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CLEMSON, S.C. - The Terrapin defense knew what was coming.
With 5:47 remaining in Saturday's ACC opener at No. 20 Clemson, the officiating crew's measurement showed Tiger running back C.J. Spiller came up just short of the first down marker on a third down reception. As the Tigers pushed into scoring range, the Terps knew if they stopped quarterback Cullen Harper from surging forward on fourth down, they could preserve a three-point advantage and escape one of the conference's toughest environments with a win.
"We knew exactly what was on the line at that point," senior defensive tackle Dean Muhtadi said. "We knew the game was going to come down to that play. If they had gotten that first down, they might've tied the game or worse. We had to stop them there."
Needing less than a yard, Harper attempted his push. Defensive linemen Jeremy Navarre and Dion Armstrong went low while linebacker Alex Wujciak flew in over the top. Harper didn't really go anywhere.
After an official review, the Terp defense had held.
"It was close," said Muhtadi, who was part of a group of Terps crowded around the officials as they performed a second measurement. "Maybe a couple of inches."
They never gave the ball back and held on for an improbable 20-17 win in a stadium best known as "Death Valley." The Terps overcame an 11-point halftime deficit by holding the Tigers scoreless in the second half of a game coach Ralph Friedgen called "weird."
"I don't think we played that well in the second half," Friedgen said. "We won this one with our hearts. We grinded it out with will."
The Terps (4-1, 1-0) spotted Clemson (3-2, 1-1) an early 10-0 lead and could not stop the running back tandem of Spiller and James Davis, who combined for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 21 first-half carries. But they managed to stay within striking distance at 17-6, thanks to three first-half Tiger turnovers and a pair of short field goals by Obi Egekeze.
The Terps were able to reverse fortunes in the second half, holding strong on defense and silencing the orange-clad crowd of 81,500.
The Terp offense was unimpressive for most of the day, especially on the ground as running back Da'Rel Scott was held to 39 yards on 23 carries. But a 76-yard end-around by wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey in the third quarter set up a crucial touchdown and the Terp defense controlled field position. By the end, the Chris Turner-led attack simply had to run out the clock.
The win was the Terps' first ACC opener victory since 2004, with their biggest second-half comeback since rallying from 20 points back at Virginia on Oct. 14, 2006. It was the third win in four trips to Death Valley for the Terps under Friedgen.
"It's big," said Wujciak, who had a game-high 16 tackles, including the fourth-down tackle of Harper. "This is supposed to be the best team in the ACC. Coming in here and showing them what we can do is awesome."
The Terps went into the half knowing they had played one of their worst halves of the season and happy to be down just 11, especially given their inability to control the Tiger ground attack or convert a pair of red zone trips into touchdowns.
They emerged from the locker room and shut down the preseason conference favorites.
Spiller and Davis combined for just 31 yards on 10 second-half carries. Spiller, who also had a 59-yard touchdown run called back because of holding, struggled to stay on the field with cramping problems. Harper, a senior, failed to come up with big throws in key situations as the Tiger offense that averaged 7.6 yards per play in the first half saw that number drop to 3.2.
"We knew we were making mistakes [in the first half], and a lot of guys messed up," Navarre said. "We knew if we got everybody doing the things they needed to do, we'd be able to stop them."
Heyward-Bey's run on the first play of the Terps' second possession of the second half set up a six-yard touchdown pass from Turner to receiver Torrey Smith with 8:34 left in the quarter. It was the first touchdown yielded by the Clemson defense in 9 quarters dating back to Sept. 13.
The Terps had momentum and field position the next few possessions, but failed to capitalize until they took over at the Tiger 45 with 13:16 remaining. Wide receiver Danny Oquendo, whose 10-yard punt return gave the Terps good field position, was the hero on the game-winning touchdown drive, hauling in three passes for 43 yards on the seven-play scoring drive.
Scott walked into the end zone from 1-yard out with 10:25 to go in the game to give the Terps their first lead of the game.
"It was just a gutty win," Friedgen said. "To be able to win on the road when things aren't going well for you are pretty important."
But it wasn't won until the defense survived a final gut check.
Clemson took over at their own 21 and moved the ball into Terp territory. A personal foul knocked the Tigers into a third-and-18 situation. But after a 17-yard completion, it was up to the Terp defensive line to tough out a short yardage stop.
And the line, which has faced criticism this season for being too small, rose to the occasion, with some help from a favorable spot from the officials.
But, in Muhtadi's mind, even if Harper had been awarded a few extra inches of forward progress, it wouldn't have been enough to stop the momentum the Terps had built since the half.
"We played great in the second half," Muhtadi said. "I still think we would've shut them down."
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