Maryland lined up for its first offensive play of the season Saturday with 10 players on the field, a tribute to offensive lineman Jordan McNair, who died from heatstroke June 13.
No. 23 Texas, which had knowledge of the plan, respectfully declined the delay of game penalty.
There also was a moment of silence before the game at FedEx Field, and the Maryland players all wore McNair's No. 79 on a sticker decal on their helmets.
It was an emotional start to the season for Maryland, which has been grieving the death of a teammate, trying to process two ongoing investigations into the program and preparing for the season opener against the Longhorns.
The Terrapins wound up beating the Longhorns 34-29.
"The moment that we stop saying his name, the moment we begin to forget, his legacy will begin to fade," offensive lineman Ellis McKennie said last month. "But we plan to have his legacy live on forever. We plan to never forget. This season, Jordan's spirit will live within each and every one of us. Every play we make, every snap we take, will be in Jordan's honor."
There will be another moment of silence in McNair's honor Sept. 15 against Temple, which is Maryland's first official home game of the season. Maryland's players also have decided that nobody will wear McNair's No. 79 jersey until 2021, which would have been the season after he graduated.
Hall of Fame diss
Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter remembers how his own career ended, and he thinks future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson is due for a similar ending.
Carter, who played his 16th and final season in Miami, believes Peterson is in for a similar season in Washington this year.
"Did you see me in a Dolphins uniform?" Carter told USA Today. "I had no business playing that season. I wouldn't have admitted it, either. These guys get so sensitive about everything. Adrian had better get over himself. We were all great. But at the end, we all smelled like a baby's diaper."
Peterson heard Carter make similar comments on FS1 and was not happy about it.
"Watching some of the things they said about me, man, it really hurt me to the core," Peterson told USA Today. "Not only are they black men, but these are people I looked up to. And these are people that made mistakes, especially Cris Carter. So some of the things that came out of his mouth, not only personally, but about me as a player ... how dare you."
No good Gronk
A recent GQ interview had praise and some digs from Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey to pretty much every NFL quarterback. In a new ESPN The Magazine interview, Ramsey turned his attention to the man regarded as the most dominant tight end in football.
"I don't think Gronk's good," Rasmey told Mina Kimes about New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. "Let me say -- I don't think Gronk is as great as people think he is."
Ramsey went on to explain to Kimes that the numbers back up the assessment.
"Any time Gronk has been matched up with a corner, he's had a very bad game," Ramsey said, "and that corner has had a very good game."
QUIZ
How many passes did Cris Carter catch in his final NFL season with the Miami Dolphins?
ANSWER
Carter played in 5 games and had 8 catches, including 1 touchdown with the Dolphins in 2002.
Sports on 09/02/2018