After last week’s outing against Middle Tennessee State, Terp fans became a little bit on edge as to what might happen today again the No. 23 Cal Golden Bears, and all we can say is one word, ” defense.”
With one of the best defensive games in recent memory the Terps found a way to pressure Cal’s quarterback Kevin Riley, who did not find the end zone until the final minutes of the game.
“We weren’t ready to start the game,” said Riley, who made up for his team’s surprisingly ineffective running attack by going 33-for-58 for 423 yards and three scores. The 58 passes were a school record.
The Terrapins led 21-3 early in the second quarter, 21-6 at halftime and 28-6 after three quarters. The victory elevated the stature of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which has struggled against non-league competition this season.
Cal used a balanced attack of running and passing during their first two games of the season where they average a wowing 55 points per game. Today it was their running game that was completely MIA.
“We just didn’t open up very many holes for him today,” coach Jeff Tedford said. “We didn’t dominate the line of scrimmage. We got beat up front, offensively and defensively.”
While Riley had a tough time finding the end-zone, Terps quarterback Chris Turner was much more efficient than last week holding onto the ball and locating the open receiver with much more confidence. Turner completed 15 of 19 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Next up for the Terps is another unranked team in Eastern Michigan who they will take on Saturday at 1pm. The big question is what Terps team will show up? The one that plays a solid defense, or one that has an errant offense led by Turner. Stay turned, could the Terps get to 3-1 before facing the heart of the ACC schedule?
