A win over a top-10 team would be the pinnacle for most college football teams, but not for Maryland. The Terrapins have two wins over such teams this season, but can?t afford to revel in their victories ? they still need another win to earn bowl eligibility.
After a 42-35 upset of then-eighth-ranked Boston College, the Terrapins (5-5 overall, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) have to win at Florida State (6-4, 3-4) on Saturday or at N.C. State (5-5, 3-3) on Nov. 24 to reach the NCAA-required six victories to be eligible to play in a bowl game. But Maryland likely will have to win both games to be assured of a postseason game, since the ACC could have as many as 10 bowl-eligible teams, but the league only has contracts with seven bowl games. However, the ACC champion is guaranteed a berth in a Bowl Championship Series game.
“I don?t want this to be the exclamation point on our season. To me, it just puts us back into the picture, it gives us an opportunity to reach our goals,” Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. “We got two very, very difficult games ahead of us, if anything, it should just give us confidence in the way were capable of playing when we put everything together.”
The Terrapins have never won at Florida State ? they are 0-9 all-time in Tallahassee ? but have defeated the Seminoles twice in the past three years in College Park, including a 27-24 victory at Byrd Stadium last season.
“It?s a tough place for us [to play], but it?s not unlike most places in the ACC,” Friedgen said. “There?s not a lot of easy places to play. We have to go down there and be focused on our game. There?s a couple times we?ve been right there at the end and we just haven?t gotten it done. We need to get it done this time.”
The Terrapins? revelry following their victory over Boston College ceased as soon as they exited Byrd Stadium.
“We got the win and we celebrated in the locker room, about an hour later I realized this was a great win, but it just put us back in a situation where our bowl eligibility is in our hands,” senior defensive lineman Carlos Feliciano said. “We just gotta win these next two games and we should be in a bowl spot, because one win might not get us there, so we?re focusing on getting two.”
A win Saturday would give the Terrapins reason to celebrate, and also give Friedgen the opportunity to meet Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden at midfield and tell him what Bowden?s team did wrong.
“Coach Bowden usually tells me why he beat me, normally it?s, ?You turned the ball over too much, son.? He?s probably right. I just don?t need him to tell me that,” Friedgen joked. “He?s been such a great coach for so long, to be on the same field with him is usually quite an honor.”
