Before someone asks Ralph if Maryland "should have won" but for one call by the officials, someone should ask him if the Maryland team that allowed one reserve running back to rack up more yards of offense than the entire Maryland team actually deserved to win.

The better team always wins.

Question # 1 - How many receptions did UVA's wide receivers have?

Question # 2 - How many completed passes did UVA have over say 10 yards (in the air), not counting YAC's?

Question # 3 - Why, after we got up 14-3, did we turn into the Ravens on offense? At times, it seemed like a high school offense.

Question # 4 - How many times did we pass on 1st down vs. run?

Just did'nt seem like we did much in game adjustments, especially on defense. I was'nt even that upset riding home on I-95, we stunk last nite. The only points we scored in the 2nd half, a FG, was on a 60 yard drive, where UVA had 2 personal fouls called on them. The refs did'nt cost us the game, our inability to put UVA away and adjust to their "complex" offense did.

Dan

Quit yer whining. The refs got those calls right. Watch the replay - not some weird camera angle taken by your photog.

Tell that moron from the Sun that as long as the ball breaks the plane it's a TD REGARDLESS of whether he fumbles or not.

Capiche'

Yoko

You clearly haven't seen the televised version, because on the TD, the video is absolutely conclusive that he crossed the goalline. It seems fairly obvious to me that a still photo on a play where the player went forward, then backward, then was flipped is going to be a questionable way to evaluate the outcome. The video is conclusive though, so it's moot.

The 4th down play is impossible to tell from TV since Simpson's lower-body is obstructed by UMD players and a ref so it may be that you have a beef there. On TV, there was nothing that indicated the call was inaccurate, but nothing to show the knee either.

ESPN2 clearly showed over and over he crossed the goal line with possession. No question, and shouldn't even be discussed. Take off your red and black glasses and look at it again. A picture from an angle could surely show he didn't cross the line with possession; that will prove nothing. The 4th down spot was questionable. When I saw it on TV; I immediately thought he was short. After numerous replays; his knees were not down, he was not out of bounds; but where the ball landed is questionable. Va. did get that break. I won't bring up the breaks MD received on a few crucial penalties to led to MD points. MD was out played from the 2nd quarter on; on both sides of the ball. No, MD shouldn't have won this game; it was closer than it should've been. Some advice for your beloved head coach. When asked about an opposing player's ability to disrupt your offense during the halftime interview; have the decency to give the player some credit. He acted as if he had some master plan to stop Long if not for the injury to the OL. Get real and show some class.

Heather, please let us know when those pics get posted. I know alot of obnoxious UVA fans who need to see how tainted their victory its

Simpson (that's who) outgained your entire team by himself. The two calls were reviewed and the refs made the right calls. Complaining post game just makes you look like a pathetic loser...and makes your coach look worse. Why can't he just man up, and acknowledge he was out coached? I mean he gave up 250+ yards to a 4th string WR who was moved to TB due to injuries.

If that is true, not like the NCAA will do anything about it.

They could have won despite the unfortunate officiating and the bad injuries. You can't win when you have a chicken**** playcalling on offense and a completely passive, unpreprared defense. Ralph needs to fire Cosh and hire an OC immediately after the season; if he doesn't, I'll be very worried about his abilities to correctly assess and correct mistakes.

Horrible officiating. There is no way that guy made a first down - it was clear he was out of bounds bfore hitting the marker.

Why didn't Fridge use his timeouts to save some time during VA's last drive?

Offensive playcalling was too conservative - we need to throw down field occasionally. UVA was stuffing the front because we never stretched them.

I agree on the one count for certain. That was the fourth down play that VA was awarded a first down late in the game. From the angle the ballcarrier was headed and where the ball hit (out of bounds on the red markers) and being that the tip of the ball was the difference, it would physically be IMPOSSIBLE for the ball not to have been out of bounds PRIOR to the ball hitting the marker. IF the arm had been outstreched ON the field and then moved sideways, then yes, a first down mark is fine, BUT not when lurching forward and the ball landing out of bounds and the ball being marked precisely at that spot. Somewhere prior to that the ball physically HAD to have gone off the playing field. The TD controversy should never have been an issue as MD SHOULD HAVE been awarded the first down. A TRUE SHAME!

Yes, I know we had some bad breaks, but--honestly--we were darned lucky to get the win against Georgia Tech. What gets me is that Cosh doesn't seem to make good halftime adjustments; UVA kept making first downs by going to the same guy, albeit someone who was a complete unknown until Oct 20th.
My heart goes out to the players because I think they are giving it all they've got, but I'm not so sure we've got the right staff.

LOL at the Virginia fans flooding this blog seeking validation after they were given a true gift. Their appearance here is proof enough that they know the truth. The Terps played a terrible game and still would have won if not for a terrible call on 4th down. It is no surprise that Virginia has never won a conference title outright in football

Bad Luck! What are the odds of having the worst offensive and defensive co-ordinators on the same team.
This game reminded me of a boxing match where the aggressor (Virginia) stalks his defenseless opponent who clutches, covers up and jabs to keep him off.
This team strength is the run, with the biggest plays coming from play action. The play action accounted for most, if not all of the success in the passing game. All the passes blocked at the line were drop backs.
The decision to go shotgun inside their own 10 yd. line, with backup guards and the running back releasing to the flat, absurd.
Defensively, Cosh treats every 18-22 year old opposing quarterback like he's Brady, Manning, or Farve. it looks like 4 quarters of prevent defense.
You cannot let these kids sit in the pocket unmolested to gain confidence and rhythm. Get after the Qb make him move, make him uncomfortable.
There is so little pressure the running backs are releasing into the flat because they have no one to block!
Its way to easy for the opposing QB, and each have a good performance against Maryland for this very reason.
This was one of the most embarrassing coaching performances I have ever witnessed. This mothering coaching style emasculated the team and is stunting their growth.
I feel sorry for the kids, because coach mommy won't let them play. Their not ready? They will never be ready! Mommy said so!

"Gene's also got a good shot of the fourth-down call that extended that drive. It shows he was on the ground before the first down maker. Hopefully we'll get those on the web for you soon."

I'd be very interested to see that picture if, in fact, it exists .... I thought he was a a few ft short

The refs did not cost us the game....Ralph's play calling did. The Terps shut down on offense the entire second half. One time we had 4 wide receivers split left, and Turner gave it to the fullback off tackle for no gain! Did not fool anyone. We have one of the best receivers in the league, and Ralph won't throw it to him deep. So we keep going off tackle , even with a banged up line. Clemson scored 70 points on Sat., so Ralph better come up with something soon.

Our freaking season is done...time for Basketball!!

Seriously...if we cant beat VA at home, how the hell are we gonna fair against Clemson and BC???

How can the replay officials not get the 4th down call correct? It seemed that they just did not want to go against the official that was right on the spot. I happened to tape the game and when I looked at the replay, it was interesting to see the shock and dismay of one of the officials on the "chain-gang" when he saw where the LJ spotted the ball. UNBELIEVABLE that he could get it that wrong!

While I agree that the spot on the 4th down was generous at best, the fact remains the referee was standing at the exact spot where the play happened, not one other person on the planet can make that claim, other than the players involved in the play themselves. Given that he was the closest observer to the play, and given that he officiates football games week in and week out, I'd say he was pretty well qualified to make the call.

The other fact remains that the NCAA instituted this nifty little rule a few years ago that allows close or questionable calls to be reviewed by officials in an indoor booth that can re-watch all the available angles of the play and overturn any incorrect calls on the field. Imagine that! Even after taking the time to review the play, they found no video evidence that the player did not achieve a first down, and they therefore decided to stick with the call made by the official (the guy standing literally 5 feet away).

As for the 'questionable' touchdown: the video replayed by ESPN2 clearly showed the ball crossing the plane of the goal line while still in the possession of Simpson's outstretched arm. The replay was about as conclusive as replays come, right down the goal line, and I'm still amazed at how people are in doubt over whether it was a touchdown or not.

Finally, anytime a coach blames the outcome of the game on the officiating is simply pathetic. Friedgen clearly did not want to be the one held responsible for why his team was in the position to be beaten by 1 point in the final minute of the game in the first place. About how his team failed to adjust to the same three screen plays being run all night, and how a 4th string tailback was able to gain more yards on offense than his entire team combined. If Ralph Friedgen truly believes that the officials were the ones responsible who kept them from winning a game they "should have won," then I feel sorry the kids who are expected to learn from him in practice, and for the fans that pay good money to his kids play.

That Who?, Mikell Simpson, outgained your entire team by himself. And yes he is the 4th running back on the depth chart so that should make maryland feel even better about their performance. Maryland fans need to man up and accept the loss, Virginia earned that win. The way Ralph handled himself after the game was completely unprofessional, quit making excuses for your team realize that your guys just allowed one guy to gain 300 yards on his own.

that game was so frustrating. i don't think i've sever seen a team beat by two plays. screen plays and handoffs to a 4th string RB. i also recall one 3 and out where the terps did the exact SAME 3 plays.

kind of reminds me of the old tennessee / johnny ball philosophy.

1. The game winning TD was a TD. The picture on the front page of the Post sports section shows that.

2. Cosh Cosh Cosh. I don't know what he has on Ralph that keeps him around, but it must be pretty embarrasing. Saturday night's defensive scheme might have been as bad as last year against Wake when they ran the same 4 plays all game long and Cosh never adjusted.

3. TMan is always right.

4. DY needs to talk to Ralph in the offseason about the direction of the program and demand changes. He can't balance the HC and OC duties, and Cosh clearly can't manage the DC duties. Changes need to be made.

5. Simpson reminded me a lot of Willie Parker.

6. Why were we giving Staten MFing Jobe a 12 yard cushion on most passing plays? I know Gardner isn't too solid, but come on.

The touchdown was a touchdown, the ball broke the plane (just barely) before he coughed it up. But the fourth-down mark was ludicrous. I saw it real time, saw the reaction of the players right at the spot, saw the reaction of the first-down chain official--the ball was short, it was not a first down. It's Terps ball, we run out the clock, win to go 5-2. As far as the playcalling, we're down to three offensive linemen and Chris Long is lining up on the other side. Of course that changes your playcalling! People forget how important offensive line play is. Yeah you help out with tight ends and backs, but then you're sending out only three receivers. The O-line injuries are a HUGE problem.

The last UVA touchdown was ABSOLUTELY a TD; the ball broke the plain before the ball came out of his hands.

HOWEVER,

there's no way in hell they got that 1st down on 4th and 4. Last time I checked, you can't intentionally fumble the ball forward (going out of bounds no less) to get extra yardage. He was stopped and they gave them the call anyways...games like these make me wonder about the integrity of the officiating AND who's up in the booth reviewing these things...

Stop whining, homer. Virginia clearly deserved the win, no amount of whining from you or the (empty) Fridge can change that. Show a little dignity.

This game was lost on the 4th down and 1 with 7 minutes to go and the ball at UVA's 40 yard line. Everyone on offense wanted to go for it...those kids were pleading with the coach to go...but Ralph's lack of confidence, and the "play not to lose" philosophy backfired. I think Ball would have gotten the first down...and maybe that would be all the Terps needed to run the clock and ice the game.

The entire 2nd half was played way to conservative. Let the kids play, get the ball to the playmakers, its a football game, not chess.

Fridge lost this one...not the refs.

Folks,

We are what we are, a middle of the road team due to middle of the road coaching... and that's too bad because the players are putting out the effort, they play hard and don't quit and you can't ask for more than that. I don't think we are a top 10 team by any stretch, maybe a top 20-25 on our best of days. King Ralph has to figure out a way to win @ Wake despite Steffy's errant throw, and he has to figure out a way to win against UVa @ Byrd, that's what he is paid to do...go figure it out...As far as Cosh, I just don't see what it is that he is bringing to the table, possibly i'm missing something but i just don't see why he needs to come back next year and hopefully King Ralph will also pass his OC duties to someone else while he is figuring out how to win these games. Did #23 Scott dress for the game?, seems like that kid has some serious quicks that you need to at least get him involved in a few touches a game. Yeah there were some boneheadeed calls at the end but that and the injuries are no excuse, yah gotta overcome these things. Hang in there fellow Terpies......

Go Terps !

Please let us know when your photoshop project is complete. You are a sorry excuse for a blogger and you should be replaced by someone who drinks much less kool aid. I expect your resignation by tomorrow morning.

Even the overwhelming majority of your readers have disagreed with your assessment on the TD, as anyone who watched the game or highlights has already seen the enlightened modern technology that you exclusively claim to have. The 4th down call was the only play that did not have a one camera shot confirmation, but it was reviewed and the officials call was confirmed by two separate camera angles for this reason (listen carefully):

A.) The ball hit the ground before any part of the 4th string running back's body did (confirmed). That is where the player is marked down, when and where that happens, (unless his body went out of bounds before then).

B.) The 4th string running back's body was not out of bounds until after the ball had touched the ground (confirmed).

While there is no magical top secret special photograph that takes days to surface, (and in the meantime we will just take the photographer's word for it)
in order to confirm this in a single snapshot, anyone can look at the video from ESPN2 and make this educated conclusion based on the basic rules of football.

Heather, you are an embarassment to the BS (pun intended) and you seriously need to take your ignorance and bias somewhere it won't blind all of your judgement and subsequent unfounded rants. Please try harder.

Hey Old School - "Lighten up, Francis!"

Feel better?

The issue with the 4th down play is that the ball had come loose prior to hitting the ground. At that point in the game, if a ball is fumbled it is returned to the spot it came loose. The ball was spotted at the exact point the ball hit the ground and that only gave UVA the first down by an inch. I dont think the reviewing official looked to see that the ball had actually been dislodged and was loose in his hands, he was only looking to see if he stepped out. The ball clearly was knocked loose a foot or so short of the marker.