Clemson vs. Maryland
GAME: Maryland at Clemson
TIME: 12:00 P.M. EST
VENUE: Memorial Stadium
Clemson is trying not to be discouraged after a tough loss last week, while Maryland is trying to avoid feeling overconfident.
The 19th-ranked Tigers and Terrapins both look to improve their conference title hopes when they meet Saturday.
Clemson (7-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) was pounded 24-7 on Oct. 26 by Virginia Tech, falling behind three one-loss teams in the ACC's Atlantic Division - No. 16 Boston College, No. 22 Wake Forest and Maryland. The defeat came one week after the Tigers handed Coastal Division-leading Georgia Tech its first conference loss with a convincing 31-7 victory.
Still, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden insists that his team still has a legitimate shot at reaching the ACC title game - and he wants his players to realize it as well.
"I think if I explain it in those terms, 'Hey, we're still a good team. There's a lot of football left to be played. ... We're at home the rest of the schedule.' We've accomplished, I think, too many good things and shown too much consistency to fall apart at the wheel," he said. "And I don't think we will."
The Tigers, whose only other loss this season was a 34-33 overtime defeat Sept. 9 to Boston College, entered the Virginia Tech game with the best-scoring offense in the country, but had just three first downs after the first quarter. The Tigers' running back tandem of James Davis and C.J. Spiller, which combined for 332 rushing yards and four touchdowns against the Yellow Jackets, managed only 71 yards on 22 carries.
Clemson also came in allowing a conference-low 230.4 yards per game, but were outgained 332-166 by the Hokies. The Tigers' defense hadn't allowed more than 111 rushing yards in any game this season, but Virginia Tech back Branden Ore ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
Bowden has been stressing that championship-caliber teams bounce back from such losses.
"We're looking for guys that get up," he said. "That's where you compete for championships."
In order to rebound, however, the Tigers must contend with a Maryland squad coming off last Saturday's 27-24 victory over Florida State. The victory was the third straight for the Terrapins (6-2, 3-1), who became bowl eligible with the victory.
"It's a big win for our program, but we've still got a long away to go," said coach Ralph Friedgen, whose team won just five games in each of the last two seasons. "Our goals are bigger than six wins."
The Terrapins have a tough road ahead, finishing the season with games against the Tigers, Miami, Boston College and Wake Forest.
"It doesn't get any easier from here," Friedgen said. "We've got to keep our eyes on the next game and keep getting better."
Maryland has managed to stay in the ACC title hunt despite a defense that ranks 11th in the 12-team league with 361.9 yards allowed per game and an offense that is eighth with 296.6 yards.
"This will be a tough game; this might be the most talented team we've played," Friedgen said. "They have excellent size, speed, and athleticism. It's down to a four-game playoff to see what happens and of course they will be four very tough games starting this week with Clemson."
Clemson leads the all-time series 29-23-2 and has won the last two meetings after dropping the previous three.
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Clemson vs. Maryland
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