Lucky 13

The ACC, a much maligned football conference, made an upgrade two years ago, when Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College defected from the Big East, and joined the ACC. Miami routinely ranks in the top 10, and has won more than its share of national championships.

Virginia Tech also ranks rather highly, usually, in the top 10 most years. Boston College is a very solid football team, even if all anyone every remembers of the team is Doug Flutie, and that was twenty years ago.

The timing of these powerhouse teams made Maryland's road to respectability that much tougher. The 90s were a decade of futility for Maryland. After Bobby Ross had left Maryland for the pros and Georgia Tech, Maryland struggled to make it to the post season.

Maryland had three coaches before Friedgen. Joe Krivak coached between 1987-1991. Mark Duffner was coach for Holy Cross, a successful coach for a rather small division. However, he did not do well at Maryland. He was followed by Ron Vanderlinden, who had been an assistant under the resurgent program at Northwestern (which had the reputation as the worst football team in the country, before it turned it around).

Many a time, Maryland came close to have winning seasons, only to eke out a loss, and miss the postseason. Most Maryland fans saw football season as a way to bide time until basketball season started. At least, under Gary Williams, Maryland had a basketball team that did well regularly.

Then, Maryland hired one of its own. Ralph Friedgen had not only been a Maryland alum, playing for its football team once upon a time, but was part of the last really successful football program at Maryland, under Bobby Ross.

When Ross headed to the NFL, George O'Leary became head coach at Georgia Tech. Friedgen was still offensive coordinator. He was at the age where assistant coaches don't get chances to become head coaches. He was ready to settle down in Atlanta, and was in the process of having a house built, when he got the call from Debbie Yow, athletic director.

Friedgen had a great first year. He went 10-3. That year was a year when many teams had first year coaches. Friedgen was the most successful. His reward? An Orange Bowl matchup against Steve Spurrier's Gators. Spurrier coached a juggernaut of a team, that perennial would content for the national title. Soon thereafter, he left the program, wooed by Daniel Snyder and his millions, for two disastrous years with the Redskins, before taking a break, and then accepting a head coaching position at South Carolina.

Friedgen would follow the first successful year with two more successful years, each somewhat less successful than before.

By the fourth year, Miami and Virginia Tech entered the fray. And, worst still, many of those first year coaches that Friedgen had success with were getting better. Rich Rodriguez, head coach for West Virginia, was taking advantage of the vacuum left when Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College left the Big East, which made WVU a team that ought to contend each year for the Big East title.

The subsequent two years were tough years at Maryland. Not only was it tough in football, it was also tough in basketball. Those two years, neither the football nor basketball teams made the postseason (at least, a postseason of note, ie, the NCAA tournament).

Given the level of difficulty of the ACC, it was no sure thing that this year would be that much different.

But somehow Maryland began to win. Despite a 20 point deficit to Virginia, Maryland won that game by 2 points. They somehow hung on to beat Florida State. And Clemson.

They had a five game win streak, won by a total of 12 points. This was one lucky team.

This week, Maryland would go against Miami. In any normal year, Miami would crush Maryland. They're that good.

But Miami has been having a down year. Injuries and a controversial fight with Florida International had lead Miami to a 5-4 record, and in danger of not making a bowl, something unthinkable at the beginning of the year.

To compound their problems, Bryan Pata, a senior defenseman had been shot and killed just outside his apartment on Tuesday, shortly after practice. There was some debate as to whether the team should play its game, but of course, they decided to play. Pata would have wanted it that way.

Maryland started off with two big scores, both to Heyward-Bey, including the longest touchdown pass ever made against Miami. Maryland had a 14-0 lead, and they hadn't even had their running game starting.

But Maryland would find that gaining yards in smaller chunks to be a daunting task. Miami would get a field goal, then a touchdown, to close the gap to 14-10 by halftime, and Maryland would struggle to move the ball.

The third quarter was scoreless as Maryland's defense, logging plenty of minutes, was at least effective enough to keep Miami at bay. Miami would then engineer a very long drive that eventually lead to a field goal, and trailed by a point.

Although Maryland was able to move the ball some in the fourth quarter, it was still an exercise in futility, and Maryland again had to punt it to Miami. Miami had chances to score an easy touchdown earlier, but a receiver mismanaged the ball, and Maryland stayed ahead by the thinnest of margins.

Miami's decision to go for the field goal was mostly out of being safe, and mostly because they saw that Maryland was rather ineffective trying to stop Miami's offense. And they didn't need a touchdown. They merely needed a field goal.

Yet, Maryland's luck would remain with them. A pass was broken up when a Maryland defender stuck his hand out. This caused the ball to deflect nearly straight up. Another defender came and grabbed the ball, and landed with both feet barely in, before falling out of bounds.

With three minutes left, Maryland just needed a first down to run the clock out.

But it wasn't to be. Three and out.

So Maryland had to kick the ball away with a minute and a half left. Miami had already called time out, and it appeared that Maryland was going to run a fourth down play. Of course, that deep into Maryland territory, it was silly to run the play.

Maryland really was hoping Miami would go offsides, and then they would get a penalty, and start running the clock some more. Miami didn't fall for it, so Maryland punted the ball away, deep and high.

Miami appeared as if it would get a chance to try for a winning field goal.

If only.

If only the punt returner had held onto the ball.

Maryland's special teams came up, knocked the punt returner, and the ball slipped out. A Maryland player pounced on the ball.

Turnover.

With 45 seconds left, Maryland could now run out the clock and preserve their 1 point victory.

Five straight games by a total of 13 points. A two point victory against UVA. A 6 point victory against NC State. A three point victory against FSU. And a one point victory against Clemson and Miami.

This is not the kind of gaudy results that bodes well for the future, but the team believes. Two more tough games. At Boston College, who is ranked, and at home against Wake Forest, a team that used to have a laughable football team, but now is also ranked.

While Maryland is assured of a bowl game of some sort now, winning those two games, as improbable as that is, would mean the ACC title. Is Maryland deserving? Eh. This is how football is sometimes. Luck more important than skill.