Terps fall short at N.C. State, lose 38-31

RALEIGH, N.C.—The Terrapin football team lost its chance at bowl eligibility Saturday and may have lost its starting quarterback as well.
 

Coach Ralph Friedgen said it is “too early to tell” the severity of Chris Turner’s left MCL injury that forced him out of the Terps’ 38-31 loss to N.C. State in the second quarter.
 

He said at this point Turner could be back for next week’s game against Virginia Tech, could be out for the rest of the season or could return somewhere in between.
 

But after the loss, the Terps’ bowl status is clear.
 

The wild seven-point loss dropped the Terps’ record to 2-7 and with three games to play, it is mathematically impossible for them to earn the six wins they need to qualify for a bowl game.
 

It will be the first season the Terps fail to qualify for a bowl since 2005.
 

Turner’s day started terribly even before the injury when he threw an interception on the Terps’ first offensive play for the second time this season.
 

Wolfpack defensive end Willie Young returned the pick to the Terp 21-yard line and Wolfpack quarterback Russell Wilson found tight end George Bryan for a 17-yard touchdown pass to give the Wolfpack a 7-0 lead just 52 seconds into the game.
 

Turner then led a long drive that ended with a Davin Meggett one-yard touchdown run that made it 7-7 with 10:25 to play in the quarter, but Wilson found receiver Donald Bowens with a 35-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7 less than two minutes later.
 

Terp linebacker Alex Wujciak tied the score at 14-14 with a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown, the Terps’ first defensive touchdown since 2006.
 

Turner gave the Terps a 21-17 lead with a one-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper with 12:52 to play in the first half, but Wilson answered with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Davis on the Wolfpack’s next possession to make it 24-21.
 

Turner then suffered his injury when he was hit after throwing an incomplete pass to Torrey Smith with about five minutes to play in the first half.
 

Wilson scored on the Wolfpack’s first possession of the second half with a two-yard run to make it 31-21 less than five minutes in, but Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for the Terps to cut the lead to 31-28.
 

The return was Smith’s second return touchdown of the season and the third of his career.
 

A two-yard run by Wolfpack running back Jamelle Eugene extended the Wolfpack lead to 38-28 early in the fourth quarter, and Terp kicker Nick Ferrara kicked a 31-yard field goal to cap the scoring with 8:37 to play in the game.
 

Ferrara missed a 47-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter and had a 27-yard attempt blocked in the second quarter.
 

The Terp defense did intercept Wilson three times and picked up a defensive score, but the Terps allowed 38 points and 482 yards of total offense.
 

After Turner’s injury, backup Jamarr Robinson led the Terp offense and appeared to gain confidence as he took more snaps.
 

Robinson missed a few open receivers on passes down the field, but he made plays with his legs and kept the Terps in the game.
 

Robinson led the Terps into Wolfpack territory in the final minute of the game with a chance to tie, but he was hit as he threw a Hail Mary attempt from the 42-yard line as time expired.
 

schimmel@umdbk.com