Florida State, Maryland assume unfamiliar roles

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Posted 5:18PM on Friday, October 27, 2006

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - One team is still in contention for the Atlantic Coast Conference title. The other is in last place. One team can become bowl eligible with a victory; the other will have to wait until at least next month to pursue win No. 6. The matchup between Florida State and Maryland on Saturday night offers a few familiar themes from past seasons, with one notable twist: This time, the Seminoles are the ones desperately seeking a feel-good victory. ``We need one,'' running back Lorenzo Booker said. ``You never like practicing through the week with a loss because it is not much to build on. Even though you learn more from a loss than from a win, it just does a lot more for your confidence going into the next game coming off a win.'' The Seminoles (4-3, 2-3) require no further lessons on how to rebound from a defeat. They've lost two of three, including a bitter 24-19 home defeat against Boston College last week. Florida State has long been the class of the conference, but now it's just a last-place team. It is a new, unwelcome experience for coach Bobby Bowden, the Division I-A career leader in victories with 363. ``This is the worst we've done and all that, but I don't dwell on that part of it,'' Bowden said. ``That's just not me. You can't be a coach and worry about things like that.'' The departure of several key seniors from last year's team, injuries and the influx of youth has forced Bowden to depend heavily on freshmen and sophomores. The talent is there, but the experience is lacking. ``We've got some good young 'uns,'' Bowden said, ``but they're going to make mistakes for a while.'' That goes a long way toward explaining why the Seminoles' three losses have come by a total of 16 points. ``When you take a beating 35-0, that's a whipping right there. We haven't had one of them,'' Bowden noted. ``We've been in every ball game until the last minute.'' Maryland (5-2, 2-1) has also had a few close ones. Following a 27-23 loss against Georgia Tech, the Terrapins rallied to beat Virginia 28-26, then held off North Carolina State last week after blowing most of a 20-0 lead. All that means nothing against Florida State, a team that has dominated the Terps since joining the ACC in 1992. The Seminoles are 15-1 against Maryland, the lone loss a 20-17 defeat in College Park in 2004. The Terrapins own a better record and are playing at home, but the oddsmakers who seemingly own a keen sense of history have installed FSU as a four-point favorite. ``We are going to get them at their best. They have a lot of pride and tremendous tradition,'' Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. ``You have to get ready to play and not worry so much about what they are going to do, but about what we are going to do.'' Maryland hasn't done much against the Seminoles since Friedgen arrived. Even when the Terrapins won the 2001 ACC title in Friedgen's inaugural season, they fell to FSU 52-31. A 37-10 lashing followed in 2002, followed by a 35-10 defeat before the Terps finally won in 2004. But it was more of the same last year: Maryland blew a 10-point lead and lost 35-27. ``They're a great program, and we've struggled against them,'' Maryland cornerback Josh Wilson said. ``No matter what their record is, even if they have no wins, it's still Florida State, it's still a big game.'' But the Terrapins no longer are in awe of their opponents. ``We definitely believe we can beat them. We've stayed close the past couple years,'' Maryland tackle Jared Gaither said. ``We're in for a win.''