Nov. 16, 2008

By Lauren Brownlow

COLLEGE PARK, Md.--Few days start out as bad as Jody Zeugner's. The Tar Heel Sports Network statistician was late getting to the game due to sitting in traffic for nearly three hours. So he gets to the game, sprints past the two teams running out onto the field with the aid of a security guard and finally makes it up the broadcast booth as the opening kickoff flies through the air.

Then he opened his bag and realized that everything in it had fallen out.

That's how the Carolina offense looked all day long. A good thing would happen here or there - Cooter Arnold scored his first career touchdown on a 59-yard catch and scamper. Brooks Foster's 32-yard run set up Carolina's final points of the game, a 28-yard field goal with 4:12 to go - in the first half.

But in the end, Carolina was just a few beats off. Cameron Sexton's throws were either way too hard or way too low (or sometimes, way too close to defenders). On Carolina's last offensive possession while leading, Sexton had no one open and tried to rush for a first down on third and three. The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion as he pointed at a man to block but Maryland's Antwine Perez wrapped him up one yard shy of the marker.

Shaun Draughn would appear to have a running lane and then get whacked at the line of scrimmage. Brooks Foster caught a pass on 3rd and 9 at the Maryland 11 and nothing in between him and the goal line. He clapped his hands together in frustration that he slipped on the mucky field. A pass bounced in and out of the hands of Greg Little.

Carolina couldn't capitalize on a turnover its defense forced at the 33-yard line. An overthrow, a dropped ball and another overthrow later, Carolina decides to squib-kick rather than attempt a 50-yard field goal. Maryland's Danny Oquendo returned it to the 23-yard line, giving Carolina a net of just ten yards.

A Terrence Brown punt bounced at the Maryland 20-yard line and then back to the 24. A Casey Barth field goal, which looked perfect as it came off of his foot, hooked sharply left and bounced off the crossbar.

Even Sexton, normally not only gregarious but also able to explain any play, good or bad, was at a loss for words. "I don't have answers for you on that because I don't have answers for myself," Sexton said. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I played poorly today. I left so much on the field. I played a poor game. I never got in a rhythm. I was off. I just don't know how to explain it."

The defense was not immune, either. Mark Paschal said that the way the Maryland offensive line attacked Carolina's defense was unlike any other team had attacked it before. "They had a great scheme where they were trapping the nose-guard. They were trapping our defensive tackle. It was a look that we hadn't seen," Paschal said. "Even at halftime, we were trying to make some corrections on it but it was still hard to look at and figure out where we're supposed to be going just so we're all on the same page."

But it wasn't Maryland's early success on the ground that did the Tar Heels in, although it certainly contributed. It was a 19-play, 73-yard drive that burned up eight minutes and 43 seconds. It had as many ups and downs as the game itself did for Carolina. Seven of the 19 plays took place on third or fourth down.

It's a shame because the defense put on a heroic performance. After being on the field for 20:37 out of 30 first-half minutes, they stiffened in the second half, forcing three punts and a forced fumble. It had been on the field already for 31:46 before Maryland mounted "the drive"; Maryland had 65 yards on its first four drives and then managed 73 on the last drive.

Maryland converted a 3rd and 10 on its own 45-yard line. Ronnie Tyler leapt up in the air and made an impossible 18-yard catch with Kendric Burney draped all over him. Then on 4th and 5 at the Carolina 32-yard line, Maryland decided to go for it. The Carolina defense did a great job of covering the Maryland wide receivers - but it forgot about Chris Turner.

"Fourth and long, you've got to get them off the field. Third and long, you've got to get them off the field," Paschal said. "We had great opportunities, we just - they completed a long pass, got a quarterback scramble for a first down, just little things like that - a great football team doesn't make the mistakes that we made tonight."

Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.