A SIGH OF RELIEF

Demetrius Hartsfield wasn’t going to give Clemson kicker Richard Jackson a third opportunity to tie the game.

Clinging to a three-point lead late in the Terps’ emotional 24-21 win Saturday, Hartsfield and the Terps’ defense had just shut down the Tigers on two consecutive possessions, but now, the Tigers were driving again.

In the final six minutes of the game, a Terp turnover on downs at their own 29 yard line on fourth-and-inches and a fumble by running back Davin Meggett at their own 31 had given the Tigers two chances to dash the Terps’ hopes of pulling off the unlikely upset — or at least force overtime. But both times, the Terps’ defense didn’t allow the Tigers to gain more than a yard, and Jackson missed both a 47-yard field goal attempt and a 48-yard attempt wide right.

After the Terps went three-and-out and punted, Hartsfield and defensive coordinator Don Brown didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Brown called a blitz on third-and-six, and Hartsfield made a move on a Clemson tackle and sacked Tiger quarterback Kyle Parker.

As Jackson set up to attempt a 57-yard field goal with seven seconds left, the sack was reviewed by officials and eventually ruled a fumble, which Hartsfield had recovered.

“It was definitely my biggest play of the game,” Hartsfield said. “I had to step up, and it was a great play.”

After all their shortcomings led to an extremely disappointing start to the season, the Terps are 1-0 in the ACC. And for what it’s worth, they currently sit alone atop the Atlantic Division standings.

“It was a very important win for us, no question,” head coach Ralph Friedgen said. “What I was concerned about with my players was, not having the win, how much longer could I keep getting them to give a good effort.”

Even before the wacky ending, it was a wild and unusual game that Friedgen said left many Terps feeling emotional afterward.

Wide receiver Torrey Smith said he “cried a little” on the sideline at the end, quarterback Chris Turner said it was “a pretty silly game,” and Friedgen got choked up telling reporters about what could have been a disastrous decision to go for it on that fourth-and-inches.

The Terps needed to gain about four inches to take a lot of pressure off the defense, but Turner fell to his left and didn’t get there.

“The fourth down probably wasn’t a smart call by me,” Friedgen said. “I was kicking myself for doing it. I let my emotions get involved and not my brain.”

Turner said “it was on me” that the Terps didn’t make it, and linebacker Adrian Moten said he was glad they went for it because the defense was going to need to make a stand if the Terps punted anyway.

Meggett’s fumble only made the situation worse.

“I’m not going to lie — I was a little bit upset,” defensive tackle Travis Ivey said. “But at the same time, you gotta go out there and do your job. It’s our job to stop them from putting points on the board.”

Adding to the emotion of the game, Terp All-ACC running back Da’Rel Scott broke his wrist during the third quarter. Friedgen said Scott will undergo surgery this week and is likely out for the season.

Left tackle Bruce Campbell injured his knee in the third quarter, and Friedgen said he is not yet sure how long Campbell will be out.

Clemson jumped out to a 10-0 lead early, but the Terps dominated the middle part of the game and scored 21 unanswered points to take a 24-13 lead in the third quarter.

Leading perhaps the Terps’ most efficient offensive possessions of the season, Turner led back-to-back 76- and 81-yard scoring drives in the second quarter that culminated in a 29-yard touchdown catch in traffic by Smith and a diving 4-yard touchdown catch by Ronnie Tyler, respectively.

In the third quarter, Tony Logan returned a punt to the Clemson one-yard line, and Meggett scored from one yard out on an option pitch three plays later.

Clemson’s C.J. Spiller returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards to cap the scoring. He dragged Terp cornerback Anthony Wiseman for several yards during the return as Wiseman tried to strip the ball rather than make the tackle.

The momentum swings weren’t pretty, and the Terps’ performance certainly wasn’t perfect, but they got the win.

“It was a great game to watch, not a great one to coach,” Friedgen said. “Someone asked me ‘Was this a tough game for you?’ I said ‘Not as tough as the last two.’”

schimmel@umdbk.com