ANOTHER 'L' FOR EMPHASIS

After the final game ended, coach Ralph Friedgen gathered the entire Terrapin football team and told everyone how much he loved them and appreciated their effort, knowing he might not get another chance.

Friedgen said he wants to be back coaching the Terps next season, and he expects to be return, but whether he will be is apparently still up in the air.

The Terps lost to Boston College, 19-17, in their season finale Saturday to record their first double-digit-loss season in program history.

The Terps (2-10, 1-7 ACC) finished the year on a seven-game losing streak in what was by far the most disappointing season of Friedgen’s nine-year tenure.

Friedgen said he will discuss the state of the football program with Athletics Director Debbie Yow over the next few days. They will likely discuss whether Friedgen will stay or if the remaining two years of his contract will be bought out for a reported sum of approximately $4 million.

Friedgen said, without mentioning any specifics, that he has several ideas to discuss with Yow to help improve the program, and he repeated his desire to stay on as head coach multiple times.

“[The players] never quit on me. Why would I want to quit on them?” Friedgen said. “I want to be there when they’re good so we can think about these times and laugh about them.”

Friedgen didn’t necessarily help his cause on Saturday.

He blamed himself for the Terps going for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 29-yard line instead of punting and letting the Terp defense get the ball back with nearly five minutes to play and all three timeouts still in hand.

The Terps trailed 16-10 at the time, and Friedgen said offensive coordinator James Franklin made the call to have quarterback Jamarr Robinson take a quick quarterback sneak that failed to gain an inch. However, Friedgen said he could have overruled it.

“It was tough to tell [if he made it]. We were under the pile just digging,” center Phil Costa said. “Somebody told me [linebacker Luke Kuechly] jumped over the top and timed it pretty good.”

Eagle kicker Steve Aponavicius made a 42-yard field goal four plays later to put the Eagles up by two scores, 19-10, and essentially put the game out of reach.

Robinson found wide receiver Torrey Smith for a 28-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 19-17 with 1:34 remaining, but the Eagles recovered the ensuing onside kick and kneeled out the clock.

For the fifth time in six games, the Terps were within a touchdown in the fourth quarter but could not pull out the win.

“This was probably the best losing team I’ve seen,” Smith said. “It’s been frustrating. Our team has definitely progressed since the first game of the season, and we’ve been in a position to win. We’ve just got to finish.”

The Terps used both Robinson and Chris Turner for extended time as neither quarterback was at full strength.

Turner had missed the previous two games with an MCL sprain he suffered Nov. 7 against N.C. State, and Friedgen said Robinson had a turf toe injury and a shoulder injury. Neither practiced much the week before the game.

Turner finished 11-for-17 for 101 yards passing, and Robinson finished 9-for-15 for 115 yards passing and a touchdown.

Turner played nearly the entire first quarter, the entire third quarter and much of the fourth quarter, but Robinson led the Terps’ last two drives in crunch time at the end of the game.

“It wasn’t that we were disappointed in Chris’ performance at all,” Friedgen said. “We were just trying to go with the guy we felt could put points on the board best.”

Several players acknowledged after the game they are aware of the speculation surrounding Friedgen’s job status, but said it hasn’t really been a distraction for any of them.

Each player who spoke said he supports Friedgen and wants him to be back next year.

“I love Coach Friedgen to death. I came here because of him,” Smith said. “I support everyone here from the top to the bottom. If they made a change, that’s [Athletics Director Debbie] Yow’s job to do that. I can’t really speak on her job. I just know that each coach here has made an impact on me whether they’re here the next day or gone.”

schimmel@umdbk.com