Chris Turner, Maryland Terps Stumble Against 12th Ranked Cal Bears

The last time the Maryland Terrapins football team lined up against the Cal Golden Bears they won 35-27 in an opening week stunner. The next meeting was not so kind to the Terps.

The Maryland offense started the game off on the wrong foot with a handful of penalties that stymied their first two drives.

The Maryland defense allowed Heisman hopeful Jahvid best to break through the line and a couple of would-be tacklers on his way to a 73-yard touchdown run.

The Maryland special teams, returner Torrey Smith in particular, fumbled an early return which led to Jahvid Best's second rushing touchdown of the game.

A little over seven minutes had run off the clock and Maryland was down 14-0 and showing little, if any, sign of life.

Terrapins quarterback Chris Turner came into the season as the unquestioned starter with 20 starts to his credit and a history of showing up big in big games. His performance was admirable, but he wasn't given a chance to make any plays to change the course of the game.

After a few back and forth exchanges between the two teams, with Maryland kicking two field goals and Cal kicking one, the Golden Bears showed why they were ranked twelfth headed into the game.

The Cal defense turned up the heat on Chris Turner and the inexperienced offensive line and sacked him on what seemed like every plan Turner dropped back to pass.

The Terps put together a couple of decent drives that were ultimately derailed by dropped passes, penalties and the Cal pass rush. The Cal offense drove down the field once, leading to a three-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Riley to tight end Skylar Curran.

A later defensive breakdown by the Terps led to a 39 yard touchdown pass from Riley to receiver Nyan Boateng.

Near the end of the first half, Maryland tried to rally and put together scoring drive to close the gap heading into the locker room. Despite promising looks, including a dropped over the middle which would have set up a field goal attempt, the Cal defense proved too stout to overcome and the drive stalled.

At halftime, Cal was up big 31-6. Then it got ugly.

The Terrapins picked up right where they left off in the first half and continued their offensive and defensive futility.

The Cal offense scored twice in the first two minutes of the third quarter on an 11 yard Shane Vereen run and a 42-yard Marvin Jones reception.

In the surprise of the night, the Maryland offense finally made something happen. Junior running back Da'Rel Scott, who had been limited to 43 yards on nine carries to that point, broke a run off tackle right for a 39-yard touchdown run.

With the faintest of hopes remaining for Maryland, Cal continued to march up and down the field on the Terps' defense.

Quarterback Kevin Riley and second running back Shane Vereen made the Maryland defense look like a division 1-A high school unit for the majority of the third quarter. Redshirt freshman Masengo Kabongo ended a Cal drive with a much needed sack on quarterback Kevin Riley.

The Terps offense took advantage of the stop with a good drive in the last three minutes of the third quarter, highlighted by an early completion to the sideline from Chris Turner to Torrey Smith.

However, as was the trend of the game, costly penalties halted yet another chance to close the gap on the scoreboard. In particular, an illegal chop block on the Terps negated a first down run from Davin Meggett and led to an incomplete pass on the ensuing third and 20 play.

Not surprising, Kevin Riley hooked up with Shane Vereen for a touchdown to open the fourth quarter. Riley's finished his night 17 for 26 for 297 yards and four touchdowns.

The final 10 minutes of the game were dedicated to Cal running out the clock. The Terrapins attempted to persist offensively, but could muster nothing of note in their final drives of the game.

Not even a last gasp of hope could have saved the game.

There is little that can be said about the game that isn't apparent in the box score. Chris Turner was efficient under center, but was aided by several acrobatic catches from his running backs and receivers.

Turner didn't throw any interceptions, but did fumble once in an attempt to evade heavy pressure.

The Terrapins defense looked awful more often than not which is not a good sign. When they didn't look like they were standing still, they were tackling high on Cal ball carriers and didn't wrap when they made contact.

New defensive coordinator Don Brown was brought from UMass in an effort to bring the Terps' defense back to some respect, but failed to show such progress on this night.

Aside from the early, and costly, fumble from Torrey Smith, the Terrapins' special teams were a bright spot on the night. The aforementioned Smith finished the night with an average just under 25 yards per kick return, with a long return of 47.

It goes without saying the Cal solidified its ranking in the top 25. If anything, they made their case for being in the top 10 when the next poll comes out.

Heisman hopeful Jahvid Best started the season strong with 10 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

The stars for Cal showed up for the game, whereas the stars for Maryland were impossible to discern from the role players. If this game says anything about either team, it is that Cal is on its way to the top and Maryland is headed for the ACC basement yet again.

Next week Cal will face Eastern Washington in what should be a continuation of the clinic they put on for Maryland. Maryland will head home to the confines of Byrd Stadium to face James Madison in what should be a completely different story from their first game of the season.