» NCAA Football » Terps Squander Chances, Fall Short to Oregon State in Emerald Bowl, 21-14
Terps Squander Chances, Fall Short to Oregon State in Emerald Bowl, 21-14
Story by: Richard thomas
Posted December 28, 2007
Photos by: Sol tucker
San Francisco, CA--
It looked more like a home game for the Oregon State Beavers as their fans just overwhelmed the Terps fans in the Orange and Black colors of AT&T Park usually home to the San Francisco Giants were a great fit under rainy and damp conditions for the Beavers.
Oregon State suffered an early blow when the Terps defense behind Moises Fokou knocked out Beavers starting Quarterback Lyle Moevao out the game sending the Beavers to another game plan, the running game. Like many games this season, the Terps failed to stop on the ground and met their demise as result.
Running back Yvenson Bernard carried 38 times for 177 yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver James Rodgers added a career-high 110 rushing yards to help Oregon State rack up 275 yards on the ground and earn a sloppily played 21-14 victory.
"I always said I wouldn't want to run against our defense, and you just saw why," Bernard said. "I don't really worry about the records and all that. I just wanted to leave this program with a win, and I think we all did a great job, offensively and defensively."
Oregon State Ran Over the Terps Behind Yvenson Bernard
Maryland had a few highlights of their own unfortunately, the key word was few.. One of those highlights came when Chris Turner hit Darrius Heyward-Bey in stride for a 63-yard TD pass down the sideline later in the first quarter, the second-longest scoring play in Maryland bowl history. Turner also threw two interceptions in the second quarter, and then it was more Beavers behind Bernard who tied the game at 14 with a 2-yard TD run 16 seconds before halftime.
"Our guys fought hard tonight and unfortunately we just came up short," said Terps Head Coach Ralph Friedgen.
"We didn't get much done after the first quarter," Friedgen said. "When you can never mount any type of running game at all, then you become one-dimensional, and it's easier to defend you. ... I don't think we played as well as we can play. There's still a consistency thing happening."
The game was just Maryland's second in California in the program's 115-year history, and the Terps' first meeting with a Pac-10 team since the 1982 Aloha Bowl. They didn't seem bothered by the cross country trip, and Oregon State's defense deserved the credit for Maryland's struggles in the Beavers' first game against the ACC since 1942.
"I'm really proud of our football team for fighting through a strange game in a lot of ways," coach Mike Riley said. "I thought the defense got stronger and stronger as the game went on. ... Offensively, I couldn't describe what the formula is -- just getting the ball to Yvenson Bernard and James Rodgers as much as possible."
The crowd of 32,517, second largest in Emerald Bowl history, saw more than its share of Oregon State fans. More than 25,000 were reported to be Beaver fans. They came ready and lined the streets of San Francisco early and they finished tonight with a rain soaked victory over a Terps team who finished the season 6-7.
