When Ralph Friedgen came to College Park as the head coach, the football team took off on a meteoric rise. From 1985 until the 2001 season, the Terps won 6 games twice and had been to one bowl game. In 1990 the Terps went 6-5-1 and went to the Independence Bowl and in 1995 went 6-5 but did not get invited to a bowl.
That 16 year period ended with the Terps going 10-1 in the regular season and an Orange Bowl trip. The only loss was to Florida State. The feeling that built in 2001 is returning to College Park as the 2013 season gains momentum.
The Terps started off 2001 with a 23-7 unexpected win over North Carolina. It set the tone for the season. A win over Eastern Michigan and then Wake Forest left the Terps 3-0 with WVU coming to Byrd. The Terps handled WVU, who had future pro Marc Bulger at quarterback. Maryland 32-20.
The Terps went on to get a fifth win over UVA 44-21 with 44,000+ at Byrd.
The sixth win was a Terrapin Classic in overtime at Georgia Tech. Ralph Friedgen returned to GT where he ran the offense before he came to Maryland. Nick Novak won the game in OT, but he had a much more pressure kick to get the Terp to OT.
The GT win got the Terps to a #12 ranking and Duke was coming to Byrd. The Terps won easily and gained a #10 ranking before a trip to FSU.
The undefeated season went out the door with a 52-31 loss. The Terps were in the game but just did not have enough to beat the Seminoles.
The Terps, now ranked 15 beat Troy in College Park and then had a showdown game with Clemson.
It was a magical night for the Terps. The first time since Nov 9, 1991 (Penn State) that over 50,000 crowded into Byrd. A chance to win the last two games and go to the Orange Bowl. Pretty big stuff for a team that did not have a rally good season in 16 years. The Terps handled Clemson 37-20. It was a great way to end the undefeated home schedule.
Maryland went to NCSU in a showdown game for the Orange Bowl. The Terps had not been to a major bowl since 1977. Maryland was ranked #10 and won in the closing minutes with a Shaun Hill to Guillian Gary touchdown pass on a “pin” route. Terps 23-19. And a 10-1 regular season.
There are similarities at this point to the 2013 unexpected rise of the team and football fortunes. If we get to 3-0 with a victory over UConn, the Terps will once again face WVU with a chance for 4-0.
I am getting that feeling that Maryland can be really good. I had picked a 7-5 to 8-4 season before the opening kickoff. I am not ready to up the win total yet, but I am getting close.
