History is against Terps in matchup with FSU

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Assessing Maryland&#39;s opponent this Saturday, running back Lance Ball chose to ignore history and focus instead on the current Atlantic Coast Conference standings.<br> <br> Florida State is 15-1 against the Terrapins. But the Seminoles have lost two out of their last three games to tumble into the cellar of the league&#39;s Atlantic Division.<br> <br> ``They&#39;re last place in their division. You can&#39;t really reflect on the past. I think that would get in the way with what we have to do,&#39;&#39; said Ball, Maryland&#39;s leading rusher. ``Of course, everybody knows Florida State is a big-time school. But our mind-set is going out there and getting a W.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Rarely have the Terrapins had reason to be confident when playing the Seminoles, who have dominated the series since joining the ACC in 1992. Maryland&#39;s only win came in 2004, arguably the only bright spot in the first of two straight 5-6 seasons.<br> <br> The Terrapins (5-2, 2-1) now stand one victory short of becoming eligible for a bowl bid, and would like nothing better than to accomplish the feat against the once-proud Seminoles (4-3, 2-3).<br> <br> ``It&#39;s Florida State. This is a big game for us,&#39;&#39; cornerback Josh Wilson said Tuesday.<br> <br> Past performances suggest Maryland won&#39;t have it easy Saturday night. After all, except for that 20-17 win in 2004, the Terrapins have been outscored 159-78 by FSU since Ralph Friedgen took over the program in 2001.<br> <br> ``Obviously I think we&#39;ve closed the gap some. I still think they have a lot of good athletes and a lot of speed,&#39;&#39; Friedgen said. ``The last couple of years we&#39;ve been able to play the long ball better. Early on, that was a real problem for us. Hopefully we can do it again Saturday.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Maryland appeared on the verge of making it two in a row against the Seminoles last year, but FSU rallied from a 10-point deficit and escaped with a 35-27 victory. The comeback was engineered by quarterback Drew Weatherford, who runs a similar pass-oriented attack this season.<br> <br> Weatherford ranks second in the ACC with 217 yards passing per game and has thrown for 10 touchdowns. He&#39;s also adept at slipping out of the pocket and scrambling for positive yardage.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s an excellent thrower. A big, strong guy who has a heck of an arm and has good receivers to throw to,&#39;&#39; Friedgen said. ``And he&#39;s mobile. He can run. When you put that combination together, he&#39;s a very dangerous quarterback.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Dangerous. That&#39;s what the Seminoles are to Maryland even if they are in last place.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s a great program. We&#39;ve struggled against them,&#39;&#39; Wilson said. ``Going against Florida State, no matter what their record is, we&#39;ve got to be prepared to face a heck of a team.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Said Friedgen: ``I know what I see on tape, and let me tell you: They got my attention.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Maryland will dress in black for the game, yet another indication that this isn&#39;t just another game.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s great putting those black uniforms on,&#39;&#39; Ball said. ``It gives you a little swagger, puts a little anger in you. The whole atmosphere is going to be great.&#39;&#39;

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/10/101633