Big Ten-bound Terrapins head to Kenan

All season long, the Maryland Terrapins have lost quarterback after quarterback to injury.

And by the end of 2014, the ACC will have lost the Maryland Terrapins, as the Maryland Board of Regents voted to leave the conference Monday.

Regardless of whether the Terrapins ever reappear on the North Carolina football team’s schedule after they leave the conference, the two teams are scheduled to meet Saturday in Kenan Stadium for the 2012 season finale.

That game is all coach Larry Fedora has time to be concerned about.

“I don’t have a lot of time in the day — I just walked out of an offensive meeting like I do on Mondays,” he said about his thoughts on Maryland’s departure from the ACC.

“For me it’s just focusing our football team on what we need to do to win a football game.”

The team coming to Chapel Hill for UNC’s senior day is a reeling Maryland squad that has lost every quarterback on its roster to injury. Last week against No. 10 Florida State, the Terrapins started Shawn Petty under center.

Petty, a freshman, started the year as a linebacker.

To cope with the change in personnel, the Terrapins have had to rework their offensive strategy.

“(Offensive coordinator) Mike Locksley has done a really nice job with the kid that they’ve got right now at quarterback and putting together an offense that the kid is able to execute,” Fedora said.

“They’re doing quite a bit of option, trying to keep the ball in his hands.

“They’re very limited on what they’re doing throwing-wise.”

Against the Seminoles, Petty threw for a pair of second-half touchdowns, though at that point the game had already been decided. The 41-14 loss to FSU made five straight losses for the Terrapins.

But given what Maryland has to work with, UNC quarterback Bryn Renner is impressed.

“It’s tough to go from a linebacker to quarterback — I don’t know how he’s doing it,” Renner said.

“But it’s an unfortunate situation. You don’t wish any team to have that situation that they have over there, but he’s done a great job coming in and playing well.”

But the opposing quarterback is just one small part of all the things the Tar Heels are focused on this week.

Saturday is the final game of the season for the bowl-ineligible Tar Heels, and it is also the final home game for the seniors that have weathered one of the most tumultuous periods in program history.

“I think we’re just going to try to enjoy the time that we have,” Renner said. “It’s going to be a good time, Thanksgiving break coming up and really just time to reflect on the good time we had with these seniors. I think its going to be a big day for them, and we really just want to send them off on a good note.”

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.