Let’s play a game: Guess which team I’m describing.

This squad receives little-to-no national attention and is made up of the following components: an inexperienced, mobile quarterback; a capable receiving tight end; a pair of quick, semi-notable receivers; a potent rushing attack and a powerful defense that can stop the run.

OK, time’s up. What’s the verdict? Is it the 2-1 Terp football team that enters a must-win game this weekend on the heels of a disappointing loss to West Virginia last Thursday? Sorry, guess again.

I’m thinking of the Terps’ professional brethren who play 13 miles to the southeast – the Washington Redskins.

In the middle of watching the Skins best the Eagles on this week’s edition of Monday Night Football, the striking similarities between our local college and professional teams hit me like the infamous apple hit Newton. But, while he discovered gravity, I only realized that I follow two floundering football teams that aren’t very exciting to watch.

But one difference set the teams apart after Monday’s game ended. The Redskins entered their nationally televised contest as underdogs and with a losing record in Monday-night games. The Terps entered their Thursday debacle in a similar situation. But while Washington held on to win and improve to 2-0, the Terps faltered.

So what’s the x-factor? Details.

The minuscule details of the first weeks of the season set apart the Redskins, who will look to oust the lowly Giants this weekend and start 3-0, and the Terrapins, who sit on the verge of a serious losing streak with Wake Forest, Rutgers and Georgia Tech on the horizon.

The Terps fumbled the first snap of the game against the Mountaineers. They lost three yards on a swing pass when they had time for two plays to move 20 yards into field goal range at the end of the first half. They allowed the West Virginia defense to sack junior quarterback Jordan Steffy three times in an important four-down drive in a comeback effort. They didn’t execute the little things.

The Redskins did. They used a vital block from a wide receiver to allow quarterback Jason Campbell to rush for 20 yards to set up a touchdown. They stuck to assignments in the secondary to keep quarterback Donovan McNabb’s completion percentage at a little more than 60 percent. They held strong in the red zone to limit the Eagles to four field goals.

Maybe the Terps can learn a little something from their neighbors.

“There was just a couple of minor things here and there: getting out of a gap, losing that split second, or penalties, or whatever the case may be,” junior linebacker Erin Henderson said after practice Tuesday. “It’s just little things. We still have a lot to work on and we still have a long way to go, but I think that we’re making strides to get into the right direction.”

If viewers could ignore Doug Flutie’s commentary Thursday or Tony Kornheiser’s sarcastic wit Monday, they would see what Henderson means. There’s a sense of looseness to the Terps’ play, and, as Henderson said, the team will work to become more Redskin-esque, if you will, as it gains experience.

Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington is in his eighth year in the NFL and has the experience the Terps are looking for.

“You know, nobody really expects a lot out of us,” Washington said in Tuesday’s Washington Post. “We just try to stick together and kind of believe in each other. The key is that nobody is really try to do too much.”

While the leagues and names are different, the similarities are clearly present. The Terps just need to Hail to the Redskins – pay attention to detail and sweat the small stuff – to get back on track.

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