Terps dismiss Pack, end dismal season

N.C. State (3-9, 0-8 ACC) dropped its final game of the regular season to Maryland (7-5, 3-5 ACC) Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium, 41-21.

“I was disappointed that we couldn’t send our senior class out with a win,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “It’s been a tough, long season. As the head coach, it’s my job to get this team to play better than we did. That’s something that I’m going to try to make right every day during the offseaon.”

In their final game as a member of the ACC, the Terrapins managed to score on their first six possessions. The Wolfpack scored on the game’s opening possession but struggled to find the end zone consistently after that point.

“We didn’t do what we needed to do early in the game defensively,” Doeren said. “We let the quarterback run the football way too effectively. Our special teams put our defense in some bad positions, and we weren’t able to take advantage of some of our opportunities.”

Maryland senior quarterback C.J. Brown dominated the Pack’s defense. Brown was 13-of-25 for 259 yards and two touchdowns through the air and rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns. State graduate student quarterback Brandon Mitchell completed 21 of his 31 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns in his final game with State. Mitchell also rushed 30 times for 72 yards and another score.

State had opportunities in the second half to pull within reach of the Terrapins but couldn’t take advantage of its opportunities. 

Mitchell said this has been a constant problem for the Pack all year long.

“We’ve been in every game going into the fourth quarter, minus the Florida State game,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been very close to being one of the top teams in the ACC. We didn’t finish our games this year, but this coaching staff can get the program turned around very quickly.”

Junior placekicker Niklas Sade converted three extra points on Saturday, giving him the school record for most extra points in a career with 121.

Mitchell threw a 54-yard pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Quintin Payton, which catalyzed the Pack’s opening drive. State found the end zone four plays later when Mitchell found redshirt junior fullback Tyler Purvis in the end zone on fourth down.

After punting on four of its next five possessions, the Pack scored with less than two minutes to go before halftime. Senior receiver Rashard Smith caught two passes from Mitchell on the drive, including the five-yard touchdown catch to send the Pack into halftime down 34-14.

State found the end zone on its first possession of the second half following a 49-yard kickoff return from Smith. After Maryland was called for a pass interference, Mitchell rushed in for the score from three yards out. Mitchell’s second rushing touchdown of the season would be the Pack’s final score of the game.

State missed a major opportunity to score early in the fourth quarter. Junior defensive end T.Y. McGill forced a fumble and recovered the ball on the Pack’s 32-yard line to give State a lifeline back into the game.

“I wasn’t surprised that the fumble happened,” McGill said. “We prepared all week on reading our keys, and I knew that the offensive line was going to pull in that direction.”

But the Wolfpack’s subsequent drive fell just short, ending with a three-yard loss on fourth down on the Terps’ seven-yard line.

State will enter the offseason ineligible for a bowl game for the first time in three years. McGill said the season wasn’t a total disappointment, but the team would have to make the most of its offseason to improve on this year’s record.

“I have a positive outlook on the whole program,” McGill said. “We grew more as a team this year. We had a lot of setbacks that we wish wouldn’t have happened during the season, but there wasn’t a day that we didn’t feel like we wouldn’t win. We just have to continue to work hard and compete as a team.”