions and held the ball for more than 17 minutes in the first half. "I thought Ricky played solid," Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said.

What went right Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson had a team-high 12 tackles (seven solo), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception. What went wrong Maryland's offense was exposed in overtime, starting on the Wake Forest 25-yard line and finishing on the 47. Defining moment Late in the third quarter, Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith intercepted Jordan Steffy's pass in the end zone and ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. What it means Against probably their first competition of the same caliber, the Terps didn't match up, and the offense was the reason.

What went right The Navy offense got its ground attack going, producing 521 yards, the third-highest rushing total in school history. What went wrong In key moments, Navy stopped itself. A fumble at Ball State's 15-yard line kept the Mids from taking an early lead. A fumble in overtime led to the loss. Defensively, the Mids are even younger than they were at the beginning of the season, with freshman Wyatt Middleton starting at free safety and sophomore Ross Pospisil starting at inside linebacker.

It was third-and-eight for North Carolina State in the second quarter Saturday when fullback Toney Baker broke loose on a 15-yard run that might or might not have ended with a fumble forced by Josh Wilson. Florida State@Maryland Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN2, 1300 AM, 105.7 FM Line: Florida State by 5

His storied career at another seeming dead end, Kurt Warner is facing a return trip to oblivion this week. But at least the one-time NFL Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl hero won't have to go back to stocking groceries, just holding clipboards. Warner's fumble-marred career as an NFL starter likely reached its conclusion yesterday in the Arizona Cardinals' 32-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He fumbled twice, losing one, and threw an interception. Cardinals coach Dennis Green yanked Warner in the fourth quarter for rookie first-round draft pick Matt Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner at Southern California.

Senior Nick Narango scored on receptions of 32 and 43 yards from Jason Fischer, returned a kickoff 82 yards for another score and had a sack on defense to pace Hereford in last night's 38-0 Baltimore County League 2A-1A blowout of visiting 15th-ranked New Town. Jason Cimino kicked a 30-yard field goal along with five extra points, Lonnie Liggins rushed for a score and Matt Hall returned a fumble 13 yards for another touchdown as the Bulls (2-1, 2-0) won for the second straight time since losing, 10-7, to Perry Hall.

The Ravens' shutout streak ended late in the second quarter. Their early-season defensive dominance did not. With little help from their offense and little resistance from the Oakland Raiders, the Ravens left the Silver and Black looking black and blue in a 28-6 rout yesterday before 70,744 at M&T Bank Stadium, the largest crowd in this city's pro football history. The Ravens rattled the Raiders into six turnovers, which ties a team record. They roughed up Oakland backup quarterback Andrew Walter for six sacks.

Aware of questions concerning his maturity as a leader of a talented City team, sophomore Ellis Foster went a long way toward answering them in yesterday's 20-0 Baltimore City League Division I rout of visiting Lake Clifton. Foster threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Sheldon Waller and a two-point conversion pass to Dominick Roseborough for an 8-0 lead with 15 seconds left in the first half. Foster also rushed for 1-yard scores late in the third and fourth quarters. Foster's effort, along with a stingy defense, lifted the sixth-ranked defending champion Knights (2-0 overall, 1-0 league)