Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.sports From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Badgett's comeback matches Terps' own Date: Wed, 28 Oct 92 15:01:10 EST Message-ID: \SE C;SPORTS \HD Badgett's comeback matches Terps' own \BY Dick Heller \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Marcus Badgett confronted a mini-horde of media types in Maryland's locker room before practice yesterday and smiled, something he has done frequently since late Saturday afternoon in Durham, N.C. When Badgett beamed, a gold tooth gleamed - the souvenir of a painful encounter with a mailbox during a pickup game along the mean streets of Elizabeth N.J., when he was 12. On the meatllic molar is a tiny letter "M." "That used to be for 'Maryland,'" Badgett said. "Now I guess it shoud be for 'Mary.'" Badgett was referring, of course, to his Hail Mary-type receptions of 51-and 38-yard passes from John Kaleo on the final tow palys that gave the Terps a 27-25 victory over Duke last Saturday. This denouement has been described by many as a "miracle" - as if Somebody Up There had wanted to see Maryland win this silly little football game - so maybe a touch of perspective is in order. It wasn't a "miracle," unless one believes that the outcome of a game between teams with records of 1-6 and 1-5 (or any other game, for that matter) could be worthy of divine intervention. It was a meaningful "benchmark," as Mark Duffner put it yesterday, in the first-year coach's effort to restore football pride to Terptown - although, as he readily conceded, its ultimate importance will depend on what comes next. Yet, the 89 yards traveled by the Terps over 13 seconds represented no more dramatic a trip than the one taken by Badgett over 11 months. Yesterday, people were asking Badgett, who has broken Maryland seasonal records for receptions and yardage, to speculate on his chances for all-ACC, all-America and even Heisman Trophy consideration. Last December, on the night that Joe Krivak was dismissed as the Terps' coach, police were asking him to get into the wagon after he and several companions were caught looting a sporting goods store in College Park. It was a lifetime low point for a young man who had never before been in trouble. "I'm ashamed of what happened," said Badgett, who will graduate in December with a degree in sociology. "I got in with the wrong people, we got smashed, and when we came out of the bar we saw this store with its window broken and people taking stuff. So . . . " Undoubtedly because of his trouble-free past, Badgett was allowed to accept probation before sentencing under the condition that he perform 40 hours of community service last winter and spring. That was no problem for a guy who continued to work with kids each Saturday until football practice began in August for the sheer love of it. "After I got in trouble, I sat down and started thinking," Badgett said. "I figured I could either keep going down or I could redirect myself. I figured I was very fortunate just to be at Maryland and catching footballs. Some of my friends as a kid have died or are incarcerated, and I could be beside them now." That's the miracle to Badgett, not two plays in a mere football game. "God didn't put me on Earth to play football," he reasoned, "but I'm not sure yet what what he wants me to do." Until that becomes apparent, football is a rewarding stopgap. Especially if he is drafted and makes it in the NFL. And why not? His nine catches for 213 yards against the Dookies last week put him first nationally with 16.7 yards per grab and second with 7.6 receptions per game. What makes Badgett, a spindly 6 feet 1 and 185 pounds, so good? Said Duffner: "He's just an outstanding individual, he practices as hard as he can, he has great desire, he studies the game, he provides good leadership. Obviously, Marcus has great quickness and good hands and concentration, but it's his chemistry [read: character] that stands out. Before the season we thought he'd be a key offensive weapon, but we never sat back and said he's going to catch 80 passes or anything like that." No wonder. A year ago, Badgett had only 16, though his average gain of 20.1 was a statistical harbinger. And until he broke it last weekend, Maryland's record for seasonal snatches was only 58, by current teammate Frank Wycheck in '90. Heck, Jim Tatum's old powerhouse teams of the '40s and '50s barely threw 80 passes in a season. Duffner probably could talk for hours on how much the Duke victory meant to a team that had lost four games in the fourth quarter this season, but he knows it all will be wasted if the Terps don't build on it in their tough remaining games against North Carolina, Florida State and Clemson and then next season. "A game like Duke can be a great igniter, probably more so than if we had won by two or three touchdowns," Duffner said. "Now the kids know now that what we've been saying is true - that they can win, not almost win. The ripple effect could be immense." Said Badgett: "Sure, it could be a turning point because when you're behind, you've got to believe you can win, with 23, or 14, or seven seconds left. Otherwise, you could just pack it in, like we did last year. There wasn't a lot of believing then [in a 2-9 season]." Psychologically, at least, Duffner seems to have turned the 2-6 Terps into winners. Now he needs to do it physically, and the non-miracle of Durham is a nice starting point. No wonder Badgett, a far-sighted sort, is smiling. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM