2010 Maryland Terrapins Football: Maryland vs Wake Forest

So, this is how a coach regains job security.

Before the start of the 2010 college football season, Maryland boss Ralph Friedgen was definitely on the hot seat. Maryland plummeted to a 2-10 record in 2009 and had created the impression that there was little hope on the horizon this year. The program had lost touch with the winning identity cultivated by Friedgen in 2001 and 2002, when the Maryland won at least 10 games and played in premier bowl games. The folks in College Park were restless as this season began, and Friedgen knew he'd have to deliver the goods.

Those goods were certainly delivered on a triumphant afternoon at Maryland's home ballpark, Byrd Stadium. The Terps rolled to their sixth win of the year and punched a ticket to the postseason by thumping ACC rival Wake Forest by 48. The flames underneath Friedgen's fanny are sure to recede for awhile.

This was a beatdown, pure and simple. Wake Forest was dominated all game long by a team that smelled the finish line early in the second quarter. This is not a particularly good Demon Deacons team, and frankly, it is surprising at this point that it beat Duke, especially since the Deacs had to do so in a 54-48 shootout on Sept. 11, when this season felt so different. Against Maryland’s defense, Wake Forest’s normally potent rushing attack was held to minus-3 yards. Granted, in the college game, sacks count as rushing attempts, and Wake quarterback Tanner Price finished with minus-35 yards on the ground, but even running back Josh Harris managed only 27 yards on 10 attempts.

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Meanwhile, Wake Forest’s normally stout defense has been absolutely terrible this year. On Saturday, it surrendered 62 points and 446 yards to a Maryland offense that hadn't dominated other opponents with the same level of potency. Maryland dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and the home team's rushing attack gained 261 yards on the ground. The Terps wore down the Deacs’ offense all game long, pounding away with rush after rush. The passing was effective, if not spectacular, as Danny O’Brien went 13 of 20 through the air for 168 yards and four touchdown passes. Maryland took care of the ball, committing no turnovers and paving the way for a max-out performance.

While Maryland is rightly receiving a lot of press for getting to the six-win mark, it has to be said that on a pure football level - in which the merits of two teams are coldly evaluated - this game is less about what Maryland did than it is about how poor Wake Forest is. It was evident early in the season, in an opening-night win over Presbyterian, that Wake Forest’s defense would be dreadful. What was less obvious early in the season, but is plain to see now, is that the Demon Deacons’ offense is not much better. This kind of game might be expected against Florida State or Virginia Tech, but Maryland has been the very definition of average, despite coming into the game with a 5-2 record, as the Terps' five wins came over Navy, Morgan State, Florida International, Duke, and Boston College. The losses were a 14-point defeat at the hands of West Virginia and a 31-7 thrashing by Clemson.

Maryland, now sitting at 6-2, 3-1 in the ACC, is bowl-eligible, but it remains to be seen just how good an already-decent team can really become over the next month. The Terps can prove they are legit by winning at Miami and at Virginia before closing the season with home games against Florida State and North Carolina State.

Maryland Terrapins vs Wake Forest Demon Deacaons Football Recap