As the Terrapin football team’s offense stalled and the defense slipped to allow Delaware within a touchdown late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s season-opener, the Terps needed one defensive stand to seal the game.
Luckily for them, safety Terrell Skinner was waiting with the knockout punch.
Skinner picked off Delaware quarterback Robby Schoenhoft’s pass on the drive’s first play to seal the Terps to a 14-7 win and spoil the Blue Hen comeback attempt.
“The way the game was going I felt like somebody had to make a play,” said Skinner, who also had six tackles in his first career start. “The offense didn’t do too much scoring, so I felt like somebody was going to have to make a play.”
The Terps struggled at quarterback, tackled poorly and missed three first-half field goals. But, led by Da’Rel Scott’s 197 rushing yards, the Terps managed to hold on for a season-opening win against the reigning Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division-IAA) runners-up.
“Well, I told you it was going to be a tough game,” coach Ralph Friedgen said. “You didn’t believe me, but it was. They’re a good football team, and I think we got something out of this game.”
One thing the Terps proved was their ability to run the ball behind their all-senior offensive line, which opened some gaping holes for running backs sophomore Da’Rel Scott and true freshman Davin Meggett and paved the way for 271 rushing yards.
Scott, who had just 14 rushes last year, carried the ball 26 times to pile up the most yards in a game by a Terp since Bruce Perry in 2003. Meggett broke long gains on his first two attempts and finished with 52 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
“I just wanted to set the tone and let people know what I can do to help my teammates out,” said Scott, who acknowledged being a little tired from his first preseason as the No. 1 running back.
The running game took pressure off starting quarterback Jordan Steffy, but he struggled before leaving in the fourth quarter with a thumb injury, according to Friedgen. Steffy, who finished the game 10-of-18 for 115 yards and two interceptions, was booed by the Byrd Stadium crowd after his final pass of the day fell well behind wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Friedgen said the injury occurred when Steffy was sacked and fumbled midway through the third quarter. It affected how Steffy gripped the ball before Turner took over, and Friedgen said he didn’t know whether Steffy would have been pulled from the game if he did not get hurt. Steffy was scheduled to have x-rays on the thumb Monday.
“As the game went on, I think he had some opportunities and he didn’t take advantage,” Friedgen said. “But some guys need to make some plays for him, too. When every pass is scrutinized, it’s tough.”
Chris Turner, who lost the preseason quarterback battle to Steffy, received a rousing ovation when he took over early in the fourth quarter, but he completed just one of three passes and failed to lead the Terps to any points.
Junior quarterback Josh Portis took four snaps throughout the game and ran the ball each time, picking up a total of 10 yards.
None of the quarterbacks were available for comment.
Even though the Terp defense kept Delaware off the scoreboard for nearly 55 minutes and drastically outgained the Blue Hens through three quarters, their offense’s inability to capitalize kept the game interesting until the end.
The Terps put together several long first-half drives and failed to score when kicker Obi Egekeze missed three 40-plus yard field goals. Their first two drives of the second half ended on Steffy interceptions as the Blue Hens stayed within striking distance.
“Every drive, we expect to score,” said Heyward-Bey, who scored the Terps’ first touchdown of the season on a 12-yard second-quarter run following a 36-yard reception. “That’s our mentality. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that, but that just makes us hungrier to go out there next week and do better.”
The Terps will have to do better to compete in the ACC. Saturday showed the Terps’ quarterback situation is still far from settled, and as fans demonstrated with many groans and boos throughout the game, they still have a lot of room to improve.
But they pulled out a victory, which four ACC teams failed to do in their openers.
“We got a win,” said defensive tackle Jeremy Navarre. “Obviously, we were hoping to get a more convincing win and make a statement, but it’s over, and we move on.”
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