IN THE CLUTCH

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – As he dropped back to pass on third-and-14 with his team trailing Virginia by two points late in the third quarter, Danny O'Brien looked for wide receiver LaQuan Williams, who was running a seam route beyond the first-down marker.

When the Terrapin football quarterback raised his arm to throw and saw Williams was farther down field than expected, he cringed.

The pass was woefully underthrown, and the Terps looked on helplessly as Cavalier linebacker Darnell Carter glided toward the ball for what looked like an easy interception.

In the span of just a few seconds, their collective powerlessness transformed into relief as the ball slipped through Carter's hands to an outstretched Williams, preserving the drive.

Three plays later, running back D.J. Adams scored his third rushing touchdown of the day, and the Terps (7-3, 4-2 ACC) took the lead for good, eventually pulling away from Virginia (4-6, 1-5) in a 42-23 win Saturday.

After the game, even O'Brien readily admitted his good fortune.

"I was just extremely lucky that he dropped it, that's all it was," O'Brien said. "Then LaQuan came up huge with the coordination to make that catch."

The win not only ended the team's recent streak of lackluster play in Charlottesville but also ensured the Terps a winning season and helped them keep pace in the ACC Atlantic Division title race.

But anyone at Scott Stadium on Saturday didn't need to understand the implications to see how much the game meant to the Terps.

The post-play trash-talking and pushing between the border rivals started early and was a constant presence throughout the afternoon. After the game, the Terps' victory celebration was more boisterous than usual. Even offensive coordinator James Franklin couldn't help himself, jumping into the middle of the team's celebratory circle.

"This is a lot bigger rivalry than people think," defensive tackle Joe Vellano said. "People have been saying we want to go some place warm for a bowl game. This was huge for us, especially after coming up short last week against Miami."

After struggling to move the ball against Miami last Saturday, the Terps rode an improved performance from O'Brien and an effective short-yardage package to wear down the Cavalier defense.

O'Brien followed his disappointing performance against Miami — his worst of the year — with 289 yards through the air against Virginia, including two passing touchdowns, another rushing score and no interceptions.

Looking to jumpstart their inconsistent running attack, the Terps turned to a jumbo package with Adams — a bruising 220-pound redshirt freshman — as the focal point.

Although he averaged less than three yards per carry, Adams converted three goal-line opportunities, including a fourth-down touchdown plunge that put the Terps up 21-10 in the second quarter.

"I've just been waiting to get a chance to contribute all week," Adams said with a grin. "I couldn't have expected this type of game at all. But sometimes it just happens like that, and you just have to be ready and be prepared all the time."

Once running back Da'Rel Scott caught a short touchdown pass to put the Terps ahead 35-23 with eight minutes left in the game, the once-noisy Cavalier crowd started to head for the exits.

The Terp defense, which allowed just 118 yards of offense in the second half after allowing 264 in the first, clamped down in the fourth quarter especially. The Terps intercepted Virginia quarterback Marc Verica twice, doing their part to help snap a three-game losing streak to the Cavaliers and make their coach a very happy man.

"I wanted this one real bad," Friedgen said. "I think the kids knew it. I've been on ‘em all week. I'm just very thankful to them for playing as well as they did."

lemaire at umdbk dot com