Introduction: This is the second part of my liveblogging doubleheader. My main focus in the 3:30 time slot is North Carolina at Maryland on ABC. I will occasionally be flipping around to include South Carolina at Florida on CBS. There are also several games I will follow online and through television scoring updates.
Pre-Game: Both Maryland and North Carolina need this win to keep pace in their respective divisions. While Maryland has less to lose, they would lose control on their destiny with a loss, unless North Carolina State can upset Wake Forest. North Carolina is in control of its destiny, thanks to Miami defeating Virginia Tech. But a loss to Maryland gives control to Miami in the Coastal division.
In the secondary game in this live blog, Florida has clinched the SEC East, but it still has national championship hopes. In fact, if they defeat Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, they are most likely going to Miami Gardens. South Carolina is playing for bowl position, as well as the bragging rights that cometh of Steve Spurrier returning to the Swamp and getting a win.
Kickoff: After watching the end of the thrilling Notre Dame-Navy game, I turn to ABC and the Terrapins are running out the tunnel. Section 1 of the stadium, for the visiting fans, appears to be mostly empty. Did the Tar Heels bring their band?
Yuck, another diamond commercial.
The rain and wind have died down in College Park, but it could be a factor later today. Hopefully there will not be a repeat of North Carolina State-Maryland.
North Carolina will kick off to Maryland to commence the game.
First Quarter
15:00: Maryland allows the touchback and will start from their own 20.
14:45: Darrius Heyward-Bey has his first catch of the game for two yards.
14:13: Da’Rel Scott gets the first down. Next play is another Chris Turner completion. The Terps are at their 40.
An update from Auburn. Georgia is up 17-13. Auburn has the ball at the Georgia 23 with 19 seconds left.
13:00: Scott had a short gain on second. Chris Turner has a poor throw on third to force a punt.
12:53: It gets worse. Andrew Schmitt the long snapper “air-mailed” it to punter Travis Baltz. So accurate that Baltz needs to run after the ball and fall on it for an end zone for a safety. Up next is the free kick. North Carolina 2, Maryland 0 with 12:53 left in the first quarter.
The Slate Sanchez implosion AT&T commercial has become, by far, the best ever in this series.
We have a final score from Auburn. Kodi Burns was unable to get the ball in the end zone. Georgia wins 17-13. Whew!
12:48: Travis Baltz punts the ball from the 20. The Tar Heels return it and get the ball at their own 40.
12:38: Cameron Sexton hits Hakeem Nicks for a big gain down the right down to the 33. Carolina has the wind at their back, which is out of the northwest (Byrd Stadium is oriented SE-NW). The student section is partially empty.
11:46: North Carolina rushes forward to the 19. The forward plays stops as Draughns is stuffed.
10:40: Trey Covington almost interpcepts the ball. He is #55, which is Madieu Williams’ old number.
10:36: Foster drops the ball for North Carolina. Casey Barth tries a 38-yard field goal. North Carolina 5, Maryland 0 with 10:31 left in the first quarter.
10:24: Scott runs for a first down. The play is overshadowed by the listing of the five goons at Florida State. On the next play, Chris Turner hits Torrey Smith for another first down.
9:15: Turner goes deep. The UNC cornerback almost intercepts the ball. There is defensive pass interference from a guy messing with Heyward-Bey, so Maryland gets another first down. The ball is at the UNC 36.
8:10: Turner hits Heyward-Bey again! This time for a first down at the UNC 18. Scott rushes down to the 12.
7:06: Scott goes out of bounds at the Tar Heel 6. Yet another Maryland first down. Is the end zone next? No, Scott rushes to the 3, but the penalty for offsides is taken instead to keep it first down.
6:26: Da’rel Scott rushes in from 3 out for the touchdown! Cue Rock n’ Roll Part 2! North Carolina 5, Maryland 7 with 6:26 left in the first quarter.
5:50: The rain has started again, but not heavy enough to be seen in the main camera view. Carolina starts at its own 34.
5:34: Sexton throws a 59-yard touchdown pass to Cooter Arnold (hehe, cooter). The play featured a sick move by Cooter to escape the last Maryland defenders. Are we in for a shootout today? North Carolina 12, Maryland 7 with 5:34 left.
5:30: Torrey Smith ran straight into a UNC defender. The Terps start from scrimmage at the 20. Scott runs forward for 5.
Florida has drawn first blood in the Swamp. UF 7-0 SCAR.
4:08: A Turner-to-Oquendo first down is obviated by a holding call, a scourge of this offense. The Terps are backed up at their 14 as the rain gets heavier.
3:35: The offense does it right this time with a Turner-to-Arnold Davies first down at the 32.
On the west coast, Oregon State is leading California 14-7 in a very important Pac 10 game.
According to the ESPN graphics department, Chris Turner is undefeated against ranked teams (5-0) but only 6-9 against everyone else.
For several seconds, there was the shadow of a graphic involving Michael Crabtree on my screen. Did anyone else watching UNC-Maryland see that?
1:29: Davin Meggett, the backup running back, is in to advance the ball for the Terps. He brings it to the UNC 41. The rain is now coming down in buckets. Meggett then gets another first down…barely.
0:11: Meggett rushes for 20 yards to bring it down to the 11 yard line as the quarter ends. After the first quarter, the score is North Carolina 12, Maryland 7.
And as we go to commercial, we hear a strain of what sounds like Ratt.
Second Quarter
14:40: Meggett continues his work with a first down to the 6. On the next play, it is down to the 1. What happens next?
13:46: Touchdown on the totally expected Meggett run. North Carolina 12, Maryland 14 with 13:46 left in the second quarter.
Chris Borglum comments on this post that Florida is now up 21-0 on South Carolina. Looks like the Cocks are getting blocked, but it is still early.
13:39: Bobby Rome lets the ball hit off his fingers on the kickoff return but disaster is averted. UNC starts at its 39.
13:20: Sexton hits Nicks for a big gain to the Maryland 41.
12:41: Bob Griese and Brad Nessler just gave a live demonstration of how quarterbacks throw the ball during a rainstorm. To simulate a wet ball, Nessler pours the contents of his water bottle on the ball. How cool is that?
12:00: Speaking of wet balls, Sexton fumbles on a scramble and Maryland recovers at their own 34.
The AFLAC Trivia Question is to name the coach who led the Terps to a 6-2-1 record in his only season, 1945. I would call this one moderately difficult, but a good number of Maryland fans would get it. Answer coming from me when ABC reveals it. You are welcome to post it in the comments. It is now 4:31 pm ET.
10:03: Da’Rel Scott runs for 12 to earn the first down on a draw. Neither team is stopping the other right now.
8:05: The Turner pass is tipped by the Maryland receiver and both Carolina defensive backs fail to procure it. On the next play, Maryland goes for it on 4th and 7 in the tweener zone. Fail! Turner is sacked.
7:54: Oh rainbow! UNC starts the drive at its own 45. Their running game gets nothing on the next two plays. It is third down! Get your keys out!
6:45: The Cooter Arnold reception is obviated by offensive holdings. The Tar Heels will have to punt.
The answer to the AFLAC Trivia Question is not Weeb Eubank, as posited by Chris Borglum, but the Bear, Paul Bryant, before his stints at Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Alabama.
Yes, Warren Sapp is still in the current edition of “Dancing with the Stars.”
5:30: Turner overthrows Danny Oquendo again. Another punt from Travis Baltz, but hold the phone. The penalty is chosen (by UNC) to be applied after the end of the run, so the Tar Heels will start in Maryland territory.
Whenever I switch the television to CBS, I see a commercial. Sheesh.
That Allstate commercial with the guy slurping from the Bobby Bowden cheese fountain is disgusting. Just the fact that there is such thing as a liquid cheese fountain is abhorrent.
5:03: Brooks Foster takes an end-around and breaks through the poor tackling of Maryland to get down to the 12. The Terps devour them on the next play.
4:16: On third down, Sexton throws the ball into a tip, which is tipped again, which is failed to be received by a Maryland defender. Instead, Barth hits a short field goal. North Carolina 15, Maryland 14 with 4:12 left in the second quarter.
4:07: Kenny Tate brings the ball back to the 30. On the first play, Meggett goes east-west and ends up going nowhere.
2:55: Maryland puts Josh Portis into the game at quarterback. He runs to the left (as he always does) and gains 9 yards. Meggett then takes the rock to the 50 and another first down.
1:51: Another Portis call, and he throws a pass! It is only the third pass thrown by him this year. It misses Heyward-Bey by several yards.
1:34: Fourth and 8 at the 48. They will punt this time. UNC will start at their own 2.
If you know the song that is playing right now at Byrd Stadium (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh…) please leave a comment and rock my world with your knowledge.
0:35: The UNC running back tried a hurdle and lost the ball, but he was down. The play will not be reviewed. After that mess, the Tar Heels just take a knee and end the half. At halftime, the score is North Carolina 15, Maryland 14.
Halftime
I changed the channel to CBS to see what was going on with the South Carolina-Florida game. I saw ten frames of action before the game went to commercial. I am having no luck. Florida is up 28-3.
In another game of ACC interest, Wake Forest and North Carolina State are tied at 14-14.
Third Quarter
15:00: Maryland kicks off, UNC receives at the 5 and brings it out to the 33. The Terps stuff the run on the first play from scrimmage.
14:40: On the second and third plays, Sexton throws the ball but nearly throws a pick both times. Punt time. Maryland will start at the 34 line after a mediocre punt by Terrence Brown. Cue O Fortuna.
14:24: The rain has stopped, but the passes are even worse. Chris Turner gets his pass tipped but it falls harmlessly to the turf.
Dre’ Bly went to North Carolina. Now I know. And knowing is half the battle.
13:40: Turner throws another bad one. Travis Baltz time. UNC will start at its 26 after the fair catch.
13:13: Sexton hits Christian Wilson for the first completed pass of the half.
12:02: On a waterlogged field, Sexton gets sacked. Third and 13 goes wanting as Sexton completes the pass to Nicks but is 2 yards short. Brown comes out to punt.
ABC just showed the Ledo’s Restaurant in the College Park. I had no idea there was a Ledo’s there.
10:47: Da’Rel Scott gets the drive going for the Terps with a first down. And another. And a muddy jersey to boot.
9:08: Dan Gronkowski appears to drop the ball on the reception but kept possession. He got the first down, but the Terps will be backed up thanks to a personal foul.
7:29: Turner finally gets Darrius Heyward-Bey back in action. The gain of 13 results in a first down at the 33 of UNC.
5:53: UNC is plugging the holes, forcing a third and long and a poor almost illegal forward pass. The Terps will punt. UNC gets the ball at their own 25.
4:03: Sexton hands off to Bobby Rome, who delivers the halfback option to Brooks Foster at the Maryland 17. FInally, some big play action in this half.
2:38: Sexton tosses the ball to Brooks at the 10, but it is short of the first down. Barth comes in for the 28 yard try. It looks good until “boink!” off the left upright. Defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo goes nuts in a good way. Terps take over at their 20.
1:12: Turner hits Heyward-Bey for what looks like a first down, but H-B starts dancing and misses it by inches. Turner sneaks it in to move the chains. Scott runs it a few yards, and that does it for the third, but for another strain of Ratt. At the end of the third quarter, the score is North Carolina 15, Maryland 14.
The Acura commercial with the bodies reacting helplessly to imaginary crashes is quite cool.
Fourth Quarter
14:50: Josh Portis is in the game and he fumbles it to North Carolina at the end of his run. But the play will be reviewed. The play is upheld because there was not indisputable video evidence to the contrary. UNC ball at the 33.
14:36: Sexton throws for the end zone but the pass is incomplete. Greg Little receives Sexton’s next pass but Little drops it. His third down pass is incomplete as well.
North Carolina State is up 21-17 on Wake Forest with 10 minutes left in Raleigh.
14:30: UNC punts and gains 9 yards of field position. A gift drive is wasted in the mouth.
When I see the General Motors financing commercial, I have to ask “You are bankrupt. Where are you getting the money to lend?”
14:22: Meggett gets the Maryland offense going with a 13-yard gain. First down!
13:02: The next few plays were a step backward. The Terps have to punt again. The offenses have gone away from what looked to be a shootout in the rain. UNC ball at their own 24.
Some score updates: Oregon State is leading California 27-21 early in the fourth. Baylor is leading Texas A&M 34-7. Minnesota is up 24-17 on Wisconsin with Paul Bunyan’s Axe at stake. And N.C. State still leads Wake with eight minutes left.
11:22: UNC is out to the 42. The Maryland blitz stones the run. Sexton then runs for it, receives a block, but the block is not enough as Sexton is pushed out of bounds. Brown puts again. Maryland ball at its own 17.
9:31: Maryland goes nowhere on first and second down. On third down, Turner delivers to Oquendo for a first down. Move the chains.
8:08: Turner gets it to Emani Lee-Odai for eight yards. Third and 2. Oquendo for the first down. Keep on matriculating down the field.
North Carolina State still leads Wake Forest with three minutes left.
6:43: Maryland has run two straight unsuccessful plays on the run. Can the pass get them a first down here? Yes! Ronny Tyler catches it and moves the chains. Maryland is now at the UNC 37.
5:02: Heyward-Bey gets 5 yards, Turner throws it deep to him, but the play fails. On third and 5, no dice. Fourth and 5. Turner runs for it and moves the chains! The Terps are getting it done at just the right time.
4:21: Can the Terps run down the clock to zero? Heyward-Bey going out of bounds is not going to help. But Scott getting the first down on the following play is another step in the right direction.
In Raleigh, Wake Forest is in State territory with a minute left. Another thrilling finish.
3:10: Turner throws it out of the end zone on first and goal from the 11. Scott rushes to the 9 on second down. Torrey Smith catches the ball at the 1 on third down. Uh oh! The play will be reviewed because it may have hit the ground, which I thought on first glance.
Wake Forest has lost to North Carolina State 21-17. That makes a Maryland loss here less important. Maryland still controls its destiny no matter what happens in this game.
1:39: The play is overturned. The Terps will try the field goal attempt for the lead. Obi Egekeze from 27 yards…good!!! North Carolina 15, Maryland 17 with 1:36 left in the fourth quarter.
I am getting sick of this shamelessly repeated over-and-over Desperate Housewives promo.
1:42: Maryland kicks off. North Carolina starts its drive at its own 35 after a nice return. The Tar Heels need to get within field goal range. Both teams have all timeouts.
1:29: On the first play, Allen batted the ball into the UNC sideline for an incomplete pass. On second down, Sean Droughns gets the first down. Carolina takes its first timeout. Maryland leads time of possession two-to-one.
1:16: Sexton misses Cooter Arnold on first down. On second down, Sexton is sacked! The flag is for holding, but it will be declined in favor of the 12-yard sack. On third and 22, Sexton’s pass is interpcepted by Jerome McCullough. Cue the Oh! song.
0:49: The Terps will now take a series of knees. Can the Terps run the clock out? With UNC having only two timeouts left and the play clock starting at 40 seconds, the answer is yes. Carolina will let the clock run out on their third conference loss.
Final Score: Maryland 17, North Carolina 15
ABC now goes to Corvaillis, where Oregon State is up 27-21 on California. I will live blog the finish. California is driving for the winning touchdown and has no timeouts left.
0:42: Oregon State punts the ball back to California. The Bears are at their own 5 yard line. Kevin Riley throws a pick six. The play is obviated by a false start penalty. The Oregon State fans are not pleased.
0:42: The next pass is picked and returned for a touchdown. Fork! California 21, Oregon State 34 with 31 seconds left.
0:31: Oregon State kicks off. Cal brings it back to the 4. Cal’s wide receiver is brought down in bounds. Riley spikes the ball. Third down. Riley throws the Hail Mary, but to no avail. The Beavers are two wins away from the Rose Bowl.
Final Score: Oregon State 34, California 21