TALLAHASSEE - For a second straight game, Florida State's defense took a step forward ... into the past.
The No. 11-ranked Seminoles showed an aggressiveness, a forcefulness and even a bit of brashness, once their signature traits but missing during the past two seasons, and shut down ACC rival Maryland 35-10 on Saturday.
"We're trying to get that swagger back," senior linebacker Kendyll Pope said. "As long as we keep playing together, I think it's going to be hard for any offense to score points on us this year."
Coming off its first shutout since Sept. 23, 2000, the Seminoles limited the struggling Terrapins and their innovatively offensive-minded coach, Ralph Friedgen, to 197 yards (73 rushing and 124 passing).
FSU also forced three turnovers, and were it not for an interception returned for a touchdown by former Seminole High star D'Qwell Jackson and a dazzling punt return by Steve Suter that set up a field goal, the Terrapins (0-2, 0-1) might not have scored.
"The guys are just playing hard," senior defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said. "Guys are believing in everybody. We're just playing Florida State ball. That's the way you play."
That's the way they have been playing. In their 37-0 season-opening victory at North Carolina, the Seminoles held the Tar Heels to 295 total yards and forced three turnovers.
"Our defense has not given up a touchdown. That's a good sign," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. "If people don't score a touchdown, you're going to win. The defense, that's a key to our season, plus the offensive line because the skill seems to be there - receivers and backs."
But the Seminoles' offense didn't exactly pick up where it left off from a week ago. Blame a veteran Terrapin defense, which didn't drop off FSU's receivers and allow short, safe completions that FSU turned into chain-moving plays against North Carolina.
Blame Jackson.
On the Seminoles' first offensive play, Jackson, a sophomore middle linebacker, stepped in front of tight end Paul Irons to intercept his first pass. He shed shoulder hits by quarterback Chris Rix and tailback Lorenzo Booker and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown.
Nick Novack made a 44-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 10:06 left in the first quarter. That quieted the crowd and gave the Maryland fans among the 82,885 at Doak Campbell Stadium hopes that last week's 20-13 overtime loss at Northern Illinois was an aberration and their team belonged in the Top 25. It began the season No. 15 and fell out of the Associated Press poll.
"We got tested, which you've got to have sooner or later," Bowden said. "Last week's ballgame was a game, I don't know why, we went out and played good; no mistakes and really just executed better than I expected our team to execute. (Saturday), those things didn't happen. (We had) mistakes, penalties, threw an interception for a touchdown. We caught ourselves down 10, and that's when you find out what a team is made of. (Saturday), we showed some quality."
Rix, jump-starting a drive with a couple of runs (one for 18 yards), hit Craphonso Thorpe for an 18-yard touchdown to answer for FSU.
After cornerback Leroy Smith intercepted a Scott McBrien pass and returned it 32 yards to the Maryland 7, the seemingly omnipresent Jackson blocked a 28-yard field goal to keep the Terps ahead.
Tailback Greg Jones burst around the right end and outran cornerback Curome Cox for a 44-yard touchdown to give FSU the lead. Jones added a twisting 1-yard run on fourth down to cap a 99-yard drive, fueled by a 67-yard reception by P.K. Sam, to give FSU a 21-10 halftime advantage.
"I thought our defense played a very good football game," Friedgen said. "We lost containment in a couple of situations, and when you do that against this team, it results in points."
The Seminoles put the game out of reach as Rix found Sam on a 34-yard touchdown with seven seconds left in the third quarter. Then the FSU defense provided an exclamation point in the fourth quarter.
End Chauncey Davis stripped the ball from backup quarterback Orlando Evans, and linebacker A.J. Nicholson recovered at the 11, setting up tailback Willie Reid's 2-yard scoring run.
"Are they getting more confidence in themselves?" Bowden said. "Yes, when you win and hold people down, your confidence is going to come with it.
"We need confidence after what has happened to us the last couple years. There's nothing negative out there right now."
