Bob Haynie: Terps & Ravens Make Saturday Scintillating
Last Saturday was the perfect day to put fresh batteries in the remote, pull up a chair and enjoy the sports entertainment that was at our disposal. Luckily for us local fans, the home teams were front and center and did not disappoint.
Mark Turgeon's Maryland Terrapins were in action early against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big Ten hoops matchup. The 11th-ranked Terps were looking to improve to 2-0 in the conference in their first-ever Big Ten home game.
Maryland started fast as they jumped out to an 32-17 lead against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers, to their credit, fought back and made a game of it. The Terps were able to respond to any uprising and were able to maintain the lead.
Damonte Dodd helped set the tone for Maryland in first half of the game with his defense and rebounding. The sophomore center from the Eastern Shore is starting to develop into a fine player and he will be a key contributor all season long.
Defense proved to the deciding factor as Maryland held a Minnesota squad that averaged over 80 points per game to just 58. The Golden Gophers, who shoot over 40% from deep, went a dreadful 3 for 22 from beyond the arc on Saturday.
In their 70-58 victory, the Terps had a 44-35 rebounding advantage and have pulled down 96 boards in the last two games.
Maryland is now 14-1 on the season and could crack the Top Ten this week. I said they would make the NCAA Tournament in 2015. That prediction appears to be a lock.
The Baltimore Ravens hit the road and faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC wild-card game. The Ravens were underdogs and were picked by many--including yours truly--to lose to their hated rivals. Thankfully, I got that one wrong.
The Ravens rode the right arm of QB Joe Flacco into the divisional round of the playoffs for the sixth time since 2008 with a 30-17 win at Heinz Field. Saturday's win was Flacco's seventh on the road in the postseason. That is more than any other QB in the history of the NFL.
Minus star RB Le'Veon Bell, the Steelers were unable to mount much of a ground game against the Baltimore defense. Knowing that, the Ravens dialed up the pressure and sacked Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger five times and picked off two of his passes.
WR Torrey Smith and TE Crockett Gilmore caught TD passes from Flacco who thrown for 13 touchdowns and no picks in his last five playoff games.
While this may not be the most talented Ravens team ever, it is certainly one of the most resilient. We all know the drama that has been associated with this organization over the last year and for them to be two wins away from getting to the Super Bowl is pretty amazing.
Now it's off to Gillette Stadium to face the New England Patriots this coming Saturday. These two clubs are familiar with one another and have a playoff history. It should be fun.
Just like last Saturday was fun for us sports fans.
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