After steady improvement, Terp defense takes big step backward Saturday

In the week leading up to the Terrapin football team's 42-32 loss at Wake Forest, coach Ralph Friedgen said Demon Deacon quarterback Riley Skinner was one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the ACC.

At the time, it sounded like a bit of hyperbole, even though Skinner ranks among the conference's career leaders in several statistical categories.

But on Saturday, the Terp defense made Skinner look like an all-time great, especially in the first half.

After showing signs of improvement in the Terps' last two games, the maligned defensive unit played perhaps its worst half of the season in the first 30 minutes Saturday.

Skinner and the Demon Deacons scored touchdowns on each of their first five possessions to build what proved to be an insurmountable 35-10 lead.

The Terps played much better after halftime, when they allowed just one more touchdown. But, taken as a whole, Saturday's performance has to be seen as a major step back for the defense.

"It's frustrating, because we're better than this," linebacker Alex Wujciak said. "We know we are."

The Terps ended up allowing 42 points and 516 yards of total offense, the most they have allowed of either since their season-opening 52-13 loss at Cal.

They gave up a season-high 360 yards passing and did not force a turnover for the fourth time in six games.

The 35 points and 381 yards of total offense the Terps allowed in the first half were the most in any half this season.

"We didn't tackle well. I thought we had them wrapped up a few times, and they made some plays," Friedgen said. "But they didn't get any slower in the second half. I thought we just played better in the second half."

Skinner was probably the best quarterback the Terps faced all season, and he did a good job taking what the Terps' defense gave him.

But what has to be disconcerting for the Terps is they gave Skinner quite a lot.
Several of Skinner's long passes were to wide-open receivers who had found massive holes in the Terps' secondary.

There were several big plays where the Terps either didn't know their assignments or didn't execute them, and a defensive player just wasn't in the right spot.

After watching the game film, Friedgen said five of the Demon Deacons' big passing plays came on snaps when the Terps blew their coverage.

"[The blown coverages were] things we haven't done when we've been playing very, very well," Friedgen said. "For whatever reason, we didn't do it [Saturday] night."

The Terps' ever-mounting injury situation isn't helping.

Linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield, who was the defensive hero in the Terps' win against Clemson the week before, broke two bones in his left hand Saturday and will undergo surgery either this week or next week.

Friedgen said Hartsfield will miss the next three weeks and Ben Pooler will start in his place.

Linebacker Adrian Moten also missed time against Wake after suffering a thigh contusion bruise, but he is probable for Saturday's game against Virginia.

Cornerback Nolan Carroll hasn't played since he broke his tibia against James Madison and is out for the season, but until this week Cameron Chism played very well in his place.

Chism struggled against the Demon Deacons. On one of their long touchdown passes, Chism had a chance to make a play on the ball but fell down, leaving his man wide open.

"Obviously we'd like to have our best guys out there," defensive tackle Travis Ivey said. "But at the end of the day if you're out there and you're a starter, you've got to make plays."

The Terps' next two games before their bye week are at home against Virginia and on the road at Duke.

Neither of those teams is known as an offensive powerhouse, but they put up 47 and 49 points, respectively, on Saturday.

"We've gotta take care of our business and find a way to start winning again," Friedgen said.

schimmel@umdbk.com