A sporting semester to forget

At least there was … field hockey? After a nightmarish few months this fall, coach Missy Meharg's latest title haul stands as just about the only positive in a semester marred by a football team in perpetual turmoil, a basketball team tested by the Mount St. Mary'ses of the world and a men's soccer team that fell short of its lofty expectations once more.

With that said, here are the semester's best moments:

1. Football beats Miami (Sept. 5)

Labor Day was a magical night for the Terps: The first game of the Randy Edsall era. A marquee opponent. ESPN's prime-time slot. Oh, yeah, and some pretty swagged-out uniforms. The Terps looked incredible, and there was still hope 2011 could be a special year. Unfortunately for the team, it never got any better than this.

2. Field hockey wins national title (Nov. 20)

While the football team was getting destroyed just about every weekend, Terps field hockey coach Missy Meharg's team was on its way to a seventh national championship. The Terps did it in dramatic fashion, beating ACC rival North Carolina in overtime. Football and basketball may be dormant in College Park, but there's no question Meharg has built a dynasty.

3. Terrell Stoglin goes for 32 against Colorado (Nov. 18)

It probably won't be a great year for Terps men's basketball, and beating Colorado in Puerto Rico isn't even the most impressive victory of the season. But with the Terps struggling against the Buffs, Stoglin channeled his inner Greivis Vasquez, taking over the game impressively to assure victory. We knew he was good. This moment proved he might be really good.

4. Joe Vellano posts 20 tackles (Oct. 8)

If there was one bright spot for the football team this year, it was Joe Vellano. He became an absolute tackling machine on an otherwise putrid defense, racking up stops at the rate of a middle linebacker, not a defensive tackle. Twenty tackles in a game for anyone and against anyone is impressive. But against Georgia Tech's treacherous triple option, and as a defensive tackle? Insane.

5. Men's soccer beats Duke (Oct. 14)

Any time the Terps beat Duke, there's reason to celebrate. It really doesn't matter if it's basketball or water polo. So it should come as no surprise that the then-No. 3 Terps men's soccer team's victory over No. 22 Duke is on this list. In front of a record crowd at Ludwig Field, Sasho Cirovski's boys pulled out a 4-2 victory.

And now, the semester's worst moments:

1. Eight sports teams put on chopping block (Nov. 21)

As bad as Terps football was this year, nothing could compare to the announcement that eight sports teams would be cut. The men's cross country, men's indoor track, men's outdoor track, men's tennis, acrobatics and tumbling, women's water polo and men's and women's swimming and diving programs all face the chopping block as the athletics department battles a budget crisis.

2. Football collapses late vs. N.C. State (Nov. 26)

After one of the most miserable seasons in program history, the football team looked as if it might pull out a win against the Wolfpack in its final game of the year. Then, in true 2011 Terps fashion, they collapsed. Their 27-point lead was gone quicker than Adrian Coxson's time in College Park  — 21 minutes, to be exact. Worst loss in program history? It might just be.

3. Temple blows out football (Sept. 24)

The Terps were just never in this game, their first terrible loss in a season full of many. At times, they looked like they didn't even want to be there. Had Edsall lost the team? Were they just not very talented? Whatever the case, the Terps lost to the Owls, 38-7, and allowed five touchdowns to running back Bernard Pierce.

4. Men's soccer falls in NCAA Tournament (Nov. 27)

Like last year, this Terps men's soccer team was really good. And like last year, it came up short of a trip to the College Cup at Ludwig Field. The fifth-seeded Terps lost to No. 12 seed Louisville, 4-2, ending yet another promising season before the ultimate goal of a third national championship under coach Sasho Cirovski could be reached.

5. A locker room divided (season-long)

The hiring of Randy Edsall was polarizing, to say the least, and reports of a disenchanted locker room leaked out all season. Many players never quite took to his militaristic rules, and suspensions were quite common throughout the year. With the offseason upon us, we've seen an onslaught of transfers. Will quarterback Danny O'Brien be next?

schneider@umdbk.com