WASHINGTON — November is for closers in college football. You can have a great coming-out party on Labor Day weekend and dazzle the world for two months, but to reach your goals you have to produce in the money month.
For Ohio State, that means turning a fortunate spot into an overtime victory. For Louisville, that means watching a storybook season turn sour over the last two weeks. Lessons were learned down the stretch by the area schools as well: Maryland survived its November nightmare to punch a ticket to the postseason; Virginia Tech returned to making travel plans to a pair of postseason games; Navy staked its claim on a January appearance, and Virginia learned it has a way to go before becoming competitive. Closing Month is in the books. Bring on “I can’t believe there are this many bowl games” Month.
Maryland (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) became bowl-eligible with a 31-13 rout of Rutgers. The Terps scored on their second play from scrimmage and never trailed, sending the Scarlet Knights to the first 0-9 Big Ten season since Indiana in 1984.
- Terrapin Triumphs: Ty Johnson rushed for 168 yards while the team tallied 318 yards on the ground (7.1 yards per carry). The defense sacked Giovanni Rescigno seven times. Jermaine Carter Jr. tallied 15 tackles and 2 sacks and a recovered a fumble he forced inside the 10-yard line. The return game was a difference-maker early, as D.J. Moore’s 35-yard return of the opening kickoff set up the first score and Teldrick Morgan’s 83-yard punt return gave the Terps more points in the first quarter than they had scored in their three previous games combined.
- Terrapin Troubles: As good as the offensive line was in opening holes for the running game, they had issues protecting the passer — Perry Hills was sacked four times. That’s one of the reasons why the offense converted just 4 of 13 third down attempts. Penalties were also a problem, as the Terps were flagged 9 times for 60 yards. Adam Greene missed two field goal attempts (46 and 34 yards) before Mike Shinsky replaced him and nailed a 41-yarder.
Next: It’s wait and see, as the Big Ten could get one or two teams in the playoff, which would affect the pecking order of which school goes to which bowl. SB Nation has the Terps tangling with Georgia Tech in the Pinstripe Bowl, while Jerry Palm of CBS has them facing Boston College in the Quick Lane Bowl.
#19 Virginia Tech (9-3, 6-2 ACC) had already clinched the Coastal Division when it took to the field against Virginia (2-10, 1-7 ACC) Saturday, thanks to North Carolina’s loss to N.C. State. It didn’t look like the Hokies were playing just for pride in the 52-10 thumping of the Cavaliers — the 13th straight win in the series by the boys from Blacksburg.
- Hokie Highlights: Senior fullback Sam Rogers rushed for a career-high 105 yards and two touchdowns. Jerod Evans threw for two scores and ran for a third while breaking Logan Thomas’ school record for total yardage in a season. Andrew Motuapuaka tallied six tackles and an interception and returned a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown.
- Hokie Humblings: Tough to find any in a 42-point thumping of an in-state rival, but Joey Slye missed a 45-yard field goal attempt and Mitch Ludwig averaged fewer than 35 yards per punt.
Next: Saturday in Orlando at 8 p.m. against #3 Clemson (11-1, 7-1) in the ACC Championship Game.
- Cavalier Congrats: Taquan Mizzell concluded his career with 113 yards rushing, finishing just 60 yards shy of 1,000 for the season. Micah Kiser notched 14 tackles while Quinton Blanding added 12 stops with a fumble recovery. Nicholas Conte averaged 42.3 yards over his 10 (!) punts.
- Cavalier Concerns: The quarterback carousel from the Mike London Magic Eight-Ball days returned, with neither Matt Johns nor Kurt Benkert able to move the offense until the second half (3 for 16 on third down).
Next: A full offseason of evaluating and a new recruiting class.
#20 Navy (9-2, 7-1 AAC) perhaps did some location scouting before and after its 75-31 win over SMU — as the Mids could very well wind up in Dallas for the Cotton Bowl. They still have to win their conference championship game to solidify a spot … and then there’s that Army game the following week.
- Midshipman Medals: How about 600 yards of total offense? Will Worth shined again with 107 yards and 3 touchdowns rushing (he also passed for a TD). They did not punt at all — again (Virginia’s Nicholas Conte must be shaking his head at that). The defense tightened up in the second half, allowing just seven points and intercepting the Mustangs twice. Micah Thomas tallied 10 tackles and Nnamdi Uzoma notched two sacks.
- Midshipman Miscues: Even with a great second half, it’s tough to ignore the 31 points put on the board by SMU. They also went 12 of 19 on third down. The Mids are fortunate they won’t have to face South Florida (the Bulls put 52 points on the board last month in Tampa) next weekend.
Next: Saturday at noon against Temple (9-3, 7-1) in the AAC Championship Game.
