College Park — Before Maryland players enter their practice fields, they walk by a graveyard filled with tombstones bearing the results of past games. It's a reminder of the success the Terps have had in the past and how, in the future, they can shock and surprise teams again.
Each tombstone in the graveyard symbolizes a Maryland win over a top-10 team. The Terps haven't added one since the beat No. 8 Boston College — led by future NFL quarterback Matt Ryan — on Nov. 10, 2007. They also knocked off No. 10 Rutgers, 34-24, on Sept. 29, 2007.
Against No. 10 Iowa on Saturday, Maryland's trying to add another tombstone. Since the Terps added two in 2007, wins against top-10 teams have been hard to come by. Earlier this season, Maryland lost at No. 1 Ohio State, 49-28.
Since beating Boston College, Maryland has faced seven top-10 teams and lost all seven games by an average score of 46-21. In 2012, the injury-plagued Terps faced West Virginia, Florida State and Clemson when all three were ranked in the top 10. Linebacker Shawn Petty started against the Seminoles and the Tigers. In 2013, Maryland lost to eventual champion Florida State, then ranked No. 8, 63-0.
Iowa could be the second of three top-10 teams Maryland faces this season. Michigan State, which Maryland faces Nov. 14, is currently ranked No. 6, and the Terps already have the loss to the Buckeyes on their record.
The matchup against the Hawkeyes is the Terps' third game against a ranked team in four games: No. 22 Michigan on Oct. 3, No. 1 Ohio State on Oct. 10, Penn State on Oct. 24 and No. 10 Iowa on Saturday.
The Terps haven't beaten a ranked team since the final regular-season game of the 2010 season, when they beat No. 21 N.C. State, 38-31, behind record-setting performances by quarterback Danny O'Brien and wide receiver Torrey Smith.
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