Travis Baltz

Three Maryland football players were selected to the 2009 Academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference team, the school announced Wednesday. Travis Baltz, a junior punter from Whitehouse, Ohio, was named an Academic All-ACC player for the third straight year. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle A.J. Francis and redshirt junior offensive lineman Paul Pinegar were chosen for the team for the first time. The Academic All-ACC team selects players who have earned at least a 3.0 grade-point average last semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average.

Nick Ferrara can almost feel the sweat and hear the low thud of impact as his right leg swings through the football. "Every time before a game you sit back there and you imagine a game-winning field goal going straight through," said the Maryland kicker, whose 2010 season was spoiled by a right groin injury. He's been rejuvenated — physically and emotionally — and tops the most recent depth chart at both field-goal kicker and punter in advance of Monday night's season opener against Miami.

Maryland junior punter Travis Baltz , freshman defensive lineman A.J. Francis , who lives in Severn, and junior offensive lineman Paul Pinegar were among 30 student-athletes named to the Academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team. Baltz, a senior in the fall, made his third consecutive appearance on the team, while Francis and Pinegar were chosen for the first time. Men's basketball: One day after being named Patriot League Player of the Week, Navy's Chris Harris was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I Player of the Week for the second time.

COLLEGE PARK - Given the early hour and the sleepy spectators, this clearly wasn't the Maryland football team's answer to Midnight Madness. But as the team's Fan Appreciation Day workout wore on early Saturday morning inside Byrd Stadium, the small crowd woke up. By the time the Terrapins finished their two-hour session with four 100-yard gassers, many of the few hundred fans were up on their feet cheering and encouraging the players. At least half the crowd remained to chat with and get autographs from first-year coach Randy Edsall and his team.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Head coach Ralph Friedgen said he hoped to run out the clock with Maryland leading by two points with 5:22 left in Saturday's game with Miami. It didn't work out as the coach envisioned. Davin Meggett rushed three times but could not make a first down, and the Terps punted the ball back to Miami. Trailing 20-18, the Hurricanes then drove for the touchdown that put them ahead to stay, 26-20. Meggett rushed for 70 yards on nine carries in the game, including a 37-yarder.

The game began with Maryland committing three delay-of game penalties and a false start and retreating steadily backwards toward its goal line as 60,000 fans in Milan Puskar Stadium howled with delight. That was the first of a series of forgettable early possessions for Maryland, which surrendered 345 first-half yards and made just four first downs in the half as it fell behind by three touchdowns to 21st-ranked West Virginia. After that, the game became about whether the Terps (2-1)

There is no more Terps football for Adrian Cannon, Emani Lee-Odai and other undrafted former Maryland players wondering if their NFL hopes can outlast the league-wide lockout. There are no fight songs, no playbooks, no coaches on the sidelines with ball caps and whistles. As a group of the pro prospects worked out recently in a vast indoor soccer complex, there was only … each other. And sweat and ambition and the sobering knowledge that their identities as football players are far from guaranteed.

Navy ran all over the field Monday. But in the red zone -- when and where it mattered most -- Maryland managed to stop the Midshipmen in a 17-14 victory in the season opener for both teams. The Terps -- and particularly safety Kenny Tate -- stopped Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs near the goal line in the final minute to preserve the win. The Terps ended a seven-game losing streak from last season. The teams were playing for the second time since 1965 in a rivalry game known as the "Crab Bowl.

— Maryland made two surprise quarterback decisions before its 42-28 victory over Florida International on Saturday. First, coaches started redshirt freshman Danny O'Brien for the first time. It had not been clear that redshirt junior Jamarr Robinson's sore shoulder would keep him from starting as he had the previous three weeks. Coaches also decided that punt returner Tony Logan — once a highly-regarded quarterback in high school in Piscataway, N.J. — would be the No. 2 quarterback.

Maryland invited an FBI agent to speak to players about making sure they steer clear of bookmakers and others who could do the program harm, coach Randy Edsall said Friday. The agent addressed the team Thursday. "It's just about being proactive," Edsall said. He said the message was "how they have to be careful of who they're associating with. " The informal talk follows the disclosure by Yahoo! Sports earlier this week that a former Miami booster provided impermissible benefits to at least 72 athletes from 2002 through 2010.

Maryland invited an FBI agent to speak to players about making sure they steer clear of bookmakers and others who could do the program harm, coach Randy Edsall said Friday. The agent addressed the team Thursday. "It's just about being proactive," Edsall said. He said the message was "how they have to be careful of who they're associating with. " The informal talk follows the disclosure by Yahoo! Sports earlier this week that a former Miami booster provided impermissible benefits to at least 72 athletes from 2002 through 2010.

There is no more Terps football for Adrian Cannon, Emani Lee-Odai and other undrafted former Maryland players wondering if their NFL hopes can outlast the league-wide lockout. There are no fight songs, no playbooks, no coaches on the sidelines with ball caps and whistles. As a group of the pro prospects worked out recently in a vast indoor soccer complex, there was only … each other. And sweat and ambition and the sobering knowledge that their identities as football players are far from guaranteed.

Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien felt uneasy. It was moments after Florida State's 30-16 victory over Maryland last Saturday, and Seminoles players seemed eager to wish O'Brien good luck in the next Atlantic Coast Conference game. The Florida State players weren't just being polite. The Seminoles need the Terps to knock North Carolina State out of the Atlantic Division title race today for Florida State to claim the crown. O'Brien immediately felt uncomfortable in the spoiler's role.

COLLEGE PARK — Maryland entered Saturday night's game desperately seeking a signature win to crown its turnaround season. The Terrapins had it all set up — the biggest home crowd of the year and a formidable opponent in Florida State that had won 18 of the previous 20 meetings and was trying to knock Maryland from contention in its Atlantic Coast Conference divisional race. But Maryland failed on a last-minute attempt to tie or win the game before falling, 30-16.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — As his pass reached the end zone, Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien believed for the briefest moment that the Terps had done it. The redshirt freshman thought that receiver Adrian Cannon had made a catch on the game's final play that could have secured Maryland's first road victory since September 2008 against a team with a winning record. But Cannon couldn't manage to hold onto the pass or stay in bounds, leaving the Terps (6-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Head coach Ralph Friedgen said he hoped to run out the clock with Maryland leading by two points with 5:22 left in Saturday's game with Miami. It didn't work out as the coach envisioned. Davin Meggett rushed three times but could not make a first down, and the Terps punted the ball back to Miami. Trailing 20-18, the Hurricanes then drove for the touchdown that put them ahead to stay, 26-20. Meggett rushed for 70 yards on nine carries in the game, including a 37-yarder.

Last week was a difficult one for Danny O'Brien . The backup Maryland quarterback had to answer media questions about a botched handoff that led to a fumble on his first — and at that time, only — play of his college career against Navy. It all went a little more smoothly for the redshirt freshman on Saturday night against Morgan State. Three of O'Brien's first four passes went for touchdowns — 27 yards to tight end Matt Furstenburg , 24 yards to Torrey Smith and 22 yards to Da'Rel Scott . Expect to see more of O'Brien — even in games that aren't routs, as Saturday's was. Coaches have said they will look for opportunities to play him each week in relief of starter Jamarr Robinson . Smith racks up yards Entering Saturday's game, Smith needed 291 yards to set the Atlantic Coast Conference record for career kickoff return yards.

Nick Ferrara can almost feel the sweat and hear the low thud of impact as his right leg swings through the football. "Every time before a game you sit back there and you imagine a game-winning field goal going straight through," said the Maryland kicker, whose 2010 season was spoiled by a right groin injury. He's been rejuvenated — physically and emotionally — and tops the most recent depth chart at both field-goal kicker and punter in advance of Monday night's season opener against Miami.

CLEMSON, S.C. — Two seasons ago, Maryland found itself trailing Clemson by 11 points at the half. The Terps memorably came back to win and silence the Death Valley crowd. Could the Terps duplicate that feat? The truth is, Maryland didn't really want to find out. But there the Terps were on Saturday trailing the Tigers by 10 points at halftime. This time, Maryland (4-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) couldn't escape, losing 31-7 to a Clemson team desperate to right its season after losing three games in a row. The loss kept the Terps still looking for that elusive big road win to make their "comeback" season a reality.