Today is a great day to be a Terp fan. Not only did Maryland convincingly announce itself on the national stage; they did so against a border rival who has recently dominated the Terps.
I honestly can't remember the last time Maryland pitched a shutout. I'm sure it has happened in the last 10 years but I can't remember. Clearly, the Mountaineers are rebuilding but they only lost to Oklahoma 16-7. They aren't THAT bad. Seen in that light, the Terps look downright scary. Yes, the offense didn't do much heavy lifting today but they didn't need to. Yet, they still racked up nearly 350 yards of total offense in a driving rainstorm. The defense is another matter. West Virginia couldn't do anything all day. Their vaunted running attack was dead on arrival. Credit the Terps defense for out-muscling them upfront and outrunning them in the secondary. It was the most thorough ass whipping I can remember.
Some are already openly wondering how high Maryland will be ranked when the next Top 25 poll comes out. I'm not convinced that the Terps will make an appearance but I do think it is possible given the nature of the win and the perceived quality of the opponent. It also helps that this was a relatively weak slate of games across the country, so Maryland's victory got a ton of air time. Overall, I think it is 50/50 that we get a ranking.
Regardless, the bugaboo of "great expectations" will be making its way into the Maryland clubhouse over the next two weeks. The Terps will be headed to Tallahassee to face a Top 10 team on October 5th. Now is not the time to believe one's press clippings. The season has the potential to be a special one and the Terps need to stay hungry and humble if they are going to do great things.
A win over FSU is not outside the realm of possibility. It's still a dream though. That game will be won with hard work over the next two weeks not because of the accomplishments of the previous four.
I will say this now as a possible teaser: a win in Tallahassee and the Terps could be looking at 7-0 heading into the big home game against Clemson on October 26th. If that comes to pass, could we be welcoming Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso to town for College Gameday? Wouldn't that be something?
