On one of the football team’s final drives Saturday, redshirt senior offensive lineman Kalani Heppe was issued a personal foul for “giving him the business,” referee Ron Cherry’s wording for a rough play Heppe made against an opposing player. Unfortunately for State, the offensive lineman’s penalty was the only business the Wolfpack dealt Maryland, as it fell 37-0 on Senior Day.
State (5-7, 3-5 ACC) came into the game hoping to earn a bowl berth and avoid its second straight losing season. Instead, the Pack suffered its worst loss of the season in its final game and was handed its first shutout since 1995.
The Terrapins (6-6, 3-5) dominated State in almost every offensive category, converting 7-of-8 red zone chances — failing to score only at the end of the game as Maryland took a knee to run out the clock.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know what happened to us,” senior defensive tackle DeMario Pressley said. “I’ve never lost like this before. It’s the last game of the season, a chance to play for a bowl game, and we didn’t capitalize at all.”
After a series of punts from both teams to start the game, the Pack found itself on the Terps’ 35 with a chance to strike first. But on the third play of the drive, quarterback Daniel Evans’ pass was intercepted by linebacker Dave Philistin, who took it back 43 yards to set up a Maryland field goal.
State would never get any closer, as the Terps scored three rushing touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 24-0 halftime lead.
Maryland’s ground game lit up the Pack’s defense for 249 yards, while State managed only 10 net rushing yards on 16 carries.
Senior wide receiver Darrell Blackman the said team’s play in the loss was “uncalled for.”
“We couldn’t get anything going today,” Blackman, who finished with 158 all-purpose yards, said. “They came out and just shut down our running game totally. It was tough for us to make pass plays because we couldn’t run the ball today.”
The players said they felt prepared for the Maryland squad and were shocked with the way the game transpired.
“I’m trying to hold my tears right now,” redshirt senior defensive end Martrel Brown said. “I never felt this coming. My five years playing here, I never looked at the scoreboard to see a zero up there.”
Ernest Jones, a redshirt senior linebacker, suggested the season should serve as motivation for the players returning next year to start off strong so they “won’t have to fight for a bowl game at the end of the year.” He said that despite the team’s record, this season has been the best of his career.
“There’s more to life than just football,” Jones, who tied for the team lead with nine tackles, said.
Coach Tom O’Brien referred to his first year with the Pack as “a tale of two seasons” and said he felt sorry for the seniors that finished their careers with such a “disappointing” loss.
“Maybe I can’t assess it right now,” he said. “The run — four in a row — and the fact that we couldn’t get one or both of these last two, it’s something we need to take a good hard look at. But it is what it is, and it’s over with — 5-7 is who we are.”
Sights and SoundsCrowd ControlProblems with ticketing and fan retention were plentiful during Saturday’s blowout. Student requests to sit in the north end zone were denied, even as it remained barren throughout the entirety of the game, while sections 14 and 15 were filled. However, a mass exodus soon occurred due to fan frustration, and the Maryland fans outnumbered a handful of Wolfpack faithful at the end of the game.
“Fridge” stands his ground There was no need to play ‘Where’s Waldo’ with Maryland’s coach Ralph “Fridge” Friedgen, as he remained frozen to the 30-yard line throughout the majority of the contest. However, once the score began to heavily favor Maryland, the Fridge showed some mobility to join his team’s celebration.
-Emily Seck
