When I was flipping the channels to get to Florida-Georgia, I stopped briefly at the Maryland-Florida State for the score and ended up getting sucked in for the rest of the game. Anyway, for some reason I decided to type all my thoughts of the game as it happened. Not the best of ideas. Here’s what transpired:

- Maryland’s starting quarterback today is Joel Statham, which is good news for everyone who bet on Florida State. ABC is trying to keep us from switching to Florida-Georgia by telling us that Statham had his best game of the year against Florida State last year in Maryland’s 20-17 win over the Seminoles. Course he ended up losing his starting job later that season, but that’s beside the point.

- Nice run by Mario Ellis on first down… even better fumble on second down. Florida State is into the endzone within the next three minutes. This is bad, it’s already 7-0 and we haven’t even broken the 10 minute mark in the first quarter. I’m no longer keeping a play by play account of the game in the hopes to un-jinx Maryland. 

- Another cut away to our sideline reporter whose name I didn’t catch. Do girls watch these games and say to themselves, “When I grow up, I want to be a sideline reporter for ABC.” How come I was never offered the chance to take “Sideline Reporting 101” in college?

- There is nothing more terrifying for a football fan then a shaky field goal kicker. Perfect example, Maryland just got on the board, scoring a much needed touchdown… only to miss the extra point. Now the whole complexion of the game changes, if Maryland scores again they have to go for two and if they miss that then they’ll have to do it again and etc… Here’s my question, Maryland’s soccer team is ranked in the top five in the country – we can’t borrow one of their strikers to have him kick for the football team? (For the record: I wrote this paragraph about six hours before Maryland’s soccer team blew a 3-0 lead – at home – to Indiana. I don’t even care about soccer, and the moment I start rooting for them… Forget it, this is just going to make me angry.) 

- I’m in the process of witnessing a very interesting defensive strategy by Maryland, leaving the middle of the field completely vacant. I think that really threw FSU off for the first series. Is the idea to tire the Seminoles offense out by giving them so much room to run? This is the first zone defense I’ve seen where the safeties aren’t on the field. 

- Did Warrick Dunn come back for the Homecoming game and said, “Screw it, I’m suiting up for this one.”? If not, who is this #28 guy? And does Maryland know that its tackle football, not two hand touch?

- Not a good sign for Statham: Injured starting quarterback Sam Hollenbach who before the game couldn’t even lift his arm over his shoulder, just came into the game. He was in for a total of five plays, two of which he got drilled on his shoulder, before he had to leave again. We should just forfeit now.

- I take that last statement back. (Heck, At the rate Statham is playing, I’m going to have to bury all my bad quarterback jokes.) He really has played very since he came back into the game. That touchdown pass that he threw in the corner of the endzone was a beauty. Still there’s something that troubles me about having him in the game…

- Let me put it this way: the scalpers outside of the stadium are closer to midfield then Maryland’s secondary.

- At halftime, with Maryland leading 21-14, everyone in College Park knows one of three things is about to happen in the second half: A) After scoring three touchdowns in about eight minutes, Maryland wouldn’t score more than ten points in the second half; or B) Joel Statham would throw a costly interception; or C) The referee would make a terrible call against Maryland that would turn the tide of the game.

- Yep, Maryland is well on their way to affirming A true. They’re up 24-14 and have a chance to put this game almost out of reach with another touchdown, but they can’t score because they’re running their prevent offense.

- Statham just pulled a Drew Bledsoe. He didn’t have the arm to throw that 5-yard out last year, what makes anybody think he can make that throw now? If you took a poll of every Maryland fan watching this game, I’d be willing to bet at least 90% saw that interception coming. Ugh, game over.

- The highest possible quarterback rating is 158.3. The lowest is Joel Statham. (Zing!)

- Florida State is holding a 35-27 lead, which means that mathematically Maryland isn’t out of it yet, although we all know the truth. Wow, Vernon Davis just literally threw a Seminole defender off him like it was nothing. I haven’t seen a better tight end in college football this fall.

- Maryland doesn’t convert on a fourth down, which ends not only a pretty nice drive but the game as well. I have to say I’m rather impressed with how they played on the road against a top 10 team (or maybe Florida State isn’t as good as we thought). Still better than last week.

What a waste. I had prepared myself before hand that we were going to get killed, to the point that it wouldn’t even bother me. Then Maryland just had to go and make the game interesting and get me all emotionally involved. I hate it when they do that. Is it better for your team to not show up and get blown out or have you melt into a puddle in front of the TV for three hours only to have them blow it at the end? Right now, I’m leaning towards the former. Somehow I think this is just a cruel way to get me prepared for the upcoming basketball season. [Shudder]