Prime-time problem

Upon its February release, one game stood out on the Terrapins football team's schedule this season.

Above its ACC slate, above regional rival West Virginia, there was Notre Dame.

Reality, however, has taken a bite out of the hype surrounding the Terps' matchup with the Fighting Irish at FedExField in Landover tomorrow night. What was supposed to be a showcase of coach Randy Edsall's new-look Terps will instead mark a chance to save face before a national television audience — and against perhaps the most celebrated program in all of college football — in an otherwise forgettable season.

"Our record is what it is, but that doesn't deter the fact of how we're going to prepare and how excited we are to play," Edsall said. "Notre Dame is one of the most storied programs in the history of college football, and to beat them would be a great victory for us. I have great respect for Notre Dame and what it stands for and what it's all about."

A win would do little to change the direction of this season for the Terps, who have already guaranteed their second losing season in three years with a 2-7 start.

What it could do, though, is help regenerate some of the buzz that surrounded the program after an eye-catching debut against Miami in September.

"We had that same [situation] on Monday night at the beginning of the year," defensive tackle Joe Vellano said. "You're playing against this team, [7:30 p.m.] on Saturday at a pro stadium. That's huge for recruiting, too."

The Terps certainly fed off the energy of their Labor Day win. And although they ultimately lost a prime-time matchup with No. 9 Clemson, they dominated the Tigers before halftime in what was likely their best half of the season.

Given that Notre Dame's "home game" will take place at a neutral site in Prince George's County — not to mention at the home of the Washington Redskins — and that the Terps will again wear their much-discussed "Maryland Pride" uniforms, it's hard to imagine them coming out without the spark they've been missing for much of the season.

"Those are the ones you really want to win," kicker Nick Ferrara said. "It's a big game for us. It's Notre Dame. They have a lot of tradition, a lot of history. … It's time to play. We don't see it as our record. We see it as we have a game on Saturday."

It's easy enough to consider the positives that would stem from a win tomorrow. Not only would it ease some of this season's disappointment in the locker room, but it could also bolster the program's national reputation and recruiting cachet.

Actually emerging victorious, however, will prove far more difficult. While Notre Dame (6-3) will likely fall short of its preseason goal of a BCS berth in coach Brian Kelly's second season on the sideline, the Fighting Irish still sport a talent-rich roster. A season largely devoid of any impressive wins besides a September toppling of No. 13 Michigan State also likely won't deter the football-crazed throngs of Notre Dame fans from descending on FedExField.

Tomorrow's game may lack the punch it was expected to carry when it first appeared on the Terps' schedule, but there's no denying the help a win over the Fighting Irish would give to a scuffling program.

"I was excited about all the games we had on our schedule," Edsall said. "It just happens to be Notre Dame. It's on national TV, and these are the things you look forward to as football student-athletes and as students."

cwalsh@umdbk.com