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: Terps regrouping after FSU debacle Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 14:59:57 EST Message-ID: \SE C;SPORTS;COLLEGES;NOTES \HD Terps regrouping after FSU debacle \BY Dave Mackall \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES \DT GREENSBORO, N.C. GREENSBORO, N.C. - Maryland's John Kaleo didn't waste time Saturday dwelling on a nasty, 69-21 loss to Florida State that saw the Terps' senior quarterback sacked four times despite sitting out the fourth quarter. Kaleo was showered and ready for the trip home from Tallahassee, Fla., before many of his teammates had finished shedding their uniforms. He entered the game as the nation's leader in total offense but was held in check for much of the day before being relieved in the fourth quarter by sophomore Scott Milanovich. Even so, Kaleo was his usual self - candid and to the point - as a pool of reporters greeted him. "Who's asking the first question?" Kaleo said, rolling up his sleeves. He knew he had been upstaged by the Seminoles' defense, although he managed to avoid throwing an interception. He knew that Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward stole the show with a near Atlantic Coast Conference-record 478 yards in total offense in less than three quarters of play. He acknowledged it, albeit reluctantly. "We just got an old-fashioned whipping," Kaleo said. His 299 yards of total offense fell short of his season average of 307 and was padded mainly during a first-quarter drive and later against Florida State's reserves. "Their defense is very good, but I felt that we moved the ball on them, and we had some scoring opportunities that we missed," Kaleo said. Right. And if the Terps had capitalized on all of those opportunities, they still might have been hard-pressed to cover the 26 1/2-point spread. The Terps scored just seven points when Florida State's regulars were on the field. Trailing 21-7, Maryland mounted something of a threat early in the second quarter, only to be foiled when a pass by Kaleo went through the arms of wide receiver Richie Harris. Later, with Florida State's lead having ballooned even more, Terps kicker Dave DeArmas missed a 38-yard field goal, and Maryland later gambled on fourth down from the Seminoles 9, but Kaleo overthrew his receiver in the end zone. Still, Kaleo found a way to push out the words while including a hint of praise for the sixth-ranked Seminoles. "Their offense held the ball for a long time and kept our offense off the field quite a bit," he said. "They kept on scoring points. It was tough since we didn't duplicate what they were doing. We couldn't duplicate it." And that meant trouble for the Terps' defense, too slow afoot and lacking depth. "This is the fastest bunch we've played," Maryland coach Mark Duffner said of the Seminoles (8-1, 8-0 in the ACC), who already had clinched the ACC championship. Ward and many of his first-team colleagues still were playing in the second half of a game Florida State clearly would win. Duffner was asked if he thought Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden was running up the score on his weary defense. The first-year Terps coach avoided the question and bashing the man whose team he played against as a defensive lineman for William and Mary when Bowden was coach at West Virginia in the early '70s. "I was more concerned with the play of our offense, our defense and our special teams," Duffner said. Next question. Better yet, next opponent. Clemson faces Duffner's team in the Terps' final game of a trying but sometimes promising season that has resulted in a 2-8 record (1-6 ACC). It's the Maryland seniors' final chance to make a statement. "I'm disappointed so far," said senior linebacker Mike Jarmolowich, Maryland's leading tackler the past two seasons. "We would like to go out a winner. I'm going to continue to play hard like I always have. Florida State did that today. It was their homecoming, and they wanted to put on a good show." That, they did. MIAMI REGAINS TOP SPOT Miami, which has lost the No. 1 ranking twice this season, regained the top spot again in yesterday's Associated Press college football poll. The Hurricanes had the weekend off, but moved up a notch after then-No. 1 Washington lost to Arizona 16-3 Saturday. Miami is only the fourth team to be No. 1 three different times in one season. The others were Notre Dame (1947), Tennessee (1951) and Alabama (1962). The Hurricanes (8-0) received 61 first-place votes and 1,549 points from a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters. The other first-place vote went to Alabama (9-0), which rose one spot to No. 2 after beating LSU 31-11. If Miami and Alabama remain undefeated and 1-2 in the rankings, they will meet in the Sugar Bowl for the national title. Miami is trying to become the first team to win consecutive championships since Alabama in 1978-79. "I feel pretty good, but the season isn't over yet," Miami receiver Horace Copeland said. "We still have to play Syracuse and San Diego State. I'm not too happy yet." Miami lost its No. 1 ranking for the first time after struggling to beat Arizona 8-7 in late September. But Arizona helped the Hurricanes on Saturday by ending Washington's 22-game winning streak. "It makes our one-point victory over Arizona look real good," Miami defensive tackle Mark Caesar said. "There should be no doubt who's No. 1." Michigan (8-0-1) climbed one place to No. 3 after beating Northwestern 40-7, and Texas A&M (9-0) moved up a notch to No. 4 with a 40-18 victory over Louisville. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. 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