DOWN AND OUT

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Terrapin football team may have suffered the two biggest losses of its season Saturday in one wildly eventful afternoon.

The Terps lost to N.C. State 38-31 to end all hope of qualifying for a bowl game, and starting quarterback Chris Turner’s status for the rest of the season is unknown after the senior left the game in the second quarter with a left MCL injury.

The loss drops the Terps’ record to 2-7 on the season, and with three games remaining makes it mathematically impossible for them to earn the six wins they need to qualify for a bowl game.

The Terps may have sensed a bowl-less postseason on the horizon for weeks — even if they wouldn’t admit it — but now an idle December and January is official.

It will be the first season the Terps fail to qualify for a bowl since 2005.

“It has not been a good year,” coach Ralph Friedgen said. “Not feeling real good right now.”
Turner suffered the knee injury with about five minutes to play in the first half when he was hit as he threw an incomplete pass downfield intended for wide receiver Torrey Smith.

Turner writhed on the ground holding his leg and needed two members of the Terp training staff to help him off the field. He limped from the sideline to the locker room before halftime and did not return to the game.

Friedgen said afterward it is “too early to tell” the severity of Turner’s injury and said Turner could miss the rest of the season, could be ready to play Saturday against Virginia Tech or could return somewhere in between.

Yesterday, Friedgen said Turner is listed as questionable and will be evaluated each day this week.

Backup Jamarr Robinson played in Turner’s absence and finished 5-for-11 passing for 27 yards and rushed nine times for 38 yards.

Robinson said the game started to slow down for him and he felt more comfortable as he took more snaps. Robinson had not thrown a pass in a game for the Terps before Saturday.

“Jamarr played his heart out. He did a good job moving us down the field and he was poised in the huddle,” Smith said. “It’s frustrating to know it’s [Turner’s] last season and he’s our leader on offense. But as far as Jamarr coming in, I wasn’t worried about it.”

Robinson will likely be the starter for as long as Turner is out, but Friedgen said the Terps will also continue to look at true freshmen Danny O’Brien and C.J. Brown.

Turner’s day began poorly even before his injury.

He threw an interception on the Terps’ first offensive play of the game for the second time this season, and Wolfpack defensive end Willie Young returned the pick to the Terps’ 21-yard line to set up a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to tight end George Bryan.

The Terps trailed 7-0 just 52 seconds into the game.

The teams then traded touchdowns before Terp linebacker Alex Wujciak intercepted Wilson for his first career pick and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 14-14 with 4:57 to play in the first quarter.

It was the Terps’ first defensive touchdown since Erin Henderson returned an interception for a touchdown against Virginia on Oct. 14, 2006.

“I had the tight end man-to-man and he ran an out cut,” Wujciak said. “[Terp linebacker Ben Pooler] hit [Wilson] and he threw it behind him. I was right there just to catch it and go.”

The Terps took their only lead of the game early in the second quarter when Turner scored on a one-yard run to make it 21-17, but the Wolfpack scored two unanswered touchdowns to go up 31-21.

After the second score — a two-yard run by Wilson — Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-28 with 10:09 to play in the third quarter.
It was Smith’s second return touchdown of the season and the third kickoff return for a touchdown in his career, the most in program history.

“It was just good blocking, as it always is when you have a big return,” Smith said.

Wolfpack running back Jamelle Eugene gave N.C. State a 38-28 lead with a two-yard touchdown run with 13:39 left in the game, but a 31-yard field goal by Terp kicker Nick Ferrara with 4:56 left put the Terps within striking distance in the game’s final minutes.

Robinson led the Terps to the Wolfpack 42-yard line with five seconds left, but he was hit as he threw a Hail Mary attempt as time expired and the Terps’ bowl hopes went with the ball as it fell to the grass.

“I’ve said all year long, I haven’t wavered one bit about the work ethic of this team,” Friedgen said. “I just feel bad for them more than anything else that as hard as they work they can’t seem to push through.”

The Wolfpack outgained the Terps by more than 200 yards of total offense, as the Terp defense allowed 38 points and 482 yards of total offense despite grabbing three interceptions — by Wujciak, cornerback Richard Taylor and safety Kenny Tate.

Turner went 12-for-19 with 135 passing yards before his injury and Robinson’s 38 yards led all Terp rushers.

An extremely disappointing season has finally reached the point of no return.

“At the end of the day we’re not going to roll over and die,” defensive tackle Travis Ivey said. “The fact that we’re not going to a bowl is disappointing, but at the same time we still have three games left.”

schimmel@umdbk.com