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| ACC Champs! |
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| By: Chad Capellman |
| Date: November 18, 2001 |
RALEIGH - No, it wasn't enough for the Maryland
Terrapins to simply win this
game against N.C. State, in a
contest with so much at stake.
That would have been too
easy. There wouldn't have been any doubts to
overcome in
the process, so it wouldn't have fit with the 'theme' of the
2001
season.
After true freshman Rich Parsons
fumbled away a would-be go-ahead touchdown with
just under
three minutes remaining, senior Guilian Gary caught an
eight-yard
pass from quarterback Shaun Hill in the final
minute to give the Terrapins a
thrilling 23-19 victory
over N.C. State to clinch the outright Atlantic
Coast
Conference championship and assure themselves an invite to a
Bowl
Championship Series bowl game. The Terps became the
first school other than FSU to win the league title outright
since the Seminoles joined the ACC in 1992.
"I don't
think I've ever been prouder of this team," said first-year
Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen. "This was a night where we
just couldn't get
it to go, but they stuck it out and made
things happen. I told them earlier,
'if you take this into
life with you and work through it, you can do
anything,'
and here they did. These guys fought for it. I'm so glad they
won
the ACC outright. We beat everyone we needed to
beat."
The Terps (10-1), who became just the fifth team
in school history and the
first since 1976 to win 10 games
in a season, overcame their most lackluster
first half of
the season to provide a finish that few who saw will likely
forget. And they can probably thank Friedgen for his
half-time tirade in the lockerroom, which witnessed the UM
coach hurl two chairs through the air to get his players'
attention.
Despite being kept out of the end zone in
the first half for the first time
this season, Hill
completed 27 of 41 passes for 296 yards and two
touchdowns
to guide the Terps in the second half. Gary was Hill's
favorite target, catching 7 passes for 74 yards
and both
of those touchdowns.
On the game winner, Gary said the
play was an improvised version of a play
the Terps hadn't
even practiced since the first week of the season.
"We
really hadn't run that play in a game or anything this
season," said
Gary, who appeared to be taking a bow when
he was keeping his balance as he
caught the ball. "We were
supposed to have two receivers on that side, but
for some
reason, (Hill) just grabs Daryl Whitmer and throws him to the
other
side. So I knew where he was going with it. When I
caught it, I wasn't sure
if I was in so I sort of reached
back to make sure I was in the end zone.
"When I saw
the (referee's hand's go up), I was blank. I didn't hear the
crowd, I didn't hear my teammates, I didn't feel people
hitting me."
But this, too, was apparently too easy for
the Terps. A flag was thrown on
the play. But after a
couple seconds, the Maryland celebration began after
it
became clear the infraction was an illegal substitution by the
defense.
While Gary might have been numb on the play,
Parson said he felt a healthy
dose of relief. He was
tackled at the one yard line by Lamont Reid and
fumbled
into the end zone where Levar Fisher recovered for the
Wolfpack on
what would have been the go-ahead
score.
"I should have had the ball high and tight, but
I'm a freshman and I'll
learn from this," Parson said. "I
just thank God I had a senior who stuck up
for me like
Guilian Gary."
The Terps, who trailed 9-6 at halftime,
did not leave their head coach in a
pleasant mood at the
intermission.
"I got a little excited and threw a few
things around," said Friedgen, who
is the odds-on favorite
to win national coach of the year honors after more
than
30 years working as an assistant. "We certainly didn't have
our A-game.
Last night I told them win or win or lose they
were a special team to me.
With a win here tonight,
they're a special team to everybody."
Running back Marc
Riley summed up what many of the players were feeling
following the game:
"It's been a long road for the
fourth and fifth-year guys. It's been a great
experience
for the younger guys that are going to be here and follow in
our
footsteps. What can I say. BCS here we
come."
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