D12
FROMTERRAPINSINSIDER Gilbert, O’Brien go down with injuries
Two important Maryland players—left tackle Justin Gilbert and backup quarterback Danny O’Brien—suffered injuries during Saturday’s 31-17 loss atWest Virginia that could significantly affect the Terrapins’ offense in the coming weeks.
Gilbert injured his left leg in the third quarter. Coach Ralph Friedgen declined to specify the nature of the injury prematurely but said a “pop” was heard, which portends a significant setback. “From what I have seen, we will probably get him back” this season, offensive coordinator James Franklin said. “The question will be when.” Terrapins quarterbacks were sacked eight times, the most allowed by Maryland under Friedgen. Meantime, O’Brien aggravated the right ankle sprain he suffered the previous weekend. O’Brien’s ankle was not 100 percent when he entered Saturday’s game, Franklin said, but he was healthy enough to play. On Maryland’s final series of the first half, O’Brien was hammered byWest Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin and limped from the field as time expired. Had O’Brien been healthy, Friedgen said, he may have started the second half, although no decision had been made before halftime. —Eric Prisbell
NEXT UP: Saturday vs. Florida International, noon.
EZ SU
KLMNO College football The region
FROMHOKIESJOURNAL Williams hurts his hamstring
Midway through the second quarter of Virginia Tech’s 49-27 victory over East Carolina on Saturday, sophomore running back RyanWilliams had to be helped from the field with what team officials are calling a right hamstring injury.
The injury appeared far worse asWilliams laid on the field for several moments, and then struggled to put any pressure on his right leg as trainers immediately took him to the locker room. Afterward, Coach Frank Beamer saidWilliams’s right hamstring had been bothering him this past week in practice, but he added that athletic trainer Mike Goforth indicated the injury was “not real, real serious.” Williams, who set a school record with 1,654 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2009, returned to the sideline during the Hokies’ second-half comeback but was walking with the help of crutches. Beamer could not say whether Williams will be able to play next week when Virginia Tech opens up its ACC schedule at Boston College. The Hokies’ rushing attack didn’t miss a beat in his absence. Junior Darren Evans led the team with 91 yards and a touchdown and sophomore David Wilson added 89 more. Virginia Tech finished the game with 249 yards on the ground and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.
—Mark Giannotto NEXT UP: Saturday at Boston College, TBA.
NEXT UP: Saturday vs. VMI, 1:30 p.m.
NEXT UP: Oct. 2 at Air Force, 2:30 p.m.
FROMCAVSJOURNAL Kicking is a priority
The Virginia football team returned to the practice field Wednesday, and one
of the focuses was on a field goal kicking unit that has yet to get the ball through the uprights through two games. During his segment of the ACC coaches’ teleconference Wednesday morning, Coach Mike London was asked again about the team’s struggles in field goal kicking, and London restated his belief that “it’s not just one individual that’s the culprit here,” likely referring to junior place kicker Robert Randolph, who has missed from 50, 45 and 35 yards this year.
—Steve Yanda
FROMMIDS INSIDER
Pass-happy Bulldogs
After two straight weeks in which it has limited an opponent to less
than 50 passing yards, the Navy defense entered Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech ranked first in the country against the pass and fifth overall. The Bulldogs, however, presented a different set of challenges than Maryland and Georgia Southern. Louisiana Tech runs a spread offense. The Bulldogs threw 72 times in their first two games, often employing four or five wide receivers. —GeneWang
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2010
AREAROUNDUP
Hoyas lose to Yale on last-second
touchdown Darby throws for 340 yards; Lawrence has
8 catches for 129 yards
FROM NEWS SERVICES AND STAFF REPORTS
Yale scored as time expired, a
one-yard run by quarterback Pat- rick Witt to lift the Bulldogs to a 40-35 win over Georgetown on Saturday afternoon in New Ha- ven,Conn. The Hoyas (2-1) rallied from a
MICHAEL SWITZER/ASSOCIATED PRESS Maryland's ZachariahKerr grabs the face mask ofWest Virginia running back Noel Devine, who ran 27 times for 131 yards in theMountaineers’ 31-17 win inMorgantown. Terps sacked by No. 21 Mountaineers terrapins from D1 The 21st-ranked Mountain-
eers (3-0)won their fifth straight game against Maryland, which has not won a road game in nearly two years. The Terrapins, fortunate to beat Navy in their openeranduntestedagainstdivi- sionI-AAMorganStatelastweek, became unglued on the biggest stage they’ve seen thus far. A crowd of 60,122 at Milan Puskar Stadium — mostly awash in old gold and blue — witnessed the Terrapins commit unforced and self-inflicted errors. “We tackled terrible,” Coach
Ralph Friedgen said. “Some guys lost their poise,”
offensive coordinator James Franklin said. And at 2-1, concern is now
mounting because injuries are mounting. Left tackle Justin Gil- bert suffered a third-quarter left leg injury that Friedgen felt was significant because the player heard a “pop.” Franklin said he believes Gilbert will return this season but did not knowwhen. “It’s pretty serious,” said start- ing quarterback Jamarr Robin-
son,whowas sackedseventimes. “That’smy blind side. That one is hard to replace.” Robinson is banged up him-
self; he playedwith a sore throw- ing shoulder throughout the sec- ond half.His bruises are a partic- ular concern because backup Danny O’Brien re-aggravated a right ankle sprain when Moun- taineers defensive end Bruce Ir- vin hammered him from behind onO’Brien’sonlyplayinthegame late in the second quarter. The next healthy quarterback avail- able: freshmanDevinBurns. Friedgen only wanted to use
O’Brien if absolutely necessary. NowthatO’Brienis “dingedup, is that a couple more weeks with- out him? We’re in a bind right now,” Friedgen said. Friedgen called Robinson’s
performance “gutty” even though he missed several open receivers, because he repeatedly scrambled to avoid pass rushers. The twowords Robinson used to describe his perspective on the game: pressure and confusion. Coaches spent the week talk-
ing about theneedfor their quar- terbacks to yell loudly because of
crowd noise. But a communica- tion breakdown occurred on the first series that set the tone for the game.TheTerrapins commit- ted four penalties, including three delay-of-game infractions. Robinson also burned a timeout. In an image that symbolized
how out of sorts players at times appeared, Robinson, in the shot- gun, emphatically flapped his arms on third down so center PaulPinegarwouldsnapthe ball, but to no avail. Another delay-of- game flag. “Noise,” said Robinson, who
also used a silent count at times on Saturday. “They said they could not hearme.” Defensively, Maryland could
not get off the field and, in the first half, could not stop wide receiver and Baltimore native Tavon Austin, one-third of West Virginia’s quicksilver offensive trio.Austinamassed92 ofhis 106 receiving yards in a first half in which he scored two touch- downs.Onthe second,afive-yard reception, noMaryland defender waswithin 12 feet. Friedgen said his defense blew two coverages and that even the
burly 63-year-old coach could have gotten open on one.He said a player rushed when he was supposed to sit in coverage, add- ing: “Where is that from? Some- times in the excitement of the thing, kids, they just make mis- takes, and all of the sudden you have a guy wide open in the end zone.” Despite spottingWestVirginia
a 28-0 lead,Maryland responded because Franklin knew his wide receivers could exploitWest Vir- ginia’s secondary — especially with top cornerback Brandon Hogan suspended — and Smith told Robinson to throw the ball high because he could win his one-on-one battle. Smith’s touchdownreceptions
may make highlight clips, but it was the end zone catch he didn’t make — another missed oppor- tunity, Friedgen said — that weighs on his mind. Flanked by cornerback PatMiller and safety Robert Sands, Smith admittedly pushed off and jumped high in the end zone, getting his hands on a pass. But he looked down and the ball fell to the ground. “It’s killing me right now,”
Terrapins’ defense is overwhelmed in a hurry There was cause for concern BY LIZ CLARKE
morgantown,
w.va. — In practices leading up to Satur- day’s game at West Virginia, Maryland’s coaches tried to sim- ulate the noise of 60,000 Moun- taineers fans. The futility of such an endeavor was evident on the Terrapins’ opening drive, when they were flagged for four penal- ties.
And after West Virginia’s first
two possessions resulted in touchdowns of breathless effi- ciency, the futility of trying to simulate the speed of West Vir- ginia’s offensive triumvirate — wide receiver Tavon Austin, wide receiver-punt returner Jock Sanders and running back Noel Devine—wasevenmoreevident. Within the first seven min-
utes, Austin reeled in touchdown strikes of six and five yards, fired toalmost the identical spot in the end zone (the second time with- out a Terrapins defender within 10 feet), to spotWest Virginia two easy scores in its 31-17 victory over Maryland before 60,122 ju- bilant fans at Milan Puskar Sta- dium.
all around in the aftermath of such a humbling defeat, with the 21st-ranked Mountaineers bolt- ing to a 21-0 halftime lead that squelched any lingering bravado fromMaryland’s 62-3 romp over division I-AA Morgan State last weekend. But the performance of the
Terrapins’ defense told much of the tale, with Maryland digging itself a hole early because its defenders were slow to react to the speed ofWest Virginia’s stars, slow to respond to its quick offensive tempo and too reliant on young, inexperienced players in the secondary. A breakdown in coverage — a
defender rushed the quarterback when he was supposed to drop back into pass coverage — led directly toAustin’s second touch- down reception, Coach Ralph Friedgen said afterward. “I could have got open on
those two,” Friedgen groused. “Theguywhowassupposedtobe covering him was rushing.” Friedgen also pointed to poor
tackling, particularly in the first quarter. “They’re good backs — don’t
get me wrong,” Friedgen said of Devine and Ryan Clarke. “But we’re better tacklers than we were today. Even when we did have ’em wrapped up, they fell for two or three more yards.” The statistics attested to the lopsided nature of the ground game, with West Virginia rush- ing for 201 yards (Devine ac- counted for 131;Clarkehad65) to Maryland’s minus–10. Still, there were encouraging
signs for the Terrapins on de- fense, which improved as the game wore on. Linebacker Alex Wujciak
made the first big defensive play, forcing a fumble by Austin with the Mountaineers marching to- ward what looked like a 97-yard touchdown drive late in the first quarter. A.J. Francis recovered for Maryland, but the offense was off the field after three plays went nowhere. Late in the second quarter,
Maryland’s Darin Drakeford sacked quarterback Geno Smith, dropping him for a 10-yard loss, and DrewGloster recovered. But again, the ensuing drive sput- tered after three plays. After the two early coverage
gaffes, the secondary clamped down on Austin, who had just one catch in the second half; he finished with seven catches for 106 yards. “For the most part, that’s one
of those games you could easily get blown right out of the build- ing,”Maryland defensive coordi- nator Don Brown said. “We set- tled right down. Our guys never panicked.” Indeed, once the defense got
up to speed, it kept the pressure on — at least until it ran out of gas on an 11-play drive late in the fourth quarter. It was under- standable given West Virginia’s success in hogging the ball (37 minutes 2 seconds toMaryland’s 22:58). Friedgen acknowledged the imbalance and said it’s incum- bent on the offense to shoulder more of the burden. “We go three-and-out, three- and-out, three-and-out, and the defense is on the field way too much,” Friedgen said. “They just wore out a little bit.” Said Brown: “It is what it is:
just too little, too late. And a long day, for sure.”
clarkel@washpost.com
Smith said of the play thatwould have whittled the deficit to 28-21 late in the third quarter. From the poor offensive line
play — Maryland had minus-10 yards rushing, including the sacks — to the penalties — the Terrapins committed nine for 66 yards — Maryland’s players of- fered some alarming flashbacks to the disastrous 2009 season. Friedgen rattled off several plays — including a near momentum- changing interception by line- backer Adrian Moten — that could have, perhaps should have, gone the otherway. Missed opportunities and un-
forced errors:Maryland’s players saidthey are too experienced, too mature to self-destruct as they did, especially early, in Satur- day’s game. “We can battle back; we can
put points on the boardwhenwe do what we’re supposed to do,” Smith said. “But the bad thing is that we have to eliminate penal- ties and look composed through- out the game. Just learn how to win on the road. There are no excuses.”
prisbelle@washpost.com
27-14halftimedeficitby scoring 21 points in the third quarter. Georgetown came out of halftime scoring on the opening kickoff. Sophomore Jeremy Moore re- turned it 85 yards for the Hoyas’ first kickoff return for a touch- downsince 2004. Junior corner back Jayah Kai-
samba intercepted Witt’s pass on Yale’s ensuing drive, setting up wide receiver Keerome Law- rence’s six-yard touchdown run that gave Georgetown a 28-27 lead.Lawrencefinishedwitheight catches for 129 yards. Wide receiver John O’Leary
madehis first catchof the seasona significant one. O’Leary caught a seven-yard scoring pass from Scott Darby that put Georgetown up 35-27. Darby completed 24 of 47 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns.He also threw an in- terception. It was the first time the Hoyas
had a 300-yard passer and a 100- yard receiver since last year’s game againstYale. After blocking a field goal at-
tempt by the Bulldogs (1-0), Georgetown failed to run out the clock and gave Yale the ball back with 1 minute 27 seconds. The Bulldogs capped their drive with Witt’s one-yardscoring run. l GALLAUDET 65, GEORGE
MASON 13: The offense gained 385 yards, the defense and the special teams each scored two touchdowns and the Bison won easily atHotchkissField. Quarterback Jimmy Gardner
ran for 107 yards and two touch- downsandcompleted3of9passes for58yardsandonetouchdownto lead Gallaudet (2-1). Shelby Bean had a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown and a three-yard blockedpunt returnfor a score. After spotting the Bison a 59-0
lead,GeorgeMason finally scored in the fourth when Jack Langley connectedwith JasperWillis on a 46-yardtouchdownpass. lMCDANIEL 24, CATHOLIC
14: The Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season, losing at home. Quarterback Greg Cordi- vari completed 22 of 36 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. He also threwthree interceptions. Catholic trailed 17-14 entering the fourth quarter, but McDaniel scoredwith11:28remainingtoput the game away. l BOWIE STATE 55, LIVING-
STONE 6: Clifton Budd (Sher- wood) completed8of 15passes for 106 yards and four touchdowns to lead Bowie State to the win in Salisbury, N.C. Kyle Jackson re- turned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown, and James Proc- tor (Suitland) returned a kickoff 89 yards for a score. l RICHMOND27, ELON21: Ty-
MICHAEL SWITZER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin catches one of his two first-half touchdowns.
ler Kirchoff scored on a 16-yard run in overtime and the Spiders wontheir firston-campus football game in 82 years. About 8,700 turnedout for theopeningofRich- mond’s $25million Robins Stadi- um.Richmond’s Latrell Scottwon his first game as aheadcoach.
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