1972 Maryland Terrapins football team

1972 Maryland Terrapins football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	5–5–1 (3–2–1 ACC)
Head coach	Jerry Claiborne (1st season)
Home stadium	Byrd Stadium

1972 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 12 North Carolina $	6	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 17 NC State	4	–	1	–	1			8	–	3	–	1
Maryland	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Duke	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Clemson	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Virginia	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Wake Forest	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their first season under head coach Jerry Claiborne, the Terrapins compiled a 5–5–1 record (3–2–1 in conference), finished in third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and outscored their opponents 243 to 217. The team's statistical leaders included Bob Avellini with 1,251 passing yards, Louis Carter with 474 rushing yards, and Don Ratliff with 515 receiving yards.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 9	at NC State	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC	T 24–24
September 16	North Carolina	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	L 26–31
September 23	VMI*	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	W 28–16
September 30	at Syracuse*	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	L 12–16
October 7	Wake Forest	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	W 23–0
October 14	Villanova*	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	W 37–7
October 21	at Duke	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	L 14–20
October 28	at Virginia	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA (rivalry)	W 24–23
November 4	at No. 10 Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	L 16–46
November 11	Clemson	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	W 31–6
November 25	at Miami (FL)*	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	L 8–28
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game