WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) – Without a division title to play for, Wake Forest is putting its total focus on finally becoming bowl eligible.

Maryland wants nothing more than to ruin the fun.

A victory by the Demon Deacons over the Terrapins on Saturday would qualify them for the postseason one week after their ACC Atlantic Division title hopes were dashed in heartbreaking, last-second fashion.

Wake Forest (5-5, 3-3) blew a 14-point second-half lead at No. 7 Clemson and lost on a field goal at the buzzer, sewing up the division for the Tigers when a Demon Deacons victory would have put them in control of the race.

Instead, they walked out of Death Valley with their third straight loss. Three of their five losses have been decided by a touchdown or less.

“We don’t have anything to be ashamed of about our performance at Clemson, but we didn’t win, and we haven’t won in a while,” Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. “Hopefully, the will to win is what keeps us going.”

All last-place Maryland (2-8, 1-5) can do these days is embrace its role as a spoiler. The Terrapins have faded fast in Randy Edsall’s first season in College Park, losing six straight, and don’t want to finish with only two wins for the second time in three years.

“I want to be 4-8. Just want to finish it off with wins,” defensive back DB Trenton Hughes said. “I don’t want to be 2-10, I know that. I’ve been a part of that.”

It’ll take some work to get there.

They haven’t beaten a Bowl Subdivision team since knocking off suspension-riddled Miami in the opener and have lost five in a row by double digits – including a 45-21 loss to the same Notre Dame team the Demon Deacons took to the wire a week earlier.

“There are all types of things that we use as motivation. One of them is our ability to be a spoiler,” Edsall said. “We can be a spoiler and do what we want to do in getting a win. As a coach each week I am looking at different things I can use to motivate the guys. The bottom line is we still have to go out and play the game and execute.”

That’s been difficult with serious problems at quarterback. Reigning ACC rookie of the year Danny O’Brien – who grew up just outside Winston-Salem in Kernersville – is out for the year after breaking a bone in his left arm. He had been rotating with sophomore C.J. Brown, who now has the job all to himself now.

Brown is the team’s No. 2 rusher with 387 yards, and has completed roughly half of his passes with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

“We know what quarterback we’re going to get,” Grobe said. “The problem now becomes, he’s going to get all their attention and all their reps this week, so he’ll probably be a little bit more polished coming in than when you’re trying to get two quarterbacks ready to play. It’s probably a wash – we know who we’re getting, but we’re probably getting a better prepared guy because they’re not getting two guys ready to play.”

The Demon Deacons hope they can get another big day out of Brandon Pendergrass in his final game at BB&T Field. Flourishing after starter Josh Harris injured his hamstring last month, Pendergrass rushed for a career-high 134 yards with two touchdowns in the 31-28 loss at Clemson.

“Whenever you have two running backs, sometimes it’s hard to develop the consistency that you need,” Grobe said. “Since Brandon has been getting more work, he’s really developed into a very dependable guy.”

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AP Sports Writer David Ginsburg in College Park, Md., contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)