AN UNTHINKABLE COLLAPSE

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - There were multiple momentum swings in Saturday's Terrapin football game at Wake Forest, but no one will be able to forget the final one.

After a 54-yard run on a reverse by Darrius Heyward-Bey, the Terps were in position to add on to a 21-point lead with about a minute left in the third quarter and all but bury the defending ACC champions.

Then the momentum swung and an unbelievable collapse began.

On 3rd and goal from the 3-yard line, quarterback Jordan Steffy eyed Lance Ball in the flat and tried to fit a quick pass to the running back waiting in the end zone. But Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith read it the whole time, jumped the pass and returned the interception 100 yards the other way for a Demon Deacon score.

Keyed by the touchdown, Wake Forest emphatically took the momentum back and scored 14 additional unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including the game-tying touchdown with three seconds left. The Demon Deacons completed the incredible comeback in overtime to hand the Terps a stunning 31-24 loss.

"We thought we were going to stick this thing in, and it was going to be the nail in the coffinpretty much," running back Keon Lattimore said. "We were all pretty positive, and we thought we were going to get the win."

Steffy called the pass "a dumb decision," and said it was probably the toughest loss he's ever experienced.

"We were executing. We were moving the ball. The defense was playing well. Everything was just going fine for us at one point," Steffy said. "Then the momentum changed, and we weren't able to adapt and hold onto the lead."

Lattimore likened the new mood on the Terp sideline to a "little kid who got his candy took," and it showed.

Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner, who hadn't played in the Demon Deacons' past two games and received a thunderous ovation when introduced as the starter minutes before kickoff, finished off Wake's next drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak to pull his team within a touchdown.

Skinner showed some ill effects of a separated shoulder sustained against Boston College Sept. 1 with three interceptions, but he was on point when it counted.

The Terps gave the Demon Deacons a chance to tie it up by failing to ice the game. The smashmouth running game, which had gained 172 yards through three quarters, was non-existent. After the interception, Steffy threw the ball just twice.

Coach Ralph Friedgen admitted that with a young quarterback under center, he didn't want to force Steffy into another big mistake, and failing to stay aggressive may have hurt the Terps.

"I got conservative, and I probably wouldn't do it again with the same situation, but we've got to be able to run the ball in that situation, too," Friedgen said.

Still, Wake took over with 1:51 left and no timeouts remaining, needing to go 80 yards for the tying score. Two long pass plays quickly accounted for 55 of those yards, and the Demon Deacons moved down to the Terp 11 before the drive started to stall. On 4th and 5 from the six with nine seconds left, Skinner displayed some of last season's magic by lobbing a perfect strike to tight end John Tereshinski in the back of the end zone to tie the game.

"We were tired, but that's not an excuse for letting them drive down the field like they did," defensive tackle Dre Moore said. "We had to make a big play, and we just didn't find it."

At that point Wake fans had Groves Stadium rocking, and the home team delivered an overtime performance that ended things quickly.

Wake redshirt freshman running back Josh Adams, who rushed 20 times for 91 yards, took the ball three times in the opening possession and picked up all 25 yards needed to score, finishing it off with a six-yard touchdown run.

Lattimore said he still believed the Terps had a chance, but the Wake defense proved otherwise.

After stuffing Lattimore twice on runs, the Demon Deacons registered their fifth and sixth sacks of the game, ending it on Jeremy Thompson's blind side hit on Steffy on a fourth and 18 play.

The meltdown ruined a good start to the game for the Terps that saw three different players score on touchdown runs, as Steffy continued several drives with key pass plays.

Early on, the Demon Deacons seized the momentum by recovering running back Keon Lattimore's fumble and converting a field goal. Then the Terps took it all back with 24 unanswered points using a dominating defense and punishing offensive ground game to nearly bury Wake.

But all of that seems meaningless now. The Terps outgained Wake Forest 314-201 through three quarters, but the Demon Deacons dominated the fourth with 171 net yards compared to the Terps' 28.

More importantly, Wake Forest stole a conference win, leaving the Terps shocked and searching for answers.

"I still can't get over it right now," Lattimore said after the game. "On the plane ride home we gotta think about it, but it's tough to swallow whenever you're up on the road in the ACC. You've got a team down 21 points, it's real tough to swallow."

edetweilerdbk@gmail.com