ATLANTA - The Maryland football team's two-year quest for a defining victory finally came to fruition last night in convincing fashion against Tennessee in the Peach Bowl.
The 20th-ranked Terps defeated the Volunteers, 30-3, before 68,330 at the Georgia Dome and a national television audience, earning the program's first bowl victory in 17 years.
Two seasons after finishing 5-6, Maryland capped a 21-5 run under coach Ralph Friedgen with the victory against a Tennessee program synonymous with college football supremacy despite a down year.
It was the Terps' first win over a distinguished program after badly missing opportunities for national respect against Florida State (twice), Florida and Notre Dame over the past two years. The win removed some of the sting from last season's 56-23 Orange Bowl loss to Florida.
The Terps (11-3) were outgained 287-274 by the Volunteers, but pulled away thanks to a stingy, opportunistic defense missing several starters.
"We played some guys on the defensive line who hadn't played all season and the other guys hung in and kept playing," Friedgen said. "It just shows you what happens when everyone plays together and for a common cause.
"This is the last day of 2002," Friedgen added. "On the [second] day of the year we played in the Orange Bowl. Then our basketball team won the national championship in this very building [the Georgia Dome].
"And now this. It's been a heck of a year for the old Terps."
All-American linebacker E.J. Henderson had three sacks, four tackles for a loss, four passes broken up and one forced fumble. He was selected the game's defensive Most Outstanding Player.
Nick Novak had three field goals for the Terps, who reached 11 wins for the first time since 1976.
The Volunteers (8-5) of the Southeastern Conference completed their worst season since 1988, and gave coach Phillip Fulmer the most losses of his 11-year career. Twice the confused defense had to call a timeout, and two roughing-the-passer penalties helped sustain Terps scoring drives.
"I take full responsibility for the game and the lack of execution," Fulmer said. "Our discipline wasn't what it needed to be."
Dennard Wilson delivered the first blow on the game's opening play from scrimmage. Not fooled by a play-action fake, a blitzing Wilson hit Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen for a 9-yard loss, setting the tone that gave Maryland the ball.
Presented with the chance to score first, the Terrapins' offense wasn't going to squander it. On a 13-play, 67-yard drive, it used a desperation scramble, an end-around and short passes to get deep into Tennessee territory. Two personal fouls by the Volunteers followed, leading to quarterback Scott McBrien's bootleg for a 7-0 lead with 6 minutes left in the first quarter.
Maryland's defense has been the strength of this team the past two years, allowing only 17.4 points per game in the 25 contests before this one. It was also going against a Tennessee offense that had struggled against the beef of its schedule.
Those struggles continued as the Volunteers managed 14 yards in the first quarter. When they made it to midfield, Clausen threw an interception that was returned 54 yards for a Curome Cox touchdown that gave the Terrapins a 14-0 lead with 11:32 left in the first half.
A steady pass rush would not be among the attributes of the Terps' defense, particularly with seldom-used reserves Tosin Abari and Justin Duffie filling in where suspended nose tackle William Shime would have been.
But Clausen had constant company in the pocket, being sacked twice while escaping another instance. One of his passes was blocked on the line, and his interception to Cox came after pressure from linebacker Leon Joe.
McBrien, the Most Outstanding Player on offense, finished 11-for-19 for 120 yards. Bruce Perry, finally healthy after a lengthy recovery from a torn groin, ran for 50 and Chris Downs rushed for 41.
"We got off to a quick start and that's what we wanted to do," McBrien said. "We thought that putting points on the board early would give us some confidence and allow us to make some plays."
Tennessee's Clausen completed 23 of 37 passes for 242 yards, but he threw the game-changing interception.
Scrambling out of the pocket, he lofted a screen pass toward an area cluttered with only offensive linemen. Cox ran in and picked it off, then weaved his way across the field for his second touchdown of the season.
This one gave the Terps a 14-0 lead, and they cruised from there.
"Coming back from being 1-2, dealing with injuries and thin up front and all over the field. To come back and win a game like the Peach Bowl against a national power like Tennessee shows the courage that we have," said offensive guard Lamar Bryant.
Maryland weathered the only two long drives Tennessee sustained in the first half. The Vols moved 68 yards on 15 plays, but Henderson dropped fullback Troy Fleming for a loss of 6 on a third-and-short play. Tennessee had to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Alex Walls.
The Terps answered that with a Novak field goal from 48 yards out, to put their lead back to 17-3 with 47 seconds left in the half. Tennessee's Tony Brown gained 44 yards on a pass play, but Durrand Roundtree sacked Clausen and forced the Vols to try a field goal that failed as the teams left for halftime.
Maryland made its first offensive mistake early in the second half when Latrez Harrison fumbled after an 18-yard reception. Keyon Whiteside returned the recovery to the Terrapins' 41.
Though the Volunteers drove close enough to smell the end zone, it wasn't close enough to keep Maryland from making a big play on defense. Starting on the Terps' 11, Derrick Tinsley ran 5 yards before Wilson stripped the ball and Domonique Foxworth recovered it at the 6 to stop another Tennessee threat.
A 36-yard catch by Harrison sparked a nine-play, 68-yard drive that ended with another Novak field goal to make it 20-3 with 6:48 left in the third quarter.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
The 20th-ranked Terps defeated the Volunteers, 30-3, before 68,330 at the Georgia Dome and a national television audience, earning the program's first bowl victory in 17 years.
Two seasons after finishing 5-6, Maryland capped a 21-5 run under coach Ralph Friedgen with the victory against a Tennessee program synonymous with college football supremacy despite a down year.
It was the Terps' first win over a distinguished program after badly missing opportunities for national respect against Florida State (twice), Florida and Notre Dame over the past two years. The win removed some of the sting from last season's 56-23 Orange Bowl loss to Florida.
The Terps (11-3) were outgained 287-274 by the Volunteers, but pulled away thanks to a stingy, opportunistic defense missing several starters.
"We played some guys on the defensive line who hadn't played all season and the other guys hung in and kept playing," Friedgen said. "It just shows you what happens when everyone plays together and for a common cause.
"This is the last day of 2002," Friedgen added. "On the [second] day of the year we played in the Orange Bowl. Then our basketball team won the national championship in this very building [the Georgia Dome].
"And now this. It's been a heck of a year for the old Terps."
All-American linebacker E.J. Henderson had three sacks, four tackles for a loss, four passes broken up and one forced fumble. He was selected the game's defensive Most Outstanding Player.
Nick Novak had three field goals for the Terps, who reached 11 wins for the first time since 1976.
The Volunteers (8-5) of the Southeastern Conference completed their worst season since 1988, and gave coach Phillip Fulmer the most losses of his 11-year career. Twice the confused defense had to call a timeout, and two roughing-the-passer penalties helped sustain Terps scoring drives.
"I take full responsibility for the game and the lack of execution," Fulmer said. "Our discipline wasn't what it needed to be."
Dennard Wilson delivered the first blow on the game's opening play from scrimmage. Not fooled by a play-action fake, a blitzing Wilson hit Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen for a 9-yard loss, setting the tone that gave Maryland the ball.
Presented with the chance to score first, the Terrapins' offense wasn't going to squander it. On a 13-play, 67-yard drive, it used a desperation scramble, an end-around and short passes to get deep into Tennessee territory. Two personal fouls by the Volunteers followed, leading to quarterback Scott McBrien's bootleg for a 7-0 lead with 6 minutes left in the first quarter.
Maryland's defense has been the strength of this team the past two years, allowing only 17.4 points per game in the 25 contests before this one. It was also going against a Tennessee offense that had struggled against the beef of its schedule.
Those struggles continued as the Volunteers managed 14 yards in the first quarter. When they made it to midfield, Clausen threw an interception that was returned 54 yards for a Curome Cox touchdown that gave the Terrapins a 14-0 lead with 11:32 left in the first half.
A steady pass rush would not be among the attributes of the Terps' defense, particularly with seldom-used reserves Tosin Abari and Justin Duffie filling in where suspended nose tackle William Shime would have been.
But Clausen had constant company in the pocket, being sacked twice while escaping another instance. One of his passes was blocked on the line, and his interception to Cox came after pressure from linebacker Leon Joe.
McBrien, the Most Outstanding Player on offense, finished 11-for-19 for 120 yards. Bruce Perry, finally healthy after a lengthy recovery from a torn groin, ran for 50 and Chris Downs rushed for 41.
"We got off to a quick start and that's what we wanted to do," McBrien said. "We thought that putting points on the board early would give us some confidence and allow us to make some plays."
Tennessee's Clausen completed 23 of 37 passes for 242 yards, but he threw the game-changing interception.
Scrambling out of the pocket, he lofted a screen pass toward an area cluttered with only offensive linemen. Cox ran in and picked it off, then weaved his way across the field for his second touchdown of the season.
This one gave the Terps a 14-0 lead, and they cruised from there.
"Coming back from being 1-2, dealing with injuries and thin up front and all over the field. To come back and win a game like the Peach Bowl against a national power like Tennessee shows the courage that we have," said offensive guard Lamar Bryant.
Maryland weathered the only two long drives Tennessee sustained in the first half. The Vols moved 68 yards on 15 plays, but Henderson dropped fullback Troy Fleming for a loss of 6 on a third-and-short play. Tennessee had to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Alex Walls.
The Terps answered that with a Novak field goal from 48 yards out, to put their lead back to 17-3 with 47 seconds left in the half. Tennessee's Tony Brown gained 44 yards on a pass play, but Durrand Roundtree sacked Clausen and forced the Vols to try a field goal that failed as the teams left for halftime.
Maryland made its first offensive mistake early in the second half when Latrez Harrison fumbled after an 18-yard reception. Keyon Whiteside returned the recovery to the Terrapins' 41.
Though the Volunteers drove close enough to smell the end zone, it wasn't close enough to keep Maryland from making a big play on defense. Starting on the Terps' 11, Derrick Tinsley ran 5 yards before Wilson stripped the ball and Domonique Foxworth recovered it at the 6 to stop another Tennessee threat.
A 36-yard catch by Harrison sparked a nine-play, 68-yard drive that ended with another Novak field goal to make it 20-3 with 6:48 left in the third quarter.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.